Describe your workload: how often you poll, how deep you go into markets, and how many sports you cover. Get the estimated monthly credits and the cheapest published plan on each side, ParlayAPI next to the-odds-api, with the cheaper one named plainly. The math runs in your browser.
Both providers meter usage the same way on their core odds endpoints, which is what
makes this comparison possible at all. the-odds-api documents its usage cost as
markets x regions per odds request, with historical odds at 10x that
(per the docs at the-odds-api.com, read 2026-08-29). ParlayAPI charges the same
markets x regions on /v1/odds and per-event odds, with the
same 10x historical multiplier; see the docs. So this tool maps
1 ParlayAPI credit = 1 the-odds-api credit and fixes regions at one
(us). That mapping is an assumption, and here is where it bends: the-odds-api
bills per-event calls on markets actually returned rather than requested, and
ParlayAPI has specialty endpoints (line movement, exchange depth) that charge small flat
amounts with no direct the-odds-api equivalent. For a polling workload on game odds and
props, the two ladders are measuring the same thing.
Market depth translates to markets per request like this: h2h only is 1 market (1 credit per request). Game lines is h2h, spreads, and totals (3 credits). Lines + props adds 5 prop markets to the 3 game lines (8 credits per request); prop-heavy workloads also make more per-event calls, so treat that as a floor and raise your request count if you cover many events. Each side is then fitted to the smallest published plan whose monthly credits cover the estimate, and the two prices are compared with no adjustment in either direction.
ParlayAPI's paid prices are deliberately not written into this page. The page fetches the
live JSON from /pricing (served as application/json)
at load time, so the ParlayAPI column always shows what you would pay today, and this page
cannot quietly rot. The stable free-tier facts are fair game: ParlayAPI's free tier is
1,000 credits/month with no card, and the-odds-api's free tier is 500 credits/month
(theirs read 2026-08-29).
These are the exact vectors the page self-tests on load (open the browser console to see the result). The the-odds-api plan fit uses their published ladder, read 2026-08-29: free at 500 credits, then 20K at $30, 100K at $59, 5M at $119, and 15M at $249 per month. The ParlayAPI column names the rung the fit logic picks; the live widget above puts the current dollar figure on it.
| Profile | Requests / mo | Credits / mo | the-odds-api fit | ParlayAPI fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 sport, h2h, every 10 min (4,320 polls) |
4,320 | 4,320 x 1 = 4,320 | 20K plan, $30/mo | first tier at or above 4,320 credits |
| 3 sports, game lines, every 5 min (8,640 polls each) |
25,920 | 25,920 x 3 = 77,760 | 100K plan, $59/mo | first tier at or above 77,760 credits |
| 2 sports, lines + props, 30,000 polls each |
60,000 | 60,000 x 8 = 480,000 | 5M plan, $119/mo | first tier at or above 480,000 credits |
| 4 sports, lines + props, 600,000 polls each |
2,400,000 | 2,400,000 x 8 = 19,200,000 | no published plan (top is 15M) | first tier at or above 19,200,000 credits |
Checking the second row by hand: polling every 5 minutes is 12 polls an hour, 288 a day, 8,640 over a 30-day month. Three sports makes 25,920 requests. Game lines are 3 markets, so each request costs 3 x 1 = 3 credits, and 25,920 x 3 = 77,760 credits. The smallest the-odds-api plan at or above 77,760 credits is their 100K plan at $59/mo (read 2026-08-29).
the-odds-api is older, simpler, and more battle-tested, with a much larger base of tutorials, Stack Overflow answers, and community code you can copy on day one. It covers over 40 bookmakers of its own and includes historical odds on every paid tier. If the verdict above says their plan is cheaper for your profile, believe it and take it; this tool exists to give you the honest number, not to funnel you. What their ladder does not include: WebSocket and SSE streaming (ParlayAPI has both, on the Business tier and up) and prediction-market signals from Kalshi and Polymarket. Price those needs separately from raw credits; the migration guide covers the differences endpoint by endpoint.
Close, but not identical, and the mapping is stated rather than hidden. Both charge markets x regions per core odds request and 10x for historical (theirs per the-odds-api.com docs, read 2026-08-29; ours per the docs), so the calculator maps 1 credit to 1 credit with regions fixed at one. It bends at the edges: their per-event calls bill on markets returned, and some ParlayAPI specialty endpoints charge flat amounts with no equivalent on their side.
Because sometimes it is, and a comparison tool that cannot say so is an ad. The fit logic is symmetric: smallest published plan on each side that covers your credits, lower price wins the verdict, no adjustment in either direction.
ParlayAPI prices are fetched live from /pricing as JSON when the page loads; they are never hardcoded here. the-odds-api prices are quoted from their public pricing page, read 2026-08-29, and shown with that source and date. If they have changed their pricing since, this page is stale until we re-read it.
Multiply the credit estimate by your region count. Both providers scale identically with regions, so the verdict rarely flips, but the plan each side needs can move up a rung.
Run the same workload against real odds before you commit: the free tier is 1,000 credits/month, no card required.
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