# GetOdds vs The Odds API

Choose The Odds API if you need many bookmakers across the US, UK, Europe and Australia (including Pinnacle), many sports, or historical snapshots back to 2020. Choose GetOdds if you mainly need DraftKings, FanDuel and BetRivers with capture timestamps on every row, pick'em player lines, a WebSocket stream, or arbitrage and value feeds, and want 1,000 free requests a day.

Canonical page: https://getoddsapi.com/vs/the-odds-api

**Price.** Free development allowance: 1,000 requests per UTC day and 60 per minute per account, with no payment step. Paid: the Developer Bundle at $149 per month, with 10,000 monthly requests or credits on each of four sources. The Odds API: free Starter with 500 credits a month, then $30, $59, $119 and $249 per month for 20K to 15M credits.

## Free API key

Get a free GetOdds API key: **1,000 requests per UTC day and 60 per minute, no card**. One key covers REST and the hosted MCP server.

Sign up: https://getoddsapi.com/sign-up?ref=ai-claudebot

## Quickstart

1. Create an account at https://getoddsapi.com/sign-up?ref=ai-claudebot, open https://getoddsapi.com/dashboard and issue a key with the sources you need (draftkings, fanduel, betrivers, prizepicks or underdog). Keep it in a server environment variable named GETODDS_API_KEY.
2. Read current DraftKings NBA spreads with curl:

```bash
curl --fail-with-body "https://getoddsapi.com/api/v1/odds?sport=NBA&market=spread&fresh_only=true&limit=50" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GETODDS_API_KEY"
```

3. The same request in Python (standard library only):

```python
import json, os, urllib.request

req = urllib.request.Request(
    "https://getoddsapi.com/api/v1/odds?sport=NBA&market=spread&fresh_only=true&limit=50",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer " + os.environ["GETODDS_API_KEY"]},
)
with urllib.request.urlopen(req) as res:
    rows = json.load(res)["data"]
for row in rows:
    print(row["away"], "at", row["home"], row["side"], row["line"], row["american"], row["observed_at"])
```

4. Check `observed_at`, `age_seconds` and `stale` on every row before using a price. Full reference: https://getoddsapi.com/docs

## Use with Claude (MCP)

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http getodds https://getoddsapi.com/api/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $GETODDS_API_KEY"
```

The MCP tools follow the key's source grants and share its allowance. Setup guide: https://getoddsapi.com/use-with-claude

## Pricing

| Plan | Allowance | Price |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free key | 1,000 requests a day, 60 a minute | $0, no card |
| Developer Bundle | 10,000 requests or credits a month on each of four sources | $149 a month |

Free development allowance: 1,000 requests per UTC day and 60 per minute per account, with no payment step. Paid: the Developer Bundle at $149 per month, with 10,000 monthly requests or credits on each of four sources.
Details: https://getoddsapi.com/bundle

## Facts

- **GetOdds free:** 1,000 requests/day
- **The Odds API free:** 500 credits/month
- **GetOdds paid:** $149/month bundle
- **The Odds API paid:** From $30/month

## Side by side

Figures for The Odds API come from its public homepage and v4 documentation, checked on November 9, 2026.

|  | GetOdds | The Odds API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free tier | 1,000 requests per UTC day, 60 per minute | Starter: 500 credits per month, most bookmakers |
| Paid plans | Developer Bundle, $149 per month | $30 (20K credits), $59 (100K), $119 (5M), $249 (15M) per month |
| How usage is counted | One credit per successful page of up to 200 rows; failed reads cost nothing | /odds costs markets x regions per call; historical odds cost 10 per market per region |
| Bookmakers | DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers | US, UK, EU and Australian books, including Pinnacle and Betfair |
| Sports | NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAAF, NCAAB, EPL, MLS | Many sports and leagues worldwide |
| Player props | BetRivers native player markets; pick'em lines from four operators | Selected US sports and bookmakers |
| History | 7-day change history and replay; retained archive since November 2026 | Historical snapshots back to 2020 |
| Push delivery | WebSocket for DraftKings changes | REST polling |
| Spreadsheets | Apps Script and Power Query examples | Official Excel and Google Sheets add-ons |
| Derived feeds | Arbitrage, value, dropping odds, market summaries | Raw odds; analysis is up to you |

## Where The Odds API is the better choice

Breadth. It covers far more bookmakers and sports, including the sharp and European books that line-shopping and +EV models need, and its history goes back to 2020. Its spreadsheet add-ons are a finished product for people who do not want to write a script. For a global or multi-book product, it is the stronger fit.

## Where GetOdds is the better choice

Depth on the US books most people actually bet, and honesty about freshness. Every GetOdds price row carries observed_at, age_seconds and a stale flag, and fresh_only=true drops anything older than 15 minutes. You also get pick'em lines (PrizePicks, Underdog, Pick6, FanDuel) on the same key, a WebSocket stream, built-in arbitrage and value calculations with stated assumptions, and a hosted MCP server for AI agents.

The free allowances are counted differently, so compare them on your workload. 500 credits a month is about 16 one-market calls a day on The Odds API, each returning every book in a region. 1,000 GetOdds requests a day each return up to 200 rows from one book.

## Test GetOdds against your own sample

Pick three games you care about and request them from both providers at the same moment. Compare the market, line, price and timestamp field by field. This call returns GetOdds' DraftKings prices for one league; swap the sport code for yours.

```bash
curl --fail-with-body "https://getoddsapi.com/api/v1/odds?sport=NBA&fresh_only=true&limit=200" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GETODDS_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### Is GetOdds a drop-in replacement for The Odds API?

No. Endpoints, parameters and response shapes differ, and GetOdds covers fewer bookmakers. Plan a small migration and test it on your own games.

### Which is cheaper?

For hobby use both are free. The Odds API's paid plans start lower, at $30 a month. GetOdds' free allowance of 1,000 requests a day is larger than 500 credits a month, but each request covers one book rather than a region.

### Does The Odds API include Pinnacle?

Yes, among its European bookmakers. GetOdds does not carry Pinnacle.

### Which has better historical odds?

The Odds API, with snapshots back to 2020. GetOdds keeps seven days of change history and a forward archive that began in November 2026.

## Sources checked

- [The Odds API plans and coverage](https://the-odds-api.com/)
- [The Odds API v4 usage costs](https://the-odds-api.com/liveapi/guides/v4/)

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GetOdds is an independent developer product and is not affiliated with any sportsbook or pick’em operator. Prices describe data, not betting advice.