{"id":2967,"date":"2026-06-12T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oddspapi.io\/blog\/?p=2967"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:34:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:34:30","slug":"the-odds-api-free-tier-limits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oddspapi.io\/blog\/the-odds-api-free-tier-limits\/","title":{"rendered":"The Odds API Free Tier Limits in 2026 (And a Bigger Free Alternative)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Odds API Free Tier in 2026: 500 Credits, But Not 500 Requests<\/h2>\n

You signed up for The Odds API’s free plan, grabbed your key, and ran a few test calls. Then your x-requests-remaining<\/code> header dropped way faster than expected. That’s not a bug \u2014 it’s how the credit system works, and almost nobody reads the fine print before they hit the wall.<\/p>\n

Here’s the honest breakdown of what The Odds API free tier actually gets you in 2026, the formula that drains your quota, what breaks when you hit zero \u2014 and a free alternative that bills one request as one full board across 370 bookmakers.<\/p>\n

The Number Everyone Quotes: 500 Credits\/Month<\/h2>\n

The Odds API’s free “Starter” plan gives you 500 credits per month<\/strong>. No card required, all sports, most bookmakers, all markets. So far so good. The trap is the word credits<\/em>. A credit is not a request.<\/p>\n

Straight from their docs, the cost of a single call is:<\/p>\n

# The Odds API quota cost formula\nlive_odds_cost      = number_of_markets * number_of_regions\nhistorical_odds_cost = 10 * number_of_markets * number_of_regions<\/code><\/pre>\n
So one “request” can cost anywhere from 1 credit to dozens, depending on how many markets and regions you ask for. The \/sports<\/code> and \/events<\/code> endpoints are free, and a call that returns no events isn’t charged \u2014 but every real odds pull eats into your 500.<\/p>\n
What 500 Credits Buys in Practice<\/h3>\n
Say you want moneyline, spreads, and totals (3 markets) across the US and UK regions (2 regions). That’s a normal request for anyone comparing US and European books:<\/p>\n
cost = 3 markets * 2 regions = 6 credits per call\n\n500 credits \/ 6 = ~83 live calls per month\n              = roughly 2-3 calls per day<\/code><\/pre>\n
Want historical odds to backtest a model? Multiply by 10:<\/p>\n
historical_cost = 10 * 3 markets * 2 regions = 60 credits per call\n\n500 credits \/ 60 = ~8 historical snapshots per month, total<\/code><\/pre>\n
Eight historical pulls is not a backtest. It’s barely a spot-check. The free tier is built for kicking the tires, not for running anything continuous.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Your request<\/th>\nMarkets \u00d7 Regions<\/th>\nCredit cost<\/th>\nCalls from 500<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1 market, 1 region (live)<\/td>\n1 \u00d7 1<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3 markets, 2 regions (live)<\/td>\n3 \u00d7 2<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n~83<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3 markets, 2 regions (historical)<\/td>\n10 \u00d7 3 \u00d7 2<\/td>\n60<\/td>\n~8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5 markets, 3 regions (live)<\/td>\n5 \u00d7 3<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n~33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n
What Breaks When You Hit the Cap<\/h2>\n
When x-requests-remaining<\/code> reaches zero, calls start returning 401<\/code>\/429<\/code> errors until the monthly reset. There’s no overage, no soft cap \u2014 the feed just stops. If your bot, dashboard, or cron job is mid-run, it goes dark until the calendar flips. Three headers tell you where you stand:<\/p>\n
x-requests-remaining   # credits left until reset\nx-requests-used        # credits spent this period\nx-requests-last        # cost of the call you just made<\/code><\/pre>\n
Monitor Your Quota in Python<\/h3>\n
If you’re on The Odds API free tier, read those headers on every call so the cap never surprises you:<\/p>\n
import requests\n\nAPI_KEY = \"YOUR_THE_ODDS_API_KEY\"\nurl = \"https:\/\/api.the-odds-api.com\/v4\/sports\/baseball_mlb\/odds\"\nparams = {\n    \"apiKey\": API_KEY,\n    \"regions\": \"us,uk\",      # 2 regions\n    \"markets\": \"h2h,spreads,totals\",  # 3 markets -> 6 credits this call\n}\n\nr = requests.get(url, params=params)\nprint(\"This call cost:\", r.headers.get(\"x-requests-last\"))\nprint(\"Remaining:\", r.headers.get(\"x-requests-remaining\"))\nprint(\"Used so far:\", r.headers.get(\"x-requests-used\"))<\/code><\/pre>\n
Useful, but it’s a budgeting tool for scarcity. The real fix is a model where one request isn’t rationed by markets and regions in the first place.<\/p>\n
The Other Way to Bill a Request<\/h2>\n
The credit multiplier exists because The Odds API meters you per market, per region, per call. OddsPapi<\/a> bills differently: one request returns the entire board for a fixture<\/strong> \u2014 every bookmaker, every market, no multiplier. You don’t choose 3 markets and 2 regions and pay 6 credits. You ask for the fixture and get all of it for one request.<\/p>\n
We verified this live while writing this post. A single \/v4\/odds<\/code> call on the Chicago Cubs vs San Francisco Giants<\/strong> MLB game (June 5, 2026) returned:<\/p>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
One OddsPapi request returned<\/th>\nCount<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Bookmakers on the fixture<\/td>\n14 (incl. Pinnacle, Bet365, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, William Hill)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Unique market IDs<\/td>\n198<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Books on the moneyline alone<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Credit cost<\/td>\n1 request \u2014 no market or region multiplier<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n
To pull 198 markets across that many books on The Odds API’s credit model, you’d burn a serious chunk of a monthly free quota in a single fixture. On OddsPapi it’s one of your 250 monthly free requests.<\/p>\n
Free Tier vs Free Tier (2026)<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
 <\/th>\nThe Odds API (Free)<\/th>\nOddsPapi (Free)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Allowance<\/td>\n500 credits\/mo<\/td>\n250 requests\/mo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What a request costs<\/td>\nmarkets \u00d7 regions (1\u201315+ credits)<\/td>\n1 request = full fixture board<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bookmakers<\/td>\n~40<\/td>\n370<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sharp books (Pinnacle, SBOBet)<\/td>\nLimited<\/td>\n\u2705 Included<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Historical odds<\/td>\n10\u00d7 credit multiplier<\/td>\n\u2705 Free, no multiplier<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Markets per call<\/td>\nPay per market<\/td>\nAll markets returned<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Real-time WebSocket<\/td>\n\u274c Polling only<\/td>\n\u2705 Available<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n
Be honest about the headline: 250 is a smaller number than 500. The difference is what each unit buys<\/em>. The Odds API’s 500 credits become ~83 real multi-market calls (and ~8 if they’re historical). OddsPapi’s 250 requests are 250 full boards \u2014 every book, every market, with historical pulls that don’t cost 10\u00d7 anything.<\/p>\n
Tutorial: One Request, the Whole Board (OddsPapi)<\/h2>\n
Here’s the same MLB game, fetched in full, with one request. Auth is a query parameter, not a header.<\/p>\n
1. Authenticate & List Sports (Free)<\/h3>\n
import requests\n\nAPI_KEY = \"YOUR_API_KEY\"           # grab a free key at oddspapi.io\nBASE_URL = \"https:\/\/api.oddspapi.io\/v4\"\n\n# apiKey is a QUERY PARAMETER, never a header\nr = requests.get(f\"{BASE_URL}\/sports\", params={\"apiKey\": API_KEY})\nprint(r.status_code)               # 200\n# 69 sports in the catalog as of June 2026<\/code><\/pre>\n
2. Find a Fixture<\/h3>\n
# MLB is sportId 13. Pull fixtures over a date range (max 10 days apart).\nr = requests.get(f\"{BASE_URL}\/fixtures\", params={\n    \"apiKey\": API_KEY,\n    \"sportId\": 13,\n    \"from\": \"2026-06-05\",\n    \"to\": \"2026-06-06\",\n})\nfixtures = r.json()\n# Only fixtures with hasOdds: true return a price payload.\nlive = [f for f in fixtures if f.get(\"hasOdds\")]\nprint(len(live), \"MLB fixtures with odds\")<\/code><\/pre>\n
3. Pull the Entire Board in One Call<\/h3>\n
# No bookmakers filter, no markets filter -> the whole board.\nfixture_id = \"id1300010963302659\"   # Cubs vs Giants, 2026-06-05\nr = requests.get(f\"{BASE_URL}\/odds\", params={\n    \"apiKey\": API_KEY,\n    \"fixtureId\": fixture_id,\n})\ndata = r.json()\n\nbooks = data[\"bookmakerOdds\"]\nmarkets = {m for b in books.values() for m in b[\"markets\"]}\nprint(len(books), \"bookmakers,\", len(markets), \"markets \u2014 one request\")\n# -> 14 bookmakers, 198 markets<\/code><\/pre>\n
4. Parse the Moneyline Across Every Book<\/h3>\n
The odds payload is deeply nested. Market 131 is the MLB moneyline (“Winner, incl. extra innings”); outcome 131 is the home side, 132 the away side.<\/p>\n
MONEYLINE = \"131\"\nhome_id, away_id = \"131\", \"132\"\n\nprices = {}\nfor slug, book in books.items():\n    market = book[\"markets\"].get(MONEYLINE)\n    if not market:\n        continue\n    outs = market[\"outcomes\"]\n    try:\n        home = outs[home_id][\"players\"][\"0\"][\"price\"]\n        away = outs[away_id][\"players\"][\"0\"][\"price\"]\n        prices[slug] = (home, away)\n    except KeyError:\n        continue   # book doesn't price this market\n\nfor slug, (h, a) in sorted(prices.items()):\n    print(f\"{slug:16} {h:>6}  {a:>6}\")\n\n# pinnacle           1.602   2.52\n# kalshi             1.613   2.564\n# draftkings         1.55    2.49\n# caesars            1.562   2.5\n# fanduel            1.56    2.5     ...10 books total<\/code><\/pre>\n
5. De-Vig the Sharp Line (Free, Same Request)<\/h3>\n
Pinnacle is the sharp benchmark. Strip the vig to get a fair-probability anchor \u2014 no extra credits, no separate endpoint:<\/p>\n
home, away = prices[\"pinnacle\"]\nih, ia = 1\/home, 1\/away\noverround = ih + ia\nfair_home = 1 \/ (ih \/ overround)\nfair_away = 1 \/ (ia \/ overround)\nprint(f\"Pinnacle vig: {(overround-1)*100:.2f}%\")\nprint(f\"Fair: Cubs {fair_home:.3f} \/ Giants {fair_away:.3f}\")\n\n# Pinnacle vig: 2.10%\n# Fair: Cubs 1.636 (61.1%) \/ Giants 2.573 (38.9%)<\/code><\/pre>\n
From here it’s a short hop to line shopping for the best price<\/a>, building a value scanner<\/a>, or pulling free historical odds<\/a> to backtest \u2014 none of which carry a 10\u00d7 credit penalty.<\/p>\n
So Which Free Tier Should You Use?<\/h2>\n
If you need a couple of quick, low-market spot-checks per day and you’re already invested in The Odds API’s endpoints, 500 credits is fine \u2014 just watch x-requests-remaining<\/code> and stay off the historical endpoints. If you want sharp books like Pinnacle, the full market board on every call, free historical data, or anything that runs continuously, the credit multiplier will fight you, and a request-per-board model gets you further on a free key.<\/p>\n
For a deeper provider-by-provider breakdown, see our 2026 odds API pricing comparison<\/a> and our full The Odds API alternative guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n
Is The Odds API free tier really free?<\/h3>\n
Yes \u2014 the Starter plan is free with no card and gives 500 credits per month. The catch is that credits aren’t requests: each call costs markets \u00d7 regions credits (and 10\u00d7 that for historical odds), so 500 credits is roughly 83 typical multi-market live calls.<\/p>\n
How many requests is 500 credits on The Odds API?<\/h3>\n
It depends entirely on your markets and regions. A single market in a single region costs 1 credit (500 calls). A 3-market, 2-region call costs 6 credits (~83 calls). A historical version of that call costs 60 credits (~8 calls).<\/p>\n
What happens when I hit The Odds API free tier limit?<\/h3>\n
Calls return 401\/429 errors and the feed stops until the monthly reset. Track x-requests-remaining<\/code> on every response to avoid being cut off mid-run.<\/p>\n
Does The Odds API free tier include historical odds?<\/h3>\n
Historical endpoints are accessible, but each historical call costs 10\u00d7 the live credit cost, so the free 500 credits only stretch to a handful of historical pulls per month.<\/p>\n
Is there a free alternative with more bookmakers?<\/h3>\n
OddsPapi’s free tier gives 250 requests per month, but each request returns the full fixture board \u2014 all 370 bookmakers and all markets, no per-market or per-region multiplier \u2014 and historical odds are free with no 10\u00d7 penalty.<\/p>\n
Stop Rationing Credits. Get the Whole Board.<\/h2>\n
Every market, every bookmaker, in one request \u2014 including Pinnacle and free historical data. Get your free OddsPapi API key<\/a> and pull a full board in your first call.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Odds API free tier gives 500 credits\/mo, but credits aren’t requests. See the real math, the cap limits, and a 370-bookmaker free alternative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[47,8,9,11,10],"class_list":["post-2967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-guides","tag-comparison","tag-free-api","tag-odds-api","tag-python","tag-sports-betting-api"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Odds API Free Tier Limits in 2026 (And a Bigger Free Alternative) | OddsPapi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oddspapi.io\/blog\/the-odds-api-free-tier-limits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Odds API Free Tier Limits in 2026 (And a Bigger Free Alternative) | OddsPapi Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Odds API free tier gives 500 credits\/mo, but credits aren't requests. 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