Alpaca vs Twelve Data
Head-to-head market data API comparison. Updated 2026-05-24.
Overall winner: Twelve Data — wins 2 of 7 comparison axes.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Alpaca | Twelve Data |
|---|---|---|
| API Quality | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Doc Quality | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Data Latency | second | second |
| SDK Languages | 4 languages | 5 languages ✓ |
| Free Tier | Yes | Yes |
| Affiliate Program | No | Yes |
| Asset Coverage Breadth | 3 asset classes | 6 asset classes ✓ |
| Asset Coverage | US Equities, US Options, Crypto | US Equities, Global Equities, Forex, Crypto, ETFs, Indices |
| Historical Depth | 2016–present (minute bars); limited tick | 30+ years (daily); intraday varies by plan |
| Starting Price | $0/mo | $0/mo |
| Rate Limits | 200 req/min free; higher on paid plans | Credit-based; each endpoint consumes different credit amount |
Alpaca: Best For
- Retail algo traders
- Python quants
- Paper trading bots
- US equity automation
Not Ideal For
- International markets
- Deep historical tick data
- Options analytics
Twelve Data: Best For
- Global coverage needs
- Technical indicator API
- Fintech apps
- Forex + crypto combo
Not Ideal For
- Tick data / HFT
- Deep US options data
- Large bulk downloads
More Comparisons
Alpaca vs Databento Twelve Data vs Databento Alpaca vs Polygon.io (now Massive) Twelve Data vs Polygon.io (now Massive) Alpaca vs IEX Cloud (Discontinued) Twelve Data vs IEX Cloud (Discontinued) Alpaca vs Finnhub Twelve Data vs Finnhub Alpaca vs Alpha Vantage Twelve Data vs Alpha Vantage Alpaca vs EOD Historical Data Twelve Data vs EOD Historical Data