Written by Tigran Mkrtchyan · Reviewed and fact-checked by Narek Gevorgyan · Published September 10, 2026 · Last updated September 10, 2026 · Pricing and limits verified September 2026
This guide started as a spreadsheet with 68 free crypto APIs in it. I pulled the names from our founder’s GitHub list and added what it misses. Then I opened every pricing page.
More than a dozen were dead, stale, trial-only, or had no real free tier. That is the catch with a free crypto API. The price is zero, so nobody reads the limits until they break.
The 23 that survived are below, grouped by the job they do. CoinStats Crypto API is first, and I will be honest about why. I will also be fair to the rest.
Our bias, up front
We make CoinStats API, so yes, we are biased, and we know it. So this guide sticks to plain facts: endpoints, limits, and public pricing. The verdict is yours.
Key takeaways
Every free crypto API has three limits: monthly quota, rate cap, and license.
Twelve of the 23 need no API key. Eleven need a free key, no card.
CoinStats API leads for market, wallet, and DeFi data on one free key.
Six well-known crypto APIs lost their free tier or shut down since 2025.
Match the API to the job, then test the free tier on real calls.
What makes a good free crypto API
A free cryptocurrency API is a data endpoint you can call without paying. Every one of them stops at a published limit. The limit is the product, and everything else on the pricing page is decoration.
Free can also mean gone. CoinCap’s keyless v2 API vanished in 2025, and every tutorial that used it broke.
Three limits matter: the monthly quota, the rate cap, and the license. Quotas come in calls or credits. Rate caps come in requests a second or a minute.
Swipe to see the full diagram
One sample free tier, three limits. The rate cap binds first.
A credit is a weighted call. Heavy endpoints cost more credits than light ones. Twenty thousand credits can mean 20,000 price lookups or 50 DeFi calls.
Same 20,000 credits, three very different call counts. CoinStats API free tier.
APIs are how software talks now, and crypto is no exception. Postman’s 2025 State of the API report puts API-first adoption at 82% of organizations. For crypto apps, the free tier is where that work starts.
Rate limits are not stinginess. NIST’s SP 800-228 (2025) ranks rate limiting among the most effective API tools. A provider with clear limits is a provider that plans to stay up.
So what should you check before you pick one? Six things.
Free quota. How many calls or credits a month, and do they renew?
Signup friction. No key, a free key, or a card on file?
Data depth. Prices only, or wallets, DeFi, and risk too?
Coverage. The coins, chains, and venues you need.
Docs and limits. Published numbers you can model, not “contact us”.
AI readiness. An official MCP server, so agents can call it.
One note on AI readiness. MCP, the Model Context Protocol, lets an AI agent call an API directly. Nine providers here ship one, so it is table stakes, not a tiebreaker.
The shift is wider than crypto. Per Postman’s 2025 report, nearly one in four developers design APIs for AI agents. “APIs are no longer just powering applications, they’re powering AI agents,” says Abhinav Asthana, Postman’s co-founder and CEO.
How we scored the 23
We scored every free tier on six criteria, weighted toward quota and data depth. Every number comes from the provider’s official pricing page, read in September 2026. Providers we could not verify were cut, and they are listed near the end.
Swipe the table sideways to compare →
Criterion
Weight
What we checked
Free quota
25%
Calls or credits a month, and whether they renew
Data depth
25%
Prices only, or wallets, DeFi, risk, and history
Coverage
15%
Coins, chains, venues, and protocols
AI readiness
15%
An official MCP server or agent tooling
Docs and limits
10%
Published numbers, not sales-only
Signup friction
10%
No key, free key, or card required
Two honest notes. CoinStats API is our product, so it goes first, limits included. And 23 is a menu, not a podium.
The best pick is the one whose limit you never hit.
The 23 best free crypto APIs at a glance
Twelve of the 23 free tiers need no API key. Eleven need a free key, and none needs a card. Nine ship an official MCP server.
Swipe the table sideways to compare →
Provider
Free tier
Signup
Entry price
AI / MCP
CoinStats APIMarket data
20,000 credits/mo, 2 req/s
Free key, no card
from $49/mo
MCP
CoinPaprikaMarket data
20,000 calls/mo, personal use
None
$99/mo
MCP
LiveCoinWatchMarket data
10,000 req/day
Free key, no card
Not listed
No
CoinrankingMarket data
5,000 calls/mo
Free key, no card
$49/mo
No
CoinLoreMarket data
No hard limit, ~1 req/s
None
No paid tier
No
DIAMarket data
Free, limits not published
None
Custom
No
Coin Metrics Community APIMarket data
10 req / 6 s per IP
None
Not listed
No
The GraphOnchain data
100,000 queries/mo
Free key, no card
$4/mo
MCP
ChainbaseOnchain data
200,000 credits/mo
Free key, no card
$99/mo
MCP
RoutescanOnchain data
10,000/day keyless, 100,000/day with key
None (key optional)
$160/mo
MCP
GoldskyOnchain data
$100 one-time credit
Free key, no card
Usage-based
MCP
EthplorerOnchain data
2,000 req/day (freekey)
None
Not listed
No
BlockscoutOnchain data
Free reads; PRO free 100,000 credits/day
None (PRO key optional)
$49/mo (PRO)
No
mempool.spaceOnchain data
Free, limits not published
None
No paid tier
No
DefiLlamaDEX and DeFi
Free, ~31 endpoints
None
$300/mo
MCP (paid)
DEX ScreenerDEX and DeFi
60 req/min
None
Not listed
No
1inchDEX and DeFi
100,000 calls/mo, 60 req/min
Free key, no card
$149/mo
MCP
JupiterDEX and DeFi
0.5 req/s keyless, 1 req/s with key
None (key optional)
$25/mo
No
OpenSeaNFT data
600 reads/hr
Instant key, no card
Not listed
MCP
NFTScanNFT data
10,000 req/day
Free key, no card
$199 prepaid
No
SantimentSentiment
1,000 calls/mo
Free key, no card
$49/mo
No
LunarCrushSentiment
100 req/day, market data only
Free key, no card
$90/mo
MCP
Alternative.me Fear & GreedSentiment
Free, no stated limit
None
No paid tier
No
Pricing and limits verified September 2026. Providers change terms often, so check each pricing page before you commit.
What matters most to you?
Tap a priority. All 23 APIs re-rank, and the top 8 show.
CoinStats API wins all-round. One free key covers market, wallet, and DeFi data.Coin Metrics and Routescan give the most free calls. CoinStats API ranks 12th here.Twelve of the 23 need no key at all. CoinPaprika is the quickest start.Nine ship an official MCP server. CoinStats API pairs its MCP with the widest data set.The Graph and Jupiter have the cheapest paid steps, at $4 and $25 a month.
1131414
CoinStats API20,000 credits/mo, 2 req/s20,000 credits/mo, 2 req/sFree key, no cardMCPfrom $49/moMarket, wallet, DeFi, and risk on one free key.20,000 credits a month, commercial use allowed.Free key from the dashboard, no card.Official MCP server, 20+ tools, OAuth login.Starter adds 1,000,000 credits a month.
214149
CoinPaprika20,000 calls/mo, personal use20,000 calls/mo, personal useNoneMCP$99/moPrices and history with no signup at all.20,000 calls a month, personal use only.No key, no signup, 20,000 calls a month.Official MCP server, keyless.Starter at $99 adds a commercial license.
97151315
LiveCoinWatch10,000 req/day10,000 req/dayFree key, no cardNoNot listed10,000 free price calls a day.10,000 requests a day, about 300,000 a month.Free key required, no card.No MCP server.No paid plan published.
161520145
Coinranking5,000 calls/mo5,000 calls/moFree key, no cardNo$49/moRanked coins and market caps on a small quota.5,000 calls a month.Free key required, no card.No MCP server.Startup at $49 gives 1,000,000 calls.
192081521
CoinLoreNo hard limit, ~1 req/sNo hard limit, ~1 req/sNoneNoNo paid tierFastest zero-setup price call there is.No published cap, about 1 req/s.No key, no signup.No MCP server.No paid tier exists.
182191619
DIAFree, limits not publishedFree, limits not publishedNoneNoCustomOracle prices for long-tail tokens, keyless.No published cap.No key, no signup.No MCP server.Custom feeds via sales only.
201101720
Coin Metrics Community API10 req / 6 s per IP10 req / 6 s per IPNoneNoNot listedInstitutional metrics with no key.10 requests every 6 seconds, no monthly cap.No key, no signup.No MCP server.Enterprise pricing only.
3101621
The Graph100,000 queries/mo100,000 queries/moFree key, no cardMCP$4/moCustom indexed data, 100,000 free queries.100,000 queries a month.Free Studio account required.Official MCP servers for subgraphs.$4 a month for 300,000 queries.
6917510
Chainbase200,000 credits/mo200,000 credits/moFree key, no cardMCP$99/mo200,000 free credits a month, REST and SQL.200,000 credits a month.Free key required, no card.Official Chainbase MCP Server.Developer at $99 a month.
524712
Routescan10,000/day keyless, 100,000/day with key10,000/day keyless, 100,000/day with keyNone (key optional)MCP$160/moExplorer data on 70+ EVM chains, 100,000 calls a day.100,000 calls a day with a free key.10,000 calls a day with no key.Official MCP server.Standard at $160 a month.
12182383
Goldsky$100 one-time credit$100 one-time creditFree key, no cardMCPUsage-basedStreaming pipelines, $100 to start.One-time $100 credit, not a monthly quota.Free account required, no card.Docs MCP server and agent skills.Usage-based, from roughly $37 a month.
2112111816
Ethplorer2,000 req/day (freekey)2,000 req/day (freekey)NoneNoNot listedEthereum token data with the shared freekey.2,000 requests a day on freekey.Shared freekey, no signup.No MCP server.Paid pricing not published.
1335197
BlockscoutFree reads; PRO free 100,000 credits/dayFree reads; PRO free 100,000 credits/dayNone (PRO key optional)No$49/mo (PRO)Open-source explorer data, plus a 100,000-a-day PRO plan.100,000 PRO credits a day at 5 req/s.No key for public reads.No MCP server.PRO at $49 a month.
142272022
mempool.spaceFree, limits not publishedFree, limits not publishedNoneNoNo paid tierBitcoin fees and blocks, keyless.No published cap, 429 on abuse.No key, no signup.No MCP server.No paid tier, self-host instead.
41921014
DefiLlamaFree, ~31 endpointsFree, ~31 endpointsNoneMCP (paid)$300/moEvery DeFi number you need, keyless.No published cap on free endpoints.No key, no signup.MCP server exists but bills on paid plans.Pro at $300 a month.
8431218
DEX Screener60 req/min60 req/minNoneNoNot listedLive DEX pairs with no key.60 a minute, about 86,000 a day.No key, no signup.No MCP server.Paid pricing shown only at checkout.
71118311
1inch100,000 calls/mo, 60 req/min100,000 calls/mo, 60 req/minFree key, no cardMCP$149/moSwap quotes on 13+ chains, 100,000 free calls.100,000 calls a month at 60 a minute.Free key required, no card.Official MCP server for swaps.Startup at $149 a month, billed yearly.
1156112
Jupiter0.5 req/s keyless, 1 req/s with key0.5 req/s keyless, 1 req/s with keyNone (key optional)No$25/moSolana swap quotes, free by default.1 request a second, no credit cap.Keyless at 0.5 requests a second.No official MCP server.Developer at $25 a month.
10613617
OpenSea600 reads/hr600 reads/hrInstant key, no cardMCPNot listedMarketplace data with an instant key.600 reads an hour, about 14,000 a day.Instant key from one POST call.Official MCP server with keyless mode.Paid pricing not published.
158192113
NFTScan10,000 req/day10,000 req/dayFree key, no cardNo$199 prepaidCollectible metadata on 20 chains.10,000 requests a day.Free key issued automatically.No MCP server.$199 prepaid minimum.
171721226
Santiment1,000 calls/mo1,000 calls/moFree key, no cardNo$49/moSocial and dev metrics, small free quota.1,000 calls a month.Free key required, no card.No MCP server.Pro at $49 a month.
22162298
LunarCrush100 req/day, market data only100 req/day, market data onlyFree key, no cardMCP$90/moSocial scores, but paid; free is market data.100 requests a day.Free key required, no card.Official MCP server.Individual at $90 a month.
2323122323
Alternative.me Fear & GreedFree, no stated limitFree, no stated limitNoneNoNo paid tierOne sentiment number, zero setup.No stated limit.No key, no signup.No MCP server.No paid tier exists.
Top 8 shown per priority. All 23 are scored. Verified September 2026.
Free market data APIs: prices, tickers, and history
Market data APIs return prices, volumes, and history for coins, not wallets. They are the most common free crypto API and the easiest to swap. Seven made the cut, and the first one also reads wallets.
CoinStats API
1CoinStats APIBest for: market, wallet and DeFi data on one key
CoinStats Crypto API returns market, wallet, DeFi, and token-risk data from one key. The free tier includes 20,000 credits a month at 2 requests a second. Commercial use is allowed, and no card is needed.
It covers 100,000+ coins, 200+ exchanges, and 120+ blockchains, 74 of them EVM. That mix is why portfolio apps and AI agents start here.
Live prices and market data for 100,000+ coins across 200+ exchanges.
Wallet balances and token holdings across 120+ blockchains in one response.
DeFi positions across 10,000+ protocols: staking, lending, and liquidity pools.
Token Risks endpoint flags honeypots and risky contracts on the free tier.
REST plus an MCP Server with 20+ tools for AI agents.
What to verify: Credits are weighted. A coin lookup costs 1 or 2 credits, a wallet balance 40 to 50, DeFi data 400. CoinStats API is read-side data, not a node or a trading layer.
One practical example. A portfolio tracker needs balances, DeFi, and prices for each user. With separate providers, that is three integrations and a lot of glue.
With one schema, it is one call per wallet. Need the wider market picture? Our best crypto API guide covers it in depth.
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