# The Odds API alternative: when to switch from polling

> Need a The Odds API alternative? Compare credit pricing, REST refresh intervals, and WebSocket access, with a practical checklist for switching providers.

Published 2026-10-13. Updated 2026-10-13. Canonical: https://therundown.io/blog/the-odds-api-alternative

Choose TheRundown as an alternative to The Odds API when your application needs odds joined to scores and a path to WebSocket push on Ultra. Its stable event, market, participant and line identifiers support a precise integration. The Odds API remains a lower-entry-price choice for REST polling; choose by the workload and delivery your application needs.

This guide is published by TheRundown. It is a provider-authored evaluation guide, not an independent ranking or an endorsement by The Odds API. Primary pages were checked on October 13, 2026; confirm current terms before buying. Read the [side-by-side comparison](/compare/the-odds-api) for the feature table.

## When The Odds API may remain the right fit

The Odds API documents V4 REST access, region/market filters, and bookmaker or bet links where available. It advertises broad bookmaker coverage and has a low paid entry price. Keep it when those sources, polling cadences, and response fields satisfy the application.

## The Odds API pricing explained

Published monthly plans include 500 free credits, then 20,000 credits for $30, 100,000 for $59, 5 million for $119, and 15 million for $249. Its credit cost depends on regions and markets. The featured-market schedule is 60 seconds pre-match and 40 seconds in-play, with different cadences for other market groups and faster pre-match refresh near kickoff. See [The Odds API pricing](https://the-odds-api.com/) for the vendor’s current offering.

## When to evaluate TheRundown

A $30 polling plan and a $399 streaming tier serve different workloads. Do not upgrade to a streaming feed simply because it exists. If you need immediate application updates, evaluate Ultra against the actual sources you consume. If scheduled polls are enough, compare lower-tier costs and your credit budget before changing providers.

TheRundown’s monthly API plans start at Free, then Starter **$49**, Pro **$149**, and Ultra **$399**. Free has a five-minute delay; Starter 60 seconds; Pro 30 seconds. Ultra adds real-time REST and WebSocket. Commercial end-user display starts on Pro. Higher-volume plans are listed on [API pricing](/pricing/api#volume-plans). Availability varies by source, sport, and market.

## Estimate the cost of your actual workload

TheRundown paid plans have a fixed subscription fee with included data-point volume. Unrequested books and markets do not add price rows to your usage, but using fewer points does not reduce the base fee. Monthly and annual plans stop at included limits by default; optional overage and weekly billing have separate terms.

TheRundown meters returned data points. For a main-line event response, the documented count includes an event, its score, and each returned price row. One game with three two-sided markets from three books, all fully priced and without live_game_state, is **2 + (3 × 2 × 3) = 20 data points**. Missing prices lower the result. A returned `live_game_state` adds one more score data point. This is an illustrative full-row calculation, not a promise that every game has all those quotes.

Read `X-Datapoints` from your response and test a representative busy date. Credits, requests, objects, and data points cannot be converted with one universal multiplier. Limit the requested markets and books to what you actually use. The [metering documentation](https://docs.therundown.io/rate-limits) explains billable rows and caps; the [free API guide](/blog/free-sports-odds-api) includes worked request examples.

## Plan a safe migration

Translate the V4 sport key to a canonical numeric sport ID and map h2h, spreads, and totals to the appropriate sport-specific market scope. Swap apiKey query authentication for X-TheRundown-Key. V4 bookmaker/market/outcome arrays differ from TheRundown markets/participants/lines/prices; provider event IDs require a mapping, too.

Keep the existing integration running while validating the new one. Compare event kickoff, participants, market scope, line value, price format, and open/closed state. TheRundown prices use `closed_at` as the closure signal; do not decide a quote is closed just because `updated_at` is old. Use the [data model](https://docs.therundown.io/reference/data-model) and [quickstart](/docs/quickstart) to implement the actual response structure.

## Before you choose

Keep your region and market credit calculation; identify which V4 links you use; verify regulation versus full-game markets; translate outcome names and signed spread sides; test one event before replacing a full slate.

Use the [best sports odds APIs 2026 hub](/blog/best-sports-odds-apis-2026) to compare other candidates. For a project focused on US main lines, inspect the [NFL](/nfl-odds-api), [NBA](/nba-odds-api), and [MLB](/mlb-odds-api) guides rather than assuming sport coverage from a general API description.

## Sources checked October 13, 2026

- [The Odds API pricing](https://the-odds-api.com/)
- [The Odds API update intervals](https://the-odds-api.com/sports-odds-data/update-intervals.html)
- [TheRundown pricing and licensed use](/pricing/api)
- [TheRundown metering](https://docs.therundown.io/rate-limits)
- [TheRundown sport coverage](https://docs.therundown.io/reference/sports)
- [TheRundown source roster](https://docs.therundown.io/reference/sportsbooks)

## Implement the migration

Use the [migration guide](/blog/migrate-from-the-odds-api) for identifier and market maps, authentication, a bounded code example and measured usage. Validate the required source, signed line, participant, availability and freshness before changing production traffic.

## Questions

### Can I switch from The Odds API by changing the base URL?

No. Authentication, identifiers, response nesting, market scopes, and billing differ. Start with one sport and main lines, map the fields, compare returned prices and usage, and validate before changing production traffic.

### Can I evaluate TheRundown without a credit card?

Yes. Free includes 20,000 data points per day, capped at 200,000 per month, for five-minute-delayed pre-match main lines from DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM. Props, additional books, in-play odds, and WebSocket require eligible paid tiers.

### Do I pay only for what I use with TheRundown?

TheRundown paid plans have a fixed subscription fee with included data-point volume. Unrequested books and markets do not add price rows to your usage, but using fewer points does not reduce the base fee. Monthly and annual plans stop at included limits by default; optional overage and weekly billing have separate terms.