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Comparison

TheRundown vs The Odds API

Both offer a free API plan and sportsbook odds. Compare what free includes, how each service bills usage, and how sportsbook, prediction-market, and exchange data fit your app.

Free API key in 30 secondsNo credit cardPublic pricing
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Public documentation checked September 6, 2026.

When to evaluate TheRundown

Start with your required sources, markets, update path, and workload. These are the integration choices TheRundown documents.

  • Request each book’s main line explicitly with main_line=true.
  • Scope requests to canonical sport, market, event, and affiliate IDs.
  • Choose REST snapshots, delta polling, or WebSocket push on eligible plans.
  • Measure returned data with X-Datapoints and the key’s usage headers.
  • Render sportsbook, exchange, and prediction-market prices through one V2 hierarchy while preserving source identity and price semantics.
  • Evaluate with a free API key, then select a plan for delay, history, and volume.
  • Use the Build with AI guide for API examples, the documentation MCP, and a local data MCP scaffold.

Side-by-side comparison

TheRundown vs The Odds API on the facts that matter for integration, coverage, and ongoing cost.

FeatureTheRundownThe Odds API
Free allowance20,000 data points/day · 200,000/monthNo credit card. Returned price rows and other billable data consume the allowance.500 credits/monthThe published free plan uses request credits. Credits and data points are different units.
What free includesPre-match · three sportsbooks · five-minute delayBetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel; 1 request/second. No live odds, props/alternates, or history. Broader source rows below are not a Free entitlement.Sports and odds access · no historyThe plan advertises all sports and most bookmakers. Additional markets still depend on sport and bookmaker; check the current catalog.
AuthenticationHeader or query keyX-TheRundown-Key is recommended for server-side requests.Query keyPublic V4 requests use apiKey.
Main-line selectionmain_line=truePrices expose per-affiliate is_main_line state.Featured marketsSelect market keys; no equivalent main_line flag is documented in the reviewed V4 parameters.
Update deliveryREST, delta polling, WebSocketWebSocket access is available on Ultra and above; snapshot delay depends on plan.REST with documented refresh intervalsThe public update guide specifies intervals by market and event state.
Billing unitReturned data pointsPrice rows and other billable response data; X-Datapoints reports request usage.Request creditsFeatured odds usage depends on markets and regions; bookmaker selection has its own documented accounting.
Usage visibilityX-Datapoints usage headersInspect remaining allowance, billing window, and entitlements.x-requests usage headersInspect last-request cost, used credits, and remaining credits.
Pricing and evaluationPublic pricing and a free tierSelf-serve volume plans plus contact-sales Enterprise.Public pricing and a free planCompare current allowances against the same workload.
IdentifiersNumeric sport, market, and affiliate IDsDiscover reference catalogs before querying events.Sport, market, and bookmaker keysUse the published key catalogs and event IDs.
Response modelMarkets → participants → lines → pricesSources share a normalized event hierarchy.Bookmakers → markets → outcomesMarket outcomes are grouped under each bookmaker.
Sportsbook coveragePublished affiliates endpointCheck required books against the specific sport, market, and plan.Regional bookmaker catalogCoverage depends on region, sport, and market.
Prediction marketsKalshi, Polymarket, Polymarket USPublished in the same V2 price hierarchy as sportsbook sources. Source, sport, market, and tier availability varies.Kalshi and Polymarket listedThe official bookmaker catalog lists these venues. Verify the required region, sport, and market.
Peer-to-peer exchangesProphetX and NovigSeparate source identities in the V2 hierarchy; exchange quotes retain their own semantics.ProphetX and Novig listedPublished in the bookmaker catalog; check regional and event availability.
Unified source rowsOne event → market → participant → line → price modelA shared renderer can show sportsbook, prediction-market, and exchange rows together while preserving affiliate identity. Keep sportsbook best-price and consensus calculations separate.Bookmaker → market → outcome modelV4 groups outcomes under source bookmakers. A common response shape does not make every venue or price interchangeable.
Market discoveryCanonical definitions and live variantsMarkets include period IDs and live_variant_id when defined.Featured and additional market keysAdditional markets use event-odds endpoints and have source/sport limits.
Historical oddsPlan-dependent price historyCheck history depth and opening-line access for the selected plan.Historical snapshots on paid plansAvailability and snapshot cadence depend on date and market type.

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Get your free API key

Try 20,000 data points per day and 200,000 per month with no credit card. Free includes pre-match odds from BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel with a five-minute snapshot delay. Live odds, props, history, and broader source access require an eligible tier.

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Sources & disclosures

Checked September 6, 2026 against the official sources below. Data points and request credits are different units; this table does not establish which service costs less for your workload. Coverage and entitlements vary. Statements about The Odds API describe the public documentation reviewed, and are not claims that undocumented features cannot exist.