TheRundown developer API
Free sports data API for a measurable first evaluation
Start with TheRundown’s no-card Free key to test event identity, scores and delayed pre-match main lines. A fixed stats sample helps you inspect the box-score schema, while published limits make the evaluation budget clear.
Free: delayed pre-match main lines from three books. No credit card. Real-time REST and WebSocket require Ultra or above.
What Free includes, and what needs a paid tier
Free requires no credit card. It includes 20,000 data points per day, capped at 200,000 per month, and five-minute-delayed pre-match main lines from DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM. Props, other books, in-play odds and streaming require eligible paid plans.
Free is an evaluation and internal/personal-use tier, not an unrestricted production display license. One request per second and the daily/monthly data-point caps both apply. A short HTTP response does not remove the five-minute odds delay.
| Capability | Free access | Paid requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-match main lines | DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM; five-minute delay | Other sources/markets require eligible paid plans |
| Scores and schedules | Event responses within effective access | Display rights and other game data vary by plan |
| Stat catalog and fixed sample | Authenticated sample; zero sample data points | Production boxes/aggregates follow stats access |
| New-account stats evaluation | Seven-day current-season completed-data evaluation | Continued access follows the effective tier |
| In-play odds / props / streaming | Not included | Eligible paid access; WebSocket starts on Ultra |
Start with one book and one market
Create a key, store it as THERUNDOWN_API_KEY and run this curl example. It paces the second request for Free’s one-request-per-second limit. Use a current active sport/date; today’s regular-season NFL query can have no games.
The first catalog call costs no data points. The event request bills the returned rows. Inspect X-Datapoints before expanding to more books or repeated polls, and keep the key out of public browser code.
# Set THERUNDOWN_API_KEY in your environment first.
# Catalog requests require authentication but cost no data points.
curl --fail-with-body --silent --show-error \
-H "X-TheRundown-Key: $THERUNDOWN_API_KEY" \
"https://therundown.io/api/v2/sports"
# Free allows 1 request/second. Pace this second request.
sleep 1.1
DAY=$(date -u +%F)
curl --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --dump-header response-headers.txt \
-H "X-TheRundown-Key: $THERUNDOWN_API_KEY" \
"https://therundown.io/api/v2/sports/2/events/$DAY?market_ids=1&affiliate_ids=19&main_line=true&hide_closed=true"
# Read X-Datapoints in response-headers.txt to measure billed usage.One source and one market give you a small first response. The actual header, not the URL length, measures usage.
Work a free-tier budget from returned rows
For one fully priced two-sided game, three two-sided main-line markets from three books produce 18 price rows. Add an event point and a score point when present: 20 points without live_game_state. Missing quotes reduce the count; a returned live_game_state adds one score point.
Ten such games cost 200 points per snapshot. At 24 snapshots per day, that is 4,800 points/day and 144,000 points over 30 days, within both Free caps. The same payload every five minutes is 57,600/day and exceeds the daily cap. These are illustrative full-row assumptions, not forecasts of a sport’s schedule.
A score-only query with affiliate_ids=0 omits prices and costs two points per scored event without live_game_state. Repeated successful snapshots bill returned rows again. Reduce unused book/market scope and choose a cadence that suits delayed data.
| Illustrative workload | Points/day | 30-day points |
|---|---|---|
| 10 games × 20 points × 24 snapshots | 4,800 | 144,000 |
| 10 games × 20 points × 288 snapshots | 57,600; above Free daily cap | 1,728,000; above monthly cap |
| 10 scored games × 2 points × 24 score-only snapshots | 480 without live_game_state | 14,400 under the same assumptions |
Inspect a complete-game stats sample without billing points
The authenticated /api/v2/stats/sample route returns a fixed complete-game box-score sample for schema inspection at zero data points. It is a sample, not a current live game, and does not establish production coverage for every sport or event.
New accounts follow stats policy version 1: Free includes a seven-day evaluation of current-season completed boxes and aggregates, then effective Free access. Legacy accounts can have different access. Read X-Stats-* policy, access and evaluation-expiry headers instead of inferring grants from the plan name.
curl --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --dump-header stats-headers.txt \
-H "X-TheRundown-Key: $THERUNDOWN_API_KEY" \
"https://therundown.io/api/v2/stats/sample"
# Fixed complete-game sample: authenticated, zero data points.
# Read X-Stats-* headers for your effective access and evaluation expiry.
# This sample is not a live game or a guarantee of production coverage.The fixed sample remains distinct from production boxes, aggregates and live-stat access.
Upgrade for the requirement your evaluation uncovered
Starter expands eligible sources, props, alternates and delayed in-play access for internal/personal use. Pro adds commercial end-user display with a 30-second odds delay. Ultra adds real-time REST/WebSocket and eligible live game-data features. Current production stats availability still needs a coverage check.
A paid subscription is a fixed fee with included volume, not pure pay-as-you-go. Scoping requests conserves volume; it does not reduce the base fee. Use the public plans and actual response usage to choose the smallest tier that satisfies both features and workload.
Free sports data API pricing and plan delays
Published USD monthly plans start at Free, Starter $49, Pro $149 and Ultra $399. Select the feature set first, then size your included data-point volume. Free and Starter are for internal or personal use; commercial end-user display begins on Pro. Real-time odds and WebSocket begin on Ultra. Paid plans have a fixed subscription fee with included data-point volume. Choose the sports, books and markets your application needs: unrequested price rows do not consume that volume, but using fewer points does not reduce the base fee. Measure each request with X-Datapoints; requests, event objects, credits and data points are different billing units.
| Monthly plan | USD/month | Odds delay | Included volume | Use and delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5 minutes | 20,000/day · 200,000/month | Three books; delayed pre-match main lines. Internal or personal use. |
| Starter | $49 | 60 seconds | 25,000,000/mo | Additional books, props, alternates and delayed in-play odds. Internal or personal use. |
| Pro | $149 | 30 seconds | 125,000,000/mo | Commercial end-user display and a 30-second odds delay. |
| Ultra | $399 | Real-time | 500,000,000/mo | Real-time REST, WebSocket, futures and supported live game data. |
Annual billing has different monthly equivalents. Monthly and annual plans stop at included data points by default; optional overage and weekly billing have separate terms. Super, Mega and Max add published volume and connection capacity; Enterprise is scoped by contract. Confirm effective API and stats access in response headers.
Free sports data API FAQ
- Is the sports data API free without a credit card?
- Free requires no credit card. It includes 20,000 data points per day, capped at 200,000 per month, and five-minute-delayed pre-match main lines from DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM. Props, other books, in-play odds and streaming require eligible paid plans.
- Is Free suitable for a commercial live odds application?
- No. Free is delayed pre-match evaluation for internal or personal use. Commercial end-user display starts on Pro; real-time odds and WebSocket start on Ultra.
- Are free requests unlimited?
- No. Free allows one request per second, 20,000 data points per day and 200,000 per month. Requests and data points are different units; repeated successful snapshots bill returned rows again.
- Is the free stats sample a live game?
- No. It is a fixed complete-game sample for schema inspection at zero data points. New Free accounts also have a time-limited completed-data evaluation. Production and live access follow effective X-Stats-* headers and available coverage.
Build and compare
Choose the API scope that matches your application. Each guide below covers a different integration need.
Product and documentation sources checked October 13, 2026. Source, sport, event and market availability varies; catalog entries do not guarantee a priced line or a populated statistic.