Posted in
- Platforms
Last updated: September 25, 2023
Nowadays, blockchain and cryptocurrencies are somewhat volatile. Important people also have vastly different opinions on crypto. For example, while Elon Musk is a big fan of Dogecoin, Bill Gates has said NFTs and cryptocurrency are based on the ‘greater fool theory.’
But if you look around, you’ll see everyone is still talking about cryptocurrency. Love it or hate it, you can’t ignore it. So, if you’re developing a crypto-related app or want to track live crypto prices, you’ll need a reliable data source, right? What else could beat APIs?
So, in this article, we will look at some of the most popular cryptocurrency data APIs on the market. These services can retrieve real-time crypto pricing data and market volume information, as well as perform actions, such as trading.
Binance API is considered to be one of the best crypto-to-crypto exchanges. The Binance API is the digital platform that supports many popular cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin, Harmony, Ethereum, Bitcoin, and others. Binance API enables you to connect to the server with the help of Python or other programming languages so that you can automate your trading. It uses a RESTful architecture, making this API relatively approachable to anyone who has previously used an API.
Features:
- Support for spot trading
- Support for WebSockets streaming of live data
- Live and historical data availability
- Test environment available for sandbox testing
- Allows connecting Binance wallet
Pros:
- It is free to use.
- It is easy to implement.
- It provides you access to the biggest markets.
- Fees are genuinely low as compared to others.
Cons:
- Even though it is free to use, it has a restriction of 1200 requests per minute.
- An exceeding transaction, order, or call may lead to a temporary ban of your IP.
- Customer support is not good at all.
WazirX
WazirX is the most popular cryptocurrency exchange platform in India that enables users to buy and sell cryptos in India. It was founded in 2018 and was acquired by Binance in 2019. There are a variety of cryptocurrencies in WazirX, and its integration with Binance enables users to access the biggest markets. Like other crypto marketplaces, it has its own token called WRX that you can use to buy NFTs or use as an investment.
Features:
- It comes with Python and Ruby connectors.
- It also has a Postman collection.
- Supports WebSocket for real-time data streaming.
Pros:
- It gives rewards for referring users.
- Huge variety of crypto coins.
- WazirX’s website and mobile app are user-friendly.
- Excellent customer support.
- It has advanced trading tools to use.
Cons:
- Doesn’t provide high liquidity.
- Fees are relatively high as compared to others.
- There is a restriction on fiat deposits.
CoinGecko is the largest and one of the earliest cryptocurrency data aggregators. CoinGecko provides a detailed analysis of how the market is performing and how it has performed in the past. It is not a trading platform, it just provides data in the form of charts and graphs of all cryptocurrencies. This data helps users easily compare cryptocurrencies and enables them to trade without hassle.
Pros:
- Easy to use and navigate.
- Its prices are very low.
- It can provide coin-specific information.
- There are no listing fees.
Cons:
- It doesn’t offer an integration directly with cryptocurrencies.
- It doesn’t give information related to crypto lending interest rates.
- The free version is limited to 50 requests per minute.
- Even paid plan doesn’t support WebSockets.
CoinMarketCap
CoinMarketCap is the most widely used cryptocurrency price tracking website that enables you to track large numbers of crypto coins such as Dogecoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin, and so on. It was founded in 2013, and later in 2020, it was acquired by Binance. The CoinMarketCap provides crypto data in the form of charts, graphs, rankings, and other criteria. Even though it claims to be one of the most popular cryptocurrency price tracker sites, CoinMarketCap suffers from poor user ratings.
Features:
- It collects information from different exchanges like Binance.
- Data gets refreshed every 60 seconds.
- It doesn’t support WebSockets, so you’ll have to rely on the polling method.
Pros:
- It provides detailed information on cryptocurrencies.
Cons:
- Sometimes, you will find information unrelated to a specific coin. This may create a bad image for that coin.
- Users have experienced safety issues.
- The new simpler UI is not good.
- Issues while withdrawing your money.
Coinlayer API is one of the best real-time data APIs that provides you with real-time cryptocurrency exchange rates in JSON format with Coinlayer’s REST API. It covers more than 385 cryptocurrencies. The Coinlayer API’s uptime was 99.99% for the last 12 months. Coinlayer offers subscription packages that you can upgrade or downgrade whenever you like.
Features:
- It supports live, historical as well as time-frame data.
- Supports multiple currencies (like USD, EUR, GBP, etc.).
- You must poll multiple times to fetch the live data, but there’s a dedicated endpoint for that.
Pros:
- It has good security as compared to others.
- It provides real-time crypto exchange data.
- There is no daily limit on API calls.
- The documentation is easy to read.
Cons:
- Hourly updates in basic subscription.
- The free version is very limited.
CoinAPI
Another popular real-time crypto data API is CoinAPI. It is another cryptocurrency exchange API that has data of more than 9000 assets. Not only that, but CoinAPI connects with more than 250 exchanges. The main goal of this API is to provide a one-stop solution for market data for crypto markets. CoinAPI uses JSON, XML or CSV formats.
Features:
- The market data is available in both REST API and WebSocket API; therefore, you don’t need to repeatedly poll for data.
- It also shows quote data like asking price, last bid, etc.
Pros:
- Easy to optimize and manage.
- So many exchanges and currencies are supported.
- A lot of pricing options are available to opt for.
Cons:
- It is slightly expensive as compared to its competitors.
- Documentations are not so clear.
- There are limitations on daily requests.
Nomics API is the cryptocurrency and Bitcoin data API that delivers professional-grade market data APIs to various investors and exchanges. It was launched in 2018 and is still considered the backbone for developers and many investors who know where to invest. The API provides various tools that help you evaluate your portfolio to know whether your portfolio is moving in the right direction or not.
Features:
- The data is available in multiple fiat currencies.
- Historical data is also available for all the available currencies.
- Support for multiple exchanges.
- The data can be directly formatted for candlestick charts using the API.
- It doesn’t support a WebSocket API.
Pros:
- Varieties of cryptocurrencies are supported.
- It provides the best historical exchange rates.
- It has high performance.
- Bunch of tools available for portfolio valuation.
Cons:
- The prices may be a little high for small investors.
CoinCap
CoinCap API was founded in 2013, and it quickly gained the trust of investors and institutions. CoinCap is one of the best real-time crypto data APIs that deals with the trading of cryptocurrencies. In other words, it is a website that shows real-time cryptocurrency prices and market activity for over 1000 crypto coins. With the help of CoinCap API, you can track your portfolios by creating Altfolios.
Features:
- Support both REST and WebSocket API.
- Comes with a free converter that you can use to convert cryptos.
- Supports data for candlestick charts.
Pros:
- CoinCap API is simple and easy to use.
- No transaction cost is required.
- No account or sign-up required.
Cons:
- High leverage costs.
As the name suggests, this API tracks and compares detailed information on cryptocurrencies in the form of charts and graphs so that users can easily compare one crypto with another. CryptoCompare API is used by many large organizations, financial institutions, and investors. With the help of CryptoCompare, users can compare exchanges, mining equipment, wallets, Defi, and more.
Features:
- Supports both REST and WebSocket API.
- Hourly historical data is available for up to 1 year.
Pros:
- Prices are much better as compared to other APIs.
- Free account with more than enough limits.
- Good and quick customer support.
- CryptoCompare’s daily newsletter is very useful for some.
Cons:
- Constant issues with the quality of service.
Bitquery
Bitquery is another option for accessing cryptocurrency-related data. The service supports over 30 different blockchains and also boasts GraphQL-style APIs.
Mobula
Mobula.fi is another real-time crypto data API that covers the market data of about 1,300,000 crypto-tokens on 17 blockchains. The historical data starts way back from 2013 with the support of real-time market data. They also have wallet and metadata API that allow users to check their NFT holdings, historical balances, transaction history, and portfolio. They have a Meta DEX aggregator, or Mobula DeFi Quotes as they call it, which can fetch all DEX aggregators to provide a ranking of price quotes available from all 17 blockchains for the tokens.
Features
- Historical data for about 1,300,000 tokens.
- Can connect to 17 blockchains.
Block.cc
Block.cc has various types of API interfaces, is dedicated to developers, and is easy to access. Block.cc included 500+ exchanges, 10,000+ currencies, 28,000+ trading pairs, and 1000+ business users. It covers multi-dimensional data such as real-time price, currency information, K-line data, legal currency exchange rate, transaction depth, news flash, block data, and historical transactions.
Features:
- Supports both REST and WebSocket API.
Pros:
- Prices are much better as compared to other APIs.
- Free trial available
- Good and quick customer support.
Finage
Finage provides WebSockets and APIs to access both historical and real-time cryptocurrency information. The tool supports over 15 crypto exchanges. The real-time element can be helpful to insert streaming capabilities into cryptocurrency-related applications. The crypto data API delivers a JSON payload that provides fields such as last price, historical end-of-day data, crypto aggregate, crypto details, tick data, and more helpful data points. There is a high monthly cost to integrate crypto data feeds with Finage.
Vezgo
Vezgo is another developer-friendly crypto data API. This one goes beyond just retrieving cryptocurrency prices and stock information. Vezgo provides the ability to connect to accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, as well as DeFi and NFT wallets. This could be a helpful service to unify data across various blockchain-based technologies. The service supports 40 exchanges, 20 blockchains, and 250 wallets.
