football-data.org vs TheSportsDB
Category: Sports · Updated August 2026
Both football-data.org (Free tier: 12 competitions, 10 calls/minute, free key) and TheSportsDB (Free test key for development; Patreon key required for production) offer comparable free tiers. TheSportsDB currently leads on reliability with 100% uptime vs football-data.org's 95.94% uptime over the last 30 days. Pick TheSportsDB for hobby projects; consider football-data.org if you need its specific feature set.
Side-by-side comparison
football-data.org
European football fixtures, standings, scorers, and results for the major competitions, maintained as an independent project. The most reliable free option since ESPN closed its public API.
| Status | 🟢 Online |
| 30-day uptime | 95.94% |
| Response time | 1194 ms |
| Free tier | Free tier: 12 competitions, 10 calls/minute, free key |
| Auth | API key |
| Tier score | 0.7 — free key, no card |
TheSportsDB
Crowd-sourced sports database covering teams, players, fixtures, and results across football, basketball, motorsport, and more, with team badges and stadium imagery.
| Status | 🟢 Online |
| 30-day uptime | 100% |
| Response time | 6 ms |
| Free tier | Free test key for development; Patreon key required for production |
| Auth | No key required |
| Tier score | 0.7 — free key, no card |
Which to choose?
- Pick football-data.org if…its feature set (Free tier: 12 competitions, 10 calls/minute, free key) fits your request volume and you're comfortable with a free API key.
- Pick TheSportsDB if…you want zero friction — no account, no key, just call the endpoint. Also good if sports data without signup is a hard requirement.
- Use both if…one goes down — they serve the same sports use case from different data sources, so you can implement a quick fallback.
Or use these alternatives
Other top-ranked Sports APIs you might consider:
- balldontlie (NBA) — 🟢 Online · Free account key, 5 requests/minute; higher tiers paid
Frequently Asked Questions
Is football-data.org or TheSportsDB more reliable?
Based on our 30-day tracking, TheSportsDB is more reliable with 100% uptime compared to football-data.org's 95.94%. Both are measured from the same automated hourly checks — no self-reported data.
Which one has a more generous free tier — football-data.org or TheSportsDB?
Both have comparable free tiers. football-data.org offers Free tier: 12 competitions, 10 calls/minute, free key and TheSportsDB offers Free test key for development; Patreon key required for production. The right choice depends on your specific call volume and auth preferences.
Can I use football-data.org and TheSportsDB together?
Yes, and it's straightforward. TheSportsDB needs no key, while football-data.org needs a free registration. You can use one as primary and the other as fallback without significant complexity.
What's the cheapest paid alternative if both football-data.org and TheSportsDB fail?
If you need a paid fallback, football-data.org paid is one of the more affordable options (from EUR 19/mo). You can find the full list of paid alternatives on each API's detail page. Paid tiers typically offer SLA guarantees, higher rate limits, and dedicated support.
See full profiles: football-data.org · TheSportsDB · All Sports APIs