OMDb API vs TVmaze
Category: Entertainment · Updated August 2026
TVmaze has a more generous free tier (No key, ~20 calls per 10 seconds, no credit card) and requires no API key, making it the easier choice for getting started. Both show similar reliability — OMDb API at 100% uptime and TVmaze at 100% uptime over 30 days. Pick TVmaze for hobby projects; consider OMDb API if you need its specific feature set.
Side-by-side comparison
OMDb API
Open Movie Database — a lightweight IMDb-style lookup by title or IMDb ID, returning plot, ratings from IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes/Metacritic, and poster URLs. Simpler than TMDB when you only need one film's metadata.
| Status | 🟢 Online |
| 30-day uptime | 100% |
| Response time | 36 ms |
| Free tier | Free key, 1,000 requests/day; poster API needs a paid tier |
| Auth | API key |
| Tier score | 0.7 — free key, no card |
TVmaze
TV show and episode database with air dates, cast, and full episode lists. No key at all for the public endpoints, which makes it the fastest way to prototype a TV-tracking app.
| Status | 🟢 Online |
| 30-day uptime | 100% |
| Response time | 338 ms |
| Free tier | No key, ~20 calls per 10 seconds, no credit card |
| Auth | No key required |
| Tier score | 1.0 — no friction |
Which to choose?
- Pick OMDb API if…its feature set (Free key, 1,000 requests/day; poster API needs a paid tier) fits your request volume and you're comfortable with a free API key.
- Pick TVmaze if…you want zero friction — no account, no key, just call the endpoint. Also good if entertainment data without signup is a hard requirement.
- Use both if…one goes down — they serve the same entertainment use case from different data sources, so you can implement a quick fallback.
Or use these alternatives
Other top-ranked Entertainment APIs you might consider:
- Rick and Morty API — 🟢 Online · 10,000 req/day, no key, no credit card
- TMDB (The Movie Database) — 🟢 Online · Free key, unlimited for non-commercial use; commercial needs a license
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OMDb API or TVmaze more reliable?
Both OMDb API and TVmaze show identical 30-day uptime (100%) in our monitoring. Either is a safe choice from a reliability standpoint.
Which one has a more generous free tier — OMDb API or TVmaze?
TVmaze has a more generous free tier. Its plan offers No key, ~20 calls per 10 seconds, no credit card vs OMDb API's Free key, 1,000 requests/day; poster API needs a paid tier. TVmaze also requires no API key at all, making onboarding instant.
Can I use OMDb API and TVmaze together?
Yes, and it's straightforward. TVmaze needs no key, while OMDb API 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 OMDb API and TVmaze fail?
If you need a paid fallback, OMDb Patreon is one of the more affordable options (from $1/mo for 100,000 daily). 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: OMDb API · TVmaze · All Entertainment APIs