Mediastack vs Finnhub: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
Mediastack (3.8/5) edges ahead of Finnhub (3.7/5) overall. Mediastack is the better choice for low-traffic sites needing a cheap commercial headline feed. Finnhub is the stronger option for personal fintech projects needing news and prices from one key. The right pick depends on your budget, how much history you need and whether you need full text.
Mediastack vs Finnhub: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | Mediastack | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 | 2018 |
| HQ | Vienna, Austria (apilayer); owned by Idera | New York, USA |
| Team size | Part of Idera | Not publicly disclosed |
| Rating | 3.8 / 5 | 3.7 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month | A 60-calls-a-minute free key covering company news and market data |
| Pricing model | Monthly request plans | Free key; paid market-data bundles |
| Entry price | $24.99/mo | Varies by data bundle |
| Formats & SDKs | REST API, JSON | REST API, JSON, WebSocket |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Marketing & PR | Financial services, Research & academia |
Mediastack vs Finnhub: overview
Mediastack
Mediastack belongs to apilayer, the Vienna company behind ipstack and weatherstack, which Julian and Paul Zehetmayr founded in 2015 and the US software group Idera bought in January 2021. If you already use another apilayer API, the key format, parameters and error codes will look familiar. It covers live and historical news from 7,500+ sources in 13 languages, with filters for country, category, language and keyword. The free plan gives 100 requests a month, which a day of testing can use up, and paid plans run from $24.99 for 10,000 requests to $249.99 for 250,000. Responses carry descriptions and metadata, without full text or enrichment.
Finnhub
Finnhub is a New York fintech founded in 2018, according to CB Insights, with staff reported in New York, Mumbai, Sydney and Ho Chi Minh City. It sells stock, forex and crypto data over REST and WebSocket, and news is one endpoint among many. The free key is generous on rate (60 calls a minute) and returns a year of North American company news plus general market headlines, but it is for personal, non-commercial use, and low-latency news streaming is a premium feature. Official SDKs cover Python, Go, JavaScript and more. Commercial bundles are priced on the site, with All-in-One listed at $1,000 a month.
Features: Mediastack vs Finnhub
| Capability | Mediastack | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Full article text | ✗ | ✗ |
| Historical archive | ✓ | ✗ |
| NLP enrichment | ✗ | ✗ |
| Story/event clustering | ✗ | ✗ |
| Official SDK | ✗ | ✓ |
| Streaming or webhooks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Free access | ✓ | ✓ |
Formats and SDKs: Mediastack vs Finnhub
| Format / SDK | Mediastack | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Python SDK | N/A | ✓ |
| Node.js SDK | N/A | ✓ |
| Webhooks | N/A | N/A |
| WebSocket | N/A | ✓ |
| MCP server | N/A | N/A |
| S3/bulk delivery | N/A | N/A |
| BigQuery | N/A | N/A |
Pricing comparison: Mediastack vs Finnhub
| Criterion | Mediastack | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $24.99/mo | Varies by data bundle |
| Pricing model | Monthly request plans | Free key; paid market-data bundles |
| Access models | Free tier, Monthly plans | Free tier, Monthly plans |
| Price transparency | Public price | Quote only |
| Price tier | Budget | Enterprise / quote |
Who each API suits: Mediastack vs Finnhub
| Dimension | Mediastack | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer type | Individuals to enterprise | Individuals to enterprise |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Marketing & PR | Financial services, Research & academia |
| Example use cases | A category news feed on a small website. Classroom projects that need commercial terms. | Company news in a personal stock screener. University fintech assignments. |
| How you get access | Free tier | Free tier |
Mediastack vs Finnhub: pros and cons
| Mediastack | |
|---|---|
| + | Among the lowest paid entry prices for general news |
| + | Shares conventions with the other apilayer APIs |
| + | History included on paid plans |
| + | Short docs with copy-paste code |
| - | 100 free requests a month barely covers testing |
| - | Only 7,500 sources in 13 languages |
| - | No full text, entities or sentiment |
| Finnhub | |
|---|---|
| + | The free rate limit is high for a no-cost key |
| + | News, quotes and fundamentals share one key |
| + | Official SDKs in many languages |
| + | WebSocket for streaming quotes |
| - | Headlines and summaries only |
| - | Free key is non-commercial |
| - | Low-latency news costs extra |
Who should choose Mediastack?
A typical fit: a category news feed on a small website.
Commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month. Paid access starts at $24.99/mo. Typical uses: News & content apps, Marketing & PR.
Who should choose Finnhub?
A typical fit: company news in a personal stock screener.
A 60-calls-a-minute free key covering company news and market data. Paid access is quote-based. Typical uses: Financial services, Research & academia.
Decision matrix: Mediastack vs Finnhub
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You want to start free before paying | Both |
| Your budget is at the lower end | Mediastack |
| You need full article text in the response | Neither returns full text |
| You need years of historical news | Mediastack |
| You want an official SDK | Finnhub |
| You are wiring news into an LLM agent | Both work through plain REST calls |
Use case fit: Mediastack vs Finnhub
| Use case | Mediastack fit | Finnhub fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| News & content apps | Strong | Limited | Mediastack |
| Marketing & PR | Strong | Limited | Mediastack |
| Financial services | Limited | Strong | Finnhub |
| Research & academia | Limited | Strong | Finnhub |
Verdict: Mediastack vs Finnhub
Mediastack (3.8/5) is the stronger overall choice as a news data source. Commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month.
Finnhub (3.7/5) is worth a look if you need university fintech assignments. If your situation matches that, Finnhub is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
Mediastack vs Finnhub FAQ
Is Mediastack better than Finnhub?
Mediastack (3.8/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Mediastack's strongest advantage: among the lowest paid entry prices for general news. Finnhub's strongest advantage: the free rate limit is high for a no-cost key.
How do Mediastack and Finnhub differ in pricing?
Mediastack: monthly request plans, with paid access from $24.99/mo. Finnhub: free key; paid market-data bundles, priced by quote. Both offer some free access for testing.
Which is better for enterprise: Mediastack or Finnhub?
Neither sells an enterprise contract. Neither carries licensed publisher content, so check copyright terms before republishing anything.
What are the main differences between Mediastack and Finnhub?
What sets Mediastack apart: commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month. What sets Finnhub apart: a 60-calls-a-minute free key covering company news and market data. They also differ on entry price ($24.99/mo vs Varies by data bundle) and typical uses (News & content apps, Marketing & PR vs Financial services, Research & academia).
Verify all details directly with each API before making a decision.