# Benzinga vs Twelve Data

> Twelve Data scores 70 (BB) to Benzinga's 49.2 (D) for market news. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-twelve-data
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-twelve-data.md (~4,250 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-04

Twelve Data scores 70 (BB) on agent readiness against Benzinga's 49.2 (D), and leads in every scored category. Both do market news.

- Benzinga: grade D, 49.2/100, rank #1001 of 1349. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/benzinga.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/benzinga.json
- Twelve Data: grade BB, 70/100, rank #197 of 1349. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/twelve-data.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/twelve-data.json
- Best financial market data APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/market-data/index.md
- All 55 markets comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/market-data/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Benzinga (D)

Good for: A licensed firm's agent that needs Benzinga's own newswire, calendars, analyst ratings and transcripts as structured data with deltas.

Watch for: The API token is sent only as the `token` query parameter, with no header option, scopes or rotation found

### Twelve Data (BB)

Good for: Agents that need prices and time series across many exchanges and asset classes with one contract, CSV output, and a documented error table.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 83 against 60
- Schema & documentation, 83 against 71
- Agent ergonomics, 84 against 65
- Security & auth, 54 against 36
- Payments & pricing, 30 against 0
- Maintenance & community, 82 against 56
- Transparency & trust, 67 against 44

Also in its favour:
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
- Runs on your own machine
- Free to start without a card

Watch for: The REST docs and OpenAPI accept the key as `?apikey=` in the query string alongside the header


## Why the edge

### Payments & pricing: Twelve Data +30

- Benzinga (0): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). No prices are published anywhere we could read; the docs say to email or call licensing and the APIs page on www.benzinga.com answered 403 (0). The FAQ says a trial or sandbox is often available, with no terms, length or card condition, and the registration page was unread (0). A person registers in a browser or by email (0). Total 0, with pricing and registration recorded as unchecked.
- Twelve Data (30): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Plan prices are public without login in pricing.md and on the pricing page, sold by credits a minute per month rather than per call (10). A free Basic plan at 800 credits a day with no card (20). The key comes from a browser signup and no key API was found; MCP needs an OAuth login by a person (0). 0 + 10 + 20 + 0 = 30.

### Maintenance & community: Twelve Data +26

- Benzinga (56): The docs repository had commits on 2 and 3 November 2026 moving OpenAPI specs from GitLab, and the robots.txt is versioned 11 September 2026 (30). Eight commit days between 23 October and 3 November 2026, all spec transfers, with no dated changelog entry anywhere (12 of 20). Support is licensing@benzinga.com, partners@benzinga.com and a phone line, with a status page; GitHub issue responsiveness was not read (6 of 15). The Python client's last PyPI release is 1.21 of 8 February 2021 and the JavaScript client was last pushed in July 2023, so no current official SDK (5 of 15). The Python client repository was pushed in March 2026 with no release; CI not checked (3 of 10). Total 56.
- Twelve Data (82): Read as a closed service. The newest dated change is the product update of 12 October 2026, with the MCP repository changed on 1 October and the world-model dataset repository on 31 October (30). Monthly updates dated 12 August, 12 September and 12 October 2026 (20). A monthly changelog, a support portal, a sales contact and a Telegram channel; replies on the MCP repository's issues were not read (10 of 15). Six official SDKs and a CLI, twelvedata-python at v1.4.0 of 27 April 2026 (15). The MCP server pins its dependencies with reasons and ships tests; the Python SDK's changelog stops at version 0.1 (7 of 10). 30 + 20 + 10 + 15 + 7 = 82.

### Reliability: Twelve Data +23

- Benzinga (60): Graded as a hosted service. Atlassian Statuspage at benzinga1.statuspage.io with seven API components (20). The incident feed holds 14 incidents, the newest on 14 September 2023, so the 90 days to 3 November 2026 are clean (30). No rate limit numbers are published; the FAQ says limits depend on the API and the subscription tier (0 of 15). No 429, Retry-After or backoff guidance was found in the docs or the specs (0 of 15). No SLA was found; the architecture page cites a 99.9 per cent availability figure as a claim, and the terms were unread (0). The APIs are generally available (10). Total 60.
- Twelve Data (83): Read with the hosted lines. A public status page at twelvedata.isitup.cloud lists Price API, Fundamentals API, WebSocket and Website with uptime figures (20). Its history shows two incidents in the 90 days to 3 November 2026, 20 minutes of unavailability across the three APIs on 1 September and 16 minutes on the WebSocket on 14 October, minor only (20). Limits are published with numbers, credits a minute by plan from 8 to 10,946 and 800 a day on Basic (15). The docs document a 429 on the limit and the usage endpoint, with no Retry-After or backoff guidance; reads only (8 of 15). The terms sell a 99.9 per cent SLA with service credits, and the Enterprise plan carries 99.99 per cent (10). The REST API and MCP server are generally available (10). 20 + 20 + 15 + 8 + 10 + 10 = 83.

### Transparency & trust: Twelve Data +23

- Benzinga (44): A closed service whose terms could not be read, since www.benzinga.com answered 403; the docs footer links them (8 of 30). The privacy policy was unread for the same reason, and the docs say nothing about retention (0 of 30, unchecked). No deprecation policy or dated notices; the changelog pages are empty (0 of 20). The architecture page says the platform runs on Amazon Web Services with Kong Gateway, with no subprocessor list or data location statement (5 of 20). Total 13.
- Twelve Data (67): A closed service under terms that name the entity, define internal use, business use and redistribution, and were last updated 1 January 2026; the MCP repository is open source but ships no licence file (15 of 30). The privacy policy of 22 September 2026 states retention periods and names its processors, the terms require data deletion within 30 days of termination, and no DPA is named (20 of 30). No deprecation policy or notice period; the terms allow changes and the monthly updates record them after the fact (3 of 20). Subprocessors are named on the privacy policy and the trust centre, with no data locations beyond transfer mechanisms (12 of 20). 15 + 20 + 3 + 12 = 50.

### Agent ergonomics: Twelve Data +19

- Benzinga (65): `displayOutput` of headline, abstract or full sizes a news response, and `pageSize` runs to 100 (18 of 25). `page` and `pageSize`, ticker, channel, date and `updatedSince` filters, with a 10,000-item cap per query that the docs explain how to work round (18 of 20). Error bodies carry a code, an id and a message in the examples, but an unknown node ID returns 200 with an empty array and the spec's response list doesn't match the examples (10 of 20). Every data call is a read, with no safe-retry guidance; the webhook API registers endpoints (12 of 20). Few required parameters, but the Python client is from 2021, the JavaScript client from 2023 and the docs' SDK page is template text (7 of 15). Total 65.
- Twelve Data (84): The REST API is the surface graded. `outputsize` 1 to 5,000 with a default of 30, `format=CSV`, `dp`, date ranges and batch requests size responses, and the MCP server lists 27 tools (20 of 25). Date ranges, `outputsize` and exchange, country and type filters, with no cursor pagination (15 of 20). Error codes with meanings an agent can branch on, 403 for plan limits and 429 for credits (16 of 20). Every operation is a read, and the MCP source marks tools readOnlyHint (18 of 20). Few required parameters, a demo key, and official SDKs in Python, Node.js, Go, Java and R (15). 20 + 15 + 16 + 18 + 15 = 84.

### Security & auth: Twelve Data +18

- Benzinga (36): One token per account with no scopes, sent only as the `token` query parameter, generated in the console; no rotation or expiry found (20 less 10 for the query string, so 10). Every data endpoint is a read (15 of 20). News, press releases and transcripts are third-party text, with no guidance on treating them as untrusted (5 of 15). No usage log or per-call record for the token holder was found (0 of 15). security.txt names security@benzinga.com and a policy page, with an Expires date of 1 June 2025, and the policy itself is on the host that refused our reader; no bounty, SOC 2 or ISO 27001 was found in the docs (6 of 20). Total 36.
- Twelve Data (54): The REST key is a plain per-account key with no scopes, accepted as a header or as `?apikey=` (20 less 10 for the query string). The hosted MCP server refuses keys and uses OAuth 2.1 with PKCE, a resource indicator, refresh tokens, revocation and one scope, which lifts the credential model for that surface (18 of 30). Every operation is a read (15 of 20). Company news is third-party text and no guidance was found (5 of 15). An `/api_usage` endpoint and dashboard usage give the key holder a view of consumption, not a per-call log (6 of 15). A trust centre on SafeBase lists SOC 2, GDPR and CCPA and ten policies; no security.txt, disclosure process or bug bounty was found (10 of 20). 18 + 15 + 5 + 6 + 10 = 54.

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Benzinga | Twelve Data | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 60 | 83 | Twelve Data +23 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 71 | 83 | Twelve Data +12 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 84 | Twelve Data +19 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 36 | 54 | Twelve Data +18 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 0 | 30 | Twelve Data +30 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 56 | 82 | Twelve Data +26 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 44 | 67 | Twelve Data +23 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **49.2 · D** | **70 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Benzinga | Twelve Data |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Benzinga | Twelve Data Pte. Ltd. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.benzinga.com` | `https://api.twelvedata.com` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio, websocket |
| Auth | API key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Paid | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Tools exposed | none | 27 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-11-03 | 2026-10-12 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-01-01 |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-09-22 |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | yes |
| Popularity | 34 stars | 791 stars |

## Verdicts

**Benzinga.** Benzinga's news, calendar and transcript APIs are documented from 11 public OpenAPI specs with an llms.txt and a Statuspage. The token travels in the query string, no prices or rate limit numbers are published, the Python client was last released in February 2021, and the vendor's main site refused our reader, so its terms and privacy policy are unread.

**Twelve Data.** A public OpenAPI 3.1 document with error responses on all 187 operations, Markdown docs and pricing for agents, a status page with two short incidents in 90 days, and an MCP server behind OAuth 2.1. The REST key still travels in the query string as a documented option, no enums are declared, and free and individual plans forbid company use.

## Before you call either

### Benzinga

1. Keep the token out of logs; it can only travel as `?token=`, so strip query strings before recording request URLs
2. Page through news with `page` and `pageSize` (max 100) and narrow by `tickers`, `dateFrom` or `channels`; a query can't pass 10,000 items
3. Poll with `updatedSince` (news) or `parameters[updated]` (calendar, signals) rather than re-reading history
4. An unknown or unentitled news node ID returns 200 with an empty array, not 404; treat empty as not found
5. Don't plan on a free key; access starts with licensing@benzinga.com and a contract

### Twelve Data

1. Send the key as `Authorization: apikey <key>`, not in the URL; the hosted MCP server takes OAuth only, so never paste a key into a connector's key field
2. Set `outputsize` (1 to 5,000, default 30) and `format=CSV` on time_series to keep responses small, and read `status` in the JSON body since errors come with HTTP codes and a `message`
3. Count credits, not calls; most endpoints cost one credit per symbol and the Basic plan allows 8 a minute and 800 a day, with 429 when exceeded
4. A 403 means the key's plan lacks the endpoint or symbol, not a bad key; check pricing.md before escalating
5. Use trial symbols from twelvedata.com/exchanges to test premium data on the free plan

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Benzinga or Twelve Data?

Twelve Data scores 70 (BB) on agent readiness against Benzinga's 49.2 (D), and leads in every scored category.

### Do Benzinga and Twelve Data need an API key?

Benzinga needs an API key. Twelve Data takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call Benzinga and Twelve Data without installing anything?

Yes. Benzinga has a hosted endpoint at https://api.benzinga.com and Twelve Data at https://api.twelvedata.com.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-twelve-data.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-twelve-data.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "benzinga", "b": "twelve-data"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare benzinga twelve-data`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/benzinga.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/twelve-data.json

## Other comparisons with Benzinga or Twelve Data

- [Alpha Vantage vs Benzinga](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/alpha-vantage-vs-benzinga.md)
- [Alpha Vantage vs Twelve Data](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/alpha-vantage-vs-twelve-data.md)
- [Benzinga vs Databento](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-databento.md)
- [Benzinga vs Massive (formerly Polygon.io)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-massive.md)
- [Databento vs Twelve Data](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/databento-vs-twelve-data.md)
- [Finnhub vs Twelve Data](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finnhub-vs-twelve-data.md)
- [Intrinio vs Twelve Data](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/intrinio-vs-twelve-data.md)
- [Massive (formerly Polygon.io) vs Twelve Data](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/massive-vs-twelve-data.md)
- [Tiingo vs Twelve Data](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tiingo-vs-twelve-data.md)
- [Financial Datasets vs Twelve Data](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/financial-datasets-vs-twelve-data.md)
- [Financial Modeling Prep vs Twelve Data](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/financial-modeling-prep-vs-twelve-data.md)
- [EODHD vs Twelve Data](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eodhd-vs-twelve-data.md)
- [Benzinga vs EODHD](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-eodhd.md)
- [Benzinga vs Financial Datasets](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-financial-datasets.md)
- [Benzinga vs Financial Modeling Prep](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-financial-modeling-prep.md)
- [Benzinga vs Finnhub](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-finnhub.md)
- [Benzinga vs Intrinio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-intrinio.md)
- [Benzinga vs Tiingo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/benzinga-vs-tiingo.md)

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Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp