{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "coindesk-data-api", "name": "CoinDesk Data API", "vendor": "CoinDesk Data (formerly CCData / CryptoCompare)", "vendorUrl": "https://developers.coindesk.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "data-providers", "summary": "Institutional market-data REST and WebSocket API covering spot, futures, options, reference-rate indices (CADLI, CCIX), asset metadata, on-chain data and news across 300+ exchanges, with an official hosted MCP server since May 2026.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coindesk-data-api", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coindesk-data-api.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coindesk-data-api.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/coindesk-data-api.json", "license": "proprietary", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://data-api.coindesk.com", "packages": [], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "API key as `Authorization: Apikey \u003ckey\u003e` (preferred) or the `api_key` query parameter, which the docs still accept. Keys are issued per account in the developer portal. The legacy `min-api.cryptocompare.com` surface takes the same keys.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "Subscription plans metered in monthly call credits, with ceilings per second, minute, hour, day and month. The pricing page at developers.coindesk.com renders only in a browser, and we couldn't read plan figures on 2026-10-01. data.coindesk.com points new customers to a call with sales for trials. The free tier (100,000 credits a month) was retired on 2026-05-21, so accounts without a subscription get no API access.", "priceSummary": "Paid", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402 on data-api.coindesk.com as of the run date. Payment is by subscription.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-26" }, "docsUrl": "https://developers.coindesk.com/documentation/data-api/introduction", "openapi": "https://data-api.coindesk.com/info/v1/openapi", "capabilities": [ "market.crypto", "market.indices", "market.news" ], "tags": [ "http-api", "market-data", "indices", "websocket", "status-page", "openapi", "mcp", "oauth" ], "graded": true, "disclosure": "Anchor Terminal's founder built this API at CryptoCompare, which became CCData and was acquired by CoinDesk in 2024. He no longer works there. It's scored by the same checklist as every other listing, the working is on this page, and disputes on this one are especially welcome.", "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 46.9, "grade": "D", "agentReady": false, "rank": 391, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 452, "categoryRank": 6, "methodology": "0.3", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 70, "maintenance": 23, "payments": 0, "reliability": 43, "schema": 72, "security": 45, "transparency": 61 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "low", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Official OpenAPI 3.0.3 document at data-api.coindesk.com/info/v1/openapi, with enums, examples and error responses from 400 to 503. No free or trial access since 2026-05-21, and no x402, so a person has to buy a plan before an agent gets data.", "disclosure": "Anchor Terminal's founder built this API at CryptoCompare, which became CCData and was acquired by CoinDesk in 2024. He no longer works there. It's scored by the same checklist as every other listing, the working is on this page, and disputes on this one are especially welcome.", "strengths": [ "Official OpenAPI 3.0.3 document at data-api.coindesk.com/info/v1/openapi, with enums, examples and error responses from 400 to 503", "Spot, futures, options, CADLI and CCIX indices, on-chain and news from one key, with history to 2010", "Hosted MCP server with 39 tools across spot and index, futures, options, news and on-chain, behind OAuth with PKCE", "18 published index methodologies on the CoinDesk Indices governance page", "ISO 27001 certificate cited and a Bugcrowd bug bounty" ], "weaknesses": [ "No free or trial access since 2026-05-21, and no x402, so a person has to buy a plan before an agent gets data", "Docs portal, llms.txt, pricing page and status page all render only in a browser", "No public changelog since the monthly product updates stopped in July 2025", "The `api_key` query parameter is still accepted, so keys can leak into logs", "No official SDK found" ], "agentNotes": [ "Read the OpenAPI at `https://data-api.coindesk.com/info/v1/openapi` rather than the docs site, which a plain fetch can't render", "Send the key as `Authorization: Apikey \u003ckey\u003e` and never in the query string", "Use `groups` to ask for only the field groups you need on tick endpoints", "Back off on 429 until the window resets, since limits apply per second, minute, hour, day and month", "For reference prices, call the CADLI or CCIX index endpoints rather than one exchange's spot tick" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 2.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "low", "grade": "D", "methodology": "0.3", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 46.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 70, "maintenance": 23, "payments": 0, "reliability": 43, "schema": 72, "security": 45, "transparency": 42 }, "provenanceScore": 80, "dataQualityScore": 93 }, "connect": { "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http coindesk https://mcp.coindesk.com/mcp", "headless": { "curl": "curl -s 'https://data-api.coindesk.com/index/cc/v1/latest/tick?market=cadli\u0026instruments=BTC-USD,ETH-USD' -H 'Authorization: Apikey $COINDESK_API_KEY'" } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/market.crypto", "tool": "https://letme.dev/coindesk-data-api" }, "area": "web-data", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "CC Data Limited, trading as CoinDesk Data (England and Wales, 10966788)", "domain": "coindesk.com", "domainRegistered": "2008-05-04", "domainNote": "The API licence names CC Data Limited, a CoinDesk company, as the licensor. The endpoint and the terms sit on coindesk.com.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://coindesk.com/terms", "privacy": "https://coindesk.com/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.coindesk.com", "changelog": "", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-01", "notes": [ "No public changelog. The blog's monthly product updates stopped after July 2025, and the developer portal renders only in a browser.", "security.txt returns 404 on www.coindesk.com. A Bugcrowd bug bounty is linked from the privacy notice." ], "score": 80 }, "dataQuality": { "coverage": "300+ centralised and decentralised exchanges, 300k trading pairs and 10,000+ coins per data.coindesk.com, across spot, futures, options, indices, on-chain and news", "coverageRating": 5, "freshness": "Real-time ticks over WebSocket", "freshnessClass": "realtime", "history": "Back to 2010, per data.coindesk.com", "historyYears": 16, "methodology": "https://indices.coindesk.com/documentation-and-governance", "sourcesDisclosed": true, "licence": "API Licence Agreement, updated 2026-04-22. Internal use only, no display or redistribution without written permission, attribution rules apply", "licenceClass": "clear", "standing": "The CoinDesk Indices governance page links an FCA authorisation and names CC Data Limited as the affiliate that runs outsourced index administration and calculation. It covers the index data (CADLI, CCIX), not exchange-level prices. We didn't load the FCA register entry", "standingClass": "regulated", "reuse": "Internal use only under the API Licence Agreement. No display, redistribution or use in a commercial product or index without written permission, and the data has to be deleted when the licence ends.", "score": 93, "checks": null }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coindesk-data-api.json", "live": { "slug": "coindesk-data-api", "probe": { "target": "https://data-api.coindesk.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-05T00:57:18.411366548Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 29, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 34, "p95ms24h": 60, "samples24h": 272, "samples30d": 2067, "days": [ { "date": "2026-09-27", "probes": 132, "ok": 132 }, { "date": "2026-09-28", "probes": 285, "ok": 285 }, { "date": "2026-09-29", "probes": 286, "ok": 286 }, { "date": "2026-09-30", "probes": 286, "ok": 286 }, { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 276, "ok": 276 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 11, "ok": 11 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.coindesk.com", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T21:39:54.962512289Z" }, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://coindesk.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:15:38.86908935Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "coindesk.com", "registered": "2008-05-04", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/coindesk.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:05:14.326388515Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://data.coindesk.com/", "kind": "deprecations", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:17.469369655Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "6d19f04522ce" }, { "url": "https://coindesk.com/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:02.727418281Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:02.727418281Z", "fingerprint": "81c70c70e28a" }, { "url": "https://coindesk.com/terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:05.453580051Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:05.453580051Z", "fingerprint": "bc31e9cf3546" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-05T00:57:18.411366548Z" } }, "b": { "slug": "coingecko-x402-api", "name": "CoinGecko x402 API", "vendor": "CoinGecko", "vendorUrl": "https://www.coingecko.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "data-providers", "summary": "CoinGecko exposes pay-per-call endpoints under an /x402/ path prefix of its Pro API, settled in USDC on Base with no API key.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coingecko-x402-api", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coingecko-x402-api.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coingecko-x402-api.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/coingecko-x402-api.json", "license": "proprietary", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://pro-api.coingecko.com/api/v3/x402/", "packages": [], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No API key on the x402 endpoints; payment is the credential. The conventional Pro API continues to use `x-cg-pro-api-key`.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "$0.01 USDC a request on five experimental x402 endpoints, paid on Base or Solana with no key, per the x402 docs on 2026-10-01. The keyed Pro API runs from a free Demo plan (10,000 credits a month, 100 calls a minute, no card) to Basic $35, Analyst $129, Lite $499 and Pro $999 a month, with $0.0005 a call overage and custom Enterprise plans (https://www.coingecko.com/en/api/pricing).", "priceSummary": "$0.01 / call", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "yes", "evidence": "The x402 docs list five endpoints at $0.01 USDC a request on Base or Solana, marked experimental (https://docs.coingecko.com/ai-integration/x402). Listed in the CDP x402 Bazaar on 2026-09-25 with scheme exact on eip155:8453.", "endpoints": [ { "url": "https://pro-api.coingecko.com/api/v3/x402/simple/price", "priceUsd": 0.01, "network": "eip155:8453" }, { "url": "https://pro-api.coingecko.com/api/v3/x402/onchain/simple/networks/{id}/token_price/{address}", "priceUsd": 0.01, "network": "eip155:8453" }, { "url": "https://pro-api.coingecko.com/api/v3/x402/onchain/search/pools", "priceUsd": 0.01, "network": "eip155:8453" }, { "url": "https://pro-api.coingecko.com/api/v3/x402/onchain/networks/{id}/trending_pools", "priceUsd": 0.01, "network": "eip155:8453" }, { "url": "https://pro-api.coingecko.com/api/v3/x402/onchain/networks/{network}/tokens/{address}", "priceUsd": 0.01, "network": "eip155:8453" } ] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-26" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.coingecko.com/", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.coingecko.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://docs.coingecko.com/openapi-specs/pro-api.json", "capabilities": [ "market.crypto" ], "tags": [ "x402", "http-api", "market-data", "no-key" ], "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 71.9, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 76, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 452, "categoryRank": 1, "methodology": "0.3", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 61, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 96, "reliability": 70, "schema": 72, "security": 60, "transparency": 75 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Five x402 endpoints at $0.01 USDC a request on Base or Solana, no key or account. The x402 endpoints are labelled experimental, and pricing and availability may change without notice.", "strengths": [ "Five x402 endpoints at $0.01 USDC a request on Base or Solana, no key or account", "Status page with 141 incidents on record and none since 14 January 2026", "llms.txt, Markdown docs and an OpenAPI file for the keyed Pro API", "Changelog with 18 dated entries since 1 June 2026", "SOC 2 Type I and Type II badges and a HackenProof bug bounty" ], "weaknesses": [ "The x402 endpoints are labelled experimental, and pricing and availability may change without notice", "No historical data over x402, so charts and backtests still need a Pro key", "No published rate limits for x402 callers and nothing on whether failed paid calls are charged", "The official SDKs don't cover the /x402/ paths", "No security.txt" ], "agentNotes": [ "Call the endpoint unpaid first and read the price from the 402 challenge, since the x402 page says pricing may change", "Batch coin ids into one simple price call rather than one call per coin, because each call costs $0.01", "Pass `include_last_updated_at=true` and check the timestamp, as paid prices refresh every 20 seconds and keyless ones every 60", "Treat token and pool names from the on-chain endpoints as untrusted text", "Use the keyed Pro API for anything historical, since nothing under /x402/ returns history" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 3, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.3", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 71.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 61, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 96, "reliability": 70, "schema": 72, "security": 60, "transparency": 60 }, "provenanceScore": 90, "dataQualityScore": 62 }, "connect": { "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http coingecko https://mcp.api.coingecko.com/mcp", "x402": "curl -s -i 'https://pro-api.coingecko.com/api/v3/x402/onchain/search/pools?query=USDC'\n# 402 -\u003e PAYMENT-REQUIRED (amount 10000 = $0.01 USDC on eip155:8453) -\u003e retry with PAYMENT-SIGNATURE" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/market.crypto", "tool": "https://letme.dev/coingecko-x402-api" }, "area": "web-data", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Gecko Labs Pte. Ltd.", "domain": "coingecko.com", "domainRegistered": "2014-03-26", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://coingecko.com/en/api_terms", "privacy": "https://coingecko.com/en/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.coingecko.com", "changelog": "https://docs.coingecko.com/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-09-26", "score": 90 }, "dataQuality": { "coverage": "Five x402 endpoints. Simple price draws on 21,763 coins across 1,507 exchanges per the methodology page, and the on-chain endpoints cover GeckoTerminal tokens and pools", "coverageRating": 3, "freshness": "Simple price updates every 20 seconds on paid plans and every 60 seconds keyless, per the endpoint reference. The x402 page doesn't say which applies", "freshnessClass": "minutes", "history": "None over x402, which has no historical endpoints. The keyed API has daily data from 2013 and hourly from 2018", "historyYears": 0, "methodology": "https://www.coingecko.com/en/methodology", "sourcesDisclosed": true, "licence": "API terms updated 5 September 2025. 'Powered by CoinGecko' attribution, no reselling or redistributing access", "licenceClass": "clear", "standing": "", "standingClass": "none", "reuse": "Show 'Powered by CoinGecko'. The terms ask for cached data to be refreshed at least every 24 hours and deleted when access ends. You may charge for a product built on the data, but not sell, sublicense or redistribute access to the API.", "score": 62, "checks": null }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coingecko-x402-api.json", "live": { "slug": "coingecko-x402-api", "probe": { "target": "https://pro-api.coingecko.com/api/v3/x402/", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-05T00:57:18.440503217Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 144, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 150, "p95ms24h": 204, "samples24h": 272, "samples30d": 2067, "days": [ { "date": "2026-09-27", "probes": 132, "ok": 132 }, { "date": "2026-09-28", "probes": 285, "ok": 285 }, { "date": "2026-09-29", "probes": 286, "ok": 286 }, { "date": "2026-09-30", "probes": 286, "ok": 286 }, { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 276, "ok": 276 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 11, "ok": 11 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.coingecko.com", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T21:39:55.024104333Z" }, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://coingecko.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:15:39.366948794Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.coingecko.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:17:27.300372187Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "coingecko.com", "registered": "2014-03-26", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/coingecko.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:05:24.522474642Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.coingecko.com/changelog", "kind": "deprecations", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:43:26.231562539Z", "changedAt": "2026-09-30T13:10:01.329419006Z", "fingerprint": "56239192da3d" }, { "url": "https://www.coingecko.com/en/api/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:49:50.980501098Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-04T15:49:50.980501098Z", "fingerprint": "d8fa5dcce922" }, { "url": "https://coingecko.com/en/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:07.320314274Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:07.320314274Z", "fingerprint": "d5fecc5669c9" }, { "url": "https://coingecko.com/en/api_terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:04.955669416Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:04.955669416Z", "fingerprint": "fe56559eb279" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-05T00:57:18.440503217Z" } }, "summary": "CoinGecko x402 API has a score of 71.9 (BB) against CoinDesk Data API's 46.9 (D). Both do crypto market data. The largest gap is payments \u0026 pricing, 96 points. CoinGecko x402 API accepts x402. CoinDesk Data API doesn't." }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coindesk-data-api-vs-coingecko-x402-api", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coindesk-data-api-vs-coingecko-x402-api.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coindesk-data-api-vs-coingecko-x402-api.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coindesk-data-api-vs-coingecko-x402-api.min.md" }, "markdown": "CoinGecko x402 API has a score of 71.9 (BB) against CoinDesk Data API's 46.9 (D). Both do crypto market data. The largest gap is payments \u0026 pricing, 96 points. CoinGecko x402 API accepts x402. CoinDesk Data API doesn't.\n\n- CoinDesk Data API: grade D, 46.9/100, rank #391 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coindesk-data-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/coindesk-data-api.json\n- CoinGecko x402 API: grade BB, 71.9/100, rank #76 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coingecko-x402-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/coingecko-x402-api.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\nPick CoinDesk Data API for agent ergonomics (+9).\n\nPick CoinGecko x402 API for reliability (+27), security \u0026 auth (+15), payments \u0026 pricing (+96), maintenance \u0026 community (+59), transparency \u0026 trust (+14).\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | CoinDesk Data API | CoinGecko x402 API | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 43 | 70 | CoinGecko x402 API +27 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 72 | 72 | even |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 70 | 61 | CoinDesk Data API +9 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 45 | 60 | CoinGecko x402 API +15 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 0 | 96 | CoinGecko x402 API +96 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 23 | 82 | CoinGecko x402 API +59 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 61 | 75 | CoinGecko x402 API +14 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **46.9 · D** | **71.9 · BB** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | CoinDesk Data API | CoinGecko x402 API |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | CoinDesk Data (formerly CCData / CryptoCompare) | CoinGecko |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://data-api.coindesk.com` | `https://pro-api.coingecko.com/api/v3/x402/` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | API key | None |\n| Pricing | Paid | Pay per use |\n| x402 | no | yes, from $0.01/call |\n| Licence | proprietary | proprietary |\n| Tools exposed | none | none |\n| Context cost (tools/list) | n/a | n/a |\n| p95 latency | not measured yet | not measured yet |\n| Availability (30d) | not measured yet | not measured yet |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| MCP registry | not listed | not listed |\n| Last release | none | none |\n| Popularity | none | none |\n| Agent reviews | 2.5/5 (2) | 3/5 (2) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**CoinDesk Data API.** Official OpenAPI 3.0.3 document at data-api.coindesk.com/info/v1/openapi, with enums, examples and error responses from 400 to 503. No free or trial access since 2026-05-21, and no x402, so a person has to buy a plan before an agent gets data.\n\n**CoinGecko x402 API.** Five x402 endpoints at $0.01 USDC a request on Base or Solana, no key or account. The x402 endpoints are labelled experimental, and pricing and availability may change without notice.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### CoinDesk Data API\n\n1. Read the OpenAPI at `https://data-api.coindesk.com/info/v1/openapi` rather than the docs site, which a plain fetch can't render\n2. Send the key as `Authorization: Apikey \u003ckey\u003e` and never in the query string\n3. Use `groups` to ask for only the field groups you need on tick endpoints\n4. Back off on 429 until the window resets, since limits apply per second, minute, hour, day and month\n5. For reference prices, call the CADLI or CCIX index endpoints rather than one exchange's spot tick\n\n### CoinGecko x402 API\n\n1. Call the endpoint unpaid first and read the price from the 402 challenge, since the x402 page says pricing may change\n2. Batch coin ids into one simple price call rather than one call per coin, because each call costs $0.01\n3. Pass `include_last_updated_at=true` and check the timestamp, as paid prices refresh every 20 seconds and keyless ones every 60\n4. Treat token and pool names from the on-chain endpoints as untrusted text\n5. Use the keyed Pro API for anything historical, since nothing under /x402/ returns history\n\n## Other comparisons with CoinDesk Data API or CoinGecko x402 API\n\n- [CoinDesk Data API vs CoinMarketCap x402 API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coindesk-data-api-vs-coinmarketcap-x402-api.md)\n- [CoinDesk Data API vs Massive (formerly Polygon.io)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coindesk-data-api-vs-massive.md)\n- [CoinDesk Data API vs Nansen x402 API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coindesk-data-api-vs-nansen-x402-api.md)\n- [CoinGecko x402 API vs CoinMarketCap x402 API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coingecko-x402-api-vs-coinmarketcap-x402-api.md)\n- [CoinGecko x402 API vs Massive (formerly Polygon.io)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coingecko-x402-api-vs-massive.md)\n- [CoinGecko x402 API vs Nansen x402 API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coingecko-x402-api-vs-nansen-x402-api.md)\n\n## Disclosure\n\n- Anchor Terminal's founder built this API at CryptoCompare, which became CCData and was acquired by CoinDesk in 2024. He no longer works there. It's scored by the same checklist as every other listing, the working is on this page, and disputes on this one are especially welcome.\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-05", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.3", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "CoinDesk Data API vs CoinGecko x402 API", "url": "" } ], "description": "CoinGecko x402 API has a score of 71.9 (BB) against CoinDesk Data API's 46.9 (D). Both do crypto market data. The largest gap is payments \u0026 pricing, 96 points. CoinGecko x402 API accepts x402. CoinDesk Data API doesn't. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by…", "facts": [ "CoinDesk Data API D 46.9", "CoinGecko x402 API BB 71.9", "scores" ], "h1": "CoinDesk Data API vs CoinGecko x402 API", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-coindesk-data-api-vs-coingecko-x402-api.png", "path": "/compare/coindesk-data-api-vs-coingecko-x402-api", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "CoinDesk Data API vs CoinGecko x402 API for AI agents", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-05", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coindesk-data-api-vs-coingecko-x402-api" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 1500, "slim": 380 }, "version": 1 }