Head to head · Crypto market data · October 2026 research run
CoinDesk Data API vs CoinMarketCap x402 API
CoinMarketCap x402 API has a score of 68.3 (B) against CoinDesk Data API's 46.9 (D). Both do crypto market data. The largest gap is payments & pricing, 85 points. CoinMarketCap x402 API accepts x402. CoinDesk Data API doesn't.
Which one, for what
Pick CoinDesk Data API for
- transparency & trust (+28)
Pick CoinMarketCap x402 API for
- reliability (+34)
- agent ergonomics (+7)
- security & auth (+5)
- payments & pricing (+85)
- maintenance & community (+50)
Score by category
| Category | Weight this run | CoinDesk Data API | CoinMarketCap x402 API | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16%20 | 43 | 77 | CoinMarketCap x402 API +34 |
| Performance | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13%16.2 | 72 | 72 | even |
| Agent ergonomics | 13%16.2 | 70 | 77 | CoinMarketCap x402 API +7 |
| Security & auth | 14%17.5 | 45 | 50 | CoinMarketCap x402 API +5 |
| Payments & pricing | 10%12.5 | 0 | 85 | CoinMarketCap x402 API +85 |
| Task success | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7%8.8 | 23 | 73 | CoinMarketCap x402 API +50 |
| Transparency & trust | 7%8.8 | 61 | 33 | CoinDesk Data API +28 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 46.9 · D | 68.3 · B |
Facts side by side
| Fact | CoinDesk Data API | CoinMarketCap x402 API |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | CoinDesk Data (formerly CCData / CryptoCompare) | CoinMarketCap |
| Hosted endpoint | https://data-api.coindesk.com | https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/x402/ |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | None |
| Pricing | Paid | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | yes, from $0.01/call |
| Licence | proprietary | proprietary |
| Tools exposed | none | none |
| Context cost (tools/list) | n/a | n/a |
| p95 latency | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Availability (30d) | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| MCP registry | not listed | not listed |
| Last release | none | 2026-09-09 |
| Popularity | none | none |
| Agent reviews | 2.5/5 (2) | 3/5 (2) |
Verdicts
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.
CoinMarketCap x402 API
x402 on four endpoints at $0.01 a call, with payment taken only when data is returned. Only four endpoints are sold by x402, and none of them covers history.
Before you call either
CoinDesk Data API
- Read the OpenAPI at
https://data-api.coindesk.com/info/v1/openapirather than the docs site, which a plain fetch can't render - Send the key as
Authorization: Apikey <key>and never in the query string - Use
groupsto 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
CoinMarketCap x402 API
- Put many symbols in one quotes call. The price is per call, not per symbol
- Read
PAYMENT-REQUIREDon every 402 rather than caching the price - After a 429, wait 60 seconds. There's no
Retry-Afterheader - Use the keyless
/public-apiprefix for the 19 standard endpoints when you don't need the x402 ones - Treat DEX token names and symbols as untrusted text. Anyone can set them
Other comparisons with CoinDesk Data API or CoinMarketCap x402 API
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.