# Finnhub vs TickerLayer

> TickerLayer scores 71.5 (BB) to Finnhub's 45.1 (E) for market prices. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finnhub-vs-tickerlayer
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finnhub-vs-tickerlayer.md (~5,100 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: 2026-11-11

TickerLayer scores 71.5 (BB) on agent readiness against Finnhub's 45.1 (E), and leads in every scored category. Both do market prices. TickerLayer accepts x402. Finnhub doesn't.

- Finnhub: grade E, 45.1/100, rank #1217 of 1520. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/finnhub.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/finnhub.json
- TickerLayer: grade BB, 71.5/100, rank #160 of 1520. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tickerlayer.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/tickerlayer.json
- Best financial market data APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/market-data/index.md
- All 78 markets comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/market-data/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Finnhub (E)

Good for: Agents that need one key across quotes, fundamentals, estimates, filings and transcripts with official libraries, and a free key for prototypes.

Watch for: The Swagger document declares the key only as a `token` query parameter, and the examples carry it in the URL

### TickerLayer (BB)

Good for: An agent that needs latest prices, bars and market hours across stocks, forex, crypto, indices, ETFs, commodities, bond yields and perpetual futures from one schema, and wants to pay per call without an account.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 70 against 48
- Schema & documentation, 88 against 58
- Agent ergonomics, 79 against 56
- Security & auth, 49 against 32
- Payments & pricing, 92 against 30
- Maintenance & community, 79 against 60
- Transparency & trust, 38 against 27

Also in its favour:
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
- An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account

Watch for: The data is derived and indicative from unnamed non-exchange sources, and no page says it is licensed from an exchange


## Why the edge

### Payments & pricing: TickerLayer +62

- Finnhub (30): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Plan prices are public without login, read from the pricing page's script data, sold per dataset by the month with calls a minute rather than per call (10). A free key at 60 calls a minute with no card, which the pricing FAQ says can be used forever (20). The key comes from a browser signup and no key API was found (0). 0 + 10 + 20 + 0 = 30.
- TickerLayer (92): x402 on the vendor's own gateway, x402.tickerlayer.com, for 41 GET routes. That is six routes for each of stocks, forex, crypto, indices, ETFs and commodities, plus bond yields and four market-calendar routes. Perpetuals, Futures CFDs, the add-ons, the symbol catalogue and WebSocket need a key. Between massive's 30 for US stock routes only and financial-datasets' 35 for every documented data endpoint (32 of 40). Per-call x402 prices from 0.01 to 0.10 USDC in the catalogue and docs, and plan prices per feed on the pricing page, all without a login (20). A Free plan of 3,000 REST calls every 30 days with 'no card', per llms.txt (20). An agent with a funded Base wallet pays per call with no account or key (20). 32+20+20+20 = 92.

### Schema & documentation: TickerLayer +30

- Finnhub (58): A public Swagger 2.0 document covers 116 paths with a description on every operation, declaring the key as a query parameter and a 200 response only; the MCP tools were not read (20 of 25). /llms.txt returns the site's HTML shell and no Markdown docs exist (0 of 10). Each operation states its purpose, a premium marker and, on quote, advice against polling, with little on when not to use it (14 of 20). Required flags and types are set on 248 parameters, but allowed values such as news categories sit in description text and no enum is declared (8 of 15). Every operation has example URLs and sample code in five languages, while the only documented error is the 429 (9 of 15). The path carries v1 and no changelog or dated change notes were found (7 of 15). 20 + 0 + 14 + 8 + 9 + 7 = 58.
- TickerLayer (88): OpenAPI 3.1 at tickerlayer.com/openapi.json (TickerLayer Market Data API 1.0.0, about 386,000 characters), read in its first 100,000 and last 96,000 characters, with summaries, descriptions, tags and examples on the operations read and shared 400, 401, 403, 404, 429 and 503 responses. The WebSocket is described in prose only and the hosted MCP tool schemas weren't read (23 of 25). llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown twin of every docs page (10). Operation descriptions state purpose and plan gating, and the vendor's skill says which MCP tool to use for each question and when not to, such as `get_quote` not being the tool for a price. Financial-datasets took 17 (17 of 20). Enums on `interval`, `multiplier`, `timespan` and `sort`, `format: date` on dates, bounded `limit`, required path parameters, as for massive (13 of 15). Examples on most parameters and responses, one Error schema with ten fields and documented codes, but the codes appear only as example values with no enum or table (13 of 15). A dated changelog of the last 50 changes, 8 September to 6 November 2026, but no version in the REST paths ('no /v1/') and the spec at 1.0.0. Above twelve-data's 10 for monthly updates and below massive's 15 for versioned paths (12 of 15). 23+10+17+13+13+12 = 88.

### Agent ergonomics: TickerLayer +23

- Finnhub (56): The REST API is the surface graded. `from` and `to` on candles and news, and symbol-scoped calls, size responses; no field selection, and the MCP server lists 70 tools (12 of 25). Date filters but no pagination on most lists (10 of 20). Only the 429 is documented; a missing key answered 401 with a JSON `error` field in our one test call (5 of 20). All but one operation are GET reads; the MCP annotations were not read (14 of 20). Few required parameters and official libraries in six languages (15). 12 + 10 + 5 + 14 + 15 = 56.
- TickerLayer (79): Read on the REST API, with the MCP server where a line covers it. Responses are sized by `limit` (bars up to 5,000, catalogue up to 1,000), `sort`, date ranges and batch calls for futures quotes and market status, with no field selection. The MCP server has 12 tools, 11 shown to the model. Massive and financial-datasets took 15 (15 of 25). `limit`, `offset` and `next_offset`, cursors on fundamentals and economic events, `total_count` on bars, `search` on symbols and `updated_since` on signals (18 of 20). Errors carry `statusCode`, `message`, a code, `retryAfterMs`, `resetsAt`, `limitRps`, `plansUrl` and the missing `product` or `market`, and the skill gives an action per status. Above financial-datasets' 16 (17 of 20). Every data call is a GET, and x402 settles only after a valid response with payment identifiers bound to the request, but no readOnlyHint or other annotation was found for the MCP tools. Financial-datasets took 14 without annotations (15 of 20). Data tools need only `asset_class` and `symbol`, with defaults for limit and sort, and official clients exist for JavaScript or TypeScript and Python, both at 0.1.0 from 20 October 2026. Stocks need the `COUNTRY:TICKER` form (14 of 15). 15+18+17+15+14 = 79.

### Reliability: TickerLayer +22

- Finnhub (48): Read with the hosted lines. No status page was found on the site, in the docs document or on the MCP page (0), so no incident history could be read (5). Limits are published with numbers, 60 calls a minute on the free key, 150 to 900 a minute by plan, and 30 calls a second on top of every plan (15). The docs say the limit answers 429 and the MCP page says to wait a minute, with no Retry-After or backoff guidance (8 of 15). The home page says 99.99 per cent uptime with an SLA available for enterprise clients (10). The API is generally available (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 8 + 10 + 10 = 48.
- TickerLayer (70): Read with the hosted lines, on the REST API. status.tickerlayer.com is an UptimeRobot page linked from the site header (20). Its monitors and history load by script from /api/, which its robots.txt disallows, so no incident record was read, as for eodhd and apitemplate-io (5). Limits are published with numbers, 10 requests a second per account on Free and Individual, 100 on Business, and monthly call quotas per feed (15). The OpenAPI file's 429 carries `Retry-After` and a body with `retryAfterMs`, `resetsAt` and a code that separates the per-second limit from the monthly quota, and every response has carried `X-RateLimit-Limit` and `X-RateLimit-Remaining` since 14 September 2026. Every data operation is a GET, and x402 retries with the same payment identifier return the stored response (15). An SLA is named only for Enterprise under a written agreement and as 'partially available' on Business, with no published terms or figure, and the terms of use promise no uptime. Financial-datasets took 10 for SLAs listed on a self-serve plan, so this is half (5 of 10). No beta or preview label on the REST API, the MCP server or the x402 gateway (10). 20+5+15+15+5+10 = 70.

### Maintenance & community: TickerLayer +19

- Finnhub (60): Read as a closed service. The newest dated change is 2 November 2026, when finnhub-go, finnhub-ruby and finnhub-php gained a price target history endpoint; the MCP page is dated 6 August 2026 (30). Only that one dated change falls in the last 90 days, the previous library commits being 22 June 2026 (5 of 20). Support by email, with no public changelog or community channel found (5 of 15). Six official client libraries, finnhub-python at 2.4.29 of 24 June 2026 (15). The libraries are generated from the API document; no CI run was visible and the Python README names an older version than PyPI (5 of 10). 30 + 5 + 5 + 15 + 5 = 60.
- TickerLayer (79): Read as a closed service. The newest changelog entry is 6 November 2026, a bond yield curve endpoint (30). 50 dated changelog entries from 8 September to 6 November 2026 (20). A public changelog, a consultation form, info@tickerlayer.com and a support chat, all untested, with no community channel and no issues on the plugin repository read. Massive and twelve-data took 10 (9 of 15). Official clients for JavaScript or TypeScript (npm) and Python (PyPI), both 0.1.0 from 20 October 2026, and an MCP registry entry under the verified namespace `com.tickerlayer` (15). The npm package has no dependencies or install hooks but no repository field, the clients' source isn't public and no CI is visible (5 of 10). 30+20+9+15+5 = 79.

### Security & auth: TickerLayer +17

- Finnhub (32): One key per account with no scopes, documented as `token=` in the query string or an `X-Finnhub-Token` header, and the Swagger document declares only the query form. The MCP server uses OAuth with fixed public client ids and keeps the key from the assistant (20 less 10 for the query string, plus 2 for the MCP route, so 12). Every data operation is a read (15 of 20). News, transcripts and filings are third-party text and no guidance was found (5 of 15). No usage log for the key holder was found (0 of 15). security.txt redirects to the home page and no disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification was found (0 of 20). 12 + 15 + 5 + 0 + 0 = 32.
- TickerLayer (49): A plain account key with no scopes, shown once and replaced by regenerating it in the dashboard (20). The OpenAPI file defines an `apiKey` query parameter as a 'compatibility fallback', and the WebSocket takes the key only in its URL, so 10 off. The MCP server adds OAuth 2.1 with PKCE S256, dynamic registration, refresh tokens, a revocation endpoint and one scope, `market.read`. Twelve-data took 18 on the same pattern, one less here because the WebSocket has no header option (17 of 30). Every operation reads data, and the OAuth scope is read-only, as for twelve-data and financial-datasets (15 of 20). Responses are prices, bars, symbols, calendars and yields. There is no news feed, and SignalPoint signals are structured fields, so no untrusted text reaches the agent (10 of 15). Rate-limit headers on every response, quota 429s that state the limit and when it renews, and a dashboard list of WebSocket connections with source IP, key and how each ended (24 October 2026). No per-call REST log for the key holder was found, though the privacy policy says request logs are kept (7 of 15). security.txt answered a client error, and no disclosure policy, bug bounty, SOC 2 or ISO 27001 was found (0 of 20). 17+15+10+7+0 = 49.

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Finnhub | TickerLayer | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 48 | 70 | TickerLayer +22 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 58 | 88 | TickerLayer +30 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 56 | 79 | TickerLayer +23 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 32 | 49 | TickerLayer +17 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 92 | TickerLayer +62 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 60 | 79 | TickerLayer +19 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 27 | 38 | TickerLayer +11 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **45.1 · E** | **71.5 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Finnhub | TickerLayer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Finnhub | TickerLayer |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://finnhub.io/api/v1` | `https://mcp.tickerlayer.com/mcp` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, websocket | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, websocket |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| x402 | no | yes, from $0.01/call |
| Licence | none | Proprietary hosted service under the TickerLayer terms of use, user agreement and market data disclaimer (all effective 3 November 2026), which name no legal entity or governing law. Free and Individual plans are for internal use, Business adds use inside the customer's own product, and redistribution needs a written Enterprise agreement. The agent plugin (github.com/tickerlayer/agent-plugin) and the npm client are MIT |
| Tools exposed | 70 | 12 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| MCP registry | not listed | `com.tickerlayer/market-data` |
| Last release | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-06 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | not read yet |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | not read yet |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | not read yet |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | not read yet |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | not read yet |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | not read yet |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | not read yet |
| Popularity | 1.1k stars | none |

## Verdicts

**Finnhub.** A public Swagger document covers 116 endpoints, six official client libraries exist, and a free key gives 60 calls a minute with no card. The key is documented in the query string, no status page, changelog, error reference or privacy policy was found, and robots.txt kept the terms from our reader.

**TickerLayer.** An agent can read quotes, bars and market hours across eight asset classes through a documented REST API, 12 MCP tools or 41 x402 resources with no account, and 429s carry Retry-After. The data is derived from unnamed non-exchange sources, no operator is named, and the status history couldn't be read.

## Before you call either

### Finnhub

1. Send the key as the `X-Finnhub-Token` header, not as `token=` in the URL, and keep under 30 calls a second on top of the plan's per-minute limit
2. Check the `premium` marker before calling; a free key reaches 29 operations and the rest answer with an error
3. Poll /quote sparingly; the docs say constant polling is not recommended and point to the websocket for real-time updates
4. Expect 401 `{"error":"Please use an API key."}` without a key and 429 over the limit; wait a minute before retrying, as the MCP page advises
5. Self-serve plans are personal use; anything commercial needs the enterprise contact route

### TickerLayer

1. Write stocks as `COUNTRY:TICKER`, such as `US:KO`, and always pass `asset_class` to the data tools.
2. If a 429 carries `REST_QUOTA_EXCEEDED`, stop and tell the user. Waiting doesn't reset the monthly quota.
3. Present prices as indicative TickerLayer values, never as official exchange prices.
4. Call `get_market_status` before you report a quiet symbol as missing data.
5. Send the key in the `x-api-key` header, never as the `apiKey` query parameter.

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Finnhub or TickerLayer?

TickerLayer scores 71.5 (BB) on agent readiness against Finnhub's 45.1 (E), and leads in every scored category.

### Do Finnhub and TickerLayer need an API key?

Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in. An agent can also pay TickerLayer per call over x402, with no account.

### Can an agent call Finnhub and TickerLayer without installing anything?

Yes. Finnhub has a hosted endpoint at https://finnhub.io/api/v1 and TickerLayer at https://mcp.tickerlayer.com/mcp.


## For agents

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

## Other comparisons with Finnhub or TickerLayer

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