How to Get Low-Cost Market Data

Accessing low-cost market data is critical for investors, app developers, fintechs, and quants. Unfortunately, most stock price or option price data can come with steep exchange fees, per user fees, and restrictions. There can also be mountains of paperwork and reporting requirements.

The overall cost and onboarding burden can weigh down innovators that are eager to get data flowing and get on the move. In this article, we are going to tell you where to get low cost market data and how to tell if its reliable.

Here are some general steps to follow to access low cost market data:

1. Determine your data needs: Before you start looking for data sources, it's important to determine exactly what data you need. This could include stock prices, financial statements, news articles, or other types of market data.
2. Research data providers: There are many companies that offer market data services, so it's important to research and compare different providers to find the one that best meets your needs. Look for providers that offer the specific data you need, as well as pricing plans that fit your budget.
3. Consider free or low-cost options: Some providers offer free or low-cost access to market data, especially for individuals or small businesses. You may also be able to access some data through open data sources or APIs, but be very careful about this - it can be unreliable and risky.
4. Look for discounts or promotions: Some data providers offer discounts or promotions for new customers or for those who sign up for long-term plans. Be sure to check for any available discounts or promotional codes before signing up and consider paying annually.
5. Choose a pricing plan: Once you've found a provider that offers the data you need, choose a pricing plan that fits your budget and data needs. Some providers offer tiered pricing plans that offer more data at a lower cost per unit, while others charge based on usage.
6. Use the data: Once you've accessed the market data, you can use it for analysis, modeling, or other purposes to inform your investment decisions.

Overall, accessing low cost market data requires some research and comparison shopping, but there are many options available for those looking to access market data without breaking the bank.

What to Consider When Shopping for Low-Cost Market Data

There are a couple of important factors to consider when searching for the right low cost market data solution. Here are a few of them:

1. Data Quality: One of the most important considerations when finding affordable market data sources is data quality. It's important to choose a provider that offers accurate, reliable data that meets your needs. Be sure to read reviews, check the provider's data accuracy history, and review their methodology before signing up.
2. Data Coverage: Another important consideration is data coverage. You want to ensure that the provider offers the specific market data you need, whether it's stock prices, financial statements, news articles, or other data types. Make sure to compare providers to ensure that they offer the data you need.
3. Pricing Model: Providers offer different pricing models, so it's important to choose one that fits your budget and data needs. Some providers offer tiered pricing plans that offer more data at a lower cost per unit, while others charge based on usage. It's important to choose a plan that fits your budget and usage needs.
4. Data Delivery Method: Different providers offer different methods for accessing market data, such as APIs, CSV downloads, or web-based platforms. Be sure to choose a provider that offers a delivery method that is easy to use and integrates well with your existing workflow.
5. Customer Support: It's important to choose a provider that offers strong customer support, especially if you're new to using market data. Look for providers that offer email or phone support, as well as online resources like tutorials or FAQs.
6. Trial Periods: Some providers offer trial periods or free trials, which can be a great way to test out a provider's data and services before committing to a paid plan. Look for providers that offer trial periods or free trials to ensure that their data and services meet your needs.

Overall, finding affordable market data sources requires careful consideration of factors like data quality, data coverage, pricing model, data delivery method, customer support, and trial periods. At Intrinio, we prioritize data quality and coverage, flexible pricing plans, and exceptional customer support to provide our customers with affordable market data that meets their needs.

Where to Get Low-Cost Market Data

There are several ways to access low-cost market data, depending on your specific needs. Your options will vary depending on your use case. If you are a technical end user that is looking to consume raw data in order to build a model or an app/website, you’ll need to find an API provider. Alternatively, if you are a non-technical user, you can access or view common market data via a variety of websites and platforms.

Here are some options to consider:

1. Free (or cheap) Financial APIs: Some companies offer free APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that allow developers to access financial data such as stock prices, indices, and financial news (like the Yahoo Finance API).
2. Discount Brokerages: Discount brokerages such as Robinhood and Webull offer free real-time market data for stocks, options, and ETFs to their clients. Some also provide access to research reports and analyst ratings.
3. Financial News Websites: Financial news websites such as MarketWatch, CNBC, and Bloomberg offer free market data and news. They provide real-time quotes, charts, financial news, and analysis.
4. Data Providers: Data providers such as Intrinio offer low-cost financial data for a variety of asset classes, including stocks, bonds, and commodities. They offer different pricing plans depending on your specific data needs, and a variety of access methods including API.
5. Government Websites: Government websites such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) offer free financial data and reports.
6. Social Media Platforms: Social media platforms such as Twitter and Stocktwits offer real-time financial news and discussions. Some investors and traders share their insights and analysis on these platforms for free.

Remember to do your research and compare pricing plans before selecting a service provider. Pay specialy attention to data quality, reliability, reputation, support, delivery, and contract restrictions.

Is Low-Cost Market Data Reliable?

The financial and market data industry is complex, and building market data feeds is a resource-heavy task. There are minimum thresholds to providing a quality market data product. No matter what - it costs money to deliver reliable data. 

New market data users should be particularly wary of any low-cost and especially “free” market data provider. In general, any companies that charge less than $100/m are unlikely to be delivering a reliable - or even a legal - product. 

Read the terms of service carefully at the bottom of low-cost market data provider websites. Many of them will refuse to disclose where they get the market data from (could be illegal - most exchanges charge for access) or guarantee the reliability (a no-go for any serious investor or developer).

If you are looking for a low-cost market data solution that is still reliable, Intrinio is the best place to start. We have spent years building automated processes to ensure high-quality data delivery at a much lower cost than larger providers. We’re able to provide low-cost market data without sacrificing any quality.

Here are a few steps you can take to start a zero-risk free trial of Intrinio’s market data API:

1. Go to the Intrinio website and sign up for an account.
2. Choose the data feed that you want to access. Intrinio offers a variety of data feeds, including real-time and historical stock prices, financial statements, news articles, and more.
3. Select the pricing plan that best fits your needs. Intrinio offers several pricing plans to choose from, depending on the amount of data you need and how frequently you need it. These plans scale up over time so we can grow together.
4. Once you have selected your data feed and pricing plan, you can start accessing the data through Intrinio's API. Intrinio provides a developer-friendly API that allows you to easily retrieve the data you need using your preferred programming language.
5. To access the low cost market data, you may want to consider using Intrinio's bulk data download feature. This feature allows you to download large quantities of data at once, which can help reduce the overall cost of accessing the data. You can access this via your account page.
6. Finally, you can use the data you have downloaded to perform analysis, build models, or create visualizations to inform your investment decisions.

Finding affordable market data sources requires careful consideration of factors like data quality, data coverage, pricing model, data delivery method, customer support, and trial periods. 

At Intrinio, we prioritize data quality and coverage, flexible pricing plans, and exceptional customer support to provide our customers with affordable market data that meets their needs. offers a powerful and cost-effective solution for accessing market data, and our API and bulk data download features make it easy to retrieve and work with the data you need. 

Chat with our team today to learn more!