Best Free MLB APIs
Baseball APIs with free tiers and freemium plans — perfect for fantasy baseball apps, MLB stat dashboards, prototypes, and hobby projects. Compare free request limits, MLB team and player coverage, and upgrade paths.
SportsGameOdds — 80+ sportsbooks, WebSocket odds feed
Real-time pre-match and in-play odds from 80+ sportsbooks, including market consolidation and 5+ years of historical odds snapshots. The most complete odds feed for sportsbook operators and betting analytics platforms.
Recommended Free MLB API Providers
Sorted by overall score| Provider | Score | Free Tier | Live Data | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball Reference API | 8.8 | Yes | No | Free | Sabermetrics research, Baseball history projects |
| API-Sports | 8.4 | Yes | Yes | Free | Startups, Hobby projects |
| Betfair Exchange API | 8.4 | Yes | Yes | Free | Automated trading bots, Arbitrage applications |
| MLB Stats API | 8.4 | Yes | Yes | Free | Baseball analytics, Sabermetrics research |
| The Odds API | 8.2 | Yes | Yes | Free | Odds comparison tools, Betting analytics |
| SportsDataIO | 7.9 | Yes | Yes | Free | Fantasy sports apps, US sports media |
| Pinnacle API | 7.9 | Yes | Yes | Free | Sharp odds reference, Quantitative betting models |
| Sports Odds API | 7.7 | Yes | Yes | Free | Odds comparison tools, Arbitrage detection |
| Sports Reference API | 7.7 | Yes | No | Free | Historical sports research, Sports analytics and data science |
| Yahoo Fantasy Sports API | 7.6 | Yes | Yes | Free | Yahoo Fantasy league tools, Draft assistants |
How We Evaluated Free MLB APIs
Free Tier Generosity
We evaluate the number of free requests, daily/monthly limits, and whether the free tier includes essential features like live scores, team stats, and full MLB season coverage.
Feature Access on Free Plan
We check which MLB data is available without payment, including live scores, schedules, standings, box scores, player stats, and whether advanced stats or Statcast are included.
Upgrade Path & Pricing
We assess how the free tier transitions to paid plans, evaluating the cost and value of the first paid tier and whether the upgrade is seamless for baseball apps.
Commercial Use on Free Tier
We verify whether free tiers allow commercial use, require attribution, or restrict usage to non-commercial projects only.
Documentation & Onboarding
Free-tier providers should have clear documentation, MLB-specific code samples, and an easy sign-up process so developers can start building baseball apps quickly.
Rate Limits & Fair Use
We compare rate limits, per-minute caps, and fair use policies to help you understand what you can realistically build on a free MLB plan.
Learn more about our scoring methodology on our How We Score page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are free MLB APIs really free?
Most free MLB APIs operate on a freemium model. The free tier is genuinely free to use but comes with limitations such as daily request caps (typically 100 requests/day), restricted access to advanced stats like Statcast, and sometimes delays on live game data. Once you exceed the free limits or need premium features like play-by-play, advanced player metrics, or full historical seasons, you upgrade to a paid plan.
What is the best free MLB API for beginners?
API-Sports and MLB Stats API are our top picks for beginners. API-Sports offers a free tier with 100 requests per day covering MLB, minor leagues, and other baseball endpoints, with excellent documentation and SDKs in five languages. MLB Stats API taps directly into official MLB data with a generous free tier for common queries like team rosters, box scores, schedules, and standings.
Can I use a free MLB API for a commercial project?
It depends on the provider. Some free tiers explicitly allow commercial use (API-Sports, MLB Stats API for many endpoints), while others restrict it or require attribution. Always review the provider's terms of service before deploying a free MLB API in a commercial product. When in doubt, contact the provider directly.
How many requests can I make on a free MLB API?
Free tier request limits vary by provider. API-Sports and API-Football offer 100 requests per day, Baseball Reference allows reasonable unthrottled access for personal use, and some providers offer rate-limited access with lower per-minute caps. For production fantasy baseball apps, you will typically need to upgrade to a paid plan that offers higher volume and SLAs.
What MLB data is typically excluded from free API tiers?
Free tiers commonly exclude Statcast data (exit velocity, launch angle, sprint speed), advanced sabermetrics, betting odds, injury reports, and sometimes historical seasons before 2010. Live data may be delayed rather than real-time. Some providers also restrict access to minor league or international baseball data on free tiers.
Need More Than a Free MLB Tier?
Use our AI-powered finder to match providers to your budget and usage, or compare free and paid baseball plans side by side.