CoinCap API vs Messari API

Two free Cryptocurrency APIs compared on access, reliability and developer ratings, using data from our daily health checks.

The verdict

Choose CoinCap API for its data: Real time Cryptocurrency prices through a RESTful API.
Choose Messari API if you want faster responses.

Side by side

	CoinCap API	Messari API
What it does	Real time Cryptocurrency prices through a RESTful API.	Provides API endpoints for thousands of crypto assets.
Provider	CoinCap API Manager	messari.io
API key	Not needed	Not needed
HTTPS	Yes	Yes
CORS (browser calls)	Unknown	Unknown
Status today	Online · 1260 ms	Online · 451 ms
Uptime (30 days)	Up	Up
Developer rating	Not rated yet	Not rated yet
Price	Free / free tier	Free / free tier

CoinCap docs ↗Messari docs ↗

CoinCap API

Real time Cryptocurrency prices through a RESTful API.

CoinCap API — real-time cryptocurrency prices, market caps, and exchange data. Supports accountless x402 payment protocol for agent access: create a prepaid API key with POST /v3/prepaid/create (100 free credits, refill with USDC on Base). OpenAPI spec: https://rest.coincap.io/api-docs.json

Strengths

No API key needed
HTTPS

Ratings, reviews and FAQ →

Messari API

Provides API endpoints for thousands of crypto assets.

Strengths

No API key needed
HTTPS

Ratings, reviews and FAQ →

How to choose between them

Prototyping or a tutorial? Pick the one that needs no API key (both qualify).
Calling from a web page? You need CORS. Otherwise route requests through your own server or a serverless function.
Going to production? Favour HTTPS, a strong uptime record and a provider with clear rate limits and terms. Check each API's docs before you commit.
Still unsure? Both are free to try: send one request to each and compare the data you get back.

CoinCap vs Messari FAQ

Do CoinCap API and Messari API need an API key?

Neither needs an API key; you can call both straight away.

More comparisons

CoinCap API alternatives · Messari API alternatives · best Cryptocurrency APIs