Alternatives to CollegeFootballData API
Checked on . Prices change; see each provider's page.
CollegeFootballData (CFBD) is a college football analytics platform with a REST and GraphQL API, a data exporter and official Python, TypeScript and C# libraries, used by 21,000+ people and funded by Patreon supporters. The same key now also works for its college basketball API. source
Below is a side-by-side with Realtime Sports API, built from CollegeFootballData's public pages and our own plan limits, followed by where each one is the better fit. We publish this page, so read it with that in mind.
CollegeFootballData vs Realtime Sports API
| CollegeFootballData | Realtime Sports API | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plans | Patreon tiers: $1 (5k calls/month), $5 (30k), $10 (75k), $15 (125k), $20 (200k), $30 (500k) per month. source | Starter $29, Growth $49, Pro $99, Scale $299 per month (10,000 / 25,000 / 50,000 / 500,000 calls/month); annual billing $290 / $490 / $990 / $2,990 per year |
| Free tier / trial | Free: 1,000 calls/month with historical data, team and player stats, recruiting, betting lines and advanced metrics. Academic: 3,000/month free with a .edu email. source | 1,000 calls in the first 30 days, then 125 calls/month at 1 request/s; WebSocket preview of 500 messages/month. No card required. |
| Sports and leagues | College football, plus a college basketball API on the same key. source | 29 leagues monitored live: NFL, college football, NBA, men's college basketball, MLB, NHL and 23 soccer competitions. |
| Push delivery (webhooks / WebSocket) | GraphQL with subscriptions from Tier 3 ($10/month). Webhooks are not listed. source | Webhooks and WebSocket on every paid plan, from Starter at $29/month. The free plan has a WebSocket preview but no webhooks. |
| Betting odds | Historical betting odds and spreads on every tier, including free. source | Current spread, moneyline and total (single source book). |
| AI assistant (MCP) support | Not listed on their public pages. source | Hosted MCP server at https://www.realtimesportsapi.com/api/mcp with 14 tools, for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients. |
CollegeFootballData details are from their public pages as of October 18, 2026 and may have changed. Realtime Sports API details are from our pricing page. Data is aggregated from public sources and is typically 20-30 seconds behind live play (about 1 second after our source). There is no SLA. Not suited to in-play betting that needs sub-second data. Odds come from a single source book.
Where CollegeFootballData is the better choice
- College football analytics is the goal: advanced metrics (EPA, PPA, win probability), opponent-adjusted metrics, recruiting data and weather are built in. source
- Price: $5/month adds live play-by-play with 30k calls, and the free tier already includes historical data and betting lines. source
- You work in notebooks or R/Python: official libraries, a CSV exporter and guided notebooks come with it. source
- You are a student: the academic tier is free with 3,000 calls/month. source
Where Realtime Sports API may fit better
- You need college football alongside the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and soccer under one key: 29 leagues monitored live: NFL, college football, NBA, men's college basketball, MLB, NHL and 23 soccer competitions.
- Webhooks and WebSocket are included on every paid plan, starting at $29/month. Webhooks deliver to your URL, so a serverless app needs no open connection.
- A hosted MCP server (14 tools) lets Claude, Cursor and other assistants query live games directly.
- Game data beyond odds in the same schema: live scores, play-by-play, box scores, schedules, rosters, injuries and news.
Other CollegeFootballData alternatives
- SportsDataIO: SportsDataIO sells sports, betting, fantasy and historical data to sportsbooks, media companies, fantasy operators and prediction markets, advertising 1,500+ competitions across 75+ sports in 125+ countries.
- MySportsFeeds: MySportsFeeds sells NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA data feeds for commercial and personal use, priced per league in Canadian dollars, with access levels from non-live to near-realtime.
- BALLDONTLIE: BALLDONTLIE sells a sports data API covering 20+ leagues (NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, college sports, MMA, PGA, major soccer leagues, tennis, Formula 1 and esports), with live odds and player props, webhooks and an MCP server.
See the full table of providers on our compare page.
FAQ
Is CollegeFootballData free?
Yes. The free tier has 1,000 calls/month (3,000 with a .edu email). Patreon tiers from $1 to $30/month raise the limit and add live data and GraphQL, as of October 18, 2026. source
Which CFBD tier has live play-by-play?
Their tiers page lists live play-by-play from Tier 2 ($5/month, 30,000 calls) and GraphQL with subscriptions from Tier 3 ($10/month). source
What is a good alternative to CollegeFootballData?
It depends on what you need. Realtime Sports API is one option, with 29 leagues monitored live: NFL, college football, NBA, men's college basketball, MLB, NHL and 23 soccer competitions. Webhooks and WebSocket on every paid plan, from Starter at $29/month. The free plan has a WebSocket preview but no webhooks. Other alternatives covered on our compare pages include SportsDataIO and MySportsFeeds and BALLDONTLIE.
How much does Realtime Sports API cost?
Starter $29, Growth $49, Pro $99, Scale $299 per month (10,000 / 25,000 / 50,000 / 500,000 calls/month); annual billing $290 / $490 / $990 / $2,990 per year. Free tier: 1,000 calls in the first 30 days, then 125 calls/month at 1 request/s; WebSocket preview of 500 messages/month. No card required.
How fresh is Realtime Sports API data?
Data is aggregated from public sources and is typically 20-30 seconds behind live play (about 1 second after our source). There is no SLA. Not suited to in-play betting that needs sub-second data. Odds come from a single source book.
Sources
Checked on . Prices change; see each provider's page. All trademarks belong to their owners. Spotted an error? Email austin@elcodev.com and we'll fix it.