Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment (3.8/5) edges ahead of Finnhub (3.7/5) overall. Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment is the better choice for hobby quants wanting news sentiment beside price data. Finnhub is the stronger option for personal fintech projects needing news and prices from one key. The right pick depends on your budget, how much history you need and whether you need full text.
Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 | 2018 |
| HQ | Boston, Massachusetts, USA | New York, USA |
| Team size | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Rating | 3.8 / 5 | 3.7 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Ticker and topic sentiment scores from the same key as market data | A 60-calls-a-minute free key covering company news and market data |
| Pricing model | Free key; premium plans by rate limit | Free key; paid market-data bundles |
| Entry price | $49.99/mo | Varies by data bundle |
| Formats & SDKs | REST API, JSON, CSV | REST API, JSON, WebSocket |
| Typical uses | Financial services, Research & academia | Financial services, Research & academia |
Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub: overview
Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment
Alpha Vantage was founded in Boston in 2017 by Olivier Porte and Steve Zheng and went through Y Combinator's Summer 2018 batch. Its NEWS_SENTIMENT function returns market news with an overall sentiment score plus per-ticker and per-topic scores, from the same key that serves prices, fundamentals and technical indicators. Many hobby trading projects start here because the free key arrives instantly. Third-party guides describe the free allowance as 25 requests a day at five a minute, and premium plans as starting at $49.99 a month for 75 requests a minute with no daily cap. Commercial use is a separate question, and one source reports commercial licences in the $499 to $2,499 a month range. Responses carry summaries and links; full articles live on the publishers' sites.
Finnhub
Finnhub is a New York fintech founded in 2018, according to CB Insights, with staff reported in New York, Mumbai, Sydney and Ho Chi Minh City. It sells stock, forex and crypto data over REST and WebSocket, and news is one endpoint among many. The free key is generous on rate (60 calls a minute) and returns a year of North American company news plus general market headlines, but it is for personal, non-commercial use, and low-latency news streaming is a premium feature. Official SDKs cover Python, Go, JavaScript and more. Commercial bundles are priced on the site, with All-in-One listed at $1,000 a month.
Features: Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub
| Capability | Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Full article text | ✗ | ✗ |
| Historical archive | ✗ | ✗ |
| NLP enrichment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Story/event clustering | ✗ | ✗ |
| Official SDK | ✗ | ✓ |
| Streaming or webhooks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Free access | ✓ | ✓ |
Formats and SDKs: Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub
| Format / SDK | Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Python SDK | N/A | ✓ |
| Node.js SDK | N/A | ✓ |
| Webhooks | N/A | N/A |
| WebSocket | N/A | ✓ |
| MCP server | ✓ | N/A |
| S3/bulk delivery | N/A | N/A |
| BigQuery | N/A | N/A |
Pricing comparison: Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub
| Criterion | Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $49.99/mo | Varies by data bundle |
| Pricing model | Free key; premium plans by rate limit | Free key; paid market-data bundles |
| Access models | Free tier, Monthly plans, Enterprise contract | Free tier, Monthly plans |
| Price transparency | Public price | Quote only |
| Price tier | Budget | Enterprise / quote |
Who each API suits: Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub
| Dimension | Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer type | Individuals to enterprise | Individuals to enterprise |
| Typical uses | Financial services, Research & academia | Financial services, Research & academia |
| Example use cases | Adding a sentiment column to a backtest. Student finance projects. | Company news in a personal stock screener. University fintech assignments. |
| How you get access | Free tier | Free tier |
Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub: pros and cons
| Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment | |
|---|---|
| + | Free key with no approval wait |
| + | Sentiment per ticker and per topic in each response |
| + | Prices and fundamentals on the same account |
| + | Premium tiers are sold by rate limit, which makes scaling simple to price |
| - | 25 free requests a day runs out quickly |
| - | Commercial use may need a separate, much pricier licence |
| - | Summaries and links only, no article text |
| Finnhub | |
|---|---|
| + | The free rate limit is high for a no-cost key |
| + | News, quotes and fundamentals share one key |
| + | Official SDKs in many languages |
| + | WebSocket for streaming quotes |
| - | Headlines and summaries only |
| - | Free key is non-commercial |
| - | Low-latency news costs extra |
Who should choose Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment?
A typical fit: adding a sentiment column to a backtest.
Ticker and topic sentiment scores from the same key as market data. Paid access starts at $49.99/mo. Typical uses: Financial services, Research & academia.
Who should choose Finnhub?
A typical fit: company news in a personal stock screener.
A 60-calls-a-minute free key covering company news and market data. Paid access is quote-based. Typical uses: Financial services, Research & academia.
Decision matrix: Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You want to start free before paying | Both |
| Your budget is at the lower end | Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment |
| You need full article text in the response | Neither returns full text |
| You need years of historical news | Neither offers a deep archive |
| You want an official SDK | Finnhub |
| You are wiring news into an LLM agent | Both work through plain REST calls |
Use case fit: Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub
| Use case | Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment fit | Finnhub fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial services | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Research & academia | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
Verdict: Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub
Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment (3.8/5) is the stronger overall choice as a news data source. Ticker and topic sentiment scores from the same key as market data.
Finnhub (3.7/5) is worth a look if you need university fintech assignments. If your situation matches that, Finnhub is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment vs Finnhub FAQ
Is Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment better than Finnhub?
Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment (3.8/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment's strongest advantage: free key with no approval wait. Finnhub's strongest advantage: the free rate limit is high for a no-cost key.
How do Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment and Finnhub differ in pricing?
Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment: free key; premium plans by rate limit, with paid access from $49.99/mo. Finnhub: free key; paid market-data bundles, priced by quote. Both offer some free access for testing.
Which is better for enterprise: Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment or Finnhub?
Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment sells enterprise contracts with negotiated volume and SLA terms. Neither carries licensed publisher content, so check copyright terms before republishing anything.
What are the main differences between Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment and Finnhub?
What sets Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment apart: ticker and topic sentiment scores from the same key as market data. What sets Finnhub apart: a 60-calls-a-minute free key covering company news and market data. They also differ on entry price ($49.99/mo vs Varies by data bundle) and typical uses (Financial services, Research & academia vs Financial services, Research & academia).
Verify all details directly with each API before making a decision.