Mediastack vs Currents API: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
Mediastack (3.8/5) edges ahead of Currents API (3.3/5) overall. Mediastack is the better choice for low-traffic sites needing a cheap commercial headline feed. Currents API is the stronger option for coursework and hackathons needing a free feed. The right pick depends on your budget, how much history you need and whether you need full text.
Mediastack vs Currents API: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | Mediastack | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 | 2018 |
| HQ | Vienna, Austria (apilayer); owned by Idera | Not publicly disclosed |
| Team size | Part of Idera | Not publicly disclosed |
| Rating | 3.8 / 5 | 3.3 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month | A free tier that tutorials and roundups often recommend |
| Pricing model | Monthly request plans | Free tier; monthly plans |
| Entry price | $24.99/mo | $69/mo (third-party listing) |
| Formats & SDKs | REST API, JSON | REST API, JSON |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Marketing & PR | News & content apps, Research & academia |
Mediastack vs Currents API: overview
Mediastack
Mediastack belongs to apilayer, the Vienna company behind ipstack and weatherstack, which Julian and Paul Zehetmayr founded in 2015 and the US software group Idera bought in January 2021. If you already use another apilayer API, the key format, parameters and error codes will look familiar. It covers live and historical news from 7,500+ sources in 13 languages, with filters for country, category, language and keyword. The free plan gives 100 requests a month, which a day of testing can use up, and paid plans run from $24.99 for 10,000 requests to $249.99 for 250,000. Responses carry descriptions and metadata, without full text or enrichment.
Currents API
Currents API has run since about 2018 with latest-news and search endpoints filtered by language, region and category. Developer roundups often point beginners to its free tier, but they quote the limit as 600 requests a day, 600 a month or 250 a day depending on the article, and the free plan returns latest news only, with no historical search or commercial use. One report lists paid plans from $69 a month for 75,000 requests (independently unverifiable). The operator, location and team are not published.
Features: Mediastack vs Currents API
| Capability | Mediastack | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Full article text | ✗ | ✗ |
| Historical archive | ✓ | ✗ |
| NLP enrichment | ✗ | ✗ |
| Story/event clustering | ✗ | ✗ |
| Official SDK | ✗ | ✗ |
| Streaming or webhooks | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free access | ✓ | ✓ |
Formats and SDKs: Mediastack vs Currents API
| Format / SDK | Mediastack | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Python SDK | N/A | N/A |
| Node.js SDK | N/A | N/A |
| Webhooks | N/A | N/A |
| WebSocket | N/A | N/A |
| MCP server | N/A | N/A |
| S3/bulk delivery | N/A | N/A |
| BigQuery | N/A | N/A |
Pricing comparison: Mediastack vs Currents API
| Criterion | Mediastack | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $24.99/mo | $69/mo (third-party listing) |
| Pricing model | Monthly request plans | Free tier; monthly plans |
| Access models | Free tier, Monthly plans | Free tier, Monthly plans |
| Price transparency | Public price | Public price |
| Price tier | Budget | Budget |
Who each API suits: Mediastack vs Currents API
| Dimension | Mediastack | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer type | Individuals to enterprise | Individuals to enterprise |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Marketing & PR | News & content apps, Research & academia |
| Example use cases | A category news feed on a small website. Classroom projects that need commercial terms. | Class assignments. Hackathon news features. |
| How you get access | Free tier | Free tier |
Mediastack vs Currents API: pros and cons
| Mediastack | |
|---|---|
| + | Among the lowest paid entry prices for general news |
| + | Shares conventions with the other apilayer APIs |
| + | History included on paid plans |
| + | Short docs with copy-paste code |
| - | 100 free requests a month barely covers testing |
| - | Only 7,500 sources in 13 languages |
| - | No full text, entities or sentiment |
| Currents API | |
|---|---|
| + | Free key is quick to obtain |
| + | Two simple endpoints |
| + | Several languages and regions |
| - | Quoted free limits disagree |
| - | Free plan has no history and bars commercial use |
| - | No identifiable operator or support terms |
Who should choose Mediastack?
A typical fit: a category news feed on a small website.
Commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month. Paid access starts at $24.99/mo. Typical uses: News & content apps, Marketing & PR.
Who should choose Currents API?
A typical fit: class assignments.
A free tier that tutorials and roundups often recommend. Paid access starts at $69/mo (third-party listing). Typical uses: News & content apps, Research & academia.
Decision matrix: Mediastack vs Currents API
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You want to start free before paying | Both |
| Your budget is at the lower end | Mediastack |
| You need full article text in the response | Neither returns full text |
| You need years of historical news | Mediastack |
| You want an official SDK | Neither; both are plain REST |
| You are wiring news into an LLM agent | Both work through plain REST calls |
Use case fit: Mediastack vs Currents API
| Use case | Mediastack fit | Currents API fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| News & content apps | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Marketing & PR | Strong | Limited | Mediastack |
| Research & academia | Limited | Strong | Currents API |
Verdict: Mediastack vs Currents API
Mediastack (3.8/5) is the stronger overall choice as a news data source. Commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month.
Currents API (3.3/5) is worth a look if you need hackathon news features. If your situation matches that, Currents API is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
Mediastack vs Currents API FAQ
Is Mediastack better than Currents API?
Mediastack (3.8/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Mediastack's strongest advantage: among the lowest paid entry prices for general news. Currents API's strongest advantage: free key is quick to obtain.
How do Mediastack and Currents API differ in pricing?
Mediastack: monthly request plans, with paid access from $24.99/mo. Currents API: free tier; monthly plans, with paid access from $69/mo (third-party listing). Both offer some free access for testing.
Which is better for enterprise: Mediastack or Currents API?
Neither sells an enterprise contract. Neither carries licensed publisher content, so check copyright terms before republishing anything.
What are the main differences between Mediastack and Currents API?
What sets Mediastack apart: commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month. What sets Currents API apart: a free tier that tutorials and roundups often recommend. They also differ on entry price ($24.99/mo vs $69/mo (third-party listing)) and typical uses (News & content apps, Marketing & PR vs News & content apps, Research & academia).
Verify all details directly with each API before making a decision.