NewsData.io vs Mediastack: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
NewsData.io (4.6/5) edges ahead of Mediastack (3.8/5) overall. NewsData.io is the better choice for developers who want a working news call within minutes, free. Mediastack is the stronger option for low-traffic sites needing a cheap commercial headline feed. The right pick depends on your budget, how much history you need and whether you need full text.
NewsData.io vs Mediastack: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | NewsData.io | Mediastack |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2022 | 2015 |
| HQ | Noida, India | Vienna, Austria (apilayer); owned by Idera |
| Team size | Not publicly disclosed | Part of Idera |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 3.8 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | A free allowance that refills daily, with country and language filters on every plan | Commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month |
| Pricing model | Monthly credit plans; 20% off yearly | Monthly request plans |
| Entry price | $199.99/mo | $24.99/mo |
| Formats & SDKs | REST API, JSON, Python SDK | REST API, JSON |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Media monitoring, Marketing & PR, AI & LLM apps | News & content apps, Marketing & PR |
NewsData.io vs Mediastack: overview
NewsData.io
NewsData.io, operated from Noida, India, is the API on this list that most developers can get running in a lunch break. Signup gives a key immediately, the free plan refills 200 credits every day (each credit returns up to 10 articles), and the query parameters are plain enough that a first working request needs no SDK, although an official Python client exists. Coverage is claimed at 99,000+ sources in 206 countries and 89 languages (per company website; independently unverifiable). The free plan only looks back 48 hours and delays streamed data by 12 hours. Paid plans start at $199.99 a month for 20,000 credits and six months of history and go up to $1,299.99 for 1 million credits and 10 years. Public profiles disagree on the founding year: LinkedIn says 2022, some directories say 2019.
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.
Features: NewsData.io vs Mediastack
| Capability | NewsData.io | Mediastack |
|---|---|---|
| Full article text | ✓ | ✗ |
| Historical archive | ✓ | ✓ |
| NLP enrichment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Story/event clustering | ✗ | ✗ |
| Official SDK | ✓ | ✗ |
| Streaming or webhooks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Free access | ✓ | ✓ |
Formats and SDKs: NewsData.io vs Mediastack
| Format / SDK | NewsData.io | Mediastack |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Python SDK | ✓ | 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: NewsData.io vs Mediastack
| Criterion | NewsData.io | Mediastack |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $199.99/mo | $24.99/mo |
| Pricing model | Monthly credit plans; 20% off yearly | Monthly request plans |
| Access models | Free tier, Monthly plans | Free tier, Monthly plans |
| Price transparency | Public price | Public price |
| Price tier | Mid-market | Budget |
Who each API suits: NewsData.io vs Mediastack
| Dimension | NewsData.io | Mediastack |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer type | Individuals to enterprise | Individuals to enterprise |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Media monitoring, Marketing & PR | News & content apps, Marketing & PR |
| Example use cases | A hobby or portfolio app that needs live news every day without a bill. Country-filtered headlines for a regional product. | A category news feed on a small website. Classroom projects that need commercial terms. |
| How you get access | Free tier | Free tier |
NewsData.io vs Mediastack: pros and cons
| NewsData.io | |
|---|---|
| + | The free 200 credits reset every day, which suits ongoing side projects better than a one-off trial |
| + | Filters for 206 countries and 89 languages work the same on free and paid plans |
| + | Plain GET parameters, so curl is enough for a first test |
| + | History depth scales with the plan, reaching 10 years on Corporate |
| - | Nothing sits between the free tier and $199.99 a month |
| - | Free accounts see only the last 48 hours |
| - | Company background is thin and the founding date varies by source |
| 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 |
Who should choose NewsData.io?
A typical fit: a hobby or portfolio app that needs live news every day without a bill.
A free allowance that refills daily, with country and language filters on every plan. Paid access starts at $199.99/mo. Typical uses: News & content apps, Media monitoring, Marketing & PR, AI & LLM apps.
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.
Decision matrix: NewsData.io vs Mediastack
| 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 | NewsData.io |
| You need years of historical news | Both |
| You want an official SDK | NewsData.io |
| You are wiring news into an LLM agent | Both work through plain REST calls |
Use case fit: NewsData.io vs Mediastack
| Use case | NewsData.io fit | Mediastack fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| News & content apps | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Media monitoring | Strong | Limited | NewsData.io |
| Marketing & PR | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| AI & LLM apps | Strong | Limited | NewsData.io |
Verdict: NewsData.io vs Mediastack
NewsData.io (4.6/5) is the stronger overall choice as a news data source. A free allowance that refills daily, with country and language filters on every plan.
Mediastack (3.8/5) is worth a look if you need classroom projects that need commercial terms. If your situation matches that, Mediastack is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
NewsData.io vs Mediastack FAQ
Is NewsData.io better than Mediastack?
NewsData.io (4.6/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. NewsData.io's strongest advantage: the free 200 credits reset every day, which suits ongoing side projects better than a one-off trial. Mediastack's strongest advantage: among the lowest paid entry prices for general news.
How do NewsData.io and Mediastack differ in pricing?
NewsData.io: monthly credit plans; 20% off yearly, with paid access from $199.99/mo. Mediastack: monthly request plans, with paid access from $24.99/mo. Both offer some free access for testing.
Which is better for enterprise: NewsData.io or Mediastack?
Neither sells an enterprise contract. Neither carries licensed publisher content, so check copyright terms before republishing anything.
What are the main differences between NewsData.io and Mediastack?
What sets NewsData.io apart: a free allowance that refills daily, with country and language filters on every plan. What sets Mediastack apart: commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month. They also differ on entry price ($199.99/mo vs $24.99/mo) and typical uses (News & content apps, Media monitoring vs News & content apps, Marketing & PR).
Verify all details directly with each API before making a decision.