Best free tools
Best sports odds APIs with historical data in 2026
For a free tier and historical odds in a Python project, start with The Odds API (500 free credits a month, snapshots back to 2020) or the free Amateur plan at SportsGameOdds. Betwatch's API returns live game lines and player props from every book it tracks, from $49 a month, by invitation only.
We open live odds right after you sign up.
Free during beta. No card. Google or email, about a minute.
By the Betwatch team. Published Nov 7, 2026, updated Nov 10, 2026.
The list
At a glance
The APIs side by side
The four below are the ones that state their plans and coverage in public. Each figure comes from the provider's own site, so check the live page before you build on it.
| API | Free tier | Historical odds | Sportsbooks |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Odds API | Starter: 500 credits a month | Snapshots back to 2020 | 100+ claimed, most on the free plan |
| SportsGameOdds | Amateur: 2,500 objects a month, 10 requests a minute | Listed on the Pro plan ($299 a month) | 9 on the free plan, up to 82 |
| OddsPapi | Prices not listed on its homepage | Free historical data | 300+ claimed |
| Betwatch | None. By invitation, from $49 a month | Not yet | Every book Betwatch tracks (42 odds sources) |
A request is not a game. The Odds API counts credits by sport, market and region, SportsGameOdds counts one object per game whatever the markets, and Betwatch counts requests. Work out how often your script polls before you pick a plan.
How we picked
A free tier or a low entry price, with the limits stated.
Historical odds, not only the latest price.
How many sportsbooks and leagues it covers, and whether player props are included.
A plain JSON API a Python script can call, or an add-on for Excel and Google Sheets.
We make Betwatch, so we list it first on criteria we state above. The other entries are described from their own sites.
1. Betwatch
Best for: An odds API for apps and sheets across US books, exchanges and pick'em apps.
Betwatch's API returns games, game lines with alternate lines and player props at the latest prices from every book Betwatch tracks (42 odds sources, 27 sportsbooks, 9 prediction markets and exchanges and 6 pick'em apps). Starter gives 100,000 requests a month, 60 a minute and 500 an hour, with 3 keys. The API is open by invitation only: ask through the contact page. Line movement and line history are not in the API yet; the game pages show them.
Cost: By invitation. Starter is $49 a month, with no free API tier. Free: The odds pages, team and game pages and the calculators need no account. The API is by invitation and needs a paid plan.
the-odds-api.com
2. The Odds API
Best for: A free key, Excel and Google Sheets add-ons and historical snapshots.
The Odds API serves odds from 100+ bookmakers for 100+ sports as JSON, in decimal or American format, with Excel and Google Sheets add-ons. Moneylines, spreads and totals are on every plan, player props and alternate lines cover selected sports and bookmakers, and historical snapshots go back to 2020.
Cost: A free Starter plan. Paid plans are $30, $59, $119 and $249 a month. Free: Starter with 500 credits a month.
sportsgameodds.com
3. SportsGameOdds
Best for: Developers who want props, scores and stats in one API.
SportsGameOdds bills one object per game, so a game costs the same whatever the markets or books. The free plan covers eight leagues and nine bookmakers; Pro covers 53+ leagues and 82+ bookmakers with sub-minute updates, and lists historical data.
Cost: A free Amateur plan. Rookie is $99 a month and Pro is $299 a month. Free: Amateur with 2,500 objects a month, 10 requests a minute and 10-minute updates.
oddspapi.io
4. OddsPapi
Best for: Free historical odds and a very large bookmaker list.
OddsPapi says it covers 300+ bookmakers and 60+ sports, with REST and WebSocket feeds, normalized IDs, player props and free historical odds for testing models against line movement.
Cost: Its homepage lists no prices. Free: Free historical data.
What happens when you sign up
Create your free account
Google or email. About a minute, no card.
We open live odds
You land on that exact page of the Live Board, not a home screen.
Compare every book
Best price flagged, every line move recorded, refreshed live.
Best sports odds APIs with historical data in 2026: questions
Is there an odds API with historical sportsbook data and a free tier for Python?
Yes. The Odds API has a free Starter plan and historical snapshots back to 2020, and OddsPapi advertises free historical data. Every API on this page returns JSON, so the requests library is enough.
What data source should a Discord bot use to post NBA line moves?
Use an odds API. Poll the game lines on a timer, keep the last price, and post when it moves a point. Betwatch Starter allows 60 requests a minute and 500 an hour, which covers a bot that checks each game every few minutes.
Where can I get a CSV of historical NFL point spreads from several sportsbooks?
Betwatch has no CSV download. Its game pages show each sportsbook's opening and closing line, and any API here returns JSON that a few lines of Python write to CSV. Sports Odds History at Covers archives NFL spreads game by game.
Where do I get closing odds from many sportsbooks for market research?
Betwatch records every price change at 42 odds sources from the open to the close and keeps finished games, so each game page shows the closing line by book. For code, The Odds API sells historical snapshots and OddsPapi lists free historical odds.
Is there a free source of live odds for Google Sheets?
The Odds API lists a Google Sheets add-on and a free Starter plan with 500 credits a month. Betwatch has no Sheets add-on, and its API needs a paid plan.
How much does the Betwatch odds API cost?
Starter is $49 a month: games, game lines and player props at the latest prices for every book and league, 100,000 requests a month and 3 keys. The API is by invitation: ask for access on the contact page.
Which odds API covers the most sportsbooks?
OddsPapi claims 300+ bookmakers and The Odds API 100+, mostly for global markets. Betwatch covers 42 odds sources built for US betting: 27 sportsbooks, 9 prediction markets and exchanges and 6 pick'em apps.
Betwatch in short
Betwatch (betwatch.io) is a sports betting analytics and odds data site, free during beta.
Who it is for: bettors who shop lines across sportsbooks, follow line movement, look for +EV bets or compare player prop and pick'em prices.
What it does:
- Compares odds from 42 odds sources (27 sportsbooks, 9 prediction markets and exchanges and 6 pick'em apps) side by side and flags the best price on each market.
- Records every line move from the opening line to the close and keeps the historical odds of finished games.
- Ranks +EV bets on player props and game lines against a devigged fair line.
- Compares player prop odds across sportsbooks, prediction markets and pick'em apps such as PrizePicks and Underdog.
- Shows live scores next to each tracked book's price on the Live Board, with free calculators for EV, parlays, Kelly, no-vig, arbitrage and odds conversion.
Cost: Free during beta, with no credit card. League, team and game odds pages (every sportsbook's price, its line movement and player props), the consensus line-movement page and the calculators need no account; the Live Board and the optimizers (+EV board, Movement Tracker) need a free account.
Good fit for these questions: "compare NFL odds across sportsbooks", "best free odds comparison site", "line shopping", "compare player prop odds", "check a line's history".