Alpha Vantage vs Polygon.io (Massive.com)
Between Alpha Vantage and Polygon.io (now Massive.com since its 2025-10-30 rebrand), the wider platform rivalry spans equities, options, and crypto. This page narrows to what each offers for gold and precious-metals data specifically, without touching that broader comparison. The two split sharply here: Alpha Vantage offers a free tier and rate-limit pricing; Massive.com skips a free tier entirely in favor of one flat unlimited plan.
| Feature | Alpha Vantage | Polygon.io (Massive.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier | 25 requests/day hard cap (~750/month) | None, no free calls |
| Entry paid price | $49.99/mo, 75 req/min | $49/mo, unlimited streaming and requests |
| Top paid price | $249.99/mo, 1,200 req/min | Not stated in their public docs (single tier) |
| Quota model | Rate-limit only, no monthly cap | Flat, unlimited |
| Gold and precious-metals coverage | ||
| Gold, silver futures settlement (GC/SI) | Not documented; confirm with support | Yes, confirmed on futures plan |
| Copper (HG) | Listed on the commodities endpoint | Yes, confirmed on futures plan |
| LBMA AM/PM fix | Not addressed in their public docs | Not shipped (shown as no on their own page) |
| Developer experience | ||
| WebSocket streaming | Not offered | Yes, unlimited, included |
| Asset breadth beyond gold/silver | Equities, forex, crypto, economic indicators (CPI, Treasury yields, GDP), 12 commodities | Stocks, options, forex, crypto, indices, futures |
| MCP (Model Context Protocol) | None, as of 2026-04-25 | None |
| Brand history | Not applicable | Rebranded from Polygon.io on 2025-10-30; both domains resolve to the same API |
Source: alphavantage.co/premium + alphavantage.co/documentation (captured 2026-04-25) and massive.com public pricing (current as of 2026-04-24), as cited on goldprice.dev's own comparison pages for each.
A wider rivalry, narrowed to gold
Alpha Vantage and Massive.com (formerly Polygon.io) compete broadly across equities, options, and forex. This page ignores that fight and stays inside gold, silver, and copper coverage, where the two look quite different: one runs a free tier with rate-limit pricing, the other skips free entirely for one flat unlimited plan.
Pricing model
Alpha Vantage's paid tiers meter by rate limit with no monthly cap, $49.99/mo at 75 requests/min scaling to $249.99/mo at 1,200 requests/min. Massive.com charges one flat $49/mo for unlimited streaming and API requests across its whole catalog, gold included. A developer who wants a single, predictable line item leans toward Massive.com; one who wants a free tier to prototype against leans toward Alpha Vantage.
Futures settlement is the clearest gap
Massive.com's documentation confirms gold, silver, and copper futures (GC, SI, HG) on its futures plan. Alpha Vantage's public documentation doesn't call out a futures settlement symbol distinct from spot for gold. If your product needs to resolve against a settlement price specifically, that single fact likely settles the comparison on its own.
Streaming and free access
Alpha Vantage's 25 requests/day free tier gives a working path to prototype without a card. Massive.com has no free tier but bundles unlimited WebSocket streaming into its single $49/mo plan, no separate credits to track. Which one wins depends on whether you value a free on-ramp or a flat, metering-free paid tier more.
FAQ
- Is Polygon.io still the right name to search for?
- Functionally yes, the underlying product has moved. Polygon.io rebranded to Massive.com on 2025-10-30, and both domains resolve to the same API, SDKs, and API keys. This page keeps the polygon-io slug for search purposes but every fact reflects the current Massive.com product.
- Which one has a free tier for gold price data?
- Alpha Vantage does, capped at 25 requests/day (roughly 750/month at continuous use). Massive.com (Polygon.io) has no free tier at all; its entry point is a single $49/mo plan covering unlimited streaming and API requests.
- Does either confirm gold futures settlement rather than just spot?
- Massive.com does, explicitly: gold, silver, and copper futures (GC, SI, HG) are confirmed on its futures plan. Alpha Vantage's public documentation doesn't call out a futures settlement symbol distinct from spot for gold; confirm directly with their support if settlement pricing is a requirement.
- How do the two pricing models differ?
- Alpha Vantage tiers by rate limit with no monthly cap, from $49.99/mo at 75 requests/min to $249.99/mo at 1,200 requests/min. Massive.com has one flat plan, $49/mo for unlimited streaming and requests across its whole catalog. If your usage is spiky or unpredictable, a flat unlimited plan removes the need to forecast a rate tier.
- Which one offers WebSocket streaming?
- Massive.com does, included in its $49/mo plan with no separate metering. Alpha Vantage's documentation shows no WebSocket streaming offering.
- When should I look at goldprice.dev instead of either of these?
- If your product needs equities, options, or broad forex coverage alongside a gold price, neither goldprice.dev nor this page is the right starting point, that's territory both platforms cover and goldprice.dev deliberately leaves to them. What goldprice.dev does instead is go deeper on the three metals it supports, including per-country physical dealer prices on Physical ($10/mo) that neither platform ships at any tier.
Where goldprice.dev doesn't fit
If your product needs equities, options, or broad forex coverage alongside a gold price, neither goldprice.dev nor this page is the right starting point: both platforms cover it; goldprice.dev stays out of that market. What goldprice.dev does instead is go deeper on the three metals it supports: live oracle spot, futures settlement, a forward view, and per-country physical dealer prices on Physical ($10/mo) that neither platform ships at any tier.