ComparisonsRanking

Metals-API alternatives (2026)

Compare alternatives for gold and broader metals data, with attention to request allowances, refresh intervals and what happens after the quota.

17 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

These Metals-API alternatives serve developers comparing metal feeds by coverage, request volume and billing. Metals-API's entry plan costs $19.99/month for 2,500 requests with 10-minute updates. Every plan charges $0.032435 per extra call, and its pricing page describes no free plan. Those terms are reasons to compare other allowances, refresh intervals and quota policies.

The list is ranked by fit as a metals feed replacement, weighing coverage, access, history and billing. goldprice.dev publishes this page and is listed first. Narwhal API is the sibling broader data API for commodities, FX, economics and calendars. Match your existing symbols, price series and endpoints before switching.

At a glance

APIFree tierPaid fromMetalsHistoryMCP
goldprice.dev5,000 requests/month, 15 minutes late$19/month Basic, 100,000 requests, liveGold, silver, copper; gold in 31 currenciesFree 30 days, Basic 1 year, Plus and Pro full (gold from 1996)Yes, 9 tools, every plan including Free
Narwhal API5,000 requests/month, previous day close$59/month Basic, 100,000 requests, real timeGold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, plus oil and palm oilFree 12 months, Basic 5 years, Pro fullYes, every plan, same key as REST
MetalpriceAPI100 requests/month, daily updates$5/month Essential (billed yearly), 1,000 requests, 30-minute updates28 metal symbols, including gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copperStart date not stated; up to 365 days per requestNo MCP server found on its site
metals.dev100 requests/month, up to 60 seconds delay$1.79/month Copper, 2,000 requestsGold, silver, platinum, palladium, plus industrial metals5+ years advertised; 30 days per time-series requestNone found
Commodities-API7-day trial, up to 50 requests$49.99/month Pro, 1,000 requests, 10-minute updates800+ commodities advertised; metals list not itemisedDepth not statedYes, every plan
goldapi.io100 requests/month (Sandbox)$99/month Unlimited, unlimited requests, real timeGold, silver, platinum, palladium; 72 currency codesLBMA AM fix since 1968; up to 90 days per requestLists an MCP page
gold-api.comUnlimited real-time requests; history and OHLC 10 requests/hour$10/month Premium, unlimited requests and historyGold, silver, other metals and cryptoArchive depth not publishedNone found
API Ninjas3,000 requests/month; daily futures settlement; no commercial use$59/month Developer ($39/month billed yearly), 100,000 requests30 commodities, including gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copperPremium only, OHLCV from 1 minute to 1 dayYes, every plan including Free

The ranking

1. goldprice.dev

Fits a switch focused on gold, silver and copper, with source detail and no overage billing. Basic at $19/month adds live prices and dealer prices; Free includes commercial use and MCP. Monthly caps pause the key rather than adding charges. The trade-off is catalog breadth: platinum, palladium and the wider industrial metals covered by Metals-API are not available here.

Sources: Plans and limits, Dealer prices, MCP setup, checked 17 Oct 2026.

2. Narwhal API

Fits a replacement that also needs FX, economics, calendars and other commodities. Narwhal API covers platinum and palladium alongside gold, silver and copper, with REST and MCP sharing one key. Paid plans include real-time prices and streaming without overage charges. Free prices use the previous day's close. Copper is a futures-derived reference, and there are no dealer prices by country.

Sources: Commodities API, Pricing, MCP, checked 17 Oct 2026.

3. MetalpriceAPI

Fits a comparison centred on precious and industrial metal coverage with currency rates. MetalpriceAPI documents latest, historical, timeframe, hourly and OHLC endpoints. Its entry Essential rate is $5/month billed yearly, with 1,000 requests and 30-minute updates. That refresh is slower than Metals-API's entry plan. The archive start date is not stated, and no MCP server was found on its site.

Sources: Pricing, Currencies and symbols, Documentation, checked 17 Oct 2026. goldprice.dev vs MetalpriceAPI

4. metals.dev

Fits projects seeking named authority endpoints and a different quota policy. metals.dev includes LBMA and LME endpoints, with 60-second spot updates and a $1.79/month entry plan for 2,000 requests. Paid access stops after a 10% quota grace allowance rather than billing extra calls. Time-series requests cover at most 30 days, and OHLC is not documented. No MCP support was found.

Sources: Pricing, Documentation, checked 17 Oct 2026. goldprice.dev vs metals.dev

5. Commodities-API

Fits buyers who need a broader commodities catalog alongside conversion and historical endpoints. Commodities-API is from the same company family as Metals-API and advertises more than 800 commodities. MCP is included on every plan. Its Pro plan has 10-minute updates and charges $0.064987 per extra call after 1,000 requests. The homepage does not itemise its metals, so confirm the symbols needed.

Sources: Homepage and pricing, checked 17 Oct 2026. goldprice.dev vs Commodities-API

6. goldapi.io

Fits gold and silver benchmark history or spot pricing that also includes platinum and palladium. goldapi.io advertises LBMA AM fix history since 1968 and returns up to 90 days per historical request. It lists an MCP page, and currency availability varies by metal pair. The pricing choice is a 100-request Sandbox or $99/month Unlimited, with no intermediate paid tier.

Sources: Plans, llms.txt, checked 17 Oct 2026. goldprice.dev vs goldapi.io

7. gold-api.com

Fits frequent spot requests when replacing a metered feed with a free allowance. gold-api.com publishes unlimited free real-time asset-price requests, including gold and silver. History and OHLC are separately restricted to 10 free requests per hour, with a $10/month Premium option. Its providers are unnamed and an exact refresh interval is not published. No MCP support was found.

Sources: Homepage, Pricing, checked 17 Oct 2026. goldprice.dev vs gold-api.com

8. API Ninjas

Fits developers who want commodity prices and MCP within a wider collection of APIs. API Ninjas includes 30 commodities, while premium gold access separates spot prices from the futures price endpoint. Free provides daily futures settlement and bars commercial use. Historical OHLCV also requires premium access. The Developer plan prohibits data caching, so check that restriction before replacing a stored-price workflow.

Sources: Gold price API, Commodity price API, Pricing, MCP, checked 17 Oct 2026. goldprice.dev vs API Ninjas

Map the symbols and endpoints you use before comparing plans. A switch may change the metal catalog, benchmark, refresh interval or quota policy. Commodities-API shares a company family with Metals-API, so compare its terms separately rather than assuming a different billing model. goldprice.dev and Narwhal API are owned and operated by Nusantara Ventures, LLC.

Questions

Does Metals-API offer a free plan?

Its pricing page describes no free plan, although it includes a sign-up-for-free link. Free limits are not published there. The Copper plan costs $19.99/month for 2,500 requests and 10-minute updates.

Which Metals-API alternatives avoid overage charges?

goldprice.dev pauses the key at its monthly cap and does not bill overage. Narwhal API states there are no overage charges. metals.dev disables access after quota, with a 10% grace allowance on paid plans.

Is Commodities-API related to Metals-API?

Yes. They belong to the same company family. Commodities-API advertises a broader commodity catalog, but its entry plan also bills per-call overage: $0.064987 after the included 1,000 requests.

Which Metals-API alternatives support MCP?

goldprice.dev, Narwhal API, Commodities-API and API Ninjas publish MCP support. goldapi.io lists an MCP page. No MCP server was found on MetalpriceAPI's site or for metals.dev and gold-api.com.

Can goldprice.dev replace every Metals-API metal?

No. goldprice.dev covers gold, silver and copper only. Metals-API also covers platinum, palladium and LME industrial metals. Compare the specific symbols and series your application uses before switching.

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