MetalpriceAPI vs Metals.dev
MetalpriceAPI and Metals.dev share more than a similar-sounding name. Both bundle gold, silver, and a wide currency list under one API key at a budget entry price. One of them, Metals.dev, is unusually specific about where its gold number actually comes from; the other stays quiet on that point. What follows compares each provider's own published pricing, coverage, and documentation.
| Feature | MetalpriceAPI | Metals.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Cheapest paid plan | $3.99/mo (Essential) | $1.79/mo (2,000 requests) |
| Production-tier plan | $55.99/mo (Business) | $39.99/mo (100,000 requests) |
| Free tier | 100 calls/month, daily update cadence | 100 requests/month, real-time, up to 60s delay |
| Overage policy | Not stated in their public docs | Plan-based quota |
| Coverage | ||
| Currencies supported | 150+ | 170+ |
| Named benchmark sources (LBMA, LME, MCX, IBJA) | Not stated in their public docs | Yes, named explicitly |
| Metals catalog breadth | Gold, silver, platinum (per their FAQ) | Gold, silver, platinum, palladium, aluminum, copper, nickel, lead, zinc |
| Historical daily depth | Not stated in their public docs | 5+ years, 30-day max per request |
| Developer experience | ||
| WebSocket streaming | No, stated explicitly | Not stated in their public docs |
| Update cadence | Daily (Free) to 15-second (Business) | Up to 60-second delay, no tiered cadence stated |
| Native MCP server | None (as of 2026-04-25) | None, stated explicitly |
Source: metalpriceapi.com/pricing + metalpriceapi.com/documentation and metals.dev/pricing + public docs, as captured on our /comparison/metalpriceapi and /comparison/metals-dev pages. Last verified 2026-04-25 (MetalpriceAPI) and 2026-06-29 (Metals.dev).
Pricing across the two ladders
Metals.dev is cheaper at both ends of the ladder in the figures each provider publishes: $1.79/mo to start against MetalpriceAPI's $3.99/mo, and $39.99/mo at 100,000 requests against $55.99/mo for MetalpriceAPI's Business tier. Both free tiers cap at 100 calls a month, but the data behind those calls differs: MetalpriceAPI refreshes once a day on Free, while Metals.dev serves real-time data on the same tier, delayed by up to 60 seconds.
Coverage: MetalpriceAPI narrower, Metals.dev broader
MetalpriceAPI's own FAQ stops at gold, silver, and platinum. Metals.dev's catalog reaches further, palladium, aluminum, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc all sit on the same key. Currency counts run close, 150+ against 170+, a smaller gap than the metals-catalog difference.
Where the numbers come from
Metals.dev names LBMA, LME, MCX, and IBJA as the benchmarks its blended figure draws from, though it doesn't disclose the blend weights or break out per-source attribution on a response. MetalpriceAPI's own page makes no equivalent naming claim, so on the specific question of stated provenance, Metals.dev is the more transparent of the two based on what's actually published.
What's confirmed and what's silent
MetalpriceAPI confirms it has no WebSocket streaming and publishes a specific update-cadence ladder, daily on Free up to 15-second refresh on Business. Metals.dev doesn't address streaming at all and states only a flat up-to-60-second delay rather than a tiered cadence. Historical depth runs the other way: Metals.dev states 5+ years capped at a 30-day request window; MetalpriceAPI's page doesn't publish an equivalent figure.
FAQ
- Which one names where its gold number actually comes from?
- Metals.dev does, stating its figures blend LBMA, LME, MCX, and IBJA rates into one number per metal, though it doesn't publish the blend weights. MetalpriceAPI's own page doesn't make an equivalent benchmark claim.
- How do the free tiers compare?
- MetalpriceAPI's Free tier runs 100 calls/month on a daily update cadence. Metals.dev's free tier is also 100 requests/month, but its data is real-time with up to a 60-second delay rather than a once-daily refresh, a meaningfully different freshness profile for the same call count.
- Is one broader in industrial metals?
- Metals.dev, clearly. Its catalog names platinum, palladium, aluminum, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc alongside gold and silver. MetalpriceAPI's own FAQ limits its stated coverage to gold, silver, and platinum.
- What about historical data depth?
- Only Metals.dev publishes a specific figure: 5+ years of daily history, capped at a 30-day window per single request. MetalpriceAPI's page doesn't state an equivalent depth or per-request limit.
- Does either support WebSocket streaming?
- MetalpriceAPI states outright that it doesn't. Metals.dev's page doesn't address streaming either way, which counts as an open question rather than a matching no.
- Which is cheaper to start?
- Metals.dev, at $1.79/mo for 2,000 requests against MetalpriceAPI's $3.99/mo Essential tier. MetalpriceAPI's production-level Business plan ($55.99/mo) also costs more than Metals.dev's equivalent ($39.99/mo for 100,000 requests).
We don't blend sources into one number and call it done.
Where a provider returns a single blended figure per metal, goldprice.dev returns each contributing source separately through a sources[] array (via ?include=sources), with its own license and timestamp attached, so a developer can decide for themselves which feed to trust rather than take one vendor's blend on faith. Gold starts at $10/mo, silver and copper join at $30/mo.