Mediastack vs APITube: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
Mediastack (3.8/5) edges ahead of APITube (3.5/5) overall. Mediastack is the better choice for hobby projects and low-volume apps on a tight budget. APITube is the stronger option for developers willing to trial a newer, feature-rich API. The right pick depends on your budget, how much history you need and whether you need full text.
Mediastack vs APITube: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | Mediastack | APITube |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 | Not disclosed |
| HQ | Vienna, Austria (apilayer); owned by Idera | Not publicly disclosed (developer profile lists Texas, USA) |
| Team size | Part of Idera | Not publicly disclosed |
| Rating | 3.8 / 5 | 3.5 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Paid plans from $24.99 with commercial use and historical data | Entity and sentiment filters offered on lower tiers |
| Pricing model | Monthly request plans | Monthly plans; free tier |
| Entry price | $24.99/mo | See pricing page |
| Formats & SDKs | REST API, JSON | REST API, JSON |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Marketing & PR | News & content apps, AI & LLM apps, Media monitoring |
Mediastack vs APITube: overview
Mediastack
Mediastack is one of the apilayer products, alongside ipstack and weatherstack. apilayer was founded in Vienna in 2015 by Julian and Paul Zehetmayr and acquired by the US software group Idera in January 2021. The API aggregates live and historical news from 7,500+ sources in 13 languages, filtered by country, category, language and keyword. The free plan allows 100 requests a month, and paid plans run from $24.99 for 10,000 requests to $249.99 for 250,000. Its source list is far smaller than the big crawlers here, and it adds no enrichment beyond basic metadata.
APITube
APITube markets a news API with filters for language, country, category, sentiment and entities, and aggregator listings put its coverage at 300,000 to 500,000 sources in about 60 languages (per company materials; independently unverifiable). Public profiles do not name the company behind it beyond a developer account located in Texas, and no founding date is published. Paid plans appear on its site, but third-party listings disagree on the figures. With no independent coverage audit and so little company information, run a careful trial before any commercial commitment.
Features: Mediastack vs APITube
| Capability | Mediastack | APITube |
|---|---|---|
| Full article text | ✗ | ✓ |
| Historical archive | ✓ | ✓ |
| NLP enrichment | ✗ | ✓ |
| Story/event clustering | ✗ | ✗ |
| Licensed publisher content | ✗ | ✗ |
| Streaming or webhooks | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free access | ✓ | ✓ |
Formats and SDKs: Mediastack vs APITube
| Format / SDK | Mediastack | APITube |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Python SDK | N/A | 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: Mediastack vs APITube
| Criterion | Mediastack | APITube |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $24.99/mo | See pricing page |
| Pricing model | Monthly request plans | Monthly plans; free tier |
| Access models | Free tier, Monthly plans | Free tier, Monthly plans |
| Price transparency | Public price | Quote only |
| Price tier | Budget | Enterprise / quote |
Who each API suits: Mediastack vs APITube
| Dimension | Mediastack | APITube |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer type | Individuals to enterprise | Individuals to enterprise |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Marketing & PR | News & content apps, AI & LLM apps, Media monitoring |
| Example use cases | A news ticker or category feed for a small website. A learning project that needs commercial rights cheaply. | Testing alternative coverage against an existing provider. Small apps that need sentiment filters. |
| How you get access | Free tier | Free tier |
Mediastack vs APITube: pros and cons
| Mediastack | |
|---|---|
| + | One of the cheapest paid entries among general news APIs, at $24.99 a month |
| + | Same conventions as other apilayer APIs, which helps if you already use one |
| + | Historical news included on paid plans |
| + | Short docs with copy-paste examples |
| - | Only 7,500 sources and 13 languages |
| - | The free plan is 100 requests a month, which runs out in a day of testing |
| - | Descriptions only, with no full text, sentiment or entities |
| APITube | |
|---|---|
| + | A wide set of filters, sentiment and entity fields among them |
| + | A free tier for testing |
| + | Regular developer posts on Medium and DEV |
| - | Coverage claims vary by source and lack independent checks |
| - | Company identity and size are unclear |
| - | Third-party price listings conflict |
Who should choose Mediastack?
A typical fit: a news ticker or category feed for a small website.
Paid plans from $24.99 with commercial use and historical data. Paid access starts at $24.99/mo. Typical uses: News & content apps, Marketing & PR.
Who should choose APITube?
A typical fit: testing alternative coverage against an existing provider.
Entity and sentiment filters offered on lower tiers. Paid access is quote-based. Typical uses: News & content apps, AI & LLM apps, Media monitoring.
Decision matrix: Mediastack vs APITube
| 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 | APITube |
| You need years of historical news | Both |
| You need licensed premium or wire content | Neither; look at Factiva, AP or LexisNexis |
| You are wiring news into an LLM agent | Both work through plain REST calls |
Use case fit: Mediastack vs APITube
| Use case | Mediastack fit | APITube fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| News & content apps | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Marketing & PR | Strong | Limited | Mediastack |
| AI & LLM apps | Limited | Strong | APITube |
| Media monitoring | Limited | Strong | APITube |
Verdict: Mediastack vs APITube
Mediastack (3.8/5) is the stronger overall choice as a news data source. Paid plans from $24.99 with commercial use and historical data.
APITube (3.5/5) is worth a look if you need small apps that need sentiment filters. If your situation matches that, APITube is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
Mediastack vs APITube FAQ
Is Mediastack better than APITube?
Mediastack (3.8/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Mediastack's strongest advantage: one of the cheapest paid entries among general news APIs, at $24.99 a month. APITube's strongest advantage: a wide set of filters, sentiment and entity fields among them.
How do Mediastack and APITube differ in pricing?
Mediastack: monthly request plans, with paid access from $24.99/mo. APITube: monthly plans; free tier, priced by quote. Both offer some free access for testing.
Which is better for enterprise: Mediastack or APITube?
Neither sells an enterprise contract. Neither carries licensed publisher content, so check copyright terms before republishing anything.
What are the main differences between Mediastack and APITube?
What sets Mediastack apart: paid plans from $24.99 with commercial use and historical data. What sets APITube apart: entity and sentiment filters offered on lower tiers. They also differ on entry price ($24.99/mo vs See pricing page) and typical uses (News & content apps, Marketing & PR vs News & content apps, AI & LLM apps).
Verify all details directly with each API before making a decision.