Mediastack vs Currents API: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
Mediastack (3.8/5) edges ahead of Currents API (3.4/5) overall. Mediastack is the better choice for hobby projects and low-volume apps on a tight budget. Currents API is the stronger option for students and hobbyists testing news features for free. The right pick depends on your budget, how much history you need and whether you need full text.
Mediastack vs Currents API: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | Mediastack | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 | 2018 |
| HQ | Vienna, Austria (apilayer); owned by Idera | Not publicly disclosed |
| Team size | Part of Idera | Not publicly disclosed |
| Rating | 3.8 / 5 | 3.4 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Paid plans from $24.99 with commercial use and historical data | A free tier that developer roundups often single out as generous |
| Pricing model | Monthly request plans | Free tier; monthly plans |
| Entry price | $24.99/mo | $69/mo (third-party listing) |
| Formats & SDKs | REST API, JSON | REST API, JSON |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Marketing & PR | News & content apps, Research & academia |
Mediastack vs Currents API: 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.
Currents API
Currents API has been running since about 2018 and offers latest-news and search endpoints with language, region and category filters. Developer roundups often recommend its free tier, but the quoted limit swings between 600 requests a day, 600 a month and 250 a day, and the free plan covers latest news only, with no historical search. One report lists paid plans from $69 a month for 75,000 requests (independently unverifiable). The operator, location and team are not stated anywhere public.
Features: Mediastack vs Currents API
| Capability | Mediastack | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Full article text | ✗ | ✗ |
| Historical archive | ✓ | ✗ |
| NLP enrichment | ✗ | ✗ |
| Story/event clustering | ✗ | ✗ |
| Licensed publisher content | ✗ | ✗ |
| Streaming or webhooks | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free access | ✓ | ✓ |
Formats and SDKs: Mediastack vs Currents API
| Format / SDK | Mediastack | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Currents API
| Criterion | Mediastack | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $24.99/mo | $69/mo (third-party listing) |
| Pricing model | Monthly request plans | Free tier; monthly plans |
| Access models | Free tier, Monthly plans | Free tier, Monthly plans |
| Price transparency | Public price | Public price |
| Price tier | Budget | Budget |
Who each API suits: Mediastack vs Currents API
| Dimension | Mediastack | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer type | Individuals to enterprise | Individuals to enterprise |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Marketing & PR | News & content apps, Research & academia |
| Example use cases | A news ticker or category feed for a small website. A learning project that needs commercial rights cheaply. | Coursework and hackathons. Prototype news feeds. |
| How you get access | Free tier | Free tier |
Mediastack vs Currents API: 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 |
| Currents API | |
|---|---|
| + | The free tier is easy to get and well covered in tutorials |
| + | Simple endpoints for latest news and search |
| + | Several languages and regions |
| - | Published limits conflict between sources |
| - | The free plan has no historical search and bars commercial use |
| - | No identifiable operator or support commitments |
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 Currents API?
A typical fit: coursework and hackathons.
A free tier that developer roundups often single out as generous. Paid access starts at $69/mo (third-party listing). Typical uses: News & content apps, Research & academia.
Decision matrix: Mediastack vs Currents API
| 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 | Neither returns full text |
| You need years of historical news | Mediastack |
| 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 Currents API
| Use case | Mediastack fit | Currents API fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| News & content apps | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Marketing & PR | Strong | Limited | Mediastack |
| Research & academia | Limited | Strong | Currents API |
Verdict: Mediastack vs Currents API
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.
Currents API (3.4/5) is worth a look if you need prototype news feeds. If your situation matches that, Currents API is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
Mediastack vs Currents API FAQ
Is Mediastack better than Currents API?
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. Currents API's strongest advantage: the free tier is easy to get and well covered in tutorials.
How do Mediastack and Currents API differ in pricing?
Mediastack: monthly request plans, with paid access from $24.99/mo. Currents API: free tier; monthly plans, with paid access from $69/mo (third-party listing). Both offer some free access for testing.
Which is better for enterprise: Mediastack or Currents API?
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 Currents API?
What sets Mediastack apart: paid plans from $24.99 with commercial use and historical data. What sets Currents API apart: a free tier that developer roundups often single out as generous. They also differ on entry price ($24.99/mo vs $69/mo (third-party listing)) and typical uses (News & content apps, Marketing & PR vs News & content apps, Research & academia).
Verify all details directly with each API before making a decision.