World News API vs Finnhub: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
World News API (4.0/5) edges ahead of Finnhub (3.6/5) overall. World News API is the better choice for small apps wanting sentiment and geo filters at low cost. Finnhub is the stronger option for developers who need market data and news from one key. The right pick depends on your budget, how much history you need and whether you need full text.
World News API vs Finnhub: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | World News API | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 | 2018 |
| HQ | Dresden, Germany | New York, USA |
| Team size | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Rating | 4.0 / 5 | 3.6 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Location-radius and sentiment filters from the $39 plan up | Company news bundled with quotes, fundamentals and estimates |
| Pricing model | Daily points plans; per-point overage | Free key; paid market-data bundles |
| Entry price | $39/mo | Varies by data bundle |
| Formats & SDKs | REST API, JSON, OpenAPI-generated SDKs | REST API, JSON, WebSocket |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Marketing & PR, AI & LLM apps | Financial services, Research & academia |
World News API vs Finnhub: overview
World News API
World News API is run by skycraft GmbH, a Dresden company that has built developer APIs since 2015. It offers article search with location, language and sentiment filters, front-page and top-news endpoints, and an extraction endpoint that pulls clean text from any article URL. Pricing is based on points. The free plan gives 50 points a day and requires a backlink, Reporter costs $39 a month for 500 points a day, and the top self-serve tier is $1,779 a month. Coverage figures and team size are not independently documented.
Finnhub
Finnhub is a New York fintech founded in 2018, according to CB Insights, that sells stock, forex and crypto data over REST and WebSocket, with staff reported in New York, Mumbai, Sydney and Ho Chi Minh City. News is one feature among many. A free key returns a year of North American company news and general market headlines at up to 60 calls a minute, but it is meant for personal, non-commercial use, and low-latency news streaming is a premium feature. Commercial data bundles are priced on Finnhub's site, with the All-in-One plan listed at $1,000 a month.
Features: World News API vs Finnhub
| Capability | World News API | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Full article text | ✓ | ✗ |
| Historical archive | ✓ | ✗ |
| NLP enrichment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Story/event clustering | ✗ | ✗ |
| Licensed publisher content | ✗ | ✗ |
| Streaming or webhooks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Free access | ✓ | ✓ |
Formats and SDKs: World News API vs Finnhub
| Format / SDK | World News API | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Python SDK | N/A | ✓ |
| Node.js SDK | N/A | ✓ |
| Webhooks | N/A | N/A |
| WebSocket | N/A | ✓ |
| MCP server | N/A | N/A |
| S3/bulk delivery | N/A | N/A |
| BigQuery | N/A | N/A |
Pricing comparison: World News API vs Finnhub
| Criterion | World News API | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $39/mo | Varies by data bundle |
| Pricing model | Daily points plans; per-point overage | Free key; paid market-data bundles |
| 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: World News API vs Finnhub
| Dimension | World News API | Finnhub |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer type | Individuals to enterprise | Individuals to enterprise |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, Marketing & PR, AI & LLM apps | Financial services, Research & academia |
| Example use cases | Local news by radius in a mobile app. Sentiment-filtered news for a content product. | Fintech prototypes that show news beside charts. Student and personal investing projects. |
| How you get access | Free tier | Free tier |
World News API vs Finnhub: pros and cons
| World News API | |
|---|---|
| + | Latitude, longitude and radius filters suit local-news features |
| + | The extraction endpoint works on any URL, handy next to other sources |
| + | The entry paid plan costs only $39 a month |
| + | A German company of record helps European procurement |
| - | The free plan requires a backlink and allows one request per second |
| - | Points accounting makes monthly cost harder to predict |
| - | Coverage numbers are not independently documented |
| Finnhub | |
|---|---|
| + | A generous free rate limit of 60 calls a minute |
| + | One key for prices, fundamentals and news keeps fintech prototypes simple |
| + | Official SDKs in many languages |
| + | WebSocket support for streaming quotes |
| - | News is basic, with headlines and summaries but no full text |
| - | The free key is non-commercial |
| - | The low-latency news stream is a premium add-on |
Who should choose World News API?
A typical fit: local news by radius in a mobile app.
Location-radius and sentiment filters from the $39 plan up. Paid access starts at $39/mo. Typical uses: News & content apps, Marketing & PR, AI & LLM apps.
Who should choose Finnhub?
A typical fit: fintech prototypes that show news beside charts.
Company news bundled with quotes, fundamentals and estimates. Paid access is quote-based. Typical uses: Financial services, Research & academia.
Decision matrix: World News API vs Finnhub
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You want to start free before paying | Both |
| Your budget is at the lower end | World News API |
| You need full article text in the response | World News API |
| You need years of historical news | World News API |
| 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: World News API vs Finnhub
| Use case | World News API fit | Finnhub fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| News & content apps | Strong | Limited | World News API |
| Marketing & PR | Strong | Limited | World News API |
| AI & LLM apps | Strong | Limited | World News API |
| Financial services | Limited | Strong | Finnhub |
| Research & academia | Limited | Strong | Finnhub |
Verdict: World News API vs Finnhub
World News API (4.0/5) is the stronger overall choice as a news data source. Location-radius and sentiment filters from the $39 plan up.
Finnhub (3.6/5) is worth a look if you need student and personal investing projects. If your situation matches that, Finnhub is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
World News API vs Finnhub FAQ
Is World News API better than Finnhub?
World News API (4.0/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. World News API's strongest advantage: Latitude, longitude and radius filters suit local-news features. Finnhub's strongest advantage: a generous free rate limit of 60 calls a minute.
How do World News API and Finnhub differ in pricing?
World News API: daily points plans; per-point overage, with paid access from $39/mo. Finnhub: free key; paid market-data bundles, priced by quote. Both offer some free access for testing.
Which is better for enterprise: World News API or Finnhub?
Neither sells an enterprise contract. Neither carries licensed publisher content, so check copyright terms before republishing anything.
What are the main differences between World News API and Finnhub?
What sets World News API apart: location-radius and sentiment filters from the $39 plan up. What sets Finnhub apart: company news bundled with quotes, fundamentals and estimates. They also differ on entry price ($39/mo vs Varies by data bundle) and typical uses (News & content apps, Marketing & PR vs Financial services, Research & academia).
Verify all details directly with each API before making a decision.