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Paid plans start at $99/mo. There's also a free plan.
Alpaca has a $0 per month Free (Basic) Trading API plan and a $0 Standard Broker API plan for equities. Free (Basic) lists 200 API calls per minute, 200 historical-data requests per minute and restricted recent historical data. The Trading API's Algo Trader Plus tier is $99 per month. Broker API tiers have separate monthly prices, from $0 for Standard to $2,000 for StandardPlus10000. The bill depends on which API you use, required feeds and request capacity.
01Every plan, line by line
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free (Basic) | — | $0 | Developers starting with trading APIs |
| Algo Trader Plus | — | $99 | Algo traders needing full market data |
| Standard | — | $0 | Broker API users starting with equities |
| StandardPlus3000 | — | $500 | Broker API users needing 3,000 RPM |
| StandardPlus5000 | — | $1,000 | Broker API users needing 5,000 RPM |
| StandardPlus10000 | — | $2,000 | Broker API users needing 10,000 RPM |
Add-ons and overages
- Options indicative feed: $1,000/month on Standard and StandardPlus3000; included at no extra charge on StandardPlus5000 and StandardPlus10000.
02What the plan grid doesn't tell you
Indicative options feed
The feed costs $1,000 per month on Standard and StandardPlus3000. It is included at no extra charge on StandardPlus5000 and StandardPlus10000.
Higher request capacity
Broker API tiers cost $500, $1,000 or $2,000 per month for 3,000, 5,000 or 10,000 requests per minute, respectively.
Data-feed upgrade
Free (Basic) uses IEX real-time equity data and indicative options feeds; Algo Trader Plus lists real-time SIP and OPRA feeds at $99 per month.
Overage terms
The pricing details list plan limits but do not publish overage rates. Confirm throttling behavior and any additional charges with Alpaca before launch.
03Which plan should you buy?
| If you are… | Get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Trading API prototype | Free (Basic) | The $0 monthly tier includes 200 API calls per minute and supports initial development within its data and WebSocket limits. |
| Algo trader needing full data | Algo Trader Plus | At $99 per month, it lists 10,000 API calls per minute, unlimited market-data interface calls and SIP and OPRA feeds. |
| Broker API at higher volume | StandardPlus5000 | At $1,000 per month, it lists 5,000 requests per minute and includes options at no extra charge. |
04Is Alpaca worth the money?
Alpaca's free plans make sense for early development when their data feeds and request limits fit the workload. Algo Trader Plus costs $99 per month for developers who need its listed SIP and OPRA feeds and higher Trading API capacity. Broker API costs rise with request tiers, and the options indicative feed adds $1,000 per month on Standard and StandardPlus3000. Compare those plan entitlements with expected traffic before production; overage terms are not published. Self-hosting is not presented as an option.
Alpaca pricing FAQ
How much does Alpaca cost per month?
Alpaca lists Free (Basic) Trading API and Standard Broker API for equities at $0 per month. Algo Trader Plus is $99 per month. Broker API tiers are $500 for StandardPlus3000, $1,000 for StandardPlus5000 and $2,000 for StandardPlus10000. The options indicative feed may add $1,000 per month on the lower Broker API tiers.
What does Alpaca's free plan include?
Free (Basic) lists 200 API calls per minute and 200 historical-data requests per minute, IEX real-time equity data, indicative options feeds, and WebSocket access for 30 equity symbols and 200 options quotes. Historical data goes back to 2016, with the latest 15 minutes restricted.
Does Alpaca charge for options data?
The options indicative feed costs $1,000 per month on Broker API Standard and StandardPlus3000. It is included at no extra charge on StandardPlus5000 and StandardPlus10000. Free (Basic) lists indicative options feeds, while Algo Trader Plus lists real-time OPRA feeds.
Does Alpaca offer annual billing?
Alpaca's listed prices are monthly, and annual-billing rates are not published. Ask Alpaca whether annual billing is available for the plan you need and confirm any contract terms before budgeting a production deployment.