KickoffAPI vs football‑data.org
football-data.org is a popular free football API — but its free tier serves delayed scores and a handful of competitions. KickoffAPI is real-time from the free tier up, across 1,245 leagues in 171 countries.
Side by side
| Feature | KickoffAPI | football-data.org |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier scores | Real-time | Delayed |
| Free tier coverage | All endpoints, 1,245 leagues in 171 countries | 12 competitions, 10 calls/min |
| Player stats on free | Limited but available | Not included |
| Paid entry | $9 / 7,500 req per day | €12 / mo (12 comps) → €99 (50 comps) → €199 (100 comps) |
Comparison based on football-data.org's public pricing page, 25 September 2026. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
What you parse
The fastest way to judge an API is to read one response. This is a real, unedited KickoffAPI call — Liverpool v Bournemouth, Premier League, matchday one of 2025.
$ curl -G "https://api.kickoffapi.com/api/v2/fixtures" \ -d "league=39&season=2025&limit=1" -H "x-api-key: YOUR_KEY" { "data": [{ "id": "fx_j3AR8hjl9tRa", "date": "2025-08-15T20:00:00.000Z", "status": { "long": "Match Finished", "short": "FT" }, "league": { "id": "lg_49706223160bbba4", "name": "Premier League" }, "home": { "id": "tm_8d1cf3beebe33484", "name": "Liverpool FC" }, "away": { "id": "tm_3b1b1f15d2ccae5e", "name": "AFC Bournemouth" }, "score": { "home": 4, "away": 2, "halftime": { "home": 1, "away": 0 } }, "source": "owned" }], "meta": { "count": 1, "nextCursor": "1", "source": "owned" } }
One envelope on every endpoint — { data, meta }, with the cursor always in the same place. Prefixed ids (fx_, lg_, tm_) so an id tells you what it points at. And a source field on every row naming the store that produced it, because we keep our own reconciled history rather than reselling one upstream feed. Rate limits come back as headers on every authenticated call, not buried in a dashboard.
The honest verdict
You need real-time
If your product shows live scores, a delayed free tier won't cut it — and stacking add-ons (livescores, deep data, stats, odds) adds up fast. KickoffAPI is real-time from the free tier and scales on flat, predictable plans.
Learning projects
Prototypes and study projects that only need a handful of major European leagues and can tolerate delayed data.
Frequently asked questions
Is football-data.org real-time?
Its free tier serves delayed scores; real-time requires a paid livescores add-on. KickoffAPI serves real-time scores from its free tier.
Which has more coverage for free?
KickoffAPI — all endpoints across 1,245 leagues in 171 countries on the free tier, versus about 12 competitions on football-data.org's free plan.
Is KickoffAPI a good football-data.org alternative?
Yes — especially if you need real-time scores, player statistics, or broader league coverage without stacking add-ons.
Get on the wire
Real-time scores from the free tier up. Your key takes 30 seconds.