# How do odds API credits work?

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Canonical: https://novigapi.com/answers/how-odds-api-credits-work
Updated: 2026-11-15

Each provider counts differently. The Odds API charges 1 credit per region per market on each odds call, and ParlayAPI uses the same math. TheRundown counts data points, SportsGameOdds objects. novigapi.com charges 1 credit per 100 rows on most lists, 3 to 5 for history, 10 for bulk CSV, nothing for errors (checked 15 Nov 2026). (Source: [The Odds API: v4 documentation](https://the-odds-api.com/liveapi/guides/v4/))

Credits make prices hard to compare, so estimate your real job: how many calls a day, how many markets and regions per call, how many rows. Then price it on each provider.

Example on The Odds API: 3 markets (h2h, spreads, totals) in 1 region every 5 minutes for one sport costs 3 credits a call, 864 credits a day.

## How the options compare

How usage is counted, checked 15 Nov 2026

| Source | How usage is counted | Free tier | Paid plans |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| The Odds API | 1 credit per region per market per odds call | 500 credits a month, no historical odds | $30 (20K credits) to $249 (15M credits) a month |
| ParlayAPI | Credits, the same math as The Odds API | 1,000 credits a month, 48 hours of lookback | $5 (20K credits) to $200 (50M credits) a month |
| TheRundown | Data points a month | 20,000 data points a day, 5-minute delay, no history | Starter $49 (60 s delay, 7-day history) to Max $2,499 (unlimited history) a month |
| SportsGameOdds | Objects a month and requests a minute | Amateur: 10 requests a minute, 2,500 objects a month, 10-minute updates | Rookie $99 (3-minute updates), Pro $299 (sub-minute, historical data) a month |
| SharpAPI | Flat plans, requests a minute | $0: 12 requests a minute, 2 books | Hobby $79 (5 books), Pro $229 (15 books, +EV), Sharp $399 (25 books) a month |
| novigapi.com | 1 credit per 100 rows on most lists; history reads 3 to 5; bulk CSV 10 | 100 credits a month, 20 requests a minute, no card | Developer $49, Production $149, Scale $499 a month; $9 for 1,000 credits that never expire |


## Where novigapi.com falls short

> A large page of history is expensive on novigapi.com: 1,000 rows of line history cost 50 credits, half a month of the Free plan.

## Try it

Every response states the credits it cost in the X-Credits-Cost header.

```bash
curl -s "https://novigapi.com/api/v1/markets?limit=100" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOVIGAPI_KEY" -i | grep -i x-credits-cost
```

Read the [endpoint reference](https://novigapi.com/docs/endpoints), compare [plans and credits](https://novigapi.com/pricing), or send a request from the [playground](https://novigapi.com/playground).

## Questions

### Do credits roll over?

Monthly credits do not on novigapi.com; one-time top-up credits never expire and are spent after the monthly allowance.

### Are failed calls charged?

Not on novigapi.com: anything outside 2xx, and 304, costs nothing.

## Sources

- [The Odds API: plans](https://the-odds-api.com/#get-access)
- [ParlayAPI: pricing](https://parlay-api.com/pricing)
- [TheRundown: API pricing](https://therundown.io/pricing/api)
- [SportsGameOdds: pricing](https://sportsgameodds.com/pricing)
- [SharpAPI: pricing](https://sharpapi.io/pricing)
- [novigapi.com endpoint reference](https://novigapi.com/docs/endpoints)

---

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