NewsAPI.org returns news headlines and articles from thousands of sources in one JSON call — popular for dashboards, sentiment pipelines and "latest news" widgets. The free tier is generous for building and testing but jumps sharply to a business plan for live, commercial use. Here's the cost, the free limits, and how to get a key.
| Plan | Price | Limits / scope |
|---|---|---|
| Developer free tier | $0 | 100 req/day, ~24h delayed, dev only |
| Business | ~$449 / mo | live articles, commercial use, higher limits |
| Advanced / Enterprise | custom | more sources, history, SLA |
The Developer plan gives 100 requests/day with no credit card, covering both /v2/top-headlines and the searchable /v2/everything endpoint. The catches: articles are delayed ~24 hours, search history is limited to about a month, and it's strictly for development and testing — not a live app. It's ideal for prototyping a news feature, then deciding whether the real-time Business plan is worth it.
1. Register at newsapi.org with your email.
2. Your API key is issued instantly on the account page — no card.
3. Pass it as the apiKey query parameter or the X-Api-Key header.
4. Use the same key for top-headlines and the everything search endpoint.
Get top US business headlines:
The free-to-Business jump is steep, so for low-budget production many switch to GNews (cheap paid tiers, real-time), Mediastack (free 100/mo, paid from ~$25), NewsData.io or TheNewsAPI — all with friendlier mid-tier pricing. For finance-specific headlines, Finnhub bundles company news with its market-data free tier. NewsAPI wins on source breadth and the simplest API for prototyping. To weigh options on price and free tier, use the API alternatives finder.
Yes — the Developer plan is free with 100 requests/day, but articles are ~24h delayed and it's for development/testing only. Live and commercial use needs the Business plan (~$449/mo).
Register at newsapi.org and the key is issued instantly, no card. Pass it as the apiKey query param or X-Api-Key header for both the top-headlines and everything endpoints.
No. The free Developer plan forbids production and commercial use and delays articles ~24h. Shipping a public product requires the paid Business plan or a cheaper alternative like GNews or Mediastack.
For low budgets, GNews, Mediastack, NewsData.io and TheNewsAPI offer real-time articles on far cheaper tiers than NewsAPI's $449 Business plan — good when you don't need NewsAPI's full source breadth.
Not affiliated with NewsAPI.org. Prices are reference estimates — always verify on the official pricing page.