Quick answer
For live scores on a budget, CricketData (CricAPI) is the cheapest paid option. For live fantasy and betting products, Roanuz and EntitySport are the cricket specialists. For broadcast and regulated betting, Sportradar is the enterprise choice. For historical ball-by-ball analysis and AI agents, OpenCricket API is built for that job, but it is not a live feed.
Comparison table
Prices are the lowest paid plans as publicly listed in October 2026. Providers change prices often, so check each pricing page before you buy.
| Provider | From | Live data | Ball by ball | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CricketData (CricAPI) | $5.99/mo, free tier | Yes | Yes | Hobby projects and small live-score sites |
| Highlightly | $9.49/mo, free tier | Yes | Yes | Multi-sport apps that also want odds and highlights |
| CricBuzz API (API.market) | $19.99/mo | Yes | Yes | Score widgets and news sites |
| Sportmonks | €29/mo | Yes | Yes | Multi-league apps already using Sportmonks |
| Goalserve | $125/mo | Yes | Yes | Media and betting feeds in XML or JSON |
| EntitySport | $150/mo | Yes | Yes | Fantasy operators and publishers |
| Roanuz | About $210/mo | Yes, push | Yes | Fantasy platforms that need pre-computed points |
| Sportradar | Contract | Yes, official | Yes | Broadcasters and regulated sportsbooks |
| OpenCricket API | Free, $14/mo | No (planned) | Yes, since 2001 | Analytics, research and AI agents |
When OpenCricket is the right choice
Choose OpenCricket when you need depth more than speed: every delivery of 22,983 matches, stable player IDs from the Cricsheet registry, derived partnerships, phase splits and batter-versus-bowler matchups, and an MCP server so agents can query it directly.
Do not choose it for a live-score app today. It serves history, refreshed as new matches are published, and says so on every page.
- Good fit: analytics dashboards, model training, journalism, fantasy research, AI assistants.
- Poor fit: live scores, in-play betting, push notifications during matches.
What to check before you choose
Ask every provider the same four questions. How fast does a ball arrive during a live match? Which competitions have ball-by-ball data, not only scorecards? Are player IDs stable across seasons and competitions? What does the licence allow you to do with the data?
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest cricket API with live scores?
Among the providers listed here, CricketData (CricAPI) has the lowest paid plan at $5.99 per month, plus a free tier of 100 requests a day. Check its pricing page for current terms.
Is there a free cricket API with ball-by-ball data?
Yes. OpenCricket API has a free Starter plan with 5,000 requests a month, built on Cricsheet's open ball-by-ball data. It covers history, not live matches.
Which cricket API works with AI agents?
OpenCricket API ships an MCP server with 12 tools, so Claude Desktop, Cursor and other MCP clients can query scorecards, deliveries and matchups directly.
Sources and further reading
- Highlightly: Best Cricket APIs in 2026
- API.market: 7 Best Cricket APIs in 2026
- Goalserve cricket prices
- Sportmonks Cricket API
Product descriptions and examples were checked against the OpenCricketAPI v1 contract on 5 October 2026.