Research
PolymarketData Alternative: Historical L2 Data APIs Compared
Overview
Quick comparison
Side-by-side facts from public documentation at time of verification.
| Feature | PolymarketData | PolyOrderbooks |
|---|---|---|
| Historical prices | Yes | Yes |
| Historical L2 books | Yes — timestamped L2 snapshots (paid plans advertise 1-minute L2) | Yes — full bid/ask ladders |
| Finest documented resolution | 1-minute highest documented archive resolution; query params 1m–1d | 1-second capture; query resolution 60s (Starter) to 1s (Pro/Scale) |
| REST API | Yes — api.polymarketdata.co/v1 | Yes |
| Python tooling | Documented requests examples; dedicated Python SDK not publicly documented | Official Python SDK on PyPI |
| Bulk export | Yes — S3 exports and Enterprise bulk delivery | Enterprise S3 delivery (Parquet, CSV, JSON) |
| Free tier | Yes — Free $0/month | Yes — Starter plan |
| Starting paid price | $60/month Trader (Pro $120, Ultra $360; Enterprise/Bulk contact) | $19/month Pro (public pricing at time of verification) |
| Polymarket-specific | Polymarket — 1M+ unique markets documented | Polymarket crypto markets (Up/Down and related) |
| Historical coverage | From August 2025 onward (per public site) | Continuous archive; resolved markets stay queryable |
Source (PolymarketData): https://www.polymarketdata.co/pricing
Query resolution and L2 depth
PolymarketData documents 1-minute as the highest L2 archive resolution, with query parameters for 1m, 5m, 15m, 1h, and 1d snapshots. PolyOrderbooks captures every 1 second and exposes query resolution down to 1s on Pro and Scale — a better fit when crypto Up/Down signals need finer grids. Neither model is universally superior; they target different granularity and market breadth.
Developer workflow
Both use REST with API keys. PolymarketData examples call api.polymarketdata.co/v1 with slug routes for markets, prices, metrics, and books. PolyOrderbooks offers parallel routes plus the official polyorderbooks Python SDK and GitHub examples.
PolymarketData emphasizes discovery across political, sports, and crypto markets. PolyOrderbooks aligns prices, metrics, and books for Polymarket crypto markets from one archive.
Pricing and limits
PolymarketData publishes Free ($0/month), Trader ($60/month), Pro ($120/month), Ultra ($360/month), and Enterprise/Bulk (contact) on their pricing page. Paid plans advertise 1-minute L2 order books. PolyOrderbooks publishes Starter (free), Pro ($19/mo), and Scale ($49/mo) on our pricing page.
When each may be a better fit
PolymarketData — very wide Polymarket market coverage with 1-minute L2 and Enterprise S3 bulk. PolyOrderbooks — Polymarket crypto focus, 1-second query resolution, published API tier pricing.
Download a free 1-second L2 sample before committing to an API contract.
FAQ
What is PolymarketData?
PolymarketData is a third-party service that stores and serves historical Polymarket prices, metrics, and L2 order book snapshots via a REST API, with bulk export options for research pipelines.
Does PolymarketData have historical order books?
Yes — according to current public documentation, PolymarketData exposes historical L2 bid and ask levels via /markets/{slug}/books with configurable resolutions such as 1m and 5m.
How much does PolymarketData cost?
PolymarketData publishes Free ($0/month), Trader ($60/month), Pro ($120/month), Ultra ($360/month), and Enterprise/Bulk (contact) on polymarketdata.co/pricing. Paid plans advertise 1-minute L2 order books.
What are PolymarketData alternatives?
Alternatives include official Polymarket APIs for live data and price history, PolyOrderbooks for Polymarket crypto L2 archives, Telonex for Parquet tick pipelines, DepthFeed for event-driven depth, Predexon for multi-venue data, and polyReplay for BTC/ETH Up/Down tick archives.
PolyOrderbooks vs PolymarketData: which is better for backtesting?
It depends on resolution and scope. PolymarketData documents 1-minute L2 as its highest archive resolution across very broad market coverage. PolyOrderbooks captures at 1-second intervals for Polymarket crypto markets with REST query access — better fit if you need finer query resolution on crypto Up/Down workflows.