What Free is for
Field checks, SDK wiring, demos—not user-facing low-latency or high concurrency.
Comparisons
Free vs Paid Market Data API
Free tiers are great for validation; production needs latency, quotas, market entitlements and SLA.
What Paid buys
Stable WebSocket, higher quotas, more markets, and predictable support—budget it into COGS.
Upgrade signals
Frequent 429s, missing market rights, or commercial compliance needs mean upgrade—not a crawler fallback.
TIQEX path
Stay on one platform from Free to Growth/Pro to avoid field drift; ask sales for SLA.
Helpers
Use quota and latency tools to size demand, then pick a plan on /pricing.
At a glance
| Dimension | TIQEX | Typical free sources |
|---|---|---|
| Clear commercial terms | Plan terms documented | Often restricted |
| WebSocket | Paid tiers | Rare |
| Unified multi-market | One API | Fragmented |
| SLA | Enterprise option | None |
| Support | Docs & tickets | Community only |