Where TickAtlas stands out
Purpose-built for forex and crypto traders.
Pre-calculated TA — no compute needed · Forex/crypto specialist vs US equities focus · Fraction of the cost for forex dataMarket Data Platform
TickAtlas vs Polygon.io — Which Market Data API Is Right for You?
Polygon.io is a leading US equities data platform, but forex and crypto traders need something different. TickAtlas is a specialist: 42 pre-calculated indicator series, rule-based market analysis, and full market data tools built specifically for currency and crypto markets.
Reviewed September 2026 17 capabilities compared Focused on developer effort, not hype
workload fit snapshot TickAtlas vs Polygon.io
Pre-calculated indicators
42 indicator series
SMA & EMA only
Market screener (scan all symbols)
Yes
Not included
WebSocket streaming
Starter and up
Yes
Crypto payments (100+ coins)
Yes
Not included
Real-time forex/crypto prices
Yes
Forex add-on required
Quick verdict
Compare the amount of assembly work.
For forex and crypto, TickAtlas wins hands down. 42 pre-calculated indicator series vs Polygon's SMA/EMA only, an Market Summary endpoint, market screener, and half the cost for the data forex traders actually need. For US equities, Polygon.io is the stronger choice.
Balanced viewWhere Polygon.io still fits is kept on the page.
Current baselineTickAtlas figures are the current developer pricing.
RevalidationCompetitor pricing and packaging should be rechecked.
42Indicator series
7Timeframes M1–D1
4Official SDKs
$2.50Starting credit
At a glance
Where each product makes the most sense.
A good comparison page should help you make a sharper category decision, not just shout louder than the competitor.
Where Polygon.io may still fit
Polygon.io is the better choice if you need US equities data, options chains, company financials, SEC filings or real-time stock prices — it excels in the US equity market.
This page keeps that case visible rather than arguing it away.What both can do
Both options can underpin a developer tool. The real question is how much client-side assembly, orchestration and follow-up querying your team is willing to own.
That workload difference matters more than a one-line feature checklist.Neutral bottom line
This is less about who has more endpoints and more about whether your product wants a raw general API or a more opinionated, product-ready market-data stack.
The more event-aware and analysis-heavy the app becomes, the more the computed layer is worth.Feature-by-feature comparison
The decision gets clearer when you compare the whole workload.
Instead of focusing on isolated endpoints, compare what the application receives ready to use and what still has to be built, combined or paid for elsewhere.
| Capability | TickAtlas | Polygon.io |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time forex/crypto prices | Yes | Forex add-on required |
| US equities data | Not included | Yes |
| OHLCV candle data | Yes | Yes |
| Tick-level data | Yes | Yes |
| Pre-calculated indicators | 42 indicator series | SMA & EMA only |
| Multi-indicator single call | Yes | Not included |
| Multi-timeframe analysis | 7 timeframes | Custom aggregates |
| Market Summary (rule-based bias) | Yes | Not included |
| Bullish / bearish condition lists | Yes | Not included |
| Market screener (scan all symbols) | Yes | Not included |
| Economic calendar | Yes | Not included |
| Currency heatmap & correlation | Yes | Not included |
| Spread monitoring | Yes | Not included |
| Company financials & filings | Not included | Yes |
| WebSocket streaming | Starter and up | Yes |
| Crypto payments (100+ coins) | Yes | Not included |
| Prepaid credits | Yes | Not included |
Yes = capability is part of that stack Not included = not part of that stack as compared here Any other cell states the level that side provides, in its own terms
Reviewed September 2026. Provider plans, limits and feature sets change. Every
figure in the Polygon.io column is our reading of their published materials at
that date and should be revalidated against their current documentation before a
procurement decision.
Same task, different effort
Ask for RSI on EUR/USD and the workflow difference shows up.
With TickAtlas, you get the computed RSI in one call. With Polygon, you must fetch raw OHLCV data and calculate RSI yourself — they only offer SMA and EMA as built-in indicators.
TickAtlasbash
curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
"https://tickatlas.com/v1/indicators?symbol=EURUSD&timeframe=H1"
# Returns every pre-calculated series,
# RSI included. No computation needed.
One call returns a result the application can rank, display, screen or combine
with the rest of your product logic.
Polygon.iobash
# Step 1: Fetch raw OHLCV bars
curl "https://api.polygon.io/v2/aggs/ticker/C:EURUSD/range/1/hour/2024-01-01/2024-01-31?apiKey=YOUR_KEY"
# Step 2: Calculate RSI yourself
# using pandas-ta, TA-Lib, or custom code.
# Polygon has no RSI endpoint.
Run the exact request your application depends on against Polygon.io’s
current documentation before you decide.
Why developers switch
Most migrations are really about collapsing layers.
Teams rarely move because one API is slightly nicer. They move because the product grew from a few data pulls into a richer workflow, and the original stack started creating too much orchestration work.
- Forex Is an Afterthought: Polygon.io was built for US equities. Forex requires a paid add-on, and the data comes without any pre-calculated indicators. Developers building forex bots switch to TickAtlas for a purpose-built solution.
- No Indicators, No Analysis Layer: Polygon provides raw data and expects you to calculate indicators. TickAtlas delivers 42 pre-calculated indicator series and a rule-based market bias assessment. That eliminates an entire compute layer from your architecture.
- Cost for Forex Use Cases: Polygon's forex add-on is a paid extra for raw data alone. TickAtlas includes indicators, market analysis, screener, calendar, and heatmap on every plan, starting free — a fraction of the cost for a more complete forex toolkit.
Prototype phaseA few raw pulls for a chart or a simple app.
Either can fitIndicator phaseRicher technical analysis without local computation.
Computed layerWorkflow phaseScreening, summaries and derived views.
Screener + summaryEvent-aware phaseCalendar context around releases.
Calendar APIOps phaseFewer stitched services and less client-side glue.
Compare total effortPricing & packaging
Price matters, but only next to what the product removes.
A lower line item can still be the worse total outcome if it pushes indicator computation, screening or event-data sourcing back onto your own team.
TickAtlas
Developer pricing baseline
From $29 / month
Pay-as-you-go starts at $0 with $2.50 of credit —
200 requests/day, 30/min, no card.
- Start free: $2.50 credit, 200 req/day
- Starter: $29/mo — 10K req/day
- Pro: $79/mo — 100K req/day
- Enterprise: $349/mo — 1M req/day
- Includes: 42 indicator series + Market Summary + screener
Polygon.io
Published plan snapshot
A comparison baseline, not a permanent guarantee — verify against current
published materials.
- Free: 5 calls/min, delayed data
- Stocks Starter: $29/mo — equities only
- Stocks Developer: $79/mo — real-time equities
- Forex add-on: +$79/mo per add-on
- Includes: Raw data, SMA/EMA only
Best fit by workload
Use-case thinking is more honest than a single winner label.
The right choice depends on what your product needs next, not only on what it needs today.
Quick prototypes
If the first goal is a demo rather than a production pipeline, the lighter option is often enough. TickAtlas costs nothing to try either: $2.50 of credit, no card.
Best while the application is not yet analysis-heavy.Indicator-driven bots
When a bot needs pre-calculated indicator series, several signals at once, summaries or screening logic without building those layers separately.
Especially relevant for forex and crypto automation.Event-aware dashboards
If economic releases, forecasts, previous values and actuals belong in the product logic, the calendar being part of the same stack changes the architecture.
That matters for alerts, research tools and macro-aware workflows.Total cost of the workflow
Compare the subscription with the engineering around it: ingestion, storage, backfill, recalculation, caching and the monitoring that keeps all of it honest.
A cheaper API bill can still be the more expensive quarter.Frequently asked questions
Answer the buying questions directly.
Comparison pages work better when they acknowledge tradeoffs instead of pretending there are none.
Is Polygon.io good for forex and crypto?
Polygon.io is primarily a US equities data platform. Forex data requires a separate add-on starting at $79/month, and the forex coverage is raw OHLCV without pre-calculated indicators. TickAtlas is purpose-built for forex and crypto with 42 pre-calculated indicator series and market analysis.
Does Polygon.io have technical indicators?
Polygon offers only SMA and EMA as technical indicator endpoints. All other indicators (RSI, MACD, Bollinger Bands, etc.) must be calculated client-side from raw data. TickAtlas provides 42 pre-calculated indicator series ready to use, saving significant development time and compute costs.
Which API is cheaper for forex data?
For forex-specific use cases, TickAtlas starts at $29/month with full indicator access. Polygon's forex add-on starts at $79/month for raw data only — you still need to calculate indicators yourself. TickAtlas also accepts crypto payments and offers prepaid credit bonuses.
When should I choose Polygon.io instead?
Polygon.io is the better choice if you need US equities data, options chains, company financials, SEC filings, or real-time stock prices. It excels in the US equity market. For forex and crypto with pre-calculated technical analysis, TickAtlas is the specialist.
Does TickAtlas have WebSocket streaming?
Yes. /ws/v1/quotes pushes live bid/ask quotes for the symbols you subscribe to, on Starter (5 symbols), Pro (20) and Enterprise (unlimited), and the pushes do not count against your quota. It streams quotes rather than raw ticks: prices post about every 60 seconds and indicators refresh on their timeframe interval. Polygon.io also offers WebSocket streaming, including real-time ticks.
More comparison routes
Keep comparing with the same structure.
Every guide in the library uses this same grammar, so a shortlist can be compared side by side rather than page by page.
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Technical Analysis API
TickAtlas vs Twelve Data
Analysis layer, screener, and crypto billing on top
Comparison library
Back to all comparisons
Navigate the full library by provider category.
Try the comparison in real requests
The cleanest benchmark is your own workload.
Take the exact indicator, dashboard or event-aware request your application needs, run it through both options, and compare not only the response but how much product work is still left on your side.