How much does the Bloomberg API cost?

The Desktop API costs nothing on top of a Terminal seat (reported at $31,980 per year for a single seat and $28,320 per seat on multi-seat contracts, with a two-year minimum). Server API, B-PIPE and Data License are quoted separately. Bloomberg does not publish a price list for any of them.

BLPAPI is Bloomberg’s API library. It is published for Python, C++, Java and .NET, and the same library is used for the Desktop API, Server API and B-PIPE. It is the interface you use to call Bloomberg data, and it handles authentication, entitlements, and data delivery.

Can I run the Bloomberg API on a server?

Not with the Desktop API. Server-side use requires the Server API, B-PIPE or Data License, which are separate (and much more expensive) contracts.

Is the Bloomberg API included with a Terminal subscription?

The Desktop API is - the version that works in Excel and in Python on your own machine.

What are the alternatives to the Bloomberg API?

LSEG is the closest on data breadth. FactSet and S&P Capital IQ cover public comps fundamentals and estimates, but without the real-time data layer. For an affordable alternative that covers both public comps and private transactions, consider Multiples, starting at $1,499 a month.

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Compare Bloomberg API pricing and alternatives

Last verified: Aug 20, 2026

Bloomberg Server API (SAPI) is a powerful complement to the Bloomberg Terminal.BLPAPI is included at no additional fee with a standard Terminal subscription, but for enterprise (commercial use case), pricing is custom-negotiated based on data scope and usage.This page covers Bloomberg API pricing and which API providers can be good alternatives to Bloomberg.

Try Multiples - Bloomberg Terminal alternative See more Bloomberg Terminal alternatives

What is the Bloomberg API?

The Bloomberg API (BLPAPI) provides programmatic access to market data from the Bloomberg Terminal and enterprise data feeds like B-PIPE and SAPI. It allows developers to extract financial information directly into custom apps, quantitative models, and spreadsheets across multiple programming languages.

Pricing is not standardized and relies on a custom, enterprise model. Basic desktop API access is typically bundled with individual Bloomberg Terminal seat licenses ($32k/yr), enterprise (commercial) solutions like B-PIPE require separate, high-volume commercial contracts scaled to data usage and distribution scope.

Key features include 24/7 async event-driven data streaming, built-in entitlement controls, and broad multi-asset coverage spanning equities, fixed income, FX, and derivatives.

Bloomberg is a robust, expensive API provider, which might be overkill for many use cases. If you are looking for a cheaper, more valuation-focused alternative, consider Multiples, which covers both public equities (licensed data from FactSet) and private transactions.

Compare Bloomberg API cost and features vs alternatives

	Bloomberg	Multiples	LSEG	FactSet	Capital IQ	Massive
License cost	$32k/yr; API quoted*	from $1,499/mo	$25k-$100k+/yr*	$30k-$100k+/yr*	$30k-$100k+/yr*	From $29/mo
Type	SDK	REST	REST · SOAP	REST	REST · bulk file	REST · WebSocket · flat files
Geo coverage	Global	Global	Global	Global	Global	US
Public companies	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Private companies	Yes	Yes	Partial	PartialAdd-on	Yes	No
Cross asset coverage	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Consensus estimates	Yes	YesLicensed from FactSet	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Metrics coverage	Fundamentals, estimates, prices, news	Basic fundamentals, estimates, prices, valuation ratios	Fundamentals, estimates, prices, news	Fundamentals, estimates, prices, news	Fundamentals, estimates, prices, news	Prices, financials, ratios, corporate actions, news
Pre-computed ratios	No	Yes	No	Partial	Partial	Yes
Real-time prices	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Time to first call	Weeks+	Minutes	Weeks+	Weeks+	Weeks+	Minutes

* = reported figure; Bloomberg publishes neither terminal nor feed pricing. The Bloomberg row reflects the Desktop API on a Terminal seat; Server API, B-PIPE and Data License are quoted separately. Prices are stated as they stand in August 2026.

Overview of Bloomberg API alternatives

Product	Overview	Pricing	Strengths	Limitations
Multiples	Enterprise-grade financial data API provider. Licenses public markets data from FactSet and Morningstar. Offers both public comps (historical and consensus estimates data), and private transactions. 130+ pre-calculated financial metrics, multiples and ratios. Affordable pricing vs. Bloomberg starting at $1,499 a month.	Pro: $239/mo (billed annually) or $299 (monthly) Pro Max: $399/mo (billed annually) or $499 (monthly) API: from $1,499/mo Free 3-day trial	Enterprise-grade API for both public comps and precedent transactions Highest quality data (licensed from FactSet and Morningstar) Affordable pricing vs. enterprise providers	No FX, fixed income or news No real-time prices
LSEG Data & Analytics	Formerly called Refinitiv, owned by the London Stock Exchange. The closest match to Bloomberg for breadth: its API features live prices, FX, fixed income, Reuters news and I/B/E/S consensus estimates. Each content set is licensed on its own line item.	Custom quote Reported $12k-$24k/seat/yr	I/B/E/S consensus estimates Great FX and fixed income depth Reuters news	Every data set is a separate add-on RICs identifiers, moving over means might mean re-mapping Limited M&A or venture deal data
FactSet	A well-known, enterprise data provider for public markets. Deepest consensus estimates coverage of the major platforms (comparable only with Multiples that licenses data from FactSet). Full analyst revision history, company ownership, global fundamentals. Rigid redistribution and display rules, contracts negotiated directly through FactSet sales.	Custom quote Reported $12k-$40k per seat per year, depending on add-on packages	Deepest estimates and revision history One of the best coverage of the major platforms Gold standard for buy-side research	Limited data on FX and fixed income Limited private markets coverage
S&P Capital IQ	S&P Global’s programmatic data business. Two delivery methods: the Capital IQ API, and Xpressfeed, which posts zipped packages over FTP or a web service. Gold standard for investment banking data, quality-wise on par with Bloomberg, but without real-time/live markets components.	Custom quote Reported $13k-$30k per seat per yr Add-ons needed for M&A and VC data	Brand name across investment banking industry Deep public comps data, on par with FactSet and Multiples Decent private markets coverage	No real-time data No FX or fixed income depth M&A/transactions feed is a separate module
Massive	Formerly Polygon.io. Covers stocks, options, indices, FX, crypto and futures. Incomparable to Bloomberg in terms of depth and breadth. Not an institutional-quality provider, rather a developer-friendly, low-cost alternative for US market data.	Stocks: free Basic tier, Starter $29/mo, Developer $79/mo, Advanced $199/mo Financials & Ratios $29/mo add-on, or bundled into Advanced	Live and historical US prices Much cheaper than institutional providers	US markets only No consensus estimates No news or FX Quality and coverage not at institutional level

Which Bloomberg API alternative fits your use case?

Platform	Best For	Institutional grade	Equity coverage	Deals coverage	Geo coverage	Real-time data	Ease of implementation
Bloomberg Terminal	Trading desks, investment banks, hedge funds	High	High	Medium	High	High	Low
Multiples	M&A advisors, VC and PE funds, corp dev teams and CFOs	High	High	High	High	Low	High
LSEG Data & Analytics	Investment banks, trading firms, treasury and macro teams	High	High	Medium	High	High	Low
FactSet	Investment banks, buy-side firms, asset managers, equity research	High	High	Medium	High	Medium	Low
S&P Capital IQ Pro	Bulge bracket banks, hedge funds, large PE/VC firms	High	High	Medium	High	Medium	Low
Massive	Developers, individual investors, small-scale data products	Medium	High	Low	Low	High	High

Should you choose Bloomberg Terminal or look for an alternative?

Bloomberg Terminal strengths

Live prices across every asset class, plus news and reference data

Great delivery - REST APIs plus Python, C#, and Java SDKs

Best-in-class real-time data across equities, fixed income, FX, commodities, and derivatives

Existing licensees can feed the same data into internal systems via B-PIPE and related APIs

Bloomberg Terminal trade-offs

Production APIs (B-PIPE, SAPI, Data License) cost extra and come with tight licensing

Private company coverage and unbundled “data-only” pricing lag specialist APIs

Long procurement cycles, enterprise contracts, often requiring months of negotiation

Why teams look for alternatives to the Bloomberg API

Bloomberg API is very expensive

One Bloomberg Terminal costs about $3,000 a month per person. B-PIPE, SAPI, and Data License are extra contracts on top of that, so if you want data in your own systems, you need to pay much more.

It is built for trading desks

Bloomberg API is made for people who need live prices, FX, news etc. If you need just company financials, valuation multiples data, M&A/VC feed - you are buying a much bigger product than you use.