# Best air quality API in 2026

> [WeatherAPI.com](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/weatherapi-com/7-monthly), [Open-Meteo](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/open-meteo/99-monthly-api-professional-get-v1-air-quality-air-quality) and [Weatherbit](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/weatherbit/495-monthly-business-get-v2-0-forecast-airquality) are the best air quality API providers in our benchmark. We benchmarked 7 providers and rank all 7 by score. For the three we score highest, we show each one's top scoring plan, each part of the plan's score and what 1,000 places cost. We rank 94 plans by price. [OpenWeather's £370 monthly plan](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/openweather/370-monthly-professional-get-data-2-5-air-pollution) is the cheapest paid plan per 1,000 places: $0.00049.

1. [WeatherAPI.com, $7 monthly: Air quality API](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/weatherapi-com/7-monthly): Overall score 72.7 (Price 81, Data 49, Cost to get started 90, Bundle 90, Performance 100), $0.0023 per 1,000 places
   - It returns 2 of the 6 key fields we check: Particles, Gases.
   - On 30 October 2026, we sent this provider the same 20 places as every other provider in our benchmark.
   - This plan scored 0.4883 out of 1 on those 20 places. That gives this plan a Data score of 49 out of 100.
2. [Open-Meteo, €99 monthly, API Professional: Air quality API](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/open-meteo/99-monthly-api-professional-get-v1-air-quality-air-quality): Overall score 71.0 (Price 62, Data 67, Cost to get started 73, Bundle 92, Performance 100), $0.022 per 1,000 places
   - It returns all 6 key fields we check. 4 are in the plan's price: US AQI, European AQI, Particles, Gases. 2 cost extra: Pollen, UV index.
   - On 30 October 2026, we sent this provider the same 20 places as every other provider in our benchmark.
   - This plan scored 0.6714 out of 1 on those 20 places. That gives this plan a Data score of 67 out of 100.
3. [Weatherbit, $495 monthly, Business: Air quality API](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/weatherbit/495-monthly-business-get-v2-0-forecast-airquality): Overall score 69.6 (Price 81, Data 49, Cost to get started 62, Bundle 83, Performance 100), $0.0083 per 1,000 places
   - It returns 3 of the 6 key fields we check: US AQI, Particles, Gases.
   - On 30 October 2026, we sent this provider the same 20 places as every other provider in our benchmark.
   - This plan scored 0.4883 out of 1 on those 20 places. That gives this plan a Data score of 49 out of 100.

The Data score on air quality APIs: This score, out of 100, shows how much air quality data a provider's call returns for a place. We send each place's latitude and longitude to the provider's call. For each place, we count the parts the call returned, such as the index and the ozone level. We divide the number of parts the call returned by the number of parts we count for the place. A part counts for a place when a live call that offers the part returned the part for that place. We count any call that returned the part when fewer than two live calls offer the part and return data. We don't count a category or a health message worked out from an index. We count a pollutant's own index only when the call returns no level for that pollutant. We don't count the weather, pollen or mold that some calls also return. We don't check one provider's values against another's. Providers read different stations and models, so their values can differ for the same place. Then we average the scores of all places. Each place counts the same. When a provider didn't find a place, we count that place as 0. We compare a provider that ran on fewer places with the other providers on those same places. A provider can't score higher by running only on easy places. We lower the score when we test the call on fewer places than the benchmark has.

## Every air quality API provider we score, ranked

1. [WeatherAPI.com, $7 monthly](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/weatherapi-com/7-monthly): Overall score 72.7, Data score 49, $0.0023 per 1,000 places
2. [Open-Meteo, €99 monthly, API Professional](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/open-meteo/99-monthly-api-professional-get-v1-air-quality-air-quality): Overall score 71.0, Data score 67, $0.022 per 1,000 places
3. [Weatherbit, $495 monthly, Business](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/weatherbit/495-monthly-business-get-v2-0-forecast-airquality): Overall score 69.6, Data score 49, $0.0083 per 1,000 places
4. [Botoi, $199 monthly](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/botoi/199-monthly): Overall score 64.3, Data score 49, $0.0066 per 1,000 places
5. [Visual Crossing, pay as you go](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/visual-crossing/pay-as-you-go): Overall score 57.8, Data score 61, $0.10 per 1,000 places
6. [ReefAPI, $450 quarterly](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/reefapi/450-quarterly): Overall score 41.3, Data score 50, $0.50 per 1,000 places
7. [Omkar Cloud, $148 monthly](https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-apis/omkar-cloud/148-monthly): Overall score 27.6, Data score 43, $1.973 per 1,000 places

Last updated: October 31, 2026. The page: https://datacircle.dev/best-air-quality-api. Every plan: https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-api-pricing. The benchmark: https://datacircle.dev/air-quality-api-pricing/benchmark.csv.