# Best weather forecast API in 2026

> [Weatherbit](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/weatherbit/495-monthly-business-get-v2-0-forecast-daily), [WeatherAPI.com](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/weatherapi-com/7-monthly) and [MET Norway](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/met-norway/free-get-weatherapi-locationforecast-2-0-complete) are the best weather forecast API providers in our benchmark. We benchmarked 9 providers and rank all 9 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 165 plans by price. [OpenWeather's £370 monthly plan](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/openweather/370-monthly-professional-get-data-2-5-forecast) is the cheapest paid plan per 1,000 places: $0.00049.

1. [Weatherbit, $495 monthly, Business: Weather forecast API](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/weatherbit/495-monthly-business-get-v2-0-forecast-daily): Overall score 62.4 (Price 83, Data 27, Cost to get started 62, Bundle 83, Performance 100), $0.0083 per 1,000 places
   - It returns all 6 key fields we check: Temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Conditions, Humidity, Sun.
   - On 30 October 2026, we sent this provider all 20 places in our benchmark.
   - This plan scored 0.2741 out of 1 on those 20 places. That gives this plan a Data score of 27 out of 100.
2. [WeatherAPI.com, $7 monthly: Weather forecast API](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/weatherapi-com/7-monthly): Overall score 61.7 (Price 78, Data 38, Cost to get started 90, Bundle 90, Performance 35), $0.0023 per 1,000 places
   - It returns all 6 key fields we check: Temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Conditions, Humidity, Sun.
   - On 30 October 2026, we sent this provider all 20 places in our benchmark.
   - This plan scored 0.3798 out of 1 on those 20 places. That gives this plan a Data score of 38 out of 100.
3. [MET Norway, free: Weather forecast API](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/met-norway/free-get-weatherapi-locationforecast-2-0-complete): Overall score 61.0 (Price 100, Data 18, Cost to get started 100, Bundle 0, Performance 100), $0.00 per 1,000 places
   - It returns 5 of the 6 key fields we check: Temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Conditions, Humidity.
   - On 30 October 2026, we sent this provider all 20 places in our benchmark.
   - This plan scored 0.1772 out of 1 on those 20 places. That gives this plan a Data score of 18 out of 100.

The Data score on weather forecast APIs: This score, out of 100, shows how much of the forecast 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 how far ahead the forecast goes and how many records it holds. We also count the parts each record carries, such as the temperature and the wind. A record is one step of the forecast: an hour, a few hours, a day or a minute. We count only the records that end after our call. For each part of a record, we take the share of the call's own records that carry the part. A call with no day records scores 0 on each part of a day record. A call with no hour records scores 0 on each part of an hour record. A call with no minute records scores 0 on each part of a minute record. We count a part when a live call that offers the part returned it for the place. On a place where fewer than two live calls offer the part and return data, we count the part when any call returned it. For Days ahead, we divide by the furthest a live call went for the place. For each kind of record, we divide by the most records a live call gave for the place. We use all calls when only one live call or none found the place. We don't count a value given again in another unit. We don't count a value worked out from the date and the place, such as sunrise. We don't count the weather now, the air quality or the pollen that some calls also return. We don't count a heat index or a wind chill, which are other ways to work out Feels like. We don't check any value against another provider's, or against the weather the place got. Providers run different models, so their forecasts can differ for the same place. Then we average the scores of all places. Each place counts the same. We count a place as found when the answer holds a record that ends after our call and gives a temperature. 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 weather forecast API provider we score, ranked

1. [Weatherbit, $495 monthly, Business](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/weatherbit/495-monthly-business-get-v2-0-forecast-daily): Overall score 62.4, Data score 27, $0.0083 per 1,000 places
2. [WeatherAPI.com, $7 monthly](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/weatherapi-com/7-monthly): Overall score 61.7, Data score 38, $0.0023 per 1,000 places
3. [MET Norway, free](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/met-norway/free-get-weatherapi-locationforecast-2-0-complete): Overall score 61.0, Data score 18, $0.00 per 1,000 places
4. [Visual Crossing, pay as you go](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/visual-crossing/pay-as-you-go): Overall score 58.2, Data score 60, $0.10 per 1,000 places
5. [Open-Meteo, €160 monthly, API Professional (10 million calls)](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/open-meteo/160-monthly-api-professional-10-million-calls-get-v1-forecast-weather-forecast-full): Overall score 56.9, Data score 37, $0.07 per 1,000 places
6. [Bright Sky, free](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/bright-sky/free): Overall score 51.4, Data score 9, $0.00 per 1,000 places
7. [API Ninjas, $299 monthly](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/api-ninjas/299-monthly): Overall score 41.5, Data score 9, $0.03 per 1,000 places
8. [Strale, top-up from €10](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/strale/top-up-from-10): Overall score 32.8, Data score 4, $56.265 per 1,000 places
9. [ReefAPI, $15 monthly](https://datacircle.dev/weather-forecast-apis/reefapi/15-monthly): Overall score 29.0, Data score 19, $1.50 per 1,000 places

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