How much does FlightAPI.io cost per search?

Their LITE plan is $49 a month for 30,000 API credits, and their docs say a flight price request costs 2 credits, so 15,000 searches, about $3.27 per 1,000 (flightapi.io, read 2026-10-06). Our PRO is $4.00 per 1,000 and ULTRA is $2.50. At the entry plan they are cheaper per search than our PRO; we are cheaper to start.

Do FlightAPI.io and FlightPowers return the same fares?

No, and that is the main thing to decide on. FlightAPI.io says it compares "fares from over 700 OTAs and vendors" and its sample response lists several sellers per itinerary, each with its own price. FlightPowers returns the fare Google Flights shows, with Google's price band and a link that opens the trip on Google Flights.

Is there a free tier?

FlightAPI.io: "Start with 20 free API calls". FlightPowers: 10 requests a month on the BASIC plan, no card. Neither is enough to evaluate a production workload; both are enough to see the response shape.

Can I book flights with either API?

No. FlightAPI.io answers this in its own FAQ: "NO. You cannot book flights using our API. This API only tracks prices." Same for us: we return prices and a booking link, the purchase happens elsewhere. For booking inside your product you need a booking API such as Duffel.

Comparison · FlightAPI.io pages read 2026-10-06

A FlightAPI.io alternative built on Google Flights

FlightPowers is a FlightAPI.io alternative for flight price data: the fare Google Flights shows, with Google's low / typical / high price band, and a $10 plan for 2,500 searches against FlightAPI.io's $49 for 30,000 credits at 2 credits a search. Best for small budgets and fare verdicts; FlightAPI.io if you want each seller's price.

FlightAPI.io figures are quoted from flightapi.io and its documentation on 2026-10-06. Their /pricing URL answered 404 that day, so the plans come from the pricing block on their home page.

Start here

Two different sources of fares

Before price, decide which answer you want. The two APIs are not reading the same thing.

FlightAPI.io: many sellers per trip

Their docs say you can “compare fares from over 700 OTAs and vendors”. In their sample round-trip response each itinerary has a pricing_options list, one entry per seller, each with its own price, a quote_age and fare basis codes per segment. If your product shows “this trip costs X here and Y there”, that is the shape you want.

FlightPowers: the Google Flights answer

We return the fare Google Flights shows for the trip, plus Google's own range for the route (price_insights_low / price_insights_high) and its low / typical / high verdict. If your product asks “is this a good price right now”, that band is the part you would otherwise have to build. The band, explained.

Side by side

The numbers, read the same day

	FlightAPI.io	FlightPowers
Smallest paid plan	$49 a month, 30,000 credits (LITE)	$10 a month, 2,500 searches (PRO)
Cost of one search	"Each successful request will cost you 2 credits."	1 request
Per 1,000 searches, entry plan	$3.27 (15,000 searches for $49)	$4.00 on PRO, $2.50 on ULTRA
Free to try	"Start with 20 free API calls"	10 requests a month on BASIC
Round trip	One GET to /roundtrip, 2 credits, both legs in each itinerary.	One POST to /v1/flights/roundtrip, both legs, one total, one booking link.
Price verdict	We did not find a price band or verdict in their round-trip docs.	Google's low / typical / high verdict and range on every result.
Sellers per itinerary	Several, each with its own price and quote age.	One: the price Google Flights shows.
Market	"region": "Check local prices of any country by passing the ISO code of that country."	Flights: currency only. Hotels: proxy_country prices a stay as seen from another country.
Other data	Multi-city, flight tracking, airport schedules, and a separate hotel price API (Makcorps).	Booking.com hotel rates on their own plan, $10 for 2,000. No tracking or schedules.
MCP	We did not find an MCP server in their docs.	`https://flights.flightpowers.com/mcp`, with a date range and a list of destinations in one tool call.

FlightAPI.io cells: flightapi.io and /documentation, read 2026-10-06. FlightPowers cells: src/lib/pricing.ts and the run below.

A real run

Their example route, through our API

FlightAPI.io's round-trip docs use Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Same route, one call, dates six weeks out.

request

curl -X POST https://api.flightpowers.com/v1/flights/roundtrip \
  -H "x-api-key: $FLIGHTPOWERS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "from_airport": "HAN",
    "to_airport": "SGN",
    "departure_date": "2026-11-17",
    "return_date": "2026-11-24",
    "currency": "USD",
    "limit": 10
  }'

Ten itineraries came back. The cheapest, on the right, is $85 return on Vietjet, nonstop both ways, and Google puts the usual range for this trip at $70 to $90, so it reads “typical”. That one word is what a fare alert needs to decide whether to notify anyone.

response · cheapest of 10 rows · captured 19:54 UTC on 2026-10-06

{
  "price_range_in_relation_to_other_periods": "typical",
  "price_insights_low": 70,
  "price_insights_high": 90,
  "from_airport": "Hanoi (HAN)",
  "to_airport": "Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)",
  "departure_date": "2026-11-17",
  "return_date": "2026-11-24",
  "total_price": "$85",
  "total_price_as_number": 85,
  "total_stops": 0,
  "departure_flight_airline": "Vietjet",
  "departure_flight_duration": "2 hr 10 min",
  "departure_flight_stops": 0,
  "return_flight_airline": "Vietjet",
  "return_flight_duration": "2 hr 10 min",
  "return_flight_stops": 0,
  "buy_link": "https://www.google.com/travel/flights?tfs=..."
}

The decision

Which one to pick

Pick FlightAPI.io when

You show several sellers' prices for the same trip.
You need multi-city, flight status or airport schedules from the same vendor.
You run more than 2,500 searches a month and $49 is fine: their per-search price at entry is lower than our PRO.
You want flight prices as seen from a given country.

Pick FlightPowers when

You want the price people see on Google Flights, with a verdict on it.
You are starting small and $10 covers your month.
You scan dates and destinations from an AI agent over MCP.
You also need Booking.com hotel rates by country.

Questions, answered plainly

How much does FlightAPI.io cost per search?: Their LITE plan is $49 a month for 30,000 API credits, and their docs say a flight price request costs 2 credits, so 15,000 searches, about $3.27 per 1,000 (flightapi.io, read 2026-10-06). Our PRO is $4.00 per 1,000 and ULTRA is $2.50. At the entry plan they are cheaper per search than our PRO; we are cheaper to start.
Do FlightAPI.io and FlightPowers return the same fares?: No, and that is the main thing to decide on. FlightAPI.io says it compares "fares from over 700 OTAs and vendors" and its sample response lists several sellers per itinerary, each with its own price. FlightPowers returns the fare Google Flights shows, with Google's price band and a link that opens the trip on Google Flights.
Is there a free tier?: FlightAPI.io: "Start with 20 free API calls". FlightPowers: 10 requests a month on the BASIC plan, no card. Neither is enough to evaluate a production workload; both are enough to see the response shape.
Can I book flights with either API?: No. FlightAPI.io answers this in its own FAQ: "NO. You cannot book flights using our API. This API only tracks prices." Same for us: we return prices and a booking link, the purchase happens elsewhere. For booking inside your product you need a booking API such as Duffel.

Other alternatives

Compared on the same terms

The product side of every page: Flights API, Hotels API and the MCP servers. All comparisons are on /compare.

Check the Google price on your route

Live Google Flights fares with the price band and verdict on every result. Free tier on RapidAPI, no card.

Get a key on RapidAPI →See pricing

Free tier: 10 requests/month. No card to try.

Docs: the Flights API and the MCP servers.