MarketParquet vs IEX Cloud (retired 2024)
> the developer data API that shut down on Aug 31, 2024
IEX Cloud -- the developer data API, not the IEX stock exchange, which is still running -- announced its retirement on May 31, 2024 and shut down all API products on August 31, 2024, referring customers to Intrinio. If you used IEX Cloud to pull historical US equity data for research, MarketParquet is a clean replacement for that use case: the full archive as Parquet, one-time. For a like-for-like real-time API, see the alternatives below.
Side-by-side
| IEX Cloud | MarketParquet | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | retired -- shut down Aug 31, 2024 | live, updated daily |
| What it was / is | US stock/ETF data over a REST API | US stocks, ETFs, futures as Parquet files |
| History depth | US stocks from ~2005 (while it existed) | stocks/ETFs from 2000, futures from Dec 2007 |
| Format | JSON via REST API | Apache Parquet, by-date partitioned |
| Pricing | message-credit tiers (free -> ~$999/mo) | one-time $79 |
| Real-time data | yes (while live) | no -- end-of-day batch only |
| Official migration | referred customers to Intrinio | -- import your ticker list and go |
| Split / dividend adjusted | yes | yes |
Where IEX Cloud wins
- Was a very easy REST/JSON API with excellent documentation -- a favorite for indie devs and prototypes.
- Had a generous free tier and a low ~$9/month entry point.
- Was an official, direct distributor of IEX exchange data.
- Combined real-time and historical US equity data in one simple API.
Where MarketParquet wins
- Still here: a live, daily-updated US archive, not a retired product.
- Bulk Parquet for backtesting -- load a whole trading day at once instead of paging a REST API.
- Split-adjusted US stock, ETF, and futures OHLCV (1-minute to daily), delisted tickers included, from 2000.
- One-time $79 with a free sample -- no message credits or monthly tiers.
Which to pick
Pick IEX Cloud if you need a like-for-like real-time API -- IEX Cloud is gone, so the closest swaps are Intrinio (its official referral), Massive (formerly Polygon.io), Alpaca, or Databento.
Pick MarketParquet if you used IEX Cloud for historical US equity data and want a bulk Parquet archive for backtesting at a one-time price.
FAQ
Did IEX Cloud shut down?
Yes. IEX Cloud announced on May 31, 2024 that it was retiring, and all IEX Cloud API products were shut down on August 31, 2024. Note this is IEX Cloud (the data API) -- the IEX stock exchange itself continues to operate. IEX Cloud referred existing customers to Intrinio.
What is the best IEX Cloud alternative?
It depends what you used it for. For a real-time/historical REST API, the common migrations are Intrinio (IEX Cloud's official referral), Massive (formerly Polygon.io), Alpaca, Tiingo, and Databento. If you used IEX Cloud mainly to pull historical US equity data for backtesting, MarketParquet gives you the full archive as bulk Parquet for a one-time $79.
Why did IEX Cloud shut down?
Per IEX's announcement, IEX Cloud was running at a loss and represented less than 2% of IEX Group's overall revenue, so the company chose to focus on its core exchange business. Some IEX Cloud assets were later acquired by former executives and relaunched under a new name.
Is MarketParquet a good IEX Cloud replacement?
For the historical/backtesting use case, yes: MarketParquet provides split-adjusted US stock, ETF, and futures OHLCV (1-minute to daily, delisted tickers included) as Parquet files for a one-time $79. It is not a real-time API, so if you need live quotes you'll want an API vendor like Massive, Alpaca, or Intrinio instead.
> Pricing and feature snapshots reflect public information at time of writing and may shift. Always confirm against IEX Cloud's own pricing page before committing.