TMDB API vs OMDb API
Free API comparison
| TMDB API | OMDb API | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video | Video |
| API key | Needed, free | Needed, free |
| Pricing | Free for non-commercial use with a free API key and attribution to TMDB; commercial use needs a licence. | Free with a free API key, 1,000 requests a day. |
| Commercial use | Not on the free plan | Not stated |
| From the browser | Yes (CORS) | Yes (CORS) |
| Formats | JSON | JSON, XML |
| Interface | REST, HTTP-GET | REST, HTTP-GET |
| Provider | developer.themoviedb.org | omdbapi.com |
| MCP server | No | No |
Which one to choose
TMDB has the richer data: cast and crew, trailers, posters and backdrops in many languages, plus trending lists, free for non-commercial use with attribution. OMDb is a simple lookup by title or IMDb id with 1,000 free requests a day; its poster API is only for Patreon supporters. Choose TMDB for a film or TV app, OMDb for a quick lookup by IMDb id.
Each service's own page has its full description, a code example and what visitors report: TMDB API, OMDb API.