# What is the best API for SAM.gov entity and UEI registration data? For live, authoritative entity data at low volume, the official SAM.gov Entity Management API is best and free. For volume, pick an API built on the public extract: GovCon API is cheapest ($19 a month) with FY2025 award history; samgovapi.io adds a permanent free plan, keyless MCP search and expiry, exclusion and SBA certification filters. Joins are where they separate.Checked on 2026-11-15.Official source: [open.gsa.gov Entity Management API](https://open.gsa.gov/api/entity-api/) | Entities loaded | 881,370 | | --- | --- | | Active | 803,276 | | Expired | 78,094 | | With a CAGE code | 785,998 | ## The answer in detail Entity data means UEI, CAGE, legal and DBA names, address, registration status and expiration date, NAICS and PSC codes, business types and SBA certifications. All of it is in the public extract, so most third-party APIs carry the same fields; they differ in limits, freshness, joins and price.Joins are where they separate. Here an entity lookup also returns its exclusion flag, and entity searches filter by expiry window (42,506 active registrations expire within 30 days) and by SBA certification. GovCon API's Pro plan adds revenue and SBA profile fields. HigherGov and GovTribe are search products first, with API access on paid plans.If you need award history next to the entity, weigh that separately: it is the biggest difference between these providers today. ## How the options compare | Option | Price | Access and limits | Coverage and history | Best for | Checked | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [SAM.gov APIs (official)](https://open.gsa.gov/api/entity-api/) | Free | 10 requests a day with no SAM.gov role, 1,000 with a role or a non-federal system account; keys expire every 90 days | The live, authoritative record: entities, opportunities, exclusions, contract awards, hierarchy, subawards | Anyone who needs the official record itself, at low volume | 2026-11-12 | | [GovCon API (govconapi.com)](https://govconapi.com/pricing) | Developer $19/mo, Pro $39/mo; 14-day trial | 1,000 requests an hour (50 a minute burst); trial 50 a day | 12,265,150 contracts and 758,552 opportunities from FY2025; 904,090 entities, monthly | Developers who want the lowest entry price and FY2025+ history | 2026-11-15 | | [HigherGov](https://www.highergov.com/pricing/) | Starter $500/yr, Standard $2,500/yr, Enterprise custom | API on paid plans; 10,000 records a month as its API page stated on 12 Nov 2026 | Opportunities, awards, awardees, IDVs and forecasts in a search UI with exports | Small BD teams who want a polished search UI | 2026-11-15 | | [GovTribe](https://govtribe.com/pricing) | $1,900 per seat a year ($1,200 at 6+ seats); Pro $2,100 | AI and MCP included with 5,000 credits per seat (10,000 on Pro); no self-serve REST API on its pricing page | Vendors, awards, opportunities, grants and IDVs in a seat-based workspace | Capture teams that work inside one shared workspace | 2026-11-15 | | [samgovapi.io](https://samgovapi.io/pricing) | Free (100 credits a month, no card); Developer $49/mo, Pro $149/mo, Scale $499/mo | 20 to 180 requests a minute by plan, no daily cap; REST, MCP and keyless MCP search | 881,370 entities (1 Nov 2026 extract), 74,420 notices, 169,191 exclusions, 114,954 awards since 1 Oct 2026 | Developers and AI agents who want entities, bids and exclusions joined in one API | 2026-11-15 | ## Where samgovapi.io is the weaker choice - Award history is short: 114,954 prime awards with action dates from 1 Oct 2026 to 10 Nov 2026 (fiscal year 2027 so far). USAspending goes back to FY2001 and GovCon API serves 12.27 million contracts from FY2025. - Entity data comes from the SAM.gov monthly public extract (this one dated 1 Nov 2026; the next is due about 17 Dec 2026), so a registration renewed since then still shows its old expiry date until the next load. The live SAM.gov API shows it the same day. - GovCon API's entity count (904,090) is higher than this load's 881,370. ## Try it Status, expiry and exclusion flag for a UEI or CAGE in one 1-credit call. ``` import os, requests r = requests.get( "https://samgovapi.io/api/v1/registration-status/53U20", params={}, headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SAMGOVAPI_API_KEY']}"}, timeout=30, ) body = r.json() print(body["meta"]["as_of"], body["meta"]["credits_charged"]) print(body["data"]) ``` ## Questions Which entity API is official?Only the SAM.gov Entity Management API on api.sam.gov. Every other provider republishes the public extract or calls that API.Do these APIs include point-of-contact emails?The public extract includes some points of contact; sensitive contact fields need an approved system account. ## Related - [SAM.gov Entity API](https://samgovapi.io/sam-gov-entity-api) - [UEI lookup API](https://samgovapi.io/uei-lookup-api) - [GovCon API alternative](https://samgovapi.io/compare/govconapi-alternative) - [API docs](https://samgovapi.io/docs) - [Pricing](https://samgovapi.io/pricing) - [Answers](https://samgovapi.io/answers)Updated 2026-11-15. Sources checked 2026-11-15.Independent. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by GSA, SAM.gov or any U.S. government agency. Registering in SAM.gov is free at sam.gov.

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