# How do samgovapi.io credits work? Every plan has a monthly credit allowance: a lookup by ID costs 1 credit, a search 1 credit per 100 rows returned (minimum 1), history endpoints 3 times the search cost, and bulk exports 10 credits per 1,000 rows. Errors and 304 responses cost nothing, and every response states credits_charged. Allowances: Free 100, Developer 10,000, Pro 50,000, Scale 250,000 a month, reset monthly.Checked on 2026-11-15.Source: [Rate limits, credits and quotas](https://samgovapi.io/docs/limits.md) | Lookup | 1 credit | | --- | --- | | Search | 1 credit per 100 rows | | Top-up | 1,000 credits for $9 | | Errors | 0 credits | ## The answer in detail Allowances: Free 100, Developer 10,000, Pro 50,000, Scale 250,000 a month, reset monthly. Top-ups add 1,000 credits for $9 that never expire and are spent after the monthly allowance.Credits weighted by rows make a 100-row search cost the same as one lookup, which favours fewer, larger queries. A request quota, such as GovCon API's 1,000 an hour, favours many small calls. Estimate your mix before choosing.When credits run out the API answers 429 with code QUOTA_EXCEEDED, the reset time and an upgrade link; per-minute limits answer RATE_LIMITED. Nothing is billed automatically beyond your plan. ## How the options compare | Option | Price | Access and limits | Coverage and history | Best for | Checked | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [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 | | [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 | | [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 - A request quota can be cheaper for workloads of many single-record calls. - GovCon API is cheaper: $19 a month for its Developer plan and $39 for Pro, against $49 and $149 here. ## Example costs | Call | Credits | | --- | --- | | One entity by UEI | 1 | | Entity search returning 100 rows | 1 | | Entity search returning 250 rows | 3 | | One company's award history, 100 rows | 3 | | Bulk export of 10,000 rows (Scale) | 100 | | Any 4xx error or 304 | 0 | ## Try it Read the cost and the balance from any response. ``` const url = new URL("https://samgovapi.io/api/v1/entities"); url.searchParams.set("q", "lockheed"); url.searchParams.set("limit", "100"); const res = await fetch(url, { headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SAMGOVAPI_API_KEY}` } }); const { data, meta } = await res.json(); console.log(meta.as_of, meta.credits_charged, data); ``` ## Questions Do unused credits roll over?Monthly allowance credits reset each month; top-up credits never expire.Do MCP tool calls use credits?Data tools do, at the same rates; keyless search and fetch do not. ## Related - [Pricing](https://samgovapi.io/pricing) - [Credits docs](https://samgovapi.io/docs/credits) - [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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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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