GiveRadar vs GuideStar API: an honest comparison
If you are looking for a GuideStar API alternative, start here. The former GuideStar API is now part of Candid's paid API suite for deep US nonprofit data. The GiveRadar API is a free-to-start REST API over 7.9 million+ nonprofits in 100+ countries, built from official registries. Different questions: US depth versus global breadth.
Primary sources
Candid API figures are from candid.org, last reviewed July 2026, and will drift; volatile figures carry their date where stated. GiveRadar figures are live counts from this platform.
This page is written and maintained by GiveRadar. We make no claim to neutrality: we built GiveRadar and we believe in it, and we have tried to represent Candid's API suite fairly. Candid holds the deepest US nonprofit data, including funder and grants data nobody else has, and we recommend its API without reservation for that depth. The two APIs answer different questions and combine well. If you spot an inaccuracy, email info@giveradar.com and we will correct it.
Matt Timmermans
Founder of GiveRadar
GiveRadar
GuideStarWhat are the GiveRadar and GuideStar (Candid) APIs each for?
Both are programmatic sources of nonprofit data, but they are built for different jobs. One goes deep on US organizations behind paid access; the other goes wide across countries with a free tier.
Global breadth, free to start
"Give me registry-sourced data on charities anywhere, with a free tier."
This needs broad coverage, a comparable disclosure score, and self-service access. The GiveRadar API answers it across 100+ countries with a free tier, a public OpenAPI spec, and a keyless MCP server.
Answered by the GiveRadar API
Deep US data
"Give me the fullest IRS-derived data on a US nonprofit and its funders."
This needs decades of US filings depth, funder and grants data, and self-reported seal profiles. The former GuideStar API, now part of Candid's paid suite, is the most complete US source, and GiveRadar has no funder or grants database.
Answered by the Candid APIWho each one is
The GiveRadar API
The GiveRadar API is a REST API over 7.9 million+ nonprofits in 100+ countries, built from 50+ official government registries and tax authorities, plus vetted directories where no registry data exists.
It returns registration, financials where filed, officers, the integrity assessment (a 0-100 disclosure score, not an impact rating), and provenance for every field.
It has a free tier (10 requests/day, instant key), a public OpenAPI specification, and a hosted MCP server that AI agents can use without a key. Pro is $99/month for 10,000 requests/day.
The GuideStar (Candid) API
The GuideStar API is now part of Candid's paid API suite: deep, IRS-derived data on US nonprofits, including filings detail, the Seals of Transparency, and the funder and grants data Candid is known for.
Candid publishes starting prices for its eight APIs from $2,750 to $9,900 per year, with two free APIs (Demographics and Taxonomy) and a 30-day trial (candid.org, as of July 2026). Access requires a Candid account.
Since January 15, 2026, GuideStar's data lives inside Candid. Candid also offers an MCP connector inside Claude for Nonprofits through its Anthropic partnership.
The GiveRadar API for global breadth, the Candid API for US depth
If your product is US-only and needs Candid's depth, detailed filings, funder and grants data, or the Seals of Transparency, the former GuideStar API, now part of Candid's paid suite, is the more complete source, and GiveRadar does not carry funder data.
If you need nonprofits outside the United States, a free tier to prototype on, verification by registration number, or a keyless MCP interface for AI agents, the GiveRadar API is the practical GuideStar API alternative: 7.9 million+ nonprofits across 100+ countries, free to start, with provenance on every field.
What does each API cost, and how do you get access?
The clearest practical difference is how you start. The GiveRadar API is self-service and free to begin; Candid's APIs are paid subscriptions with a trial, accessed through a Candid account.
GiveRadar API
- Free tier: 10 requests/day, instant self-service key.
- Pro $99/month for 10,000 requests/day; Enterprise for bulk.
- Public OpenAPI spec and a keyless MCP server.
GuideStar (Candid) API suite
- Charity Check from $2,750, Essentials from $4,800, Premier from $9,900 (760+ fields).
- Two free APIs (Demographics, Taxonomy) and a 30-day trial.
- MCP connector inside Claude for Nonprofits (free Candid account).
Candid pricing from candid.org, as of July 2026, and will drift. GiveRadar API pricing is published on its API plans page.
GiveRadar vs GuideStar API: the full comparison table
These APIs return different data; the table lines them up across the dimensions that matter when you build. Candid figures last reviewed July 2026.
| Dimension | GiveRadar API | GuideStar (Candid) API |
|---|---|---|
| Geography | 100+ countries | United States |
| Coverage | 7.9 million+ nonprofits, registry-sourced | Deepest available US data, including funder and grants data |
| Free tier | Yes: 10 requests/day, instant key | Two free APIs (Demographics, Taxonomy) and a 30-day trial; paid otherwise |
| Pricing | Free tier; Pro $99/month; Enterprise for bulk | Published starting prices from $2,750 to $9,900 per year, per API |
| Score or seal | Integrity assessment (0-100 disclosure, cannot be bought) | Seals of Transparency (self-reported tiers) |
| AI agents (MCP) | Keyless MCP server, usable at the free cap | MCP connector inside Claude for Nonprofits (free Candid account) |
| Spec and access | Public OpenAPI spec; self-service signup | Docs and access require a Candid account |
Scroll the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
When should you use the GuideStar (Candid) API vs the GiveRadar API?
Pick by the data you need and how you want to access it.
Use the GiveRadar API when
- You need nonprofits outside the United States, across 100+ countries.
- You want a free tier to prototype on, or to verify a charity by registration number.
- You want a public OpenAPI spec and a keyless MCP interface for AI agents.
Use the Candid API when
- Your product is US-only and needs Candid's depth: detailed filings, seals, or funder and grants data.
- You need compliance-grade products such as the Charity Check API.
- You want the 760-field Premier depth on US organizations.
Use both when
You serve US grantmakers with global portfolios. Use Candid's API for US depth and funder data, and the GiveRadar API for everywhere else, plus a comparable disclosure score and per-field provenance. The two cover different questions, and a product that touches both breadth and US depth is stronger drawing on each.
Looking for a GuideStar API alternative?
The GuideStar API is now part of Candid's paid API suite, with published starting prices from $2,750 to $9,900 per year (candid.org, as of July 2026). If that pricing or the US-only scope does not fit your project, the GiveRadar API is the practical alternative for the breadth case: 7.9 million+ nonprofits across 100+ countries from 50+ official sources, a free tier with instant self-service signup, a public OpenAPI specification, and a keyless MCP server for AI agents.
It is not an alternative for everything: GiveRadar has no funder or grants database and no US compliance products like Charity Check, so if those are what you need, Candid's API is the right tool and buys data GiveRadar does not have. If you need international coverage, per-field provenance, or a budget-friendly start, the GiveRadar API covers that ground. For the organization-level comparison rather than the APIs, read GiveRadar vs Candid, or the free 990-data angle in GiveRadar vs ProPublica.
GiveRadar and GuideStar API: common questions
Is there a free alternative to the GuideStar API?
Yes. GiveRadar's charity data API has a free tier of 10 requests per day with instant key signup, plus keyless MCP access at the same cap, covering 7.9 million+ nonprofits in 100+ countries. For US-only work that needs Candid's depth, such as funder and grants data or the Seals of Transparency, the former GuideStar API, now part of Candid's paid API suite, remains the more complete source.
What is the difference between the GuideStar API and the GiveRadar API?
The GuideStar API is now part of Candid's paid API suite: deep, IRS-derived data on US nonprofits, with published starting prices and registration required. The GiveRadar API is a REST API over 7.9 million+ nonprofits in 100+ countries from official government registries and vetted directories, with a free tier, a public OpenAPI specification, and a keyless MCP server for AI agents. They answer different questions: US depth versus global breadth.
How much does the GuideStar (Candid) API cost?
Candid publishes starting prices for its API suite from $2,750 to $9,900 per year: Charity Check from $2,750, Essentials from $4,800 (40+ fields, 1.6M+ organizations), Premier from $9,900 (760+ fields), and others up to $6,000, plus two free APIs (Demographics and Taxonomy) and a 30-day trial (candid.org, as of July 2026). The GiveRadar API is free at 10 requests per day and $99 per month for the Pro tier at 10,000 requests per day.
Do both APIs support MCP for AI agents?
Both now speak MCP. GiveRadar runs its own keyless MCP server, usable without a key at the free cap. Candid offers an MCP connector inside Claude for Nonprofits through its Anthropic partnership (announced December 2025, free Candid account required), as of July 2026.
Other nonprofit data comparisons
Try the GiveRadar API, free to start
10 requests a day, instant key, no card. Charity data on 7.9M+ nonprofits in 100+ countries, with a public OpenAPI spec and a keyless MCP server.