Atlas Academy vs Scryfall

Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d100%96.1%
Uptime · 30d100%98.3%
P50 · ms743470
P95 · ms25132767
Authnonenone
CORSyesyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearunclear
Data licenseUnverifiedCard data free to use; MTG content © Wizards of the Coast (see docs)
Free tierFree — limits not publishedFree, no API key required
Rate limitUnpublished~10 requests/second; docs ask for 50-100 ms between requests
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Atlas Academy vs Scryfall: common questions

Which is more reliable, Atlas Academy or Scryfall?

On our scheduled checks, Atlas Academy leads on measured uptime — Atlas Academy at 100% versus Scryfall at 96.1% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.

Which is faster, Atlas Academy or Scryfall?

Scryfall has the lower median latency in our checks — Atlas Academy responds in 743 ms versus Scryfall at 470 ms (P50). Tail latency (P95) is in the table above; for most workloads the median is the number that shapes how the API feels.

Do Atlas Academy and Scryfall need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — Atlas Academy is callable with no signup, and Scryfall is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call Atlas Academy and Scryfall from the browser?

Yes — both Atlas Academy and Scryfall send CORS headers over HTTPS, so front-end code can fetch either directly with no backend proxy. That makes them easy to swap in a client-side app while you compare responses.

Are Atlas Academy and Scryfall free for commercial use?

Atlas Academy has unclear commercial terms, and Scryfall has unclear commercial terms. We track service terms and the data license as separate fields — see the Commercial use and Data license rows above, and confirm both before shipping either in a paid product.