> Source: https://ashareapi.com/en/compare/baostock/ · Markdown version for LLMs / AI agents Comparison # ashareapi vs BaoStock BaoStock is a free A-share historical database — a Python library you pip-install that talks to their own data server (SDK free; their site also sells paid traffic packages). We are a hosted service: nothing to install, callable over HTTP and MCP, with real-time snapshots and money-flow surfaces. Bottom line **Only need historical K-line (including intraday) and quarterly financials, zero budget, Python-only** → BaoStock. **Need real-time, money flow / top-trader boards / sectors, zero maintenance and AI access** → us. ## Side by side | | | | ashareapi (us) | BaoStock | | Access | Nothing to install: plain HTTP; one MCP config for AI Agents | `pip install baostock` — a Python library you call in code (returns pandas DataFrames) | | Cost | Free endpoints need no key; buyout from ¥9.9 / Unlimited ¥199 per month | **SDK is free** (their description: Free china stock market data); their site also sells paid **traffic packages** with a points system (payment / order pages exist) | | Login / auth | No key for free endpoints; paid endpoints use `Authorization: Bearer ` | Session-based `bs.login()` / `bs.logout()` — **no credentials, no signup** | | Languages | Any language (HTTP): Python / JS / Go / Excel, plus official Python and Node SDKs | **Python only** (a library, not an HTTP API) | | Real-time data | **Included** (free endpoints include a real-time quote snapshot) | Positioned as **historical data** (their package description: obtaining **historical** data of China stock market) | | Intraday bars | ❌ Not offered (we do not do minute-level) | ✅ Yes — `frequency` supports 5 / 15 / 30 / 60-minute bars, plus daily / weekly / monthly | | Adjustment | The basis is **fixed at forward-adjusted** (no parameter, no adjustment factors) | Three modes via `adjustflag` (1 back / 2 forward / 3 unadjusted) **plus separate adjustment factors** (`query_adjust_factor`) | | Coverage | 32 endpoints: quotes / financials / money flow / top-trader boards / sectors / macro / convertible bonds / factor screening | **40 query functions** in the SDK: historical K-line + quarterly financials (profit / operation / growth / solvency / cash flow / DuPont) + earnings flash & forecasts + index constituents + industry / concept + macro (CPI / PPI / PMI / money supply); **no** money flow / top-trader boards / sector quotes / convertible bonds / factor screening | | Data source | **70 public sources** pooled, auto-failover + cross-checks | **Their own data server** (their words: "We have our own data server") — a single source, no failover path | | Maintenance | We maintain it: rate limiting, caching, health checks; endpoints evolve server-side (**no SDK upgrade needed**) | The library is still released (0.9.4 · 2026-09-21); data comes from their server Access Nothing to install: plain HTTP; one MCP config for AI Agents `pip install baostock` — a Python library you call in code (returns pandas DataFrames) Cost Free endpoints need no key; buyout from ¥9.9 / Unlimited ¥199 per month **SDK is free** (their description: Free china stock market data); their site also sells paid **traffic packages** with a points system (payment / order pages exist) Login / auth No key for free endpoints; paid endpoints use `Authorization: Bearer ` Session-based `bs.login()` / `bs.logout()` — **no credentials, no signup** Languages Any language (HTTP): Python / JS / Go / Excel, plus official Python and Node SDKs **Python only** (a library, not an HTTP API) Real-time data **Included** (free endpoints include a real-time quote snapshot) Positioned as **historical data** (their package description: obtaining **historical** data of China stock market) Intraday bars ❌ Not offered (we do not do minute-level) ✅ Yes — `frequency` supports 5 / 15 / 30 / 60-minute bars, plus daily / weekly / monthly Adjustment The basis is **fixed at forward-adjusted** (no parameter, no adjustment factors) Three modes via `adjustflag` (1 back / 2 forward / 3 unadjusted) **plus separate adjustment factors** (`query_adjust_factor`) Coverage 32 endpoints: quotes / financials / money flow / top-trader boards / sectors / macro / convertible bonds / factor screening **40 query functions** in the SDK: historical K-line + quarterly financials (profit / operation / growth / solvency / cash flow / DuPont) + earnings flash & forecasts + index constituents + industry / concept + macro (CPI / PPI / PMI / money supply); **no** money flow / top-trader boards / sector quotes / convertible bonds / factor screening Data source **70 public sources** pooled, auto-failover + cross-checks **Their own data server** (their words: "We have our own data server") — a single source, no failover path Maintenance We maintain it: rate limiting, caching, health checks; endpoints evolve server-side (**no SDK upgrade needed**) The library is still released (0.9.4 · 2026-09-21); data comes from their server When to pick us - You need **real-time** quote snapshots (BaoStock is a historical-data tool) - You need money flow / top-trader boards / sectors / convertible bonds / factor screening - Non-Python environments (JS / Go / Excel / low-code) - You want data **inside an AI Agent** (one MCP config) - You would rather not maintain a data pipeline yourself When to pick BaoStock - Zero budget and you are **committed to Python** - You need **intraday historical bars** (5 / 15 / 30 / 60 minutes) - You need **adjustment factors** to compute any adjusted series yourself - You want quarterly financials / index constituents / industry & concept / macro for research - You are happy with a DataFrame workflow and owning the pipeline Honest boundary Honest boundary: BaoStock’s **SDK is free** (their site also sells paid traffic packages) and it offers two things we do **not** — **intraday historical bars** and **adjustment factors**; its quarterly financial coverage is solid too. What we sell is not "more historical data" but **hosting and availability**: real-time snapshots, structured money-flow surfaces, **multiple data sources backing each other up and switching automatically when one has a problem**, zero maintenance and native AI Agent access. Many users **combine both** — history and intraday from BaoStock, real-time and structured surfaces from us. ## FAQ BaoStock is free — why pay you? Its **SDK is free** with strong historical coverage (their site also sells paid traffic packages), but it is a **local Python library**: Python only, historical data only, and no money flow / top-trader boards / sectors / convertible bonds — and no real-time quotes at all. We provide a hosted API (any language + MCP), real-time snapshots, structured money-flow surfaces, and the stability of **several data sources backing each other up and switching automatically when one has a problem** — and you never maintain the pipeline. Do you have intraday (minute) data? No — we do not do minute-level quotes. For intraday history (5 / 15 / 30 / 60 minutes) use BaoStock or Tushare. That is our boundary, stated openly. Is the price-adjustment basis the same? No, and this is the most common source of mismatches: our basis is **fixed at forward-adjusted** (no parameter), while BaoStock lets you switch between **back-adjusted / forward-adjusted / unadjusted** via `adjustflag` and also exposes adjustment factors. Align the basis and the data date before comparing; ours is forward-adjusted, so **do not adjust again** (double adjustment). Can I use both? Yes, and it is common: historical K-line (including intraday) and quarterly financials from BaoStock (free), real-time snapshots, money flow, top-trader boards and AI Agent access from us. Will the numbers match? Closing prices for the same stock usually do. When they differ, check three things first: ① the adjustment basis (ours is forward-adjusted) ② the data date (our last bar is the most recent trading day) ③ whether the window crosses an ex-dividend date. If the gap lands **exactly on windows crossing an ex-dividend date**, it is a basis difference, not a data error. Source: BaoStock official PyPI package description (baostock 0.9.4, published 2026-09-21 — the "free / own data server / historical" wording is theirs) and the SDK source (40 `query_*` functions and `adjustflag` values inside the wheel), verified 2026-09-28; site: www.baostock.com. Pricing and features are subject to change — check the official source. Want to try first? Free endpoints need no key. Buy a key once it works for you. [Quick start](/en/docs)[Pricing](/en/pricing) [← All comparisons](/en/compare)