Narwhal API
Oil reference prices and energy history alongside economics, FX and MCP.
Best oil and fuel price APIs in 2026
Compare six APIs for WTI, Brent, natural gas and fuel data. Distinguish current reference prices from daily spot history, weekly retail fuel statistics and futures-contract feeds before choosing a source.
Decision
Choose Narwhal for WTI and Brent references plus EIA energy history alongside economics, FX and MCP. Use EIA directly for free government energy statistics, or a specialist for broader energy or futures data.
Provider shortlist
Narwhal's daily and weekly oil and fuel series come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Narwhal API is owned and operated by Nusantara Ventures, LLC.
OilPriceAPI
Energy prices with webhooks, an official MCP package and supported WebSocket streams.
EIA API
Free US government energy statistics, retail fuel series and outlooks.
CommodityPriceAPI
WTI and Brent prices refreshed every second on every plan.
Commodities-API
Oil within a broad commodity catalogue with hosted MCP.
Barchart
Custom energy and futures data packages with streaming.
Compare the options
Best fit is not feature parity. Check the evidence and limitation together.
| Provider | Best for | Evidence checked | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narwhal API | Oil reference prices and energy history alongside economics, FX and MCP. | Daily EIA history starts in 1986 for WTI, 1987 for Brent and 1997 for Henry Hub. | WTI and Brent references derive from futures markets, not physical cargo prices; Free shows the previous day's close. |
| OilPriceAPI | Energy prices with webhooks, an official MCP package and supported WebSocket streams. | Developer costs $19/month for 10,000 requests; its free example covers WTI, Brent, Henry Hub and Waha. | Per-plan update intervals are unpublished; futures data requires Professional, and source rights remain separate. |
| EIA API | Free US government energy statistics, retail fuel series and outlooks. | A free registered key accesses petroleum, gas, electricity and coal; bulk files update twice daily. | Energy only; series follow daily, weekly, monthly or annual schedules rather than a live quote feed. |
| CommodityPriceAPI | WTI and Brent prices refreshed every second on every plan. | Basic costs $34.99/month; the wider catalogue covers 520+ commodities and 150+ quote currencies. | Commercial licensing starts at Standard for $174.99/month; Basic does not include a commercial licence. |
| Commodities-API | Oil within a broad commodity catalogue with hosted MCP. | Pro costs $49.99/month for 1,000 calls and 10-minute updates across supported commodities. | There is no ongoing free tier; the seven-day trial permits up to 50 requests. |
| Barchart | Custom energy and futures data packages with streaming. | Its OnDemand APIs cover quotes, history and commodities, with generic pricing from $500/month. | A public oil-only price is not published; request a package quote. |
Choose by requirement
Match units and cadence
Narwhal returns WTI and Brent references in USD per barrel and Henry Hub history in USD per MMBtu. Keep reference and historical spot series distinct.
Weekly US fuel history
Narwhal's EIA weekly US gasoline and diesel history starts in 1990 and 1994, respectively: USD per US gallon, US average plus nine regions.
Direct source or shared interface
EIA provides the underlying daily and weekly statistics free with a registered key. Narwhal adds REST and MCP access alongside its other datasets under one account.
Sources and review date
Each detailed provider page lists the first-party documentation used, its evidence boundaries, and its review date.
Reviewed: