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OrcaLayer vs Polymarket Data API

The Polymarket Data API is the official, free, real-time source — the right tool for a wallet's latest trades and current positions. It is not built for deep history. Maker fills are hidden by default (takerOnly=true), offset pagination is capped at 10,000, and the /trades endpoint has no date-range filter. OrcaLayer indexes the same Polygon chain end to end — every fill, both sides — and layers normalization on top: NegRisk-corrected P&L, farmer filtering, smart-money consensus. We do not replace Polymarket's API. We add the historical analytics layer on top of the same on-chain ground truth.

Same on-chain sourceComplete indexed historyNegRisk-corrected P&LOpen methodology
Look up any wallet — freeRead the API docsView Polymarket Data API

OrcaLayer vs Polymarket Data API — at a glance

Side-by-side feature comparison across data quality, coverage, and pricing. Sourced from public information on both products as of June 2026.

Feature
Polymarket Data API
OrcaLayer
History & coverage
Maker-side trades included by default
Data API /trades defaults to takerOnly=true — maker fills are hidden unless you pass takerOnly=false. We index both sides of every fill.
Full per-wallet trade history in one source
Data API offset is capped at 10,000 (official range 0–10,000). Beyond that depth, history isn't reachable by paging alone. We keep the complete indexed record.
Date-range filter on trades
/trades has no from/to timestamp filter; /activity has start/end but caps at 500 rows. Our Premium API returns date-windowed trades per wallet+market; full-history date-range filtering is rolling out.
Split / merge / redeem activity
Available on Data API's separate /activity endpoint (max 500 rows per query). We surface it inline with trade history.
Access & pagination
Pagination ceiling
Both limit and offset are capped at 10,000 on /trades. Active wallets exceed this.
offset ≤ 10,000
complete history
Public, no authentication
Both have free, no-auth public access. This is a genuine Data API strength.
Official source of settlement / resolution
Polymarket is the canonical venue. We index the same chain; they are the origin.
Live orderbook / real-time prices
Polymarket's CLOB is the live venue. We surface prices but they are the source.
Normalization & analytics
NegRisk multi-market /2 correction
FIFO realized P&L per side
Farmer / bot wallet filter (is_smart)
We flag airdrop-farmer and bot wallets; Data API returns raw trades only.
Smart-money consensus per market
Win rate, median hold, category breakdown
ISW Ukraine territory overlay
Polymarket resolves Ukraine markets via ISW maps; we surface those.
Cost
Free access
yes (fully public)
yes (free tier)
Paid tier with analytics
—
$9.99–$19.99/mo
Look up any wallet — free

Three differences that change which trader you copy

Below are the three places where OrcaLayer's data diverges from Polymarket Data APIin ways that show up in your P&L. Concrete numbers from real wallets — not claims.

Differentiator 1 of 3

Maker trades aren't hidden — and the offset ceiling isn't a wall

The problem with Polymarket Data API

The Data API /trades endpoint defaults to takerOnly=true, so a wallet's maker-side fills don't appear unless you know to pass takerOnly=false. On top of that, offset pagination is capped at 10,000, so once a wallet is deep enough you simply can't page further. A developer reading the defaults sees a partial picture and often doesn't realize it.

How OrcaLayer fixes it

OrcaLayer indexes every fill from Polygon — both maker and taker, no flag required — and keeps the complete record with no offset ceiling. The same on-chain ground truth Polymarket settles on, held in full so the gaps in the live feed simply aren't there.

How we index — API docs
Differentiator 2 of 3

Raw fills vs analysis-ready numbers

The problem with Polymarket Data API

The Data API returns raw fills. To get a wallet's real P&L you reconcile buys and sells yourself, and Polymarket's NegRisk multi-market mechanics are easy to get wrong — a naive sum overstates both wins and losses. There's no win-rate, no hold time, no farmer flag; that's not what the endpoint is for.

How OrcaLayer fixes it

OrcaLayer ships the math done: FIFO realized P&L, NegRisk-corrected, farmer-filtered, with win rate, median hold and smart-money consensus per market. Methodology is public — same data, analysis-ready.

Methodology
Differentiator 3 of 3

Built for history, not just the live moment

The problem with Polymarket Data API

The Data API is optimized for the live moment — latest trades, current positions. /trades has no date-range filter; /activity has start/end but caps at 500 rows. Polymarket's own answer for deep history is the public Subgraph, which means GraphQL, a Graph API key, and timestamp-cursor paging — and it isn't guaranteed complete after their April 2026 contract migration.

How OrcaLayer fixes it

OrcaLayer keeps the indexed archive, filterable by wallet and market today (with per-market date slicing) — the historical layer you'd otherwise rebuild from the chain yourself. The full normalized history powers our dashboard and the wallet overview API today; a raw cursor-paginated trade feed with full date-range filtering for bulk backtesting export is rolling out next.

Honest assessment

Where Polymarket Data API is better

The Polymarket Data API is upstream of us — we read the same Polygon chain they settle on. It is excellent at what it's built for, and for a lot of jobs it's all you need. Here's where the Data API is the right choice over OrcaLayer.

It is the official source of truth

Polymarket is the venue. Market resolution, settlement, the canonical record of what happened — that originates with them. We index the same chain, but they are the origin, not us. For anything where you need the authoritative source, go direct.

Real-time, free, zero infrastructure

Public, no API key, no setup. For a wallet's latest trades or current positions right now, nothing is faster or simpler than a direct call to data-api.polymarket.com. That convenience is a real strength.

Live orderbook and prices via CLOB

Their CLOB API gives live bid/ask and current market prices straight from the order book. We surface prices, but Polymarket is the live venue — for execution-grade real-time data, use theirs.

Always current with their own product first

New market types, new mechanics and contract changes appear in Polymarket's own API first. We adapt after. If you need day-zero support for something Polymarket just shipped, their API has it before we do.

If you need the latest trades, current positions, live prices, or the official settlement record, the Polymarket Data API is the right tool — free and direct. OrcaLayer adds the layer on top: complete indexed history with both sides of every fill, NegRisk-corrected P&L, farmer filtering and smart-money consensus. Most builders use both — Polymarket for live and official data, OrcaLayer for full normalized history and analytics.

Which one should you use?

Most users want one tool, not two. Here's our honest read on which fits best for the four most common scenarios.

I need a wallet's latest trades or current positions right now
→ Polymarket Data API

The Data API is instant, free and direct for recent activity and live positions. No reason to add a layer for this.

I need the official settlement / resolution of a market
→ Polymarket Data API

Polymarket is the canonical source. Resolution data originates with them — go direct.

I need live orderbook prices for execution
→ Polymarket Data API

Polymarket's CLOB API is the live venue. We surface prices but they are the source.

I need a wallet's complete history, including maker fills
→ OrcaLayer

Data API hides maker trades by default (takerOnly=true) and caps offset at 10,000. We index both sides of the full history.

I'm computing P&L, win rate or smart-money signals
→ OrcaLayer

We ship FIFO realized P&L, NegRisk-corrected, farmer-filtered, with win rate and consensus. The Data API returns raw fills you'd normalize yourself.

I need a date-filtered historical archive for backtesting
→ OrcaLayer

/trades has no date filter and /activity caps at 500. We keep the complete indexed archive (per-market time-slices today); the date-filterable bulk cursor feed for backtesting export is rolling out.

I just want to verify a number against the source
→ Either works

Cross-check is healthy. Pull current data direct from Polymarket; use OrcaLayer for the full normalized history and the analytics on top.

Pricing — what each side charges

Public pricing as listed on each product's site. Both offer free tiers; paid tiers unlock the depth most active traders want.

Polymarket Data API
Public API
$0
  • Fully public, no authentication
  • Real-time trades, positions, value
  • Rate limited (/trades ~200 req / 10s)
  • Official source of settlement data
Subgraph (for deep history)
Graph API key
  • GraphQL over the public subgraph
  • Timestamp-cursor paging (first ≤ 1000)
  • Self-serve; you build the pipeline
  • Completeness not guaranteed post-migration
OrcaLayer
Free
$0
  • 3 wallet lookups per day (basic stats)
  • Live leaderboard and markets browser
  • Smart Money consensus per market
  • No card required
Pro
$9.99/mo
  • Unlimited wallet lookups
  • Daily Whale Check digest
  • Full leaderboard sort / filter
  • Personal Telegram bot alerts
Premium
$19.99/mo
  • Everything in Pro
  • Premium REST API (documented limits)
  • Historical endpoints
  • Priority support

How to switch from Polymarket Data API in 3 steps

No data migration needed — both tools read the same public Polygon blockchain data. You're not moving anything; you're just switching which lens you read it through.

  1. 1

    Keep the Data API for what it's best at

    Live trades, current positions, official resolution — keep calling data-api.polymarket.com directly. Nothing to change there. The point isn't to replace it; it's to cover what it doesn't.

  2. 2

    See what the live feed leaves out

    Look up the same wallet on OrcaLayer. You'll see maker fills the takerOnly default hides, history past the offset ceiling, and P&L that's NegRisk-corrected instead of a raw sum — the same on-chain data, made complete and analysis-ready.

    Look up a wallet
  3. 3

    Sign up free, upgrade for the full normalized layer

    Free tier in under a minute: normalized wallet stats, farmer-filtered leaderboard, smart-money consensus, ISW Ukraine overlay. Pro unlocks unlimited lookups; Premium adds the documented REST API with historical endpoints.

    Sign up free

FAQ — Polymarket Data API vs OrcaLayer

Common questions from traders evaluating both.

Two reasons. First, /trades defaults to takerOnly=true, so maker-side fills are hidden unless you pass takerOnly=false. Second, offset pagination is capped at 10,000 (official range 0–10,000), so a deep-enough wallet can't be paged in full. The endpoint is built for recent activity, not exhaustive history — that's a design choice, not a bug. OrcaLayer indexes both sides of every fill from Polygon and keeps the complete record.
Compare with other tools

Honest comparisons against every major Polymarket whale tracker

Decide whichever fits your use case best — read the deep-dive for each.

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Meta-comparison — decision tree by use case + where each tool wins.

Same chain. The complete record.

Polymarket's Data API shows the live window — maker trades hidden by default, offset capped at 10,000. OrcaLayer keeps the full indexed history: both sides, NegRisk-corrected, on the same on-chain ground truth.

Look up any wallet — freeRead the API docs