Answers

Bloomberg API Alternative: Data Without a Terminal

Terminal users get Bloomberg's Desktop API; the Server API and the B-PIPE feed are separate products, per Bloomberg's API library. Gloom Pro serves quotes, fields and history over REST, with Bloomberg tickers and mnemonics.

Checked

Desktop API (BLPAPI)What it takesA Terminal logged in on the same PCSourceReported by users, r/bloomberg
Server APIWhat it takesA separate Bloomberg productSourcePer Bloomberg's API library
B-PIPE market data feedWhat it takesA separate product, through a Bloomberg specialistSourcePer Bloomberg's B-PIPE page
Gloom REST APIWhat it takesGloom Pro and a Market data only keySourceGloom docs

On Linux and Mac, Bloomberg's C++ and Java libraries work only with the Server API and B-PIPE. Bloomberg shows no price for either.

Where Gloom fits

Four endpoints on https://api.gloom.sh/v1. Tickers and fields can be written the Bloomberg way:

bash
curl -s -G 'https://api.gloom.sh/v1/data' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer gloom_mcp_...' \
  --data-urlencode 'tickers=AAPL US Equity,CL1 Comdty' \
  --data-urlencode 'fields=PX_LAST,BEST_PE_RATIO'

Gloom covers

  • Quotes, data by field like BDP, history like BDH, and a field dictionary like FLDS.
  • Bloomberg tickers and mnemonics, such as SPX Index and CUR_MKT_CAP.
  • The same key in Google Sheets and the MCP server.
  • Pro, $70 a month after a 7-day trial.

Gloom does not cover

  • Government and corporate bonds.
  • Fields outside the field dictionary. They say why.
  • Over 120 units a minute or 5,000 a day per key.
  • A streaming feed like B-PIPE: the API answers requests.
Open the terminal in your browser, no accountWhich plan includes what: Free, Pro and Team
  • Sources4 sources
    • Bloomberg API library, read 16 October 2026: Terminal users "use the Desktop API"; the Linux and macOS libraries "are only compatible with the Bloomberg Server API and B-Pipe data feed products".
    • Bloomberg B-PIPE page, read 16 October 2026: the Bloomberg Market Data Feed (B-PIPE) covers "all the same asset classes as the Bloomberg Terminal", through "Contact a Specialist". No price.
    • NeuGroup, 9 October 2024: the 2025 price rise "also applies to Bloomberg data licenses" and to B-PIPE.
    • REST API docs, updated 9 October 2026: the four endpoints, Bloomberg tickers and fields, Market data only keys, units per key, no bonds, 402 on the free plan.
  • Not verified2 claims
    • That the Desktop API needs a Terminal logged in on the same machine. Reported by users (r/bloomberg); Bloomberg's developer guide was not read for this page.
    • What the Server API or B-PIPE costs. Bloomberg sells both through its specialists.