amodb vs TMDB

The short comparison

amodb is an independent API that speaks the same protocol as TMDB v3. A client written for TMDB reads from amodb after you change the base URL and the key, as long as it does not call a path from the not offered table below. The choice is therefore about terms, extras and a few gaps. TMDB offers a free API for qualifying use under its own terms. amodb is a read only, paid API with 14 languages, five extra data blocks and a limit counted per key.

Endpoint parity

Each row shows a TMDB v3 read path and how it behaves on https://api.amodb.dev/3.

Not offered on amodb

These TMDB v3 calls have no equivalent. Unknown paths answer 404 with status_code 34, and write methods answer 405 with status_code 37.

If you add aggregate_credits or changes to append_to_response, amodb ignores the name without an error, so the key is simply missing from the body.

Feature comparison

What differs in detail

• Terms. TMDB asks you to read its terms for commercial use and attribution. amodb is sold by prepaid period, has no automatic renewal, no free tier and no trial.
• Languages. amodb serves en, ru, uk, be, zh, pt, bg, he, cs, ro, fr, pl, it and es. It accepts TMDB tags such as ru-RU and pt-BR. German, Japanese and Korean fall back to en, while original_title keeps the source title. For TMDB language coverage, check their docs. See languages.
• Extensions. append_to_response also takes moods, soundtracks, ratings, wikidata and showtimes, and each has its own path under movies and series.
• External ids. /3/find resolves imdb_id, tvdb_id, wikidata_id, kinopoisk_id, facebook_id, twitter_id and instagram_id. The sources freebase_mid, freebase_id, tvrage_id, tiktok_id and youtube_id are accepted but return empty arrays. A missing or unknown external_source answers 400 with status_code 22.
• Empty by design. Season images, videos and translations and a company description are always empty. Reviews and created_by on a series are filled for only a few titles. Season and episode external_ids are all null.
• Adult titles. include_adult is ignored. Adult titles and people are never served and answer 404.
• Images. The CDN path is https://img.amodb.dev/t/p/{size}/{file}. No key is needed and files cache for 30 days.
• Limits. The window is a sliding 60 seconds per key. Headers show the remaining count, and cache hits still count because the limit check runs first.
• Independence. The catalog comes from public and open sources and our own enrichment. A shared shape does not guarantee identical values for every field of every title.

Where TMDB is a better fit

• Free qualifying use. No payment is needed, and amodb cannot match that.
• Writes. Rating a title, building a list and account sessions work on TMDB. On amodb they return 405.
• Changes feeds. TMDB lists the ids that changed. amodb has no such feed, so you refresh on your own schedule.
• Aggregate credits and credit lookups. Both answer 404 on amodb. Use /credits on the title.
• Wider language needs. If your UI needs a language outside the 14, check TMDB first.
• Existing approval. A team that has cleared TMDB with legal review should weigh the cost of a second review.

Migrate to amodb

The change is one line per request.

# before: TMDB_BASE is your current TMDB v3 base URL
curl -s "$TMDB_BASE/movie/550?api_key=$TMDB_KEY"

# after
curl -s "https://api.amodb.dev/3/movie/550?api_key=$AMODB_KEY"

Before cutover, compare the shape of a few responses side by side. This script prints top level keys that one side returns and the other does not.

async function topLevelKeys(base, key, path) {
  const res = await fetch(`${base}${path}?api_key=${key}`);
  if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${path} returned ${res.status}`);
  return Object.keys(await res.json()).sort();
}

for (const path of ['/movie/550', '/tv/1396', '/person/31']) {
  const current = await topLevelKeys(process.env.TMDB_BASE, process.env.TMDB_KEY, path);
  const next = await topLevelKeys('https://api.amodb.dev/3', process.env.AMODB_KEY, path);
  const missing = current.filter((k) => !next.includes(k));
  console.log(path, missing.length ? `missing: ${missing.join(', ')}` : 'same keys');
}

Optional fields can differ for a given title, so read a missing key as a lead to inspect, not as a verdict. Then work through this list:

1. Pick a plan on pricing, then create a key in your account dashboard.
2. Move the base URL and key into configuration.
3. Read images.secure_base_url from /3/configuration.
4. Search your code for write calls and for the paths in the not offered table. Keep the writes on TMDB and replace the rest.
5. Add a 429 handler that waits Retry-After seconds. See rate limits and errors.

Pricing

amodb is prepaid. Pick 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24 months, which take 0, 10, 20, 30 or 40 percent off, and one of three plans at 20, 40 or 120 requests per minute. Every plan returns all data, and none renews on its own. See pricing for amounts.