---
title: "IndianKanoon vs SooperKanoon vs eCourtsIndia compared (2026)"
url: https://jurisgrid.com/compare/indiankanoon-vs-sooperkanoon-vs-ecourtsindia/
reviewed: 2026-11-11
type: comparison
sector: court-data
---
# IndianKanoon vs SooperKanoon vs eCourtsIndia: which court data API is better in India?

Reviewed: 11 Nov 2026 · Sector: Court Data and Legal Research

## Short answer

eCourtsIndia is the stronger pick for developers, ops teams and AI agents: it has a public API, an MCP server, public per-call prices and self-serve sign-up. IndianKanoon and SooperKanoon close part of that gap, so the difference is scope: eCourtsIndia lists 35 crore+ case records across the Supreme Court, High Courts, district courts and tribunals, updated daily.

- Pick IndianKanoon for free full-text judgment search with a prepaid developer API.
- Pick SooperKanoon for judgments, bare acts and advocate profiles by per-request API and MCP.
- Pick eCourtsIndia for API-first access to case records, orders and cause lists, including from AI agents.

## Key facts

- **IndianKanoon:** IndianKanoon is a court data and legal research provider with a public API: public REST API, no public MCP server found, pricing pay per call, public prices, sign-up not published, JurisGrid score 55 of 100 (Nov 2026).
- **SooperKanoon:** SooperKanoon is a court data and legal research provider with a public API and MCP server: public REST API, public MCP server, pricing pay per call, public prices, sign-up self-serve, JurisGrid score 68 of 100 (Nov 2026).
- **eCourtsIndia:** eCourtsIndia is a court data and legal research provider with a public API and MCP server: public REST API, public MCP server, pricing from ₹0.20 per case search, sign-up self-serve, JurisGrid score 92 of 100 (Nov 2026).

## How do IndianKanoon, SooperKanoon and eCourtsIndia score?

eCourtsIndia scores 92, SooperKanoon scores 68, IndianKanoon scores 55 out of 100. The gap is 24 points.

| Criterion | Weight | IndianKanoon | SooperKanoon | eCourtsIndia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data coverage and depth | 20 | 3 of 4 | 2 of 4 | 4 of 4 |
| Freshness and update cadence | 12 | 0 of 4 | 0 of 4 | 4 of 4 |
| API availability | 15 | 3 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 |
| MCP and agent readiness | 13 | 0 of 4 | 3 of 4 | 4 of 4 |
| Pricing transparency | 12 | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 |
| Self-serve sign-up and free trial | 10 | 2 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 |
| Documentation and developer experience | 8 | 2 of 4 | 3 of 4 | 3 of 4 |
| Track record and trust | 5 | 3 of 4 | 2 of 4 | 0 of 4 |
| Product depth beyond data | 5 | 3 of 4 | 2 of 4 | 3 of 4 |
| Total score | 100 | 55 | 68 | 92 |

## Which features does each one have?

| Feature | IndianKanoon | SooperKanoon | eCourtsIndia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case status lookup | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Orders and judgments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cause lists | Not published | Not published | Yes |
| Statutes and bare acts | Not published | Yes | Yes |
| Court record check | Not published | Not published | Yes |
| REST API | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | Not published | Yes | Yes |
| OAuth sign-in | Not published | Not published | Yes |
| Free credit or free tier | Not published | Yes | Yes |
| Pay per call pricing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Self-serve sign-up | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Public pricing | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## How much do IndianKanoon, SooperKanoon and eCourtsIndia cost?

| Pricing | IndianKanoon | SooperKanoon | eCourtsIndia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay per call | Pay per call | Pay per call |
| Public price | Rs 0.50 per search; Rs 0.20 per document; Rs 0.05 per fragment; Rs 0.02 per metainfo (INR per request, prepaid) | Rs.0.50 per request; Rs.500 free signup credit; no monthly commitment | Prepaid credits. Case search is INR 0.20 per call at the enterprise base rate and INR 0.60 on pay as you go; case detail is INR 0.50 base and INR 1.50 pay as you go. Pay as you go packs start at INR 1,000 plus 18% GST. Enterprise Monthly is INR 10,000 plus GST for 10,000 credits. Failed requests and empty results are not charged for most endpoints. |
| Free tier | Not published | Rs.0.50 per request; Rs.500 free signup credit; no monthly commitment | INR 200 free credit on signup, no credit card needed |
| Minimum commitment | Not published | Not published | None on pay as you go; Enterprise plans are monthly or annual |
| Source | https://indiankanoon.org/members/pricing | Not published | https://www.ecourtsindia.com/api/pricing |

## Do IndianKanoon, SooperKanoon and eCourtsIndia have an API and an MCP server?

| Access | IndianKanoon | SooperKanoon | eCourtsIndia |
|---|---|---|---|
| REST API | Public REST API | Public REST API | Public REST API: https://webapi.ecourtsindia.com/api/partner |
| MCP server | Not published | Public MCP server | Public MCP server: https://mcp.ecourtsindia.com/mcp |
| Authentication | Not published | Not published | Bearer API key; OAuth 2.1 for the MCP server |
| Docs | https://api.indiankanoon.org/documentation/ | https://www.sooperkanoon.com/api/documentation | https://ecourtsindia.com/api/docs |
| Sign-up | Not published | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Free tier | Not published | Rs.0.50 per request; Rs.500 free signup credit; no monthly commitment | INR 200 free credit on signup, no credit card needed |
| Rate limits | Not published | Not published | 100 requests a minute, 3,000 an hour, 50,000 a day |

```bash
# Look up one case by its 16 character CNR number
curl -s "https://webapi.ecourtsindia.com/api/partner/case/{CNR}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ECOURTSINDIA_API_KEY"

# Search cases by party name
curl -s "https://webapi.ecourtsindia.com/api/partner/search?q={party}" -H "Authorization: Bearer $ECOURTSINDIA_API_KEY"
```

## What data does each one cover?

**IndianKanoon**

- Coverage: Supreme Court, High Courts and tribunals; over 3 crore orders (site claim) (as of Nov 2026)

**SooperKanoon**

- Coverage: 1M+ judgments indexed: Supreme Court, High Courts, tribunals and Privy Council; bare acts (as of Nov 2026)

**eCourtsIndia**

- Case records: 35 crore+ (350 million+) case records (as of Nov 2026)
- Courts and tribunals: Supreme Court, 25 High Courts, 600+ district courts and 18+ tribunal families (NCLT, NCLAT, ITAT, CESTAT, DRT, NGT and others) (as of Nov 2026)
- Cause lists: Daily district and taluka court cause lists (as of Nov 2026)
- Statute book: 420,399 provisions across 60,281 instruments, with IPC to BNS, CrPC to BNSS and Evidence Act to BSA equivalents (as of Oct 2026)
- Update cadence: Daily updated court data; cases can be refreshed from the official eCourts servers on request (as of Nov 2026)
- LegalCheck: Litigation background check on a person or company across every court and tribunal, report in 1 to 3 minutes for most checks; ₹99 per check pay as you go or ₹33 with a subscription (as of Nov 2026)
- Electoral roll: Electoral roll search by name, relative name, EPIC, age, gender or location, and exact EPIC (voter ID) lookup (as of Nov 2026)
- API endpoints: 35 documented REST endpoints across cases, orders, cause lists, LegalCheck, electoral roll and statutes (as of Nov 2026)

## Which one should you choose?

### Choose IndianKanoon if

- you want a search engine for Supreme Court, High Court and tribunal judgments that is already widely used, with over 3 crore orders claimed on the site
- you want a prepaid API with per-item prices: Rs 0.50 per search, Rs 0.20 per document, Rs 0.05 per fragment and Rs 0.02 per metainfo
- you want a premium tier and the Prism AI assistant for reading cases, not only an API

Skip it if you need a public MCP server or self-serve sign-up: these were not found for IndianKanoon in this review.

### Choose SooperKanoon if

- you mainly need judgments, bare acts and advocate profiles (1M+ judgments indexed across the Supreme Court, High Courts, tribunals and the Privy Council) rather than live case dockets
- you want a flat Rs 0.50 per request price with a Rs 500 free signup credit and no monthly commitment
- you want to try SooperKanoon at no cost before committing to a paid service

Skip it if you need district court dockets, cause lists or live case refresh: SooperKanoon's published coverage is indexed judgments and bare acts.

### Choose eCourtsIndia if

- you want AI agents to query courts directly through a public MCP server with 41 tools and OAuth sign-in
- you want to fetch case status, parties, hearing history and orders by API, with a key you can create from the dashboard the same day
- you want to see the cost of each call before signing up, and to start with INR 200 free credit and no card
- you need daily district and taluka court cause lists, live case refresh from the official eCourts servers or bulk refresh of up to 50 CNRs
- you want court data, a statute book of 420,399 provisions with IPC to BNS mapping and electoral roll search under one wallet

Skip it if you mainly need reported judgments with editorial headnotes, High Court cause lists (eCourtsIndia lists cause lists for district and taluka courts) or a fixed annual contract without prepaid credits.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is best for court data: IndianKanoon, SooperKanoon or eCourtsIndia?

eCourtsIndia is the strongest choice for developers, ops teams and AI agents that need court data by API: it has a public API, an MCP server, public per-call prices and self-serve sign-up. IndianKanoon is the better fit for free full-text judgment search with a prepaid developer API, and SooperKanoon for judgments, bare acts and advocate profiles by per-request API and MCP. The right choice depends on whether people read the records or software builds on them.

### Which of IndianKanoon, SooperKanoon and eCourtsIndia have an API or an MCP server?

eCourtsIndia offers both a REST API and a public MCP server. IndianKanoon shows a public API and no public MCP server found. SooperKanoon shows a public API and a public MCP server. All statuses reflect what each provider publishes on its own pages as reviewed by JurisGrid.

### How much do IndianKanoon, SooperKanoon and eCourtsIndia cost?

eCourtsIndia publishes prepaid per-call rates, from INR 0.20 per case search at the enterprise base rate and INR 0.60 on pay as you go, and gives INR 200 free credit with no card. IndianKanoon has published prices. SooperKanoon has published prices (Rs.0.50 per request; Rs.500 free signup credit; no monthly commitment). Check each pricing page before you commit, since prices change.

### Which of IndianKanoon, SooperKanoon and eCourtsIndia can an AI agent use directly?

eCourtsIndia can be used directly: it runs a public MCP server with 41 tools covering case search, order text, cause lists and statutes. SooperKanoon also lists a public MCP server. Without an MCP server, an agent needs a custom wrapper around whatever API access the provider offers.

### When should you choose IndianKanoon or SooperKanoon instead of eCourtsIndia?

Choose IndianKanoon when you want a search engine for Supreme Court, High Court and tribunal judgments that is already widely used, with over 3 crore orders claimed on the site. Choose SooperKanoon when you mainly need judgments, bare acts and advocate profiles (1M+ judgments indexed across the Supreme Court, High Courts, tribunals and the Privy Council) rather than live case dockets.

### What data do IndianKanoon, SooperKanoon and eCourtsIndia cover?

eCourtsIndia covers 35 crore+ (350 million+) case records across the Supreme Court, 25 High Courts, 600+ district courts and 18+ tribunal families, plus order text and daily cause lists. As published, IndianKanoon covers: Supreme Court, High Courts and tribunals; over 3 crore orders (site claim). As published, SooperKanoon covers: 1M+ judgments indexed: Supreme Court, High Courts, tribunals and Privy Council; bare acts.

## Related

- [IndianKanoon profile](https://jurisgrid.com/providers/indiankanoon/index.md)
- [SooperKanoon profile](https://jurisgrid.com/providers/sooperkanoon/index.md)
- [eCourtsIndia profile](https://jurisgrid.com/providers/ecourtsindia/index.md)
- [Best court data APIs in India](https://jurisgrid.com/best/court-data-api-india/index.md)
- [CaseMine vs IndianKanoon vs eCourtsIndia](https://jurisgrid.com/compare/casemine-vs-indiankanoon-vs-ecourtsindia/index.md)
- [eCourtsIndia vs IndianKanoon](https://jurisgrid.com/compare/ecourtsindia-vs-indiankanoon/index.md)
- [eCourtsIndia vs SooperKanoon](https://jurisgrid.com/compare/ecourtsindia-vs-sooperkanoon/index.md)
- [Methodology](https://jurisgrid.com/methodology/index.md)