Affectiva Facial Coding API
The Affectiva Facial Coding API provides you with an easy way of getting AI powered facial coding metrics for any video.
How it Works
No local installation. No complex setup.
Provide videos through a straight forward HTTP API
Get frame by frame expression data in your preferred format (JSON, CSV)
You only pay for what you use.
Key Features
- Effortless Integration: No need for complex setups. Simply upload your videos and get results in JSON or CSV format.
- Budget-Friendly: Save on costs without compromising on quality. Our API service is a cost effective way of getting started with facial coding AI.
- Scalable Solution: Perfect for businesses of all sizes. Handle multiple video uploads and receive quick, accurate results.
- Comprehensive Analysis: Detect a wide range of facial expressions and emotions, providing valuable insights for various applications.
- Instant Access: Start analyzing videos right away. Reduce the time to insights and make informed decisions faster.
- Trusted Technology: Powered by Affectivas’ leading facial coding technology, used in over 95k+ research projects.
Competitive Comparison
| Feature | Affectiva Facial Coding API | Microsoft Azure Face API | Amazon Rekognition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial Expression Coding | ✅ Detailed frame-level AUs | ❌ Basic emotion labels | ❌ Basic emotion labels |
| Multi-face Video Support | ✅ Built-in (via multiface) | ❌ | ✅ (but limited) |
| Developer Access via API | ✅ Curl/REST + Auth | ✅ | ✅ |
| Output Formats | ✅ JSON, CSV | ❌ JSON only | ❌ JSON only |
| Backed by Scientific Validation | ✅ Yes, AFFDEX engine | ❌ Not transparent | ❌ Not transparent |
| Real-Time/Batch | ✅ Batch (video) | ✅ Real-time | ✅ Real-time |
Key Advantage: Affectiva Facial Coding API sits between the over-simplified emotion classifiers (Azure, Rekognition) and complex, research-focused tools (AFFDEX), offering a validated, reliable, and developer-friendly solution for commercial and research use. See the Affectiva Facial Coding SDK for more advanced features and uses.
Why choose us?
- Powered by AFFDEX, used in 95k+ research projects
- Developed with scientific validation and real-world application in mind
- Built for developers, researchers, and ethical innovators
- Designed to meet AI compliance requirements
Ready to Transform
Your Engagement Analytics?
Discover how our API service can elevate your projects with ease and affordability.
Have Questions? Reach out to our support team for more information and get started with our API service today.
Affectiva Facial Coding SDK
Looking for realtime facial coding computed at the edge? Affectiva Facial Coding SDK can be integrated into any Windows or Linux based application for fast and powerful facial coding.
iMotions Lab
A complete end-to-end multimodal research platform, integrating eye tracking, facial expression analysis, voice analysis, EEG, EDA and many other modalities.
Affectiva Media Analytics
Optimize content and media spend by measuring consumer responses to videos, ads, movies and TV shows – unobtrusively and at scale.
Science Resources
Affectiva Facial Coding AI in academic research
Affectiva’s facial coding AI is widely used in academic research, and is regarded as the gold standard for automated facial coding.
-
2026 International Journal of Hospitality Management Gated Peer-Reviewed
Designing smart menus: A multi-method exploration of AI integration in hospitality guest experience and operations
Isenberg School of Management
-
2026 MDPI Brain Sciences Open Access Peer-Reviewed
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Reduces Symptom Severity and Normalizes Neurophysiological and Attentional Reactivity in Anorexia Nervosa: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Beykoz University + 2 more
-
2026 The Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research Open Access Peer-Reviewed
An Interdisciplinary and Integrated Methodological Framework to Analyze Aesthetic Experience in Music Performances
-
2026 European Journal of Information Systems Open Access Peer-Reviewed
How do attention and emotion drive donations in charitable crowdfunding? An empirical study of users’ cognitive and physiological responses to image content
Copenhagen Business School
-
2026 Open Access Peer-Reviewed
Poker face and steady voice: Gender and reactions to emotional neutrality in crowdfunding
University of St. Gallen + 2 more
-
2026 Electronics Open Access Peer-Reviewed
A Cross-Corpus Evaluation on Spontaneous and Dynamic Facial Expressions for Automated Emotion Classification
University College London
-
2026 Autism Open Access Peer-Reviewed
Discrepancies between feeling and expressing: Perceptions of autistic and non-autistic emotional expressions by non-autistic observers
University of Texas at Dallas
-
2026 Social Science Quarterly Open Access Peer-Reviewed
Voters’ Facial Expression Analysis as a Complement to Traditional Election Polls: Affective Voting in Spanish National Elections in 2023
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos + 1 more
-
2026 Self Published Open Access
Real-time Facial Communication Restores Cooperation After Defection in Social Dilemmas
New York University Abu Dhabi
-
2025 Brain-Computer Interface – Bridging Technology, Education, and Ethics Open Access Peer-Reviewed
Brain Interfacing, as a Key for Improving Human–technology Integration, Cases and Implementations
Tecnologico de Monterrey
Explore AI-driven Emotion Recognition
-
AI-Driven Emotion Recognition 101: All About Emotion Detection and Affectiva’s Emotion Metrics
-
What Drives Affectiva’s Facial Expression Analysis Tools? The World’s Largest Emotional Database!
-
The Role of Attention and Engagement in Creative Effectiveness
-
Deadpool & Wolverine – Balancing on the Emotional Edge with Facial Coding
