MarineTraffic is the closest drop-in replacement with overlapping coverage in Data Visualizations, Data APIs, and Shipping & Trade while adding Alerts coverage and Live Map with advanced filters, including ship type, capacity, status, and custom smart filters. and Notifications for port calls, area entries, vessel movements (speed, course changes, drifting), AIS data updates (ETA, destination, draught), proximity events (STS, tug, pilot, bunkering), and AIS-coverage changes, delivered via email, mobile push, or archive. features (category overlap ~75%).
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★
PRICE: 5 CENTS
Thursday, November 20, 2025
Free programmatic picks
Free Alternatives to Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)
Zero-cost replacements ranked by category overlap, pricing, and platform access. Use this list to test Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) before paying for another subscription.
View standard alternativesQuick takeaways
Every pick keeps a free tier; start with MarineTraffic, ORTEX, and Visual Capitalist to road-test Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) workflows without paying up front.
Need mobile access? MarineTraffic, ORTEX, and FlightAware bring phone-ready workflows that Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) lacks.
Round out your stack with new coverage areas like Alerts, Short Interest, Insider Data, and Quant.
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- MarineTraffic adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
- Expands into Alerts coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Live Map with advanced filters, including ship type, capacity, status, and custom smart filters., Notifications for port calls, area entries, vessel movements (speed, course changes, drifting), AIS data updates (ETA, destination, draught), proximity events (STS, tug, pilot, bunkering), and AIS-coverage changes, delivered via email, mobile push, or archive., and CSV exports from vessel and port databases, with monthly quotas depending on plan: Basic (5), Essential (300), Enterprise (10,000)..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Education and Blogs.
Adds coverage: Alerts
Standout features: Live Map with advanced filters, including ship type, capacity, status, and custom smart filters., Notifications for port calls, area entries, vessel movements (speed, course changes, drifting), AIS data updates (ETA, destination, draught), proximity events (STS, tug, pilot, bunkering), and AIS-coverage changes, delivered via email, mobile push, or archive., CSV exports from vessel and port databases, with monthly quotas depending on plan: Basic (5), Essential (300), Enterprise (10,000)., and Past Track playback varies by plan: Free (1 day), Essential (7 days), Enterprise (up to 5 years, in 7-day playback windows).
Shared coverage
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- ORTEX adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
- Expands into Short Interest, Insider Data, and Quant coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers., Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates., and Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade and Education.
Adds coverage: Short Interest, Insider Data, Quant, and Index Rebalancing
Standout features: Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers., Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates., Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms., and Alpha trading signals across themes like Short Squeeze, EPS, RSI, MACD, and Company Events, each with back-tested stats and intraday updates.
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- Expands into Newsletters coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Well-known for data-rich charts, maps, and infographics across markets, energy, technology, and macroeconomics., Coverage spans major themes like GDP trends, market share breakdowns, commodities, and economic freedom indices., and VC+ membership unlocks The Trendline newsletter (twice weekly), monthly market outlooks, special research dispatches, archives, and member-only events..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Data APIs and Shipping & Trade.
Adds coverage: Newsletters
Standout features: Well-known for data-rich charts, maps, and infographics across markets, energy, technology, and macroeconomics., Coverage spans major themes like GDP trends, market share breakdowns, commodities, and economic freedom indices., VC+ membership unlocks The Trendline newsletter (twice weekly), monthly market outlooks, special research dispatches, archives, and member-only events., and Ad-free browsing included with VC+ for a cleaner reading experience.
Shared coverage
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- Expands into ETF Overview, ETF Performance, and ETF Holdings coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Global ETF ‘Channels’ taxonomy with category reports and dashboards (Size & Style US/Global, Region & Country, Sector & Industry, Thematic, Fixed Income, Non‑Traditional, Commodities, Crypto)., Look‑through analytics on fund holdings for factor/style, sector/industry, country, concentration; portfolio overlap analysis across funds or entire models., and Flows & trading dashboards (volumes/ADV); flows noted as T+1 timing in daily updates..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade and Education.
Adds coverage: ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, and ETF Fundamentals
Standout features: Global ETF ‘Channels’ taxonomy with category reports and dashboards (Size & Style US/Global, Region & Country, Sector & Industry, Thematic, Fixed Income, Non‑Traditional, Commodities, Crypto)., Look‑through analytics on fund holdings for factor/style, sector/industry, country, concentration; portfolio overlap analysis across funds or entire models., Flows & trading dashboards (volumes/ADV); flows noted as T+1 timing in daily updates., and Live pricing on platform pages via Polygon.io FMV quotes (real‑time-ish indicative).
Shared coverage
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- Expands into Alerts, Calendar, and Dividends coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include 21 alert types across price, technical (MA crosses, RSI), volume, fundamentals (P/E & forward P/E), dividends (ex‑date/payment), and time‑based reminders., Minute‑by‑minute monitoring during regular, pre‑market, and after‑hours sessions; notifications within seconds when conditions are met., and AI analysis that generates long‑form equity write‑ups and suggests 2–5 ‘smart alerts’ you can one‑click activate..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade and Education.
Adds coverage: Alerts, Calendar, Dividends, and Stock Ideas
Standout features: 21 alert types across price, technical (MA crosses, RSI), volume, fundamentals (P/E & forward P/E), dividends (ex‑date/payment), and time‑based reminders., Minute‑by‑minute monitoring during regular, pre‑market, and after‑hours sessions; notifications within seconds when conditions are met., AI analysis that generates long‑form equity write‑ups and suggests 2–5 ‘smart alerts’ you can one‑click activate., and Intelligent watchlist that runs daily AI screens on tracked symbols and refreshes alert signals automatically.
Shared coverage
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- Expands into ETF Screeners, ETF Overview, and ETF Performance coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Global ETF Screener: filter by theme, sustainability (ESG), exposure and benchmark; database spans 12,000+ global ETFs., Compare ETFs: side‑by‑side comparisons (up to 5) with **Export to Excel** from the compare pages., and Lists (watchlists): create, share publicly, and **export to Excel**; plan limits vary by tier..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade and Education.
Adds coverage: ETF Screeners, ETF Overview, ETF Performance, and ETF Holdings
Standout features: Global ETF Screener: filter by theme, sustainability (ESG), exposure and benchmark; database spans 12,000+ global ETFs., Compare ETFs: side‑by‑side comparisons (up to 5) with **Export to Excel** from the compare pages., Lists (watchlists): create, share publicly, and **export to Excel**; plan limits vary by tier., and Portfolio Insights (Premium): portfolio analytics across more fund data, customization, and **Excel export**.
Shared coverage
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free
Why investors switch
- Expands into APIs & SDKs, Interest Rates, and Yield Curves coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Short‑term Funding Monitor (STFM): curated repo/CP/CD/FF market charts plus **open REST API** (JSON, HTTPS) with series search, metadata, and spread endpoints; no tokens required., U.S. Money Market Fund Monitor: interactive holdings transparency by asset type, counterparty, country; per‑chart **CSV download**., and Hedge Fund Monitor (HFM): aggregated Form PF and related series via an **open REST API** (JSON) organized by datasets and mnemonics..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade and Education.
Adds coverage: APIs & SDKs, Interest Rates, Yield Curves, and Scores
Standout features: Short‑term Funding Monitor (STFM): curated repo/CP/CD/FF market charts plus **open REST API** (JSON, HTTPS) with series search, metadata, and spread endpoints; no tokens required., U.S. Money Market Fund Monitor: interactive holdings transparency by asset type, counterparty, country; per‑chart **CSV download**., Hedge Fund Monitor (HFM): aggregated Form PF and related series via an **open REST API** (JSON) organized by datasets and mnemonics., and OFR Financial Stress Index (FSI): **daily** global market‑based stress index built from 33 variables; FSI values publish with a ~**two‑business‑day** lag.
Shared coverage
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- Expands into Screeners, Stock Comparison, and ETF Overview coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Coverage of more than 130,000 stocks and ETFs across 65 global exchanges., Portfolio tracking through manual entry or broker connections (via SnapTrade integration)., and Custom watchlists with event notifications and alerts..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Data APIs and Shipping & Trade.
Adds coverage: Screeners, Stock Comparison, ETF Overview, and ETF Holdings
Standout features: Coverage of more than 130,000 stocks and ETFs across 65 global exchanges., Portfolio tracking through manual entry or broker connections (via SnapTrade integration)., Custom watchlists with event notifications and alerts., and Proprietary “Insights Score” summarizing a company’s fundamentals at a glance.
Shared coverage
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- Expands into Screeners, Backtesting, and Alerts coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Price Action Concepts® toolkit: automatic order blocks, market structure, supply/demand, fair value gaps, liquidity sweeps, pattern/level displays (built‑in alerts)., Signals & Overlays®: confirmation/contrarian signal modes, smart trail, trend catcher/tracer, neo cloud, TP/SL presets, ML classifier & dashboard., and Oscillator Matrix®: HyperWave trend oscillator, money‑flow & confluence logic with alertable events..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Data APIs and Shipping & Trade.
Adds coverage: Screeners, Backtesting, Alerts, and Money Flow
Standout features: Price Action Concepts® toolkit: automatic order blocks, market structure, supply/demand, fair value gaps, liquidity sweeps, pattern/level displays (built‑in alerts)., Signals & Overlays®: confirmation/contrarian signal modes, smart trail, trend catcher/tracer, neo cloud, TP/SL presets, ML classifier & dashboard., Oscillator Matrix®: HyperWave trend oscillator, money‑flow & confluence logic with alertable events., and Screeners for S&O, PAC, and OSC to monitor multiple tickers/timeframes from indicator features.
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- FlightAware adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
- Expands into APIs & SDKs, Alerts, and Satellite / Geospatial coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Live flight tracking and flight-status pages with dedicated views for cancellations and delays, plus the signature MiseryMap® for U.S. air traffic disruptions., Premium subscriptions unlock unlimited flight alerts and access to three, five, or eight months of historical flight data., and AeroAPI (v4) provides RESTful access to current and historical flight data with JSON responses and API key authentication..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade, Education, and Blogs.
Adds coverage: APIs & SDKs, Alerts, and Satellite / Geospatial
Standout features: Live flight tracking and flight-status pages with dedicated views for cancellations and delays, plus the signature MiseryMap® for U.S. air traffic disruptions., Premium subscriptions unlock unlimited flight alerts and access to three, five, or eight months of historical flight data., AeroAPI (v4) provides RESTful access to current and historical flight data with JSON responses and API key authentication., and FlightAware Firehose delivers a continuous enterprise-grade feed of real-time, historical, and predictive flight data over secure TCP/SSL connections.
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- Listen Notes adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
- Expands into APIs & SDKs, Alerts, and Other coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Podcast API v2: search, directory, insights; official client libraries; OpenAPI spec & mock server for keyless testing., Pricing tiers with concrete quotas: FREE (300 req/mo), PRO (base fee with 5k req/mo included + tiered overages), ENTERPRISE (annual contract, larger quotas, relaxed caching/no-logo)., and Plan-based search result caps & rate limits: FREE up to 30 results/query (2 req/s, 20 req/min); PRO up to 300 results/query (medium rate limit); ENTERPRISE up to 10,000 results/query (high rate limit)..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Data Visualizations, Shipping & Trade, and Blogs.
Adds coverage: APIs & SDKs, Alerts, and Other
Standout features: Podcast API v2: search, directory, insights; official client libraries; OpenAPI spec & mock server for keyless testing., Pricing tiers with concrete quotas: FREE (300 req/mo), PRO (base fee with 5k req/mo included + tiered overages), ENTERPRISE (annual contract, larger quotas, relaxed caching/no-logo)., Plan-based search result caps & rate limits: FREE up to 30 results/query (2 req/s, 20 req/min); PRO up to 300 results/query (medium rate limit); ENTERPRISE up to 10,000 results/query (high rate limit)., and Advanced fields & endpoints on higher tiers: transcripts, batch fetch, RSS/large image, email, latest_episode_id, Listen Score & Global Rank.
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- Semrush adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
- Expands into App & Website Traffic, APIs & SDKs, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Traffic Analytics tools to examine any website’s visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks., Rich API suite: Analytics and Projects APIs (Business plan), Trends API, Listing Management, and Map Rank Tracker. Current versions support API key (v3) and OAuth 2.0 with JSON (v4)., and API consumption billed in ‘units’ per request or per line of data. Historical queries cost more; some APIs like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker are excluded from unit billing..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Data Visualizations, Shipping & Trade, and Education.
Adds coverage: App & Website Traffic, APIs & SDKs, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins
Standout features: Traffic Analytics tools to examine any website’s visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks., Rich API suite: Analytics and Projects APIs (Business plan), Trends API, Listing Management, and Map Rank Tracker. Current versions support API key (v3) and OAuth 2.0 with JSON (v4)., API consumption billed in ‘units’ per request or per line of data. Historical queries cost more; some APIs like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker are excluded from unit billing., and Flexible exports in CSV, Excel, and PDF across tools. Position Tracking and Site Audit modules generate PDF reports; Position Tracking also supports direct Google Sheets export.
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free and Subscription
Why investors switch
- Expands into App & Website Traffic, APIs & SDKs, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Website traffic and engagement analytics, including keyword research, referral sources, and a free traffic checker tool., APIs available in REST and Batch modes: REST delivers JSON responses, while Batch handles large CSV reports., and Webhook support for subscribing to daily or monthly data releases, with options to manage subscriptions directly..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade, Education, and Blogs.
Adds coverage: App & Website Traffic, APIs & SDKs, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins
Standout features: Website traffic and engagement analytics, including keyword research, referral sources, and a free traffic checker tool., APIs available in REST and Batch modes: REST delivers JSON responses, while Batch handles large CSV reports., Webhook support for subscribing to daily or monthly data releases, with options to manage subscriptions directly., and Data Exporter for no-code bulk exports, including scheduled email delivery and CSV downloads.
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free
Why investors switch
- FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
- Expands into Calendar, Inflation Rates, and Unemployment Rates coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online., Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources., and Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade, Education, and Blogs.
Adds coverage: Calendar, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, and GDP
Standout features: Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online., Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources., Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration., and ALFRED (the archival database) provides point-in-time vintages, letting you track historical revisions exactly as they were published.
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free
Why investors switch
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
- Expands into Calendar, Inflation Rates, and Unemployment Rates coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Public Data API v2: JSON and Excel (.xlsx) output; single or batched series; optional calculations, annual averages, aspects & catalog metadata for registered users., Usage limits (v2): up to 50 series per query, up to 20 years per query, ~50 requests per 10 seconds; daily cap 500 queries (registered) or 25 (unregistered)., and Data Tools: Series Report (direct series ID lookup), Top Picks, One‑screen/Multi‑screen table builders, Data Finder, charts for news releases, CPI Inflation Calculator..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Data Visualizations, Shipping & Trade, and Blogs.
Adds coverage: Calendar, Inflation Rates, and Unemployment Rates
Standout features: Public Data API v2: JSON and Excel (.xlsx) output; single or batched series; optional calculations, annual averages, aspects & catalog metadata for registered users., Usage limits (v2): up to 50 series per query, up to 20 years per query, ~50 requests per 10 seconds; daily cap 500 queries (registered) or 25 (unregistered)., Data Tools: Series Report (direct series ID lookup), Top Picks, One‑screen/Multi‑screen table builders, Data Finder, charts for news releases, CPI Inflation Calculator., and Official release schedules & feeds: per‑release pages (e.g., Employment Situation) show dates/times (typically 8:30 a.m. ET); global calendar with RSS and iCal (ICS) subscription.
Shared coverage
Experience: Beginner and Intermediate
Pricing: Free
Why investors switch
- Prospero.ai adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
- Expands into Stock Ideas, Screeners, and ETF Screeners coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Ten proprietary signals: 5 short-term (Options/Social/Institutional/Dark Pool/Short Pressure) and 5 long-term (Upside/Downside Breakout, Profitability, Growth, Market Similarity)., Short-term Net Options Sentiment updates ~every 2–5 minutes (real‑time orientation)., and Daily Screener & ‘Our Picks’ lists to surface candidates quickly for different horizons (long/short, short‑term/long‑term)..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Data APIs and Shipping & Trade.
Adds coverage: Stock Ideas, Screeners, ETF Screeners, and Options & Derivatives
Standout features: Ten proprietary signals: 5 short-term (Options/Social/Institutional/Dark Pool/Short Pressure) and 5 long-term (Upside/Downside Breakout, Profitability, Growth, Market Similarity)., Short-term Net Options Sentiment updates ~every 2–5 minutes (real‑time orientation)., Daily Screener & ‘Our Picks’ lists to surface candidates quickly for different horizons (long/short, short‑term/long‑term)., and Mobile apps on iOS and Android with watchlists and in‑app notifications.
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free
Why investors switch
- Expands into Calendar, Central Bank Watcher, and Housing & Construction coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include SDMX RESTful API for programmatic access to data & metadata; supports JSON, XML, CSV output; interactive API docs provided., Bulk downloads: each topic downloadable as a zipped CSV or SDMX file; topical packages show last‑updated stamps., and Release calendar with upcoming/past releases; exportable (CSV/Excel) and accessible via API; RSS feed available..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade, Education, and Blogs.
Adds coverage: Calendar, Central Bank Watcher, Housing & Construction, and Inflation Rates
Standout features: SDMX RESTful API for programmatic access to data & metadata; supports JSON, XML, CSV output; interactive API docs provided., Bulk downloads: each topic downloadable as a zipped CSV or SDMX file; topical packages show last‑updated stamps., Release calendar with upcoming/past releases; exportable (CSV/Excel) and accessible via API; RSS feed available., and Portal exports: Excel/CSV for selected time series (up to 4,500 series per export); Tables & Dashboards can be exported as PDF.
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free
Why investors switch
- Expands into APIs & SDKs, Central Bank Watcher, and Inflation Rates coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Open SDMX 2.1 REST API with discovery & retrieval modes; single entry point at data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/ and rich query parameters (e.g., startPeriod/endPeriod, updatedAfter, includeHistory, detail, firstNObservations/lastNObservations)., Format flexibility via content negotiation and the `format` query param: SDMX‑JSON, CSV, and SDMX‑ML (structure‑specific and generic)., and Interactive portal with export of data (CSV, XLS long/wide, SDMX) and export of visuals (PNG, PDF, PowerPoint)..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade, Education, and Blogs.
Adds coverage: APIs & SDKs, Central Bank Watcher, Inflation Rates, and Interest Rates
Standout features: Open SDMX 2.1 REST API with discovery & retrieval modes; single entry point at data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/ and rich query parameters (e.g., startPeriod/endPeriod, updatedAfter, includeHistory, detail, firstNObservations/lastNObservations)., Format flexibility via content negotiation and the `format` query param: SDMX‑JSON, CSV, and SDMX‑ML (structure‑specific and generic)., Interactive portal with export of data (CSV, XLS long/wide, SDMX) and export of visuals (PNG, PDF, PowerPoint)., and Comprehensive euro‑area macro & markets coverage: HICP inflation, key & market interest rates, exchange rates (reference rates), GDP and labor indicators, plus euro‑area yield curves (spot/forward/par).
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free
Why investors switch
- Expands into APIs & SDKs, Videos, and Other coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure., Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy., and Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade, Education, and Blogs.
Adds coverage: APIs & SDKs, Videos, and Other
Standout features: Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure., Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy., Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints., and Bulk data: Award Data Archive (pre‑generated, by agency/fiscal year), Custom Award Data, Custom Account Data, and full Database Download.
Shared coverage
Assets: Other
Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Platforms: Web and API
Pricing: Free
Why investors switch
- Expands into APIs & SDKs and Regulatory Filings Monitoring coverage beyond what Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) offers.
- Standout features include Interactive explorer to filter, chart trends over time, map by geography, and read consented narratives., Programmatic access via the Consumer Complaint Database Search API; results available as JSON, CSV, XLS, or XLSX., and Daily refresh cadence; complaints published after a response or after 15 days; complaints referred to other regulators are not published..
- Pair it with Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) if you still need Shipping & Trade, Education, and Blogs.
Adds coverage: APIs & SDKs and Regulatory Filings Monitoring
Standout features: Interactive explorer to filter, chart trends over time, map by geography, and read consented narratives., Programmatic access via the Consumer Complaint Database Search API; results available as JSON, CSV, XLS, or XLSX., Daily refresh cadence; complaints published after a response or after 15 days; complaints referred to other regulators are not published., and Detailed fields: product/sub‑product, issue/sub‑issue, company, dates (received/sent to company), state/ZIP (privacy rules), submission channel, tags (e.g., Servicemember, Older American), company public response, response category, timeliness, and (if consented) complaint narrative.
Coverage Snapshot
Where alternatives already align
Most shared categories across the top matches.
New angles introduced
Categories the alternatives add beyond Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC).
Free Access & Pricing
Free options
All 20
20 vetted picks keep a permanent free tier so you can validate workflows before upgrading.
Mobile ready
8/20
8 alternatives bring native mobile access.
API availability
16/20
16 of the shortlisted tools expose API endpoints for automation-heavy workflows.
Quality checks
0 starred / 3 tested
0 tools are flagged as analyst picks; 3 have been hands-on tested.
Avg. coverage overlap
52%
Average percentage of categories shared with the base tool.
Free Alternatives FAQ
What are the best free alternatives to Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)?
Start with MarineTraffic, ORTEX, and Visual Capitalist to replicate Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) workflows without paying for a subscription.
Do these picks stay permanently free?
Yes. Each platform listed keeps a standing free tier with no credit card required -- though export limits or seat caps may apply if you scale usage.
Which Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) workflows stay covered on the free plan?
Expect solid overlap across Data Visualizations, Data APIs, Shipping & Trade, Blogs, and Education, so core Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) workflows can move over without a paid upgrade.
What extra coverage do the free alternatives add?
Alerts, Short Interest, Insider Data, Quant, Index Rebalancing, Money Flow, Options & Derivatives, Options, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, News, Calendar, US Government Trades, Screeners, Newsletters, ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, ETF Fundamentals, ETF Valuation, ETF Factors, ETF Overlap, Portfolio, Watchlist, Backtesting, 13F, Videos, Dividends, Stock Ideas, APIs & SDKs, Webhooks, Playbooks & Case Studies, ETF Screeners, ETF Comparison, Interest Rates, Yield Curves, Scores, Market Sentiment, Fund Holdings, Stock Comparison, Institutional Data, Valuation Models, Analyst Forecasts, AI, AI Report, Compounding Calculator, Position Sizing, Satellite / Geospatial, Other, App & Website Traffic, Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Real Yields, Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Central Bank Watcher, and Regulatory Filings Monitoring show up most often as bonus coverage beyond the base platform, giving you room to experiment before upgrading.
Where might I still rely on Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)?
Education, Blogs, Shipping & Trade, Data APIs, and Data Visualizations remain strengths for Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC). Keep it handy for those tasks or plan for a paid upgrade if they matter.
Information
About Me
Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I'm an independent investor with a soft spot for coding and the stock market - especially value investing (as you can probably tell from the tools I've collected here, haha). Hopefully you'll find something useful or interesting along the way.
Find me here:
- Twitter / X: @Jera_Value
- Substack: Jera Value
Got questions or suggestions? I'm all ears!
Missing a Tool?
Discovered a gem I don't have here yet? Drop the link below and I'll check it out ASAP. Tagging me on X works too! Can't wait to see what you've found!
Starred Tools
These are my top picks. Tools I've tested thoroughly and found to be excellent. They do their job really well, and I use them a lot. If you're not already familiar with them, I highly recommend checking them out.
Tested Tools
These are tools I've tried and found to be solid, but not standout. Think of them as passing an initial quality screen: worth exploring, though not all will be exceptional.
Curation & Accuracy
This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).
Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.