VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Tool Comparison

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) vs FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) adds Central Bank Watcher coverage that FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) skips.

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) includes Unemployment Rates, GDP, PMI / ISM, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields, APIs & SDKs, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins categories that BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) omits.

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) offers mobile access, which BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) skips.

In depth comparison

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements)

data.bis.org

Official BIS portal for global monetary/financial statistics with an SDMX REST API and bulk downloads. Covers international banking (locational/consolidated), debt securities, credit to the non‑financial sector, global liquidity, exchange‑traded & OTC derivatives, Triennial FX/IR derivatives turnover, property prices, consumer prices, effective/bilateral exchange rates, and central bank statistics (policy rates, total assets). Features include a release calendar (with RSS), shareable query links, bookmarks, custom charts/tables, and export to Excel/CSV/PDF. API adheres to the SDMX REST v2.1 spec; formats include JSON, XML, and CSV.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

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.
Portal exports: Excel/CSV for selected time series (up to 4,500 series per export); Tables & Dashboards can be exported as PDF.
Code snippets generator (Python/R/Matlab) to fetch selected series via the SDMX API; shareable URLs preserve filters/settings.

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FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

fred.stlouisfed.org

One of the most trusted sources of macroeconomic and market data worldwide. FRED offers free access to charts, releases, Excel add-ins, and a public API. An API key (free) is required, with standard rate limits. ALFRED, the companion service, provides vintage datasets so you can see what was known at any point in time.

Platforms

WebMobileAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

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.
ALFRED (the archival database) provides point-in-time vintages, letting you track historical revisions exactly as they were published.
Maps API delivers regional datasets with GeoJSON shapefiles for states, counties, MSAs, and more.

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Where they differ

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements)

Distinct strengths include:

Central Bank Watcher

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.
Portal exports: Excel/CSV for selected time series (up to 4,500 series per export); Tables & Dashboards can be exported as PDF.

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Distinct strengths include:

Unemployment Rates GDP PMI / ISM Retail Sales Consumer Sentiment Yield Curves Real Yields APIs & SDKs

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.
ALFRED (the archival database) provides point-in-time vintages, letting you track historical revisions exactly as they were published.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements)	FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data APIs, Calendar, Data Visualizations, Housing & Construction, Inflation Rates, Interest Rates Unique: Central Bank Watcher	Shared: Data APIs, Calendar, Data Visualizations, Housing & Construction, Inflation Rates, Interest Rates Unique: Unemployment Rates, GDP, PMI / ISM, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields, APIs & SDKs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Bonds, Currencies, Options, Futures, Commodities, Real Estate, Other	Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Stocks, Other
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, API	Web, Mobile, API
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique 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. Portal exports: Excel/CSV for selected time series (up to 4,500 series per export); Tables & Dashboards can be exported as PDF. Code snippets generator (Python/R/Matlab) to fetch selected series via the SDMX API; shareable URLs preserve filters/settings. Interactive exploration: search by keyword or series key (supports wildcards), custom tables, multi‑series charts, and break markers on series.	Unique 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. ALFRED (the archival database) provides point-in-time vintages, letting you track historical revisions exactly as they were published. Maps API delivers regional datasets with GeoJSON shapefiles for states, counties, MSAs, and more. Free Excel add-in enables direct downloads, refreshes, frequency conversions, and growth-rate calculations.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Not yet	Not yet
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) both support?

Both platforms cover Data APIs, Calendar, Data Visualizations, Housing & Construction, Inflation Rates, and Interest Rates workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) require subscriptions?

Both BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) ships a dedicated mobile experience, while BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) differentiates itself with 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., whereas FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) stands out for 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..

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