VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Tool Comparison

CEO Watcher vs FOIAsearch comparison

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

Quick takeaways

CEO Watcher adds Insider Data, News, Newsletters, and Scores coverage that FOIAsearch skips.

FOIAsearch includes Watchlist, and Flags categories that CEO Watcher omits.

In depth comparison

CEO Watcher logo

CEO Watcher

ceowatcher.com

US‑insider trade discovery & ranking tool. CEO Watcher calculates historical forward returns after insiders’ trades (e.g., 1m/3m/6m/1y) and uses this to rank which insiders are worth following. Premium offers a pre‑market daily email of top buys/sells, largest trades, and unusual activity; a 30‑day free trial is advertised. Real‑time notifications are available via the community/Discord channel for paying users. No public API is documented.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

  • Calculates each insider’s historical forward returns after their trades to rank signal quality.
  • Daily pre‑market email with top insider buys/sells (proprietary ranking), largest buys/sells, and companies with most insider activity.
  • Running feed of high‑signal insider trades; real‑time notifications for new filings via Discord for paying users.
  • Focus on U.S. SEC Form 4 activity; supports case‑study write‑ups and pattern archetypes (e.g., momentum buys).
  • 30‑day free Premium trial (no credit card) frequently promoted.

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FOIAsearch logo

FOIAsearch

foiasearch.com

Free SEC‑FOIA log search with investor‑oriented alerts. Tracks FOIA requests filed with the SEC (post‑Oct 1, 2019), highlights requests denied under Exemption 7(A) (B7A)—a known signal of ongoing enforcement activity—and offers alerts for portfolio tickers and issuer‑relations (‘IR Watch’) plus monthly Prominent Reporter Alerts. Built by Edwin Dorsey (The Bear Cave).

Platforms

Web

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

  • Unified search of SEC FOIA Logs with lists for ‘All Requests’ and ‘B7A Exempt Requests’.
  • ‘Protect My Portfolio’ email alerts on FOIA activity tied to saved companies/tickers.
  • ‘IR Watch’ alerts when hedge funds, research firms, or reporters FOIA your company (IR use‑case).
  • Monthly ‘Prominent Reporter Alerts’ to see what journalists are requesting before stories publish.
  • B7A (FOIA Exemption 7(A)) call‑outs; academic work shows B7A denials are predictive of ongoing/future SEC investigations.

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Where they differ

CEO Watcher

Distinct strengths include:

  • Calculates each insider’s historical forward returns after their trades to rank signal quality.
  • Daily pre‑market email with top insider buys/sells (proprietary ranking), largest buys/sells, and companies with most insider activity.
  • Running feed of high‑signal insider trades; real‑time notifications for new filings via Discord for paying users.
  • Focus on U.S. SEC Form 4 activity; supports case‑study write‑ups and pattern archetypes (e.g., momentum buys).

FOIAsearch

Distinct strengths include:

  • Unified search of SEC FOIA Logs with lists for ‘All Requests’ and ‘B7A Exempt Requests’.
  • ‘Protect My Portfolio’ email alerts on FOIA activity tied to saved companies/tickers.
  • ‘IR Watch’ alerts when hedge funds, research firms, or reporters FOIA your company (IR use‑case).
  • Monthly ‘Prominent Reporter Alerts’ to see what journalists are requesting before stories publish.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeCEO WatcherFOIAsearch
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Alerts, Regulatory Filings Monitoring

Unique: Insider Data, News, Newsletters, Scores

Shared: Alerts, Regulatory Filings Monitoring

Unique: Watchlist, Flags

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks

Stocks

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web

Web

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free, Subscription

Free, Subscription

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • Calculates each insider’s historical forward returns after their trades to rank signal quality.
  • Daily pre‑market email with top insider buys/sells (proprietary ranking), largest buys/sells, and companies with most insider activity.
  • Running feed of high‑signal insider trades; real‑time notifications for new filings via Discord for paying users.
  • Focus on U.S. SEC Form 4 activity; supports case‑study write‑ups and pattern archetypes (e.g., momentum buys).
  • 30‑day free Premium trial (no credit card) frequently promoted.

Unique

  • Unified search of SEC FOIA Logs with lists for ‘All Requests’ and ‘B7A Exempt Requests’.
  • ‘Protect My Portfolio’ email alerts on FOIA activity tied to saved companies/tickers.
  • ‘IR Watch’ alerts when hedge funds, research firms, or reporters FOIA your company (IR use‑case).
  • Monthly ‘Prominent Reporter Alerts’ to see what journalists are requesting before stories publish.
  • B7A (FOIA Exemption 7(A)) call‑outs; academic work shows B7A denials are predictive of ongoing/future SEC investigations.
  • Covers SEC FOIA requests filed after Oct 1, 2019; links back to the official SEC FOIA Logs page for provenance.
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 CEO Watcher and FOIAsearch both support?

Both platforms cover Alerts, and Regulatory Filings Monitoring workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do CEO Watcher and FOIAsearch require subscriptions?

Both CEO Watcher and FOIAsearch keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access CEO Watcher and FOIAsearch?

Both CEO Watcher and FOIAsearch prioritize web or desktop access. Investors wanting a mobile-first workflow may need to rely on responsive web views.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

CEO Watcher differentiates itself with Calculates each insider’s historical forward returns after their trades to rank signal quality., Daily pre‑market email with top insider buys/sells (proprietary ranking), largest buys/sells, and companies with most insider activity., and Running feed of high‑signal insider trades; real‑time notifications for new filings via Discord for paying users., whereas FOIAsearch stands out for Unified search of SEC FOIA Logs with lists for ‘All Requests’ and ‘B7A Exempt Requests’., ‘Protect My Portfolio’ email alerts on FOIA activity tied to saved companies/tickers., and ‘IR Watch’ alerts when hedge funds, research firms, or reporters FOIA your company (IR use‑case)..

Keep exploring

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.