VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

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Thursday, October 30, 2025

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Tool Comparison

CFPB Consumer Complaint Database vs SEC.gov (EDGAR) comparison

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

Quick takeaways

CFPB Consumer Complaint Database adds APIs & SDKs, and Data Visualizations coverage that SEC.gov (EDGAR) skips.

SEC.gov (EDGAR) includes 13F, 13D/13G, Insider Data, Financials, and Other categories that CFPB Consumer Complaint Database omits.

In depth comparison

CFPB Consumer Complaint Database

consumerfinance.gov

Official U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) database of consumer financial complaints. Complaints are published after the company responds or after 15 days (whichever comes first); the database generally updates daily. Narratives are published only with consumer consent and are scrubbed to remove personal information. The dataset includes product/issue taxonomies, company names, location fields (state/ZIP with privacy rules), submission channel, dates, company response categories, timeliness, tags (e.g., servicemember, older adult) and more. UI provides filters, trends, and maps; API returns JSON/CSV/Excel formats for programmatic use.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

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.
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.
Download tools on the site plus API endpoints for bulk or filtered pulls; annual and topical reports summarize trends.

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SEC.gov (EDGAR)

sec.gov

Editor’s pick Hands-on review

The official source of U.S. regulatory filings. EDGAR provides free public access through its web portal, JSON data APIs, and structured RSS feeds (updated every 10 minutes). Developers can use the APIs on data.sec.gov for submissions and XBRL datasets, while filers use separate EDGAR Next APIs that require tokens. No email alerting is provided—RSS is the only push channel. Automated access must respect fair-use guidelines, including a descriptive User-Agent.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date.
Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames.
APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion.
Structured RSS feeds for XBRL disclosures update every 10 minutes during filing hours (Mon–Fri, 6am–10pm ET). Email alerts are not offered.
Official downloadable datasets include 13F holdings (as filed), Form D, and Financial Statement Data Sets (both as-filed statements and notes).

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Where they differ

CFPB Consumer Complaint Database

Distinct strengths include:

APIs & SDKs Data Visualizations

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.
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.

SEC.gov (EDGAR)

Distinct strengths include:

13F 13D/13G Insider Data Financials Other

Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date.
Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames.
APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion.
Structured RSS feeds for XBRL disclosures update every 10 minutes during filing hours (Mon–Fri, 6am–10pm ET). Email alerts are not offered.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	CFPB Consumer Complaint Database	SEC.gov (EDGAR)
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data APIs, Regulatory Filings Monitoring Unique: APIs & SDKs, Data Visualizations	Shared: Data APIs, Regulatory Filings Monitoring Unique: 13F, 13D/13G, Insider Data, Financials, Other
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Other	Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Closed-End Funds
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, API	Web, API
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique 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. 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. Download tools on the site plus API endpoints for bulk or filtered pulls; annual and topical reports summarize trends.	Unique Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date. Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames. APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion. Structured RSS feeds for XBRL disclosures update every 10 minutes during filing hours (Mon–Fri, 6am–10pm ET). Email alerts are not offered. Official downloadable datasets include 13F holdings (as filed), Form D, and Financial Statement Data Sets (both as-filed statements and notes). The ‘Latest Filings’ feed shows real-time submissions entering EDGAR.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Not yet	Yes
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Highlighted

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do CFPB Consumer Complaint Database and SEC.gov (EDGAR) both support?

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

Do CFPB Consumer Complaint Database and SEC.gov (EDGAR) require subscriptions?

Both CFPB Consumer Complaint Database and SEC.gov (EDGAR) keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access CFPB Consumer Complaint Database and SEC.gov (EDGAR)?

Both CFPB Consumer Complaint Database and SEC.gov (EDGAR) 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?

CFPB Consumer Complaint Database differentiates itself with 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., whereas SEC.gov (EDGAR) stands out for Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date., Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames., and APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion..

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