VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Head-to-head

Diffchecker vs FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Diffchecker adds Diff View coverage that FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) skips.

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) includes Data APIs, Calendar, Data Visualizations, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins categories that Diffchecker omits.

Diffchecker highlights: Supports multi-format comparisons: text, images, PDFs, Excel files, and folders., Desktop apps allow fully offline diffs, ensuring comparisons never leave the user’s computer., and Real-time text diffing, diff merging, dark mode, and export to PDF..

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) is known 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..

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) offers mobile access, which Diffchecker skips.

Diffchecker logo

Diffchecker

diffchecker.com

Diffchecker is a comparison tool for text, images, PDFs, Excel files, and folders. The free Basic plan is web-only, while Pro + Desktop adds offline diffs, ad-free usage, real-time text comparison, and desktop apps. Legal and Enterprise tiers include integrations (e.g. iManage) and advanced admin features. Enterprise also offers SAML SSO, SCIM provisioning, and priority support. An API is available with free and paid plans, and a 14-day trial is offered for Pro/Desktop plans.

Platforms

Web
Desktop
API

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • Supports multi-format comparisons: text, images, PDFs, Excel files, and folders.
  • Desktop apps allow fully offline diffs, ensuring comparisons never leave the user’s computer.
  • Real-time text diffing, diff merging, dark mode, and export to PDF.
  • Syntax highlighting for 20+ programming languages with character-by-character precision.
  • Public HTTP API supports text, image, PDF, and Excel diffs with tiered monthly quotas and input size limits.

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FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) logo

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

Web
Mobile
API

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.

Community votes (overall)

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

1 overlap

Both tools cover this research theme.

Where they differ

Diffchecker

Distinct strengths include:

  • Supports multi-format comparisons: text, images, PDFs, Excel files, and folders.
  • Desktop apps allow fully offline diffs, ensuring comparisons never leave the user’s computer.
  • Real-time text diffing, diff merging, dark mode, and export to PDF.
  • Syntax highlighting for 20+ programming languages with character-by-character precision.

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Distinct strengths 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.
  • 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

AttributeDiffcheckerFRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: APIs & SDKs

Unique: Diff View

Shared: APIs & SDKs

Unique: Data APIs, Calendar, Data Visualizations, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields, Sheets / Excel Add-ins

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

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, Desktop, API

Web, Mobile, API

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free, Subscription

Free

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • Supports multi-format comparisons: text, images, PDFs, Excel files, and folders.
  • Desktop apps allow fully offline diffs, ensuring comparisons never leave the user’s computer.
  • Real-time text diffing, diff merging, dark mode, and export to PDF.
  • Syntax highlighting for 20+ programming languages with character-by-character precision.
  • Public HTTP API supports text, image, PDF, and Excel diffs with tiered monthly quotas and input size limits.
  • API authentication uses an email query for the free tier, and API keys for paid plans.

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Diffchecker and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) both support?

Both platforms cover APIs & SDKs workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do Diffchecker and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) require subscriptions?

Both Diffchecker 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 Diffchecker focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Diffchecker differentiates itself with Supports multi-format comparisons: text, images, PDFs, Excel files, and folders., Desktop apps allow fully offline diffs, ensuring comparisons never leave the user’s computer., and Real-time text diffing, diff merging, dark mode, and export to PDF., 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..

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.