VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ A CURATED DIRECTORY OF FINANCIAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES ★

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Saturday, December 27, 2025

Tool Comparison

ECB Data Portal vs FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) comparison

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

Quick takeaways

ECB Data Portal adds Central Bank Watcher, Yield Curves, and Real Yields coverage that FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) skips.

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) includes Calendar, Alerts, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins categories that ECB Data Portal omits.

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

In depth comparison

ECB Data Portal

data.ecb.europa.eu

Official ECB gateway for euro‑area statistics with an open SDMX 2.1 REST API. The new endpoint is https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/ (replacing the legacy SDW path). Content negotiation supports SDMX‑JSON, CSV, and SDMX‑ML. Charts and tables can be downloaded as CSV/XLS (long & wide), and charts as PNG/PDF/PPT. Typical update cadence is daily to monthly (e.g., reference FX rates around 16:00 CET on working days). ECB advises migrating from the old SDW URL as automatic redirects are planned to end on 1 Oct 2025.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

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).
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).
Revisions/deltas supported (`updatedAfter`) and conditional GET via `If‑Modified‑Since` for efficient sync.

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FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

fred.stlouisfed.org

Free macroeconomic and financial time-series database and tooling operated by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Access via web UI, iOS/Android apps, a Microsoft Excel add-in, and a REST API. Some features (dashboards, data lists, saved graphs/maps) and API key management require a free FRED account; all API requests require an API key and are rate-limited. Usage is subject to the FRED Services Terms of Use (including restrictions on scraping and on certain copyrighted series).

Platforms

WebMobileAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

800,000+ economic data series from 100+ sources, covering topics such as GDP, prices/inflation, employment, exchange rates, and interest rates.
Browse and track data via categories, releases, sources, and tags; series pages show metadata like units/frequency and “last updated / next release” fields.
Graphing and sharing options include embeddable graphs and graph-image links.
Economic release calendar with scheduled release dates/times (US Central Time) and a data-provider caveat for availability.
Account tools can provide email notifications for series updates.

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Where they differ

ECB Data Portal

Distinct strengths include:

Central Bank Watcher Yield Curves Real Yields

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).
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).

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Distinct strengths include:

Calendar Alerts Sheets / Excel Add-ins

800,000+ economic data series from 100+ sources, covering topics such as GDP, prices/inflation, employment, exchange rates, and interest rates.
Browse and track data via categories, releases, sources, and tags; series pages show metadata like units/frequency and “last updated / next release” fields.
Graphing and sharing options include embeddable graphs and graph-image links.
Economic release calendar with scheduled release dates/times (US Central Time) and a data-provider caveat for availability.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	ECB Data Portal	FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data APIs, APIs & SDKs, Inflation Rates, Interest Rates, GDP, Unemployment Rates, Data Visualizations Unique: Central Bank Watcher, Yield Curves, Real Yields	Shared: Data APIs, APIs & SDKs, Inflation Rates, Interest Rates, GDP, Unemployment Rates, Data Visualizations Unique: Calendar, Alerts, Sheets / Excel Add-ins
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Bonds, Currencies, Other	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 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). 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). Revisions/deltas supported (`updatedAfter`) and conditional GET via `If‑Modified‑Since` for efficient sync. Yield curve datasets include AAA euro‑area government curves with daily business‑week frequency; additional capital‑market series include real benchmark bond yields.	Unique 800,000+ economic data series from 100+ sources, covering topics such as GDP, prices/inflation, employment, exchange rates, and interest rates. Browse and track data via categories, releases, sources, and tags; series pages show metadata like units/frequency and “last updated / next release” fields. Graphing and sharing options include embeddable graphs and graph-image links. Economic release calendar with scheduled release dates/times (US Central Time) and a data-provider caveat for availability. Account tools can provide email notifications for series updates. FRED API supports REST over HTTPS and returns XML or JSON; it can query both FRED and ALFRED (archival/vintage) datasets.
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 ECB Data Portal and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) both support?

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

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

Both ECB Data Portal 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 ECB Data Portal focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

ECB Data Portal differentiates itself with 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)., whereas FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) stands out for 800,000+ economic data series from 100+ sources, covering topics such as GDP, prices/inflation, employment, exchange rates, and interest rates., Browse and track data via categories, releases, sources, and tags; series pages show metadata like units/frequency and “last updated / next release” fields., and Graphing and sharing options include embeddable graphs and graph-image links..

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