VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View ETF Action View USAspending Back to Home

Head-to-head

ETF Action vs USAspending comparison

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

Quick takeaways

ETF Action adds ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, ETF Fundamentals, ETF Valuation, ETF Factors, ETF Overlap, Screeners, Portfolio, Watchlist, Backtesting, 13F, Alerts, and Blogs coverage that USAspending skips.

USAspending includes APIs & SDKs, and Other categories that ETF Action omits.

ETF Action highlights: Global ETF ‘Channels’ taxonomy with category reports and dashboards (Size & Style US/Global, Region & Country, Sector & Industry, Thematic, Fixed Income, Non‑Traditional, Commodities, Crypto)., Look‑through analytics on fund holdings for factor/style, sector/industry, country, concentration; portfolio overlap analysis across funds or entire models., and Flows & trading dashboards (volumes/ADV); flows noted as T+1 timing in daily updates..

USAspending is known for: Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure., Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy., and Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints..

ETF Action

etfaction.com

Independent ETF analytics platform for advisors and asset managers. Offers global ETF classification, look‑through holdings analytics, overlap analysis, flows/volumes with T+1 flow timing, live quotes (FMV) via Polygon.io, model portfolio tools, 13F screening (Advisor Pro), and enterprise options including API access. DIY/Advisor Pro plans emphasize self‑service research and Excel/CSV downloads; Enterprise adds collaboration, custom dashboards, and API. A separate Model Builder plan enables model uploads and ‘Bridge’ trading integration. API details are not publicly documented—confirm endpoints and auth with vendor.

Platforms

Web

API

Pricing

Free

Subscription

Quick highlights

Global ETF ‘Channels’ taxonomy with category reports and dashboards (Size & Style US/Global, Region & Country, Sector & Industry, Thematic, Fixed Income, Non‑Traditional, Commodities, Crypto).
Look‑through analytics on fund holdings for factor/style, sector/industry, country, concentration; portfolio overlap analysis across funds or entire models.
Flows & trading dashboards (volumes/ADV); flows noted as T+1 timing in daily updates.
Live pricing on platform pages via Polygon.io FMV quotes (real‑time-ish indicative).
Screeners for ETFs; watchlists; data exports to Excel/CSV (DIY 50 rows, Advisor Pro 500 rows).

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USAspending

usaspending.gov

Official U.S. federal spending open‑data portal mandated by the DATA Act and operated by Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service. The public REST API powers the site (GET/POST endpoints, JSON responses). Data refreshes daily after a nightly pipeline; underlying source systems update on different cadences (e.g., monthly for Files A/B/C via the DATA Act Broker; next‑day for FPDS contracts; FABS within 2 weeks; FSRS subawards by month‑end; GTAS monthly). Bulk downloads and archives are available for awards back to FY2008.

Platforms

Web

API

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure.
Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy.
Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints.
Bulk data: Award Data Archive (pre‑generated, by agency/fiscal year), Custom Award Data, Custom Account Data, and full Database Download.
Award coverage: contracts, contract IDVs, grants, direct payments, loans, insurance, other financial assistance; prime awards and subawards (FSRS).

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

3 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Data Visualizations, Data APIs, and Videos.

Where they differ

ETF Action

Distinct strengths include:

Global ETF ‘Channels’ taxonomy with category reports and dashboards (Size & Style US/Global, Region & Country, Sector & Industry, Thematic, Fixed Income, Non‑Traditional, Commodities, Crypto).
Look‑through analytics on fund holdings for factor/style, sector/industry, country, concentration; portfolio overlap analysis across funds or entire models.
Flows & trading dashboards (volumes/ADV); flows noted as T+1 timing in daily updates.
Live pricing on platform pages via Polygon.io FMV quotes (real‑time-ish indicative).

USAspending

Distinct strengths include:

APIs & SDKs

Other

Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure.
Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy.
Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints.
Bulk data: Award Data Archive (pre‑generated, by agency/fiscal year), Custom Award Data, Custom Account Data, and full Database Download.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	ETF Action	USAspending
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data Visualizations, Data APIs, Videos Unique: ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, ETF Fundamentals, ETF Valuation, ETF Factors, ETF Overlap, Screeners, Portfolio, Watchlist, Backtesting, 13F, Alerts, Blogs	Shared: Data Visualizations, Data APIs, Videos Unique: APIs & SDKs, Other
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	ETFs, 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, API
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free, Subscription	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique Global ETF ‘Channels’ taxonomy with category reports and dashboards (Size & Style US/Global, Region & Country, Sector & Industry, Thematic, Fixed Income, Non‑Traditional, Commodities, Crypto). Look‑through analytics on fund holdings for factor/style, sector/industry, country, concentration; portfolio overlap analysis across funds or entire models. Flows & trading dashboards (volumes/ADV); flows noted as T+1 timing in daily updates. Live pricing on platform pages via Polygon.io FMV quotes (real‑time-ish indicative). Screeners for ETFs; watchlists; data exports to Excel/CSV (DIY 50 rows, Advisor Pro 500 rows). Model portfolio creation & back‑testing; private model marketplaces for advisors/strategists.	Unique Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure. Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy. Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints. Bulk data: Award Data Archive (pre‑generated, by agency/fiscal year), Custom Award Data, Custom Account Data, and full Database Download. Award coverage: contracts, contract IDVs, grants, direct payments, loans, insurance, other financial assistance; prime awards and subawards (FSRS). Entity identifiers: UEI (replaced DUNS on Apr 4, 2022) used for recipients as the governmentwide identifier (via SAM.gov).
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 ETF Action and USAspending both support?

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

Do ETF Action and USAspending require subscriptions?

Both ETF Action and USAspending keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access ETF Action and USAspending?

Both ETF Action and USAspending 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?

ETF Action differentiates itself with Global ETF ‘Channels’ taxonomy with category reports and dashboards (Size & Style US/Global, Region & Country, Sector & Industry, Thematic, Fixed Income, Non‑Traditional, Commodities, Crypto)., Look‑through analytics on fund holdings for factor/style, sector/industry, country, concentration; portfolio overlap analysis across funds or entire models., and Flows & trading dashboards (volumes/ADV); flows noted as T+1 timing in daily updates., whereas USAspending stands out for Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure., Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy., and Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints..

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

Browse the categories and profiles that overlap most with this comparison to round out your shortlist.