Tool Comparison
Financial Datasets vs SEC API (sec-api.io)
- Paid from
- $200/mo, billed monthly
- Free plan
- No
- Platforms
- Web, API
Best if
- You want screeners, analyst forecasts, and improved filings.
- Paid from
- $55/mo, billed monthly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API
Best if
- You'd rather start free and only pay if you outgrow it
- You want a lower paid starting price: $55/mo, billed monthly instead of $200/mo, billed monthly
- You want regulatory filings monitoring, management compensation, and IPO.
Pick Financial Datasets if
Financial Datasets
From $200/mo, billed monthly · Web · API
- You want screeners, analyst forecasts, and improved filings.
Pick SEC API (sec-api.io) if
SEC API (sec-api.io)
Free • From $55/mo, billed monthly · Web · API
- You'd rather start free and only pay if you outgrow it
- You want a lower paid starting price: $55/mo, billed monthly instead of $200/mo, billed monthly
- You want regulatory filings monitoring, management compensation, and IPO.
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
Financial Datasets and SEC API (sec-api.io) cover a lot of the same ground (4 shared categories, including APIs & data feeds, financials, and insider data), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. Financial Datasets includes screeners and analyst forecasts, and SEC API (sec-api.io) includes regulatory filings monitoring and management compensation.
What readers say
Financial Datasets
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SEC API (sec-api.io)
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Key differences at a glance
- Free plan
- SEC API (sec-api.io)
- Cheaper paid plan
- SEC API (sec-api.io)$55/mo, billed monthly vs $200/mo, billed monthly
- Beginner friendly
- SEC API (sec-api.io)
What Financial Datasets does best
- REST endpoints and a hosted MCP server provide two ways to query the service.
- Datasets include financial statements, segmented financials, stock prices, metrics, earnings, insider trades, institutional holdings, SEC filings, news, crypto prices, and central-bank rates.
- The introduction lists more than 27,000 active and delisted US tickers, while the pricing FAQ says global tickers.
- Historical stock prices are available at daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly intervals.
- The stock screener applies field, operator, and value filters to available financial metrics.
What SEC API (sec-api.io) does best
- Search tools across SEC filings through query and full-text APIs covering all EDGAR form types and historical filings back to 1993.
- Real-time WebSocket filing streams when new SEC filings need to trigger alerts, workflows, or downstream processing quickly.
- Convert XBRL filings to standardized JSON financial statements for income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and US GAAP line-item workflows.
- Extract clean filing sections such as MD&A, Risk Factors, and other 10-K, 10-Q, or 8-K sections for research or AI pipelines.
- Access to specialized APIs for Forms 3/4/5, 13F, 13D/G, Form 144, ADV, S-1, 424B4, Form C, Form D, Reg A, N-PORT, N-PX, and N-CEN data.
Side by side
Pricing comparison
See for yourself
Side by side
Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.ShowHide
Side by side
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | From $200/mo, billed monthly | Free • From $55/mo, billed monthly |
Free tier | No | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | 13 limits: Credits: included requests: 1,000, Credits: l1 coverage: 1 year +11 more | 9 limits: Free Tier: api calls: 100, Personal & Startups: query api rate limit: 20 requests/second/API key +7 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | No |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | No | No |
Integrations | Claude, Cursor +4 more | — |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | Quants/Developers, Algo Traders +1 more | — |
Categories covered | 9 | 7 |
Regions | North America | North America |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | 3 signals: Latency: Real-time and End of Day, Granularity: EOD +1 more | Latency: Real-time |
Capabilities | Universe builder | — |
| Try it | Visit Financial Datasets | Visit SEC API (sec-api.io) |
Standout features
The best features of Financial Datasets and SEC API (sec-api.io).ShowHide
Standout features
What Financial Datasets does best
- REST endpoints and a hosted MCP server provide two ways to query the service.
- Datasets include financial statements, segmented financials, stock prices, metrics, earnings, insider trades, institutional holdings, SEC filings, news, crypto prices, and central-bank rates.
- The introduction lists more than 27,000 active and delisted US tickers, while the pricing FAQ says global tickers.
- Historical stock prices are available at daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly intervals.
- The stock screener applies field, operator, and value filters to available financial metrics.
What SEC API (sec-api.io) does best
- Search tools across SEC filings through query and full-text APIs covering all EDGAR form types and historical filings back to 1993.
- Real-time WebSocket filing streams when new SEC filings need to trigger alerts, workflows, or downstream processing quickly.
- Convert XBRL filings to standardized JSON financial statements for income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and US GAAP line-item workflows.
- Extract clean filing sections such as MD&A, Risk Factors, and other 10-K, 10-Q, or 8-K sections for research or AI pipelines.
- Access to specialized APIs for Forms 3/4/5, 13F, 13D/G, Form 144, ADV, S-1, 424B4, Form C, Form D, Reg A, N-PORT, N-PX, and N-CEN data.
All details
Every attribute we track for Financial Datasets and SEC API (sec-api.io).ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | StocksCryptos | StocksETFsMutual FundsFunds |
Experience | IntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Quants/DevelopersAlgo TradersAnalysts | Not specified |
Regions | North America | North America |
Coverage details | Countries: USExchanges: NASDAQ, NYSE, and AMEXIdentifiers: Ticker and CIK | Countries: USIdentifiers: Ticker and CUSIP |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Real-timeEnd of Day | Real-time |
Data granularity | EOD | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | RESTWebSocket |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKey and OAuth2WebhooksDocs | Auth: APIKeySDKs: Python and TS |
Integrations | ClaudeCursorWindsurfVS CodeZedmcp-remote | Not specified |
Export formats | Not specified | JSONPDF |
| Plans & trust | ||
Capability signals | Universe builder | Not specified |
Vendor & support | Financial Datasets, Inc.Support: Email | Data2Value GmbHSupport: Email |
Curation ratings | Not specified | Methodology 4/5Reliability 4/5UX 4/5 |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing
Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.ShowHide
Pricing
| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | — | Free“Free Tier”api calls: 100 |
| Entry paid plan | $200/moBilled monthly“Build”included requests: 100,000 · monthly request cap: 1,000,000 · +3 more | $55/moBilled monthly“Personal & Startups”query api rate limit: 20 requests/second/API key · included download gbper month: 50 · +2 more |
| Tier 2 | $2000/moBilled monthly“Scale”included requests: 1,000,000 · monthly request cap: 10,000,000 · +3 more | $239/moBilled monthly“Business (Internal Use)”query api rate limit: 40 requests/second/API key · included download gbper month: 100 · +2 more |
| Top plan | $20“Credits”included requests: 1,000 · l1 coverage: 1 year · +1 more | — |
| Custom / enterprise | Contact sales“Enterprise” | Contact sales“Enterprise & Institutions” |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between Financial Datasets and SEC API (sec-api.io)?
Financial Datasets leans toward APIs & data feeds, financials, and screeners, while SEC API (sec-api.io) puts more weight on APIs & data feeds, regulatory filings monitoring, and insider data. They overlap in 4 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
Is Financial Datasets or SEC API (sec-api.io) free to use?
SEC API (sec-api.io) has a free tier, so you can get started without paying anything. Financial Datasets is paid-only. If budget matters, start with SEC API (sec-api.io) and see how far it takes you before opening your wallet.
Which is better for beginners: Financial Datasets or SEC API (sec-api.io)?
SEC API (sec-api.io) is the friendlier place to start; its interface takes less getting used to. Both work fine once you're past the basics.
Do Financial Datasets and SEC API (sec-api.io) have APIs?
Yes, both offer API access, so developers and quants can pull data programmatically or wire up their own integrations.
Should I choose Financial Datasets or SEC API (sec-api.io)?
It depends on what you're after. Pick Financial Datasets if screeners and analyst forecasts matter to you; go with SEC API (sec-api.io) if you'd rather have regulatory filings monitoring and management compensation. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do Financial Datasets and SEC API (sec-api.io) cover?
Both cover stocks. Financial Datasets also handles cryptos. SEC API (sec-api.io) adds ETFs, mutual funds, and funds on top.
Do Financial Datasets and SEC API (sec-api.io) offer real-time data?
Yes, both serve real-time market data, so either works when timing matters.
Which has a better stock screener: Financial Datasets or SEC API (sec-api.io)?
Financial Datasets has a stock screener for surfacing ideas; SEC API (sec-api.io) doesn't, and focuses its energy elsewhere.
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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.