★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Tool comparison edition
Tool Comparison
Find and update company information (Companies House) vs FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
Pick Find and update company information (Companies House) instead if
Find and update company information (Companies House)
Free · Web · API
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You care about regulatory filings monitoring, something FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) doesn't offer
Start here
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
Free · Web · Mobile · API
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You care about macro data, data visualizations, and calendar, things Find and update company information (Companies House) doesn't offer
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
See alternativesOutbound links may include affiliate or sponsor codes.
Our take
The bottom line
Find and update company information (Companies House) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) cover a lot of the same ground (3 shared categories, alerts, APIs & data feeds, and official sources), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) simply does more: 7 categories to Find and update company information (Companies House)'s 4, including macro data, data visualizations, and calendar, plus a mobile app. Find and update company information (Companies House) counters by being completely free.
What readers say
Find and update company information (Companies House)
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
Key differences at a glance
- Real-time data
- Find and update company information (Companies House)
- Broader coverage
- FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)7 vs 4 categories
- Mobile app
- FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
- Free plan
- Both
See for yourself
How they stack up
The side-by-side table: pricing, platforms, data, and coverage at a glance.ShowHide
How they stack up
The side-by-side table: pricing, platforms, data, and coverage at a glance.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free | Free |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | Free: api rate limit: 600 requests per 5 minutes | Free: api key required: Yes and Free: api rate limited: Yes |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | Yes |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | No | — |
Integrations | — | Microsoft Excel (FRED Add-in) |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | Students/Researchers, Analysts +1 more |
Categories covered | 4 | 7 |
Regions | Europe | — |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | 3 signals: Latency: Real-time and Streaming, Corporate actions: Current +1 more | — |
| Try it | Visit Find and update company information (Companies House) | Visit FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) |
Where each one shines
What Find and update company information (Companies House) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) each do best.ShowHide
Where each one shines
What Find and update company information (Companies House) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) each do best.What Find and update company information (Companies House) does best
- Search tools across the official UK register for active and dissolved companies, registered details, company status, filing history, officers, charges, insolvency records, and document images.
- Views for reviewing accounts, confirmation statements, incorporation documents, officer appointments, mortgage charges, and other filings from the company record.
- Persons with significant control when ownership or control context matters for diligence, supplier review, or private-company research.
- Monitoring companies and receive email alerts when new filings are accepted, with direct links back to the filing history.
- Advanced search filters for company status, dates, filing types, directors, and other register fields where available.
What FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) does best
- Search tools across and chart hundreds of thousands of economic and financial data series from many official and third-party sources.
- Research coverage for macro topics such as GDP, inflation, prices, employment, exchange rates, interest rates, credit, monetary data, and market indicators.
- Browsing access to by categories, releases, sources, and tags, with series metadata for units, frequency, last update, and next release where available.
- FRED charts for visualization, sharing, embedded graphs, graph images, and saved graph workflows with a free account.
- Monitoring the economic release calendar for scheduled release dates and times, while accounting for provider timing and availability caveats.
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for Find and update company information (Companies House) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data), side by side.ShowHide
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for Find and update company information (Companies House) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data), side by side.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Other | Other |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Not specified | Students/ResearchersAnalystsQuants/Developers |
Regions | Europe | Not specified |
Coverage details | Countries: GB | Not specified |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Real-timeStreaming | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | REST |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKey and OAuth2120 req/min | Auth: APIKeyDocs |
Integrations | Not specified | Microsoft Excel (FRED Add-in) |
Export formats | PDFCSV | ExcelImageJSONXML |
| Plans & trust | ||
Vendor & support | Companies House (Executive agency of the UK Government)Country: United KingdomSupport: Email and Phone | Federal Reserve Bank of St. LouisCountry: United StatesSupport: Email |
Curation ratings | Methodology 5/5Reliability 5/5UX 4/5 | Not specified |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
What you'll actually pay
Plans, billing, trials, and per-month pricing for both tools.ShowHide
What you'll actually pay
Plans, billing, trials, and per-month pricing for both tools.| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Freeapi rate limit: 600 requests per 5 minutes | Freeapi key required: Yes · api rate limited: Yes |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between Find and update company information (Companies House) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)?
Find and update company information (Companies House) leans toward regulatory filings monitoring, alerts, and APIs & data feeds, while FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) puts more weight on macro data, data visualizations, and calendar. They overlap in 3 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do Find and update company information (Companies House) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) cost?
Good news: both Find and update company information (Companies House) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Can I use Find and update company information (Companies House) or FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) on my phone?
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. Find and update company information (Companies House) doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web and API.
Do Find and update company information (Companies House) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) have APIs?
Yes, both offer API access, so developers and quants can pull data programmatically or wire up their own integrations.
Should I choose Find and update company information (Companies House) or FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)?
It depends on what you're after. Pick Find and update company information (Companies House) if regulatory filings monitoring matter to you; go with FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) if you'd rather have macro data and data visualizations. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
Does Find and update company information (Companies House) or FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) have real-time data?
Find and update company information (Companies House) offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) runs on delayed or end-of-day data, which is perfectly fine for longer-term investors who don't live and die by the tick.
Can I export data from Find and update company information (Companies House) and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)?
Yes, both export to spreadsheets (Find and update company information (Companies House): CSV; FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data): Excel), which is handy if you like running your own numbers.
Keep researching
More comparisons to check
Other tools you might like
Keep Exploring
Feedback
Spot stale pricing, missing features, or a comparison that feels off? Send feedback on the verdict, table, alternatives, or recommendation.
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.