VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

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Tool Comparison

Find and update company information (Companies House) vs Open Payments (CMS) comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Find and update company information (Companies House) adds Alerts coverage that Open Payments (CMS) skips.

Open Payments (CMS) includes APIs & SDKs, and Data Visualizations categories that Find and update company information (Companies House) omits.

In depth comparison

Find and update company information (Companies House)

find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk

The official UK companies register, providing free search and access to filing histories, document images, and company information. Users can follow companies for email alerts on new filings, and bulk data is available via monthly downloads. Certified copies and certificates are offered for a fee. Developers have access to REST and Streaming APIs with clear rate limits, making the service a reliable, real-time regulatory source.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Free search and viewing of company information including registered details, officers, filing history, document images, mortgage charges, and insolvency data.
Follow companies and receive email alerts when new filings are accepted, with direct links to the filing history.
Order certified copies and certificates (fees apply, e.g. £15 standard / £50 express).
Bulk data available as monthly CSV snapshots of the entire UK companies register.
Public REST API providing structured access to company data (companies, officers, persons of significant control, etc.), authenticated via API key; some flows support OAuth2. Rate limit of 600 requests per 5 minutes.

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Open Payments (CMS)

openpaymentsdata.cms.gov

U.S. federal open‑data program (Affordable Care Act ‘Sunshine Act’) that publishes financial relationships between drug/device manufacturers (and GPOs) and healthcare providers (physicians, NPPs since PY2021, and teaching hospitals). CMS publishes the prior program year’s full datasets on or before June 30 each year and issues a January refresh. Data are accessible via the web search tool, bulk downloads, and a REST Open Data API (filter, query, aggregate).

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests.
Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal.
Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style).
Publication cadence: initial annual publication on/around June 30 for the prior year, plus a January data refresh.
Pre‑publication workflow: 45‑day recipient review & dispute (Apr 1–May 15) + 15‑day correction window (May 16–May 30).

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Where they differ

Find and update company information (Companies House)

Distinct strengths include:

Alerts

Free search and viewing of company information including registered details, officers, filing history, document images, mortgage charges, and insolvency data.
Follow companies and receive email alerts when new filings are accepted, with direct links to the filing history.
Order certified copies and certificates (fees apply, e.g. £15 standard / £50 express).
Bulk data available as monthly CSV snapshots of the entire UK companies register.

Open Payments (CMS)

Distinct strengths include:

APIs & SDKs Data Visualizations

Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests.
Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal.
Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style).
Publication cadence: initial annual publication on/around June 30 for the prior year, plus a January data refresh.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	Find and update company information (Companies House)	Open Payments (CMS)
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Regulatory Filings Monitoring, Data APIs Unique: Alerts	Shared: Regulatory Filings Monitoring, Data APIs Unique: APIs & SDKs, Data Visualizations
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	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, API
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique Free search and viewing of company information including registered details, officers, filing history, document images, mortgage charges, and insolvency data. Follow companies and receive email alerts when new filings are accepted, with direct links to the filing history. Order certified copies and certificates (fees apply, e.g. £15 standard / £50 express). Bulk data available as monthly CSV snapshots of the entire UK companies register. Public REST API providing structured access to company data (companies, officers, persons of significant control, etc.), authenticated via API key; some flows support OAuth2. Rate limit of 600 requests per 5 minutes. Streaming API for real-time updates covering company information, filing history, insolvency, and charges.	Unique Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests. Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal. Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style). Publication cadence: initial annual publication on/around June 30 for the prior year, plus a January data refresh. Pre‑publication workflow: 45‑day recipient review & dispute (Apr 1–May 15) + 15‑day correction window (May 16–May 30). Supplemental/lookup tables (e.g., Covered Recipient Profile Supplement; distinct physician profile) to aid joins.
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 Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS) both support?

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

Do Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS) require subscriptions?

Both Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS) keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS)?

Both Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS) 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?

Find and update company information (Companies House) differentiates itself with Free search and viewing of company information including registered details, officers, filing history, document images, mortgage charges, and insolvency data., Follow companies and receive email alerts when new filings are accepted, with direct links to the filing history., and Order certified copies and certificates (fees apply, e.g. £15 standard / £50 express)., whereas Open Payments (CMS) stands out for Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests., Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal., and Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style)..

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