★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Tool comparison edition
Tool Comparison
Find and update company information (Companies House) vs Open Payments (CMS)
Pick Find and update company information (Companies House) 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 alerts, something Open Payments (CMS) doesn't offer
Pick Open Payments (CMS) if
Open Payments (CMS)
Free · Web · API
- You care about data visualizations, something 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 Open Payments (CMS) cover a lot of the same ground (3 shared categories, regulatory filings monitoring, APIs & data feeds, and official sources), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. The real difference is focus: only Find and update company information (Companies House) gives you alerts, and only Open Payments (CMS) gives you data visualizations.
What readers say
Find and update company information (Companies House)
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
Open Payments (CMS)
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
Key differences at a glance
- Real-time data
- Find and update company information (Companies House)
- Global coverage
- Find and update company information (Companies House)
- 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 | — |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | No |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | No | — |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | — |
Categories covered | 4 | 4 |
Regions | Europe | North America |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | 3 signals: Latency: Real-time and Streaming, Corporate actions: Current +1 more | Latency: End of Day and Granularity: EOD |
Security | — | Data residency: US |
| Try it | Visit Find and update company information (Companies House) | Visit Open Payments (CMS) |
Where each one shines
What Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS) each do best.ShowHide
Where each one shines
What Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS) 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 Open Payments (CMS) does best
- Search tools across official Sunshine Act records for payments and ownership interests reported by drug manufacturers, device manufacturers, and group purchasing organizations.
- Comparison tools for General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership or Investment Interests across program years.
- Lookup tools for physicians, non-physician practitioners, teaching hospitals, manufacturers, products, payment categories, dates, and dollar amounts from the public web tool.
- Charts, filters, and downloadable tables to move from a provider, company, or product question into the underlying records.
- Download support for bulk datasets when healthcare, pharma, medtech, policy, or compliance workflows need repeatable offline analysis.
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS), side by side.ShowHide
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS), side by side.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Other | Other |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | Europe | North America |
Coverage details | Countries: GB | Countries: US |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Real-timeStreaming | End of Day |
Data granularity | Not specified | EOD |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | REST |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKey and OAuth2120 req/min | Auth: None |
Export formats | PDFCSV | CSVJSON |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Not specified | Data residency: US |
Vendor & support | Companies House (Executive agency of the UK Government)Country: United KingdomSupport: Email and Phone | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. Department of Health & Human ServicesCountry: USSupport: Email and Phone |
Curation ratings | Methodology 5/5Reliability 5/5UX 4/5 | Methodology 5/5Reliability 5/5UX 4/5 |
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 | Free |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS)?
Find and update company information (Companies House) leans toward regulatory filings monitoring, alerts, and APIs & data feeds, while Open Payments (CMS) puts more weight on APIs & data feeds, data visualizations, and regulatory filings monitoring. 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 Open Payments (CMS) cost?
Good news: both Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS) have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Do Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS) 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 Open Payments (CMS)?
It depends on what you're after. Pick Find and update company information (Companies House) if alerts matter to you; go with Open Payments (CMS) if you'd rather have data visualizations. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
Does Find and update company information (Companies House) or Open Payments (CMS) have real-time data?
Find and update company information (Companies House) offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. Open Payments (CMS) 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.
Which covers international markets: Find and update company information (Companies House) or Open Payments (CMS)?
Find and update company information (Companies House) has documented international coverage (Europe), so it's the safer bet if you hold non-US stocks. Open Payments (CMS) is more region-specific, mainly North America.
Can I export data from Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS)?
Yes, both export to spreadsheets (CSV), which is handy if you like running your own numbers.
Keep researching
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Feedback
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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.