Tool Comparison
Find and update company information (Companies House) vs Open Payments (CMS)
- Paid from
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API
Best if
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You want alerts.
- Paid from
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API
Best if
- You want data visualizations.
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 want alerts.
Pick Open Payments (CMS) if
Open Payments (CMS)
Free · Web · API
- You want data visualizations.
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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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. Find and update company information (Companies House) includes alerts, and Open Payments (CMS) includes data visualizations.
What readers say
Find and update company information (Companies House)
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Open Payments (CMS)
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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
What Find and update company information (Companies House) does best
- Search across the official UK register for active and dissolved companies, registered details, company status, filing history, officers, charges, insolvency records, and document images.
- Review 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.
- Monitor 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.
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 | 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 | — |
| Try it | Visit Find and update company information (Companies House) | Visit Open Payments (CMS) |
Standout features
The best features of Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS).ShowHide
Standout features
What Find and update company information (Companies House) does best
- Search across the official UK register for active and dissolved companies, registered details, company status, filing history, officers, charges, insolvency records, and document images.
- Review 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.
- Monitor 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.
All details
Every attribute we track for Find and update company information (Companies House) and Open Payments (CMS).ShowHide
All details
| 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 | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | REST |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKey and OAuth2120 req/min | Auth: None |
Export formats | PDFCSV | CSVJSON |
| Plans & trust | ||
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.
Pricing
Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.ShowHide
Pricing
| 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.
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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.