★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Tool comparison edition
Tool Comparison
FOIAsearch vs GuruFocus
FOIAsearch
Best for regulatory filings monitoring
Free • Paid plans available
GuruFocus
Best for stock ideas and screeners
Free • From $549/yr
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The verdict
The bottom line
FOIAsearch and GuruFocus cover a lot of the same ground (3 shared categories, alerts, watchlist, and flags), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. GuruFocus simply does more: 48 categories to FOIAsearch's 4, including stock ideas, screeners, and ETF screeners, plus a mobile app. FOIAsearch counters by being completely free.
Key differences at a glance
- Mobile app
- GuruFocus
- Free trial
- GuruFocus7 days
- Broader coverage
- GuruFocus48 vs 4 categories
- API access
- GuruFocus
- Global coverage
- GuruFocus
- Asset coverage
- GuruFocusAdds ETFs and bonds
Choose
FOIAsearch if…
- You care about regulatory filings monitoring, something GuruFocus doesn't offer
Choose
GuruFocus if…
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You want an API so you can script or automate things
- You care about stock ideas, screeners, and ETF screeners, things FOIAsearch doesn't offer
- You're a long-term investor who cares more about fundamentals than headlines
Comparison snapshot
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free • Paid plans available | Free • From $549/yr |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | 7 days |
Plan limits | — | 38 limits: Free: portfolio limit: Up to 3 portfolios with 25 stocks each for free members, Free: data api requests: 100/month included in the Free API package +36 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | Yes |
API access | No | Yes |
Broker sync | — | Yes |
Integrations | — | GuruFocus Data API, GuruFocus Excel Add-in +6 more |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | Retail Traders, Pro Retail +9 more |
Categories covered | 4 | 48 |
Regions | North America | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | Latency: End of Day and Granularity: EOD | 5 signals: Latency: End of Day, Granularity: EOD +3 more |
Data partners | — | 5 partners: QuoteMedia, Morningstar +3 more |
Capabilities | — | 8 signals: Custom formulas, Ranking backtests +6 more |
Security | — | Status page and Encryption in transit |
| Try it | Visit FOIAsearch | Visit GuruFocus |
Standout features
What FOIAsearch does best
- Unified search of SEC FOIA Logs with lists for ‘All Requests’ and ‘B7A Exempt Requests’.
- ‘Protect My Portfolio’ email alerts on FOIA activity tied to saved companies/tickers.
- ‘IR Watch’ alerts when hedge funds, research firms, or reporters FOIA your company (IR use‑case).
- Monthly ‘Prominent Reporter Alerts’ to see what journalists are requesting before stories publish.
- B7A (FOIA Exemption 7(A)) call‑outs; academic work shows B7A denials are predictive of ongoing/future SEC investigations.
What GuruFocus does best
- Global value-investing research platform with historical financial and valuation data, screeners, charts, comparisons, institutional-investor trading histories, executive trading histories, market valuation data, economic indicators, and industry indicators.
- Large global coverage footprint: GuruFocus says it serves more than 1 million users worldwide, covers 100,000 stocks in 100 markets, tracks 8,000+ institutional investors’ trading histories, and tracks 15,000+ mutual fund holdings; API documentation separately describes 60,000+ companies across 9 regions.
- All-in-One Screener with 500+ filters across fundamentals, valuation, profitability, growth, dividends, guru holdings, insider trades, predefined value screens, custom filters, saved screens, downloadable results, and portfolio workflow integration.
- Screener backtesting for more than 80 countries, with U.S. backtests starting January 1, 2006 and non-U.S. country backtests generally starting January 1, 2016; parameters include stock count, ranking metric, sort order, start/end date, and rebalance frequency.
- GuruFocus states that screener backtests are designed to be free of survivorship bias by considering historical mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, and delistings.
Data & access details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Stocks | StocksETFsBondsMutual FundsOptionsFundsOther |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Not specified | Retail TradersPro RetailLong-term InvestorsValue InvestorsQuality InvestorsDividend InvestorsAnalystsQuants/Developers+3 more |
Regions | North America | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica |
Coverage details | Countries: US | Identifiers: Ticker and CIK |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | End of Day | End of Day |
Data granularity | EOD | EOD |
Pricing sources | Not specified | ExchangeVendorModel |
Data partners | Not specified | QuoteMediaMorningstarRefinitivFREDSEC / local regulators |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | Not specified | REST |
API auth & delivery | Not specified | Auth: APIKeySDKs: Python and GoDocs |
Import methods | Not specified | CSVBrokerOAuthManual |
Integrations | Not specified | GuruFocus Data APIGuruFocus Excel Add-inGuruFocus Google Sheets Add-onSnapTradeSchwabFidelityRobinhoodInteractive Brokers |
Export formats | Not specified | CSVExcelJSON |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Not specified | Status pageEncryption in transit |
Capability signals | Not specified | Custom formulasRanking backtestsUniverse builderFactors: Value, Quality, Momentum, and GrowthBroker syncMulti-currencyYield curvesAI summaries: Transcripts |
Vendor & support | Dorsey Research LLCSupport: Email | GuruFocus.com, LLCCountry: United StatesFounded 2004Support: Email, Chat, Phone, and Forum |
Curation ratings | Methodology 3/5Reliability 3/5UX 4/5 | Not specified |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing breakdown
Free
Lower starting price
Plans & pricing
$549/yr
Starting price
Plans & pricing
- portfolio limit: Up to 3 portfolios with 25 stocks each for free members
- data api requests: 100/month included in the Free API package
- +1 more
- billing: Annual only
- data api requests: 200/month included with Premium membership
- +2 more
- billing: Annual only
- data api requests: 500/month included with Premium Plus membership
- +2 more
- billing: Annual only
- data api requests: 2,000/month included with Professional membership
- requests: 100/month
- billing: Billed annually
- canada add on: $100/month
- +8 more
- billing: Billed annually
- initial top up: $100 credit
- company profile: $0.10/request
- +11 more
Coverage overlap
FOIAsearch strengths
1What you only get with FOIAsearch.
GuruFocus strengths
45What you only get with GuruFocus.
Community category leaders
Vote sentiment comparison
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between FOIAsearch and GuruFocus?
FOIAsearch leans toward alerts, regulatory filings monitoring, and watchlist, while GuruFocus puts more weight on stock ideas, screeners, and ETF screeners. They overlap in 3 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do FOIAsearch and GuruFocus cost?
Good news: both FOIAsearch and GuruFocus have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Can I use FOIAsearch or GuruFocus on my phone?
GuruFocus lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. FOIAsearch doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web.
Does FOIAsearch or GuruFocus have an API?
GuruFocus has an API for programmatic access and custom integrations. FOIAsearch doesn't, so you're working through its interface.
Should I choose FOIAsearch or GuruFocus?
It depends on what you're after. Pick FOIAsearch if regulatory filings monitoring matter to you; go with GuruFocus if you'd rather have stock ideas and screeners. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do FOIAsearch and GuruFocus cover?
Both cover stocks. GuruFocus adds ETFs, bonds, and mutual funds on top.
Which covers international markets: FOIAsearch or GuruFocus?
GuruFocus has documented international coverage (North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, and more), so it's the safer bet if you hold non-US stocks. FOIAsearch is more region-specific, mainly North America.
Can I export data from FOIAsearch and GuruFocus?
GuruFocus exports to CSV and Excel. FOIAsearch is stingier about getting data out.
Which has a better stock screener: FOIAsearch or GuruFocus?
GuruFocus has a stock screener for surfacing ideas; FOIAsearch doesn't, and focuses its energy elsewhere.
Can I track my portfolio with FOIAsearch or GuruFocus?
GuruFocus handles portfolio tracking. FOIAsearch is really a research tool; you'd track your portfolio elsewhere.
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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.