VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

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Tool Comparison

FOIAsearch vs IBorrowDesk comparison

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

Quick takeaways

FOIAsearch adds Regulatory Filings Monitoring, and Flags coverage that IBorrowDesk skips.

IBorrowDesk includes Short Interest categories that FOIAsearch omits.

In depth comparison

FOIAsearch logo

FOIAsearch

foiasearch.com

Free SEC‑FOIA log search with investor‑oriented alerts. Tracks FOIA requests filed with the SEC (post‑Oct 1, 2019), highlights requests denied under Exemption 7(A) (B7A)—a known signal of ongoing enforcement activity—and offers alerts for portfolio tickers and issuer‑relations (‘IR Watch’) plus monthly Prominent Reporter Alerts. Built by Edwin Dorsey (The Bear Cave).

Platforms

Web

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

  • 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.

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IBorrowDesk logo

IBorrowDesk

iborrowdesk.com

Tracks stock-loan availability and borrow fee data as reported by Interactive Brokers (IBKR). Updates roughly every 15 minutes during North American trading hours and hourly elsewhere on weekdays. The data reflects IBKR only and not the wider market. The site is unaffiliated with IBKR; displayed quotes are provided by IEX. A paid Patron tier adds longer history, CSV exports, and more tracking capacity.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

  • Borrow fee percentages and shortable share availability, sourced directly from Interactive Brokers public datasets.
  • Intraday refresh cadence: ~15 minutes during North American trading hours; hourly outside of them on weekdays.
  • Per-ticker pages show recent borrow snapshots with timestamps, plus options to add tickers to a watchlist or set alerts.
  • Patron plan ($10/month) unlocks 5+ years of history versus 1 year on free, enables CSV historical export, and expands watchlist capacity to ~50 securities.
  • Scope limited to Interactive Brokers—availability and fees may differ across other brokers.

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Where they differ

FOIAsearch

Distinct strengths include:

Regulatory Filings MonitoringFlags
  • 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.

IBorrowDesk

Distinct strengths include:

Short Interest
  • Borrow fee percentages and shortable share availability, sourced directly from Interactive Brokers public datasets.
  • Intraday refresh cadence: ~15 minutes during North American trading hours; hourly outside of them on weekdays.
  • Per-ticker pages show recent borrow snapshots with timestamps, plus options to add tickers to a watchlist or set alerts.
  • Patron plan ($10/month) unlocks 5+ years of history versus 1 year on free, enables CSV historical export, and expands watchlist capacity to ~50 securities.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeFOIAsearchIBorrowDesk
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Alerts, Watchlist

Unique: Regulatory Filings Monitoring, Flags

Shared: Alerts, Watchlist

Unique: Short Interest

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks

Stocks, ETFs

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web

Web

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free, Subscription

Free, Subscription

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • 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.
  • Covers SEC FOIA requests filed after Oct 1, 2019; links back to the official SEC FOIA Logs page for provenance.

Unique

  • Borrow fee percentages and shortable share availability, sourced directly from Interactive Brokers public datasets.
  • Intraday refresh cadence: ~15 minutes during North American trading hours; hourly outside of them on weekdays.
  • Per-ticker pages show recent borrow snapshots with timestamps, plus options to add tickers to a watchlist or set alerts.
  • Patron plan ($10/month) unlocks 5+ years of history versus 1 year on free, enables CSV historical export, and expands watchlist capacity to ~50 securities.
  • Scope limited to Interactive Brokers—availability and fees may differ across other brokers.
  • Site disclaimer notes no affiliation with IBKR; market quotes shown alongside borrow data come from IEX.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do FOIAsearch and IBorrowDesk both support?

Both platforms cover Alerts, and Watchlist workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do FOIAsearch and IBorrowDesk require subscriptions?

Both FOIAsearch and IBorrowDesk keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access FOIAsearch and IBorrowDesk?

Both FOIAsearch and IBorrowDesk 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?

FOIAsearch differentiates itself with 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., and ‘IR Watch’ alerts when hedge funds, research firms, or reporters FOIA your company (IR use‑case)., whereas IBorrowDesk stands out for Borrow fee percentages and shortable share availability, sourced directly from Interactive Brokers public datasets., Intraday refresh cadence: ~15 minutes during North American trading hours; hourly outside of them on weekdays., and Per-ticker pages show recent borrow snapshots with timestamps, plus options to add tickers to a watchlist or set alerts..

Keep exploring

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

Browse the categories and profiles that overlap most with this comparison to round out your shortlist.

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.