VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

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Tool Comparison

FOIAsearch vs OpenCorporates comparison

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

Quick takeaways

FOIAsearch adds Alerts, Watchlist, and Flags coverage that OpenCorporates skips.

OpenCorporates includes Data APIs, and Other categories that FOIAsearch omits.

In depth comparison

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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OpenCorporates

opencorporates.com

The world’s largest open database of legal entities, offering both a public-facing search and an API. Free access is available for personal or public-benefit use, while commercial API access and bulk datasets require a paid plan. Bulk deliveries are provided via SFTP in CSV format, and the platform includes a public status page for web, API, knowledge base, and SFTP availability.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

230M+ company records spanning 145+ jurisdictions, aggregated from 140+ official registries with full provenance and source links.
Versioned REST API with JSON (default) or XML output; API keys required. Free tier provides up to 200 requests per month (50 per day).
OpenRefine Reconciliation API allows entity-matching from company names to legal identifiers.
Enterprise bulk access via SFTP, with six structured CSV datasets (Companies, Officers, Non-Registered Addresses, Alternative Names, Additional Identifiers, and Relationships).
Relationships dataset includes 30M+ links covering subsidiaries, branches, control statements, and shareholdings, with data from sources like the SEC and UK PSC.

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Where they differ

FOIAsearch

Distinct strengths include:

Alerts Watchlist Flags

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.

OpenCorporates

Distinct strengths include:

Data APIs Other

230M+ company records spanning 145+ jurisdictions, aggregated from 140+ official registries with full provenance and source links.
Versioned REST API with JSON (default) or XML output; API keys required. Free tier provides up to 200 requests per month (50 per day).
OpenRefine Reconciliation API allows entity-matching from company names to legal identifiers.
Enterprise bulk access via SFTP, with six structured CSV datasets (Companies, Officers, Non-Registered Addresses, Alternative Names, Additional Identifiers, and Relationships).

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	FOIAsearch	OpenCorporates
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Regulatory Filings Monitoring Unique: Alerts, Watchlist, Flags	Shared: Regulatory Filings Monitoring Unique: Data APIs, Other
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks	Other
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web	Web, API
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 230M+ company records spanning 145+ jurisdictions, aggregated from 140+ official registries with full provenance and source links. Versioned REST API with JSON (default) or XML output; API keys required. Free tier provides up to 200 requests per month (50 per day). OpenRefine Reconciliation API allows entity-matching from company names to legal identifiers. Enterprise bulk access via SFTP, with six structured CSV datasets (Companies, Officers, Non-Registered Addresses, Alternative Names, Additional Identifiers, and Relationships). Relationships dataset includes 30M+ links covering subsidiaries, branches, control statements, and shareholdings, with data from sources like the SEC and UK PSC. Data acquisition ranges from hourly to quarterly; registry ingestion checks run every 5 minutes. Bulk deliveries are typically no more than one month behind official registries.
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 FOIAsearch and OpenCorporates both support?

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

Do FOIAsearch and OpenCorporates require subscriptions?

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

How can you access FOIAsearch and OpenCorporates?

Both FOIAsearch and OpenCorporates 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 OpenCorporates stands out for 230M+ company records spanning 145+ jurisdictions, aggregated from 140+ official registries with full provenance and source links., Versioned REST API with JSON (default) or XML output; API keys required. Free tier provides up to 200 requests per month (50 per day)., and OpenRefine Reconciliation API allows entity-matching from company names to legal identifiers..

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