★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Tool comparison edition
Tool Comparison
FOIAsearch vs SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada)
Pick FOIAsearch instead if
FOIAsearch
Free • Paid plans available · Web
- You care about watchlist and flags, things SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) doesn't offer
Start here
SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada)
Free · Web
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You care about IPO, corporate actions & special situations, and news, things FOIAsearch 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
FOIAsearch and SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) cover a lot of the same ground (2 shared categories, alerts and regulatory filings monitoring), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) simply does more: 7 categories to FOIAsearch's 4, including IPO, corporate actions & special situations, and news. FOIAsearch counters by being completely free.
What readers say
FOIAsearch
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada)
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
Key differences at a glance
- Real-time data
- SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada)
- Broader coverage
- SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada)7 vs 4 categories
- Asset coverage
- SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada)Adds ETFs and mutual funds
- 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 • Paid plans available | Free |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | No |
API access | No | No |
Broker sync | — | No |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | — |
Categories covered | 4 | 7 |
Regions | North America | North America |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | Latency: End of Day and Granularity: EOD | 3 signals: Latency: Real-time and End of Day, Corporate actions: PointInTime +1 more |
Security | — | Data residency: Other and Status page |
| Try it | Visit FOIAsearch | Visit SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) |
Where each one shines
What FOIAsearch and SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) each do best.ShowHide
Where each one shines
What FOIAsearch and SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) each do best.What FOIAsearch does best
- Search tools across SEC FOIA Logs through a focused interface built around investor and issuer monitoring use cases.
- Views for reviewing All Requests and B7A Exempt Requests to spot FOIA activity that may deserve follow-up research.
- B7A exemption callouts as risk flags because those denials can be associated with ongoing law-enforcement activity, while avoiding overclaiming what they prove.
- Support for setting up Protect My Portfolio alerts for FOIA activity tied to saved companies or tickers.
- IR Watch when issuer-relations teams want to know when hedge funds, research firms, or reporters FOIA their company.
What SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) does best
- Search tools across official Canadian issuer, investment fund, and fund-group profiles directly from the CSA public filings system.
- Discovery tools for disclosure documents such as financial statements, MD&A, prospectuses, material change reports, and other public filings.
- Advanced filters for profile name or number, filing category, filing type, submitted date range, and document-content full-text search.
- Download support for individual filings as PDFs and export document-search result sets to CSV for offline review or research logs.
- CSA-maintained lists such as Reporting Issuers, Cease Trade Orders, and the Disciplined List require verification before relying on a Canadian issuer.
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for FOIAsearch and SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada), side by side.ShowHide
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for FOIAsearch and SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada), side by side.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Stocks | StocksETFsMutual FundsClosed-End FundsBondsFundsReal Estate |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | North America | North America |
Coverage details | Countries: US | Countries: CA4 exchanges |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | End of Day | Real-timeEnd of Day |
Data granularity | EOD | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
Export formats | Not specified | CSVPDF |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Not specified | Data residency: OtherStatus page |
Vendor & support | Dorsey Research LLCSupport: Email | Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA)Country: CAFounded 2003Support: Email and Phone |
Curation ratings | Methodology 3/5Reliability 3/5UX 4/5 | Methodology 5/5Reliability 4/5UX 3/5 |
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 | Free“Free (Search)” | Free |
| Entry paid plan | Subscription“Portfolio Alerts” | — |
| Tier 2 | Subscription“IR Watch” | — |
| Top plan | Subscription“Prominent Reporter Alerts” | — |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between FOIAsearch and SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada)?
FOIAsearch leans toward alerts, regulatory filings monitoring, and watchlist, while SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) puts more weight on regulatory filings monitoring, IPO, and corporate actions & special situations. They overlap in 2 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do FOIAsearch and SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) cost?
Good news: both FOIAsearch and SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Should I choose FOIAsearch or SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada)?
It depends on what you're after. Pick FOIAsearch if watchlist and flags matter to you; go with SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) if you'd rather have IPO and corporate actions & special situations. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do FOIAsearch and SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) cover?
Both cover stocks. SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) adds ETFs, mutual funds, and closed-end funds on top.
Does FOIAsearch or SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) have real-time data?
SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. FOIAsearch 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.
Can I export data from FOIAsearch and SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada)?
SEDAR+ (CSA Public Filings - Canada) exports to CSV. FOIAsearch is stingier about getting data out.
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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.