VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 19, 2025

View FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)View Ghostfolio Home My Collections

Head-to-head

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) vs Ghostfolio comparison

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

Quick takeaways

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) adds Data APIs, Calendar, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins coverage that Ghostfolio skips.

Ghostfolio includes Portfolio categories that FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) omits.

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) highlights: Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online., Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources., and Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration..

Ghostfolio is known for: Track net worth and portfolios across cash, stocks, ETFs, and crypto in a privacy-first, open-source app., Manage transactions with full CRUD, multiple accounts, return-on-investment timelines (Today, WTD, MTD, YTD, 1Y, 5Y, Max), risk checks, charts, and customizable dark/zen modes., and Self-hosting supported with official Docker images (amd64/arm variants), plus templates for platforms like CasaOS, Home Assistant, Runtipi, TrueCharts, Umbrel, and Unraid..

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

fred.stlouisfed.org

One of the most trusted sources of macroeconomic and market data worldwide. FRED offers free access to charts, releases, Excel add-ins, and a public API. An API key (free) is required, with standard rate limits. ALFRED, the companion service, provides vintage datasets so you can see what was known at any point in time.

Platforms

Web

Mobile

API

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online.
Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources.
Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration.
ALFRED (the archival database) provides point-in-time vintages, letting you track historical revisions exactly as they were published.
Maps API delivers regional datasets with GeoJSON shapefiles for states, counties, MSAs, and more.

Community votes (overall)

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Ghostfolio

ghostfol.io

An open-source (AGPL-3.0) portfolio and net-worth tracker designed with privacy in mind. You can self-host it for free using Docker or opt for Ghostfolio Premium, a fully managed cloud version (~$40/year). There’s no broker OAuth; data comes in via manual entry, CSV uploads, or API. Runs as a PWA with mobile access and even allows anonymous sign-ups.

Platforms

Web

Mobile

API

Pricing

Free

Subscription

Quick highlights

Track net worth and portfolios across cash, stocks, ETFs, and crypto in a privacy-first, open-source app.
Manage transactions with full CRUD, multiple accounts, return-on-investment timelines (Today, WTD, MTD, YTD, 1Y, 5Y, Max), risk checks, charts, and customizable dark/zen modes.
Self-hosting supported with official Docker images (amd64/arm variants), plus templates for platforms like CasaOS, Home Assistant, Runtipi, TrueCharts, Umbrel, and Unraid.
Public REST API with bearer-token authentication for importing activities, duplicate detection, and publishing public portfolio endpoints. Data sources include Yahoo Finance and CoinGecko, alongside manual inputs.
CSV import for trades and positions (with specific improvements for brokers like IBKR noted in changelogs).

Community votes (overall)

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

2 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Data Visualizations, and APIs & SDKs.

Where they differ

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Distinct strengths include:

Housing & Construction

Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online.
Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources.
Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration.
ALFRED (the archival database) provides point-in-time vintages, letting you track historical revisions exactly as they were published.

Ghostfolio

Distinct strengths include:

Portfolio

Track net worth and portfolios across cash, stocks, ETFs, and crypto in a privacy-first, open-source app.
Manage transactions with full CRUD, multiple accounts, return-on-investment timelines (Today, WTD, MTD, YTD, 1Y, 5Y, Max), risk checks, charts, and customizable dark/zen modes.
Self-hosting supported with official Docker images (amd64/arm variants), plus templates for platforms like CasaOS, Home Assistant, Runtipi, TrueCharts, Umbrel, and Unraid.
Public REST API with bearer-token authentication for importing activities, duplicate detection, and publishing public portfolio endpoints. Data sources include Yahoo Finance and CoinGecko, alongside manual inputs.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)	Ghostfolio
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data Visualizations, APIs & SDKs Unique: Data APIs, Calendar, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields, Sheets / Excel Add-ins	Shared: Data Visualizations, APIs & SDKs Unique: Portfolio
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Stocks, Other	Stocks, ETFs, Cryptos, Currencies
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, Mobile, API	Web, Mobile, API
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free	Free, Subscription
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online. Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources. Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration. ALFRED (the archival database) provides point-in-time vintages, letting you track historical revisions exactly as they were published. Maps API delivers regional datasets with GeoJSON shapefiles for states, counties, MSAs, and more. Free Excel add-in enables direct downloads, refreshes, frequency conversions, and growth-rate calculations.	Unique Track net worth and portfolios across cash, stocks, ETFs, and crypto in a privacy-first, open-source app. Manage transactions with full CRUD, multiple accounts, return-on-investment timelines (Today, WTD, MTD, YTD, 1Y, 5Y, Max), risk checks, charts, and customizable dark/zen modes. Self-hosting supported with official Docker images (amd64/arm variants), plus templates for platforms like CasaOS, Home Assistant, Runtipi, TrueCharts, Umbrel, and Unraid. Public REST API with bearer-token authentication for importing activities, duplicate detection, and publishing public portfolio endpoints. Data sources include Yahoo Finance and CoinGecko, alongside manual inputs. CSV import for trades and positions (with specific improvements for brokers like IBKR noted in changelogs). Premium managed cloud version (~$40/year) for users who don’t want to self-host.
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 FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Ghostfolio both support?

Both platforms cover Data Visualizations, and APIs & SDKs workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Ghostfolio require subscriptions?

Both FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Ghostfolio keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Ghostfolio?

Both FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Ghostfolio support web and mobile access, making it easy to keep tabs on research away from the desk.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) differentiates itself with Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online., Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources., and Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration., whereas Ghostfolio stands out for Track net worth and portfolios across cash, stocks, ETFs, and crypto in a privacy-first, open-source app., Manage transactions with full CRUD, multiple accounts, return-on-investment timelines (Today, WTD, MTD, YTD, 1Y, 5Y, Max), risk checks, charts, and customizable dark/zen modes., and Self-hosting supported with official Docker images (amd64/arm variants), plus templates for platforms like CasaOS, Home Assistant, Runtipi, TrueCharts, Umbrel, and Unraid..

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