★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Tool comparison edition
Tool Comparison
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) vs Glassnode
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
Best for macro data and calendar
Free
Glassnode
Best for on-chain analytics and DEX / defi
Free • From $49/mo
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The verdict
The bottom line
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Glassnode cover a lot of the same ground (3 shared categories, data visualizations, alerts, and APIs & data feeds), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. The real difference is focus: only FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) gives you macro data and calendar, and only Glassnode gives you on-chain analytics and DEX / defi.
Key differences at a glance
- Mobile app
- FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
- Real-time data
- Glassnode
- Free plan
- Both
Choose
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) if…
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You care about macro data, calendar, and sheets / excel add-ins, things Glassnode doesn't offer
Choose
Glassnode if…
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You care about on-chain analytics, DEX / defi, and crypto derivatives, things FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) doesn't offer
Comparison snapshot
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free | Free • From $49/mo |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | Free: api key required: Yes and Free: api rate limited: Yes | 14 limits: Studio Standard: metric tier: T1, Studio Standard: metric resolution: 24h +12 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | Yes | No |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Integrations | Microsoft Excel (FRED Add-in) | Snowflake, BigQuery +1 more |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | Students/Researchers, Analysts +1 more | Retail Traders, Pro Retail +5 more |
Categories covered | 7 | 7 |
Regions | — | — |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | — | Latency: Real-time and End of Day and Granularity: Minute and EOD |
Capabilities | — | DEX data and Crypto derivatives |
Security | — | Status page |
| Try it | Visit FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) | Visit Glassnode |
Standout features
What FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) does best
- 800,000+ economic data series from 100+ sources, covering topics such as GDP, prices/inflation, employment, exchange rates, and interest rates.
- Browse and track data via categories, releases, sources, and tags; series pages show metadata like units/frequency and “last updated / next release” fields.
- Graphing and sharing options include embeddable graphs and graph-image links.
- Economic release calendar with scheduled release dates/times (US Central Time) and a data-provider caveat for availability.
- Account tools can provide email notifications for series updates.
What Glassnode does best
- Glassnode Studio: web analytics platform with a metrics library, curated dashboards, and a charting/workbench tool to visualize data and test hypotheses.
- Plan-gated metric tiers + resolution: Standard (Free) includes Basic (T1) at 24h resolution; Advanced adds Essential (T2) + up to 1h resolution; Professional includes all tiers (T1–T3) + up to 10-minute resolution (where available).
- Custom alerts are plan-gated: 1 alert (Standard), 10 alerts (Advanced), 500 alerts (Professional).
- Professional includes Entity-Adjusted metrics and Point-in-Time (PIT) metric versions intended to avoid look-ahead bias in backtesting.
- Workbench (in Studio) supports creating/transforming metrics and includes backtesting functions (e.g., `backtest`) plus analytics functions (e.g., correlation, drawdown, Sharpe).
Data & access details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Other | CryptosETFsFuturesOptions |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Students/ResearchersAnalystsQuants/Developers | Retail TradersPro RetailInstitutional InvestorsAnalystsQuants/DevelopersHedge FundsAsset Managers |
Coverage details | Not specified | Identifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Not specified | Real-timeEnd of Day |
Data granularity | Not specified | MinuteEOD |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | REST |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKeyDocs | Auth: APIKeyDocs |
Integrations | Microsoft Excel (FRED Add-in) | SnowflakeBigQueryMicrosoft Excel |
Export formats | ExcelImageJSONXML | CSVJSON |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Not specified | Status page |
Capability signals | Not specified | DEX dataCrypto derivatives |
Vendor & support | Federal Reserve Bank of St. LouisCountry: United StatesSupport: Email | GlassnodeSupport: Email |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing breakdown
Free
Lower starting price
Plans & pricing
- api key required: Yes
- api rate limited: Yes
$49/mo
Starting price
Plans & pricing
- metric tier: T1
- metric resolution: 24h
- +1 more
- metric tiers: T1–T2
- metric resolution: Up to 1h
- +2 more
- assets: 1,000+
- metrics: 800+ on-chain metrics plus market metrics
- +3 more
- billing cadence: Billed quarterly
- delivery: Telegram
Coverage overlap
Shared categories
3Where the two tools cover the same ground.
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) strengths
4What you only get with FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data).
Glassnode strengths
4What you only get with Glassnode.
Community category leaders
Vote sentiment comparison
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Glassnode?
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) leans toward macro data, data visualizations, and calendar, while Glassnode puts more weight on on-chain analytics, DEX / defi, and crypto derivatives. They overlap in 3 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Glassnode cost?
Good news: both FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Glassnode have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Can I use FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) or Glassnode on my phone?
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. Glassnode doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web and API.
Do FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Glassnode have APIs?
Yes, both offer API access, so developers and quants can pull data programmatically or wire up their own integrations.
Should I choose FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) or Glassnode?
It depends on what you're after. Pick FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) if macro data and calendar matter to you; go with Glassnode if you'd rather have on-chain analytics and DEX / defi. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Glassnode cover?
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) covers other. Glassnode covers cryptos, ETFs, and futures.
Does FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) or Glassnode have real-time data?
Glassnode offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) 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 FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Glassnode?
Yes, both export to spreadsheets (FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data): Excel; Glassnode: CSV), which is handy if you like running your own numbers.
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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.