VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Head-to-head

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) vs Hunter 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, Data Visualizations, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, and Real Yields coverage that Hunter skips.

Hunter includes Webhooks, and Zapier / Make 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..

Hunter is known for: Domain Search to discover professional emails by company or domain., Email Finder tool that returns verified or deduced addresses with a confidence score and verification status., and Email Verifier with SMTP-level checks and source information; supports bulk verification..

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) ships a mobile app. Hunter is web/desktop only.

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) logo

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.

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Hunter logo

Hunter

hunter.io

An email outreach and verification platform with both web and API access. The free plan includes API keys and unlimited team members, though CSV exports are capped (e.g. 10 results per domain) and some Campaigns features like link tracking and reporting are restricted. Campaign webhooks are supported, making it easy to integrate Hunter into wider workflows.

Platforms

Web
API

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • Domain Search to discover professional emails by company or domain.
  • Email Finder tool that returns verified or deduced addresses with a confidence score and verification status.
  • Email Verifier with SMTP-level checks and source information; supports bulk verification.
  • Bulk tools (Domain Search, Email Finder, Email Verifier) accept CSV/Excel/Numbers/TXT input and return CSV exports.
  • Google Sheets add-on to find and verify emails directly in spreadsheets using an API key.

Community votes (overall)

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

2 overlaps

Mutual strengths include APIs & SDKs, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins.

Where they differ

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Distinct strengths include:

  • 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.

Hunter

Distinct strengths include:

  • Domain Search to discover professional emails by company or domain.
  • Email Finder tool that returns verified or deduced addresses with a confidence score and verification status.
  • Email Verifier with SMTP-level checks and source information; supports bulk verification.
  • Bulk tools (Domain Search, Email Finder, Email Verifier) accept CSV/Excel/Numbers/TXT input and return CSV exports.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeFRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)Hunter
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: APIs & SDKs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins

Unique: Data APIs, Calendar, Data Visualizations, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields

Shared: APIs & SDKs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins

Unique: Webhooks, Zapier / Make

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Stocks, Other

Other

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, 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

  • Domain Search to discover professional emails by company or domain.
  • Email Finder tool that returns verified or deduced addresses with a confidence score and verification status.
  • Email Verifier with SMTP-level checks and source information; supports bulk verification.
  • Bulk tools (Domain Search, Email Finder, Email Verifier) accept CSV/Excel/Numbers/TXT input and return CSV exports.
  • Google Sheets add-on to find and verify emails directly in spreadsheets using an API key.
  • Email integrations with Gmail and Outlook to send campaigns directly.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Hunter both support?

Both platforms cover APIs & SDKs, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins 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 Hunter require subscriptions?

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

Which tool has mobile access?

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) ships a dedicated mobile experience, while Hunter focuses on web or desktop access.

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 Hunter stands out for Domain Search to discover professional emails by company or domain., Email Finder tool that returns verified or deduced addresses with a confidence score and verification status., and Email Verifier with SMTP-level checks and source information; supports bulk verification..

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.