VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)View ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices)Back to Home

Head-to-head

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) vs ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices) comparison

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

Quick takeaways

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

ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices) includes Index Rebalancing 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..

ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices) is known for: Web portal covering the complete ICE Data Indices universe, with current and historical performance data and constituent statistics., Trial access spans more than 5,000 standard and customized indices, with results shown in local currency and translated into 39 base currencies (both hedged and unhedged)., and Index Analysis tools let users view and download current and historical returns and statistics at both index and constituent level..

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) has a free tier, while ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices) requires a paid plan.

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) ships a mobile app. ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices) is web/desktop only.

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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ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices)

indices.ice.com

Hands-on review

Enterprise-grade access to ICE’s full index family. The platform supports trial downloads, automated feeds by email or SFTP, and custom index creation with backtests. Many flagship fixed-income indices are available with live updates. Pricing and licensing are handled through direct sales engagement with ICE.

Platforms

Web

API

Pricing

Subscription

Quick highlights

Web portal covering the complete ICE Data Indices universe, with current and historical performance data and constituent statistics.
Trial access spans more than 5,000 standard and customized indices, with results shown in local currency and translated into 39 base currencies (both hedged and unhedged).
Index Analysis tools let users view and download current and historical returns and statistics at both index and constituent level.
Automated delivery of top-level index data and constituent files via email or secure SFTP/managed file transfer.
Custom Index Tool for building blended or filtered indices and running historical backtests.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

2 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Data APIs, and Data Visualizations.

Where they differ

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Distinct strengths include:

Housing & Construction

Retail Sales

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.

ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices)

Distinct strengths include:

Index Rebalancing

Web portal covering the complete ICE Data Indices universe, with current and historical performance data and constituent statistics.
Trial access spans more than 5,000 standard and customized indices, with results shown in local currency and translated into 39 base currencies (both hedged and unhedged).
Index Analysis tools let users view and download current and historical returns and statistics at both index and constituent level.
Automated delivery of top-level index data and constituent files via email or secure SFTP/managed file transfer.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)	ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices)
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data APIs, Data Visualizations Unique: Calendar, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields, APIs & SDKs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins	Shared: Data APIs, Data Visualizations Unique: Index Rebalancing
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Stocks, Other	Bonds, Stocks, Commodities, Currencies
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, Mobile, API	Web, API
Pricing High-level pricing models	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 Web portal covering the complete ICE Data Indices universe, with current and historical performance data and constituent statistics. Trial access spans more than 5,000 standard and customized indices, with results shown in local currency and translated into 39 base currencies (both hedged and unhedged). Index Analysis tools let users view and download current and historical returns and statistics at both index and constituent level. Automated delivery of top-level index data and constituent files via email or secure SFTP/managed file transfer. Custom Index Tool for building blended or filtered indices and running historical backtests. Scale: the fixed-income family alone includes roughly 6,000 indices tracking over $100T of securities across 43 currencies, spanning sovereign, investment-grade corporate, high yield, securitized, emerging markets, and U.S. municipals.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Not yet	Yes
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices) both support?

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

Which tool offers a free plan?

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) offers a free entry point, while ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices) requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.

Which tool has mobile access?

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) ships a dedicated mobile experience, while ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices) 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 ICE Index Platform (ICE Data Indices) stands out for Web portal covering the complete ICE Data Indices universe, with current and historical performance data and constituent statistics., Trial access spans more than 5,000 standard and customized indices, with results shown in local currency and translated into 39 base currencies (both hedged and unhedged)., and Index Analysis tools let users view and download current and historical returns and statistics at both index and constituent level..

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