VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)View okamaBack to Home

Head-to-head

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

okama includes Quant, Portfolio, Correlation, Backtesting, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Monte Carlo, and ETF Performance 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..

okama is known for: Interactive Efficient Frontier (mean–variance) widget for quick visualization., Compare-assets widget covering returns, drawdowns, CVaR, and correlations., and Portfolio widget built on adjusted monthly data for risk/return analysis..

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) ships a mobile app. okama 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.

Community votes (overall)

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okama logo

okama

okama.io

Hands-on review

Free open-source toolkit for portfolio analysis and market data. Okama offers web widgets, an API, and a Python library with efficient frontiers, risk metrics, and Monte Carlo simulations. Market and macro data is available end-of-day, with live prices delayed by ~15–20 minutes.

Platforms

Web
API

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • Interactive Efficient Frontier (mean–variance) widget for quick visualization.
  • Compare-assets widget covering returns, drawdowns, CVaR, and correlations.
  • Portfolio widget built on adjusted monthly data for risk/return analysis.
  • Python library supports mean–variance optimization, rebalancing scenarios, backtesting, and advanced risk metrics such as VaR, CVaR, semideviation, and drawdowns.
  • Monte Carlo simulations and wealth-index forecasts with percentile bands.

Community votes (overall)

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

4 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Data APIs, Data Visualizations, and Inflation Rates plus 1 more area.

Where they differ

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Distinct strengths include:

Calendar
Unemployment Rates
GDP
PMI / ISM
Housing & Construction
Retail Sales
Consumer Sentiment
Yield Curves
  • 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.

okama

Distinct strengths include:

Quant
Portfolio
Correlation
Backtesting
Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown)
Monte Carlo
ETF Performance
  • Interactive Efficient Frontier (mean–variance) widget for quick visualization.
  • Compare-assets widget covering returns, drawdowns, CVaR, and correlations.
  • Portfolio widget built on adjusted monthly data for risk/return analysis.
  • Python library supports mean–variance optimization, rebalancing scenarios, backtesting, and advanced risk metrics such as VaR, CVaR, semideviation, and drawdowns.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeFRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)okama
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Data APIs, Data Visualizations, Inflation Rates, Interest Rates

Unique: Calendar, Unemployment Rates, GDP, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields, APIs & SDKs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins

Shared: Data APIs, Data Visualizations, Inflation Rates, Interest Rates

Unique: Quant, Portfolio, Correlation, Backtesting, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Monte Carlo, ETF Performance

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Stocks, Other

Stocks, ETFs, Commodities, Currencies, Mutual Funds

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

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

  • Interactive Efficient Frontier (mean–variance) widget for quick visualization.
  • Compare-assets widget covering returns, drawdowns, CVaR, and correlations.
  • Portfolio widget built on adjusted monthly data for risk/return analysis.
  • Python library supports mean–variance optimization, rebalancing scenarios, backtesting, and advanced risk metrics such as VaR, CVaR, semideviation, and drawdowns.
  • Monte Carlo simulations and wealth-index forecasts with percentile bands.
  • Free end-of-day market and macroeconomic data via API, including equities, ETFs, mutual funds, commodities, currencies, indexes, inflation, policy rates, and CAPE10 ratios.
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Not yet

Yes

Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

Standard listing

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

Both platforms cover Data APIs, Data Visualizations, Inflation Rates, and Interest Rates 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 okama require subscriptions?

Both FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and okama 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 okama 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 okama stands out for Interactive Efficient Frontier (mean–variance) widget for quick visualization., Compare-assets widget covering returns, drawdowns, CVaR, and correlations., and Portfolio widget built on adjusted monthly data for risk/return analysis..

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

Browse the categories and profiles that overlap most with this comparison to round out your shortlist.

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.