VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)View Open Payments (CMS)Back to Home

Head-to-head

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) vs Open Payments (CMS) 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, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins coverage that Open Payments (CMS) skips.

Open Payments (CMS) includes Regulatory Filings Monitoring 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..

Open Payments (CMS) is known for: Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests., Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal., and Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style)..

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) ships a mobile app. Open Payments (CMS) 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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Open Payments (CMS) logo

Open Payments (CMS)

openpaymentsdata.cms.gov

U.S. federal open‑data program (Affordable Care Act ‘Sunshine Act’) that publishes financial relationships between drug/device manufacturers (and GPOs) and healthcare providers (physicians, NPPs since PY2021, and teaching hospitals). CMS publishes the prior program year’s full datasets on or before June 30 each year and issues a January refresh. Data are accessible via the web search tool, bulk downloads, and a REST Open Data API (filter, query, aggregate).

Platforms

Web
API

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests.
  • Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal.
  • Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style).
  • Publication cadence: initial annual publication on/around June 30 for the prior year, plus a January data refresh.
  • Pre‑publication workflow: 45‑day recipient review & dispute (Apr 1–May 15) + 15‑day correction window (May 16–May 30).

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

3 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Data APIs, Data Visualizations, and APIs & SDKs.

Where they differ

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Distinct strengths include:

Calendar
Inflation Rates
Unemployment Rates
GDP
Interest Rates
PMI / ISM
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.

Open Payments (CMS)

Distinct strengths include:

Regulatory Filings Monitoring
  • Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests.
  • Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal.
  • Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style).
  • Publication cadence: initial annual publication on/around June 30 for the prior year, plus a January data refresh.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeFRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)Open Payments (CMS)
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Data APIs, Data Visualizations, APIs & SDKs

Unique: 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 APIs, Data Visualizations, APIs & SDKs

Unique: Regulatory Filings Monitoring

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

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

  • Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests.
  • Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal.
  • Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style).
  • Publication cadence: initial annual publication on/around June 30 for the prior year, plus a January data refresh.
  • Pre‑publication workflow: 45‑day recipient review & dispute (Apr 1–May 15) + 15‑day correction window (May 16–May 30).
  • Supplemental/lookup tables (e.g., Covered Recipient Profile Supplement; distinct physician profile) to aid joins.
Tested

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Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Open Payments (CMS) both support?

Both platforms cover Data APIs, 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 Open Payments (CMS) require subscriptions?

Both FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Open Payments (CMS) 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 Open Payments (CMS) 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 Open Payments (CMS) stands out for Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests., Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal., and Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style)..

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.