VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Monday, November 10, 2025

Tool Comparison

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) vs OpenBB 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, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, and Real Yields coverage that OpenBB skips.

OpenBB includes Custom Dashboards, News, IPO, Dividends, Splits, Commitment of Traders (COT), Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Options & Derivatives, Quant, Financials, Transcripts, ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, Analyst Forecasts, Analyst Price Targets, Regulatory Filings Monitoring, AI, and AI Chat categories that FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) omits.

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

In depth comparison

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

WebMobileAPI

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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OpenBB

openbb.co

Open-source data and analytics platform with a REST API, Python SDK, and an enterprise workspace for custom dashboards and apps. The free Community plan includes unlimited dashboards and 20 AI Copilot queries per day. Pro adds collaboration features, Excel integration, secure deployment (VPC/on-prem), and export options. Infrastructure is SOC 2 Type II certified, with SSO support and a public status page.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

REST API and Python client with JSON-serializable endpoints; local API deployment supported.
Wide coverage across equities, ETFs, options, fixed income, macroeconomics, news, transcripts, and regulatory filings.
Command-line interface (successor to the legacy OpenBB Terminal) plus Python workflows.
Workspace dashboards and apps with customizable widgets; unlimited dashboards on the Community tier.
OpenBB Copilot AI chat that integrates dashboard widgets as context and supports attachments (PDF, CSV, XLSX).

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Where they differ

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Distinct strengths include:

Calendar PMI / ISM Housing & Construction Retail Sales Consumer Sentiment Yield Curves Real Yields

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.

OpenBB

Distinct strengths include:

Custom Dashboards News IPO Dividends Splits Commitment of Traders (COT)Dark Pool & Off-Exchange Options & Derivatives

REST API and Python client with JSON-serializable endpoints; local API deployment supported.
Wide coverage across equities, ETFs, options, fixed income, macroeconomics, news, transcripts, and regulatory filings.
Command-line interface (successor to the legacy OpenBB Terminal) plus Python workflows.
Workspace dashboards and apps with customizable widgets; unlimited dashboards on the Community tier.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)	OpenBB
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data APIs, Data Visualizations, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, APIs & SDKs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins Unique: Calendar, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields	Shared: Data APIs, Data Visualizations, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, APIs & SDKs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins Unique: Custom Dashboards, News, IPO, Dividends, Splits, Commitment of Traders (COT), Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Options & Derivatives, Quant, Financials, Transcripts, ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, Analyst Forecasts, Analyst Price Targets, Regulatory Filings Monitoring, AI, AI Chat
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Stocks, Other	Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Cryptos
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 REST API and Python client with JSON-serializable endpoints; local API deployment supported. Wide coverage across equities, ETFs, options, fixed income, macroeconomics, news, transcripts, and regulatory filings. Command-line interface (successor to the legacy OpenBB Terminal) plus Python workflows. Workspace dashboards and apps with customizable widgets; unlimited dashboards on the Community tier. OpenBB Copilot AI chat that integrates dashboard widgets as context and supports attachments (PDF, CSV, XLSX). Community plan includes 20 Copilot queries/day; Pro adds Excel Add-in, data export, team roles and sharing, and SSO (Azure/Google).
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Not yet	Not yet
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Both platforms cover Data APIs, Data Visualizations, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, 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 OpenBB require subscriptions?

Both FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and OpenBB 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 OpenBB 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 OpenBB stands out for REST API and Python client with JSON-serializable endpoints; local API deployment supported., Wide coverage across equities, ETFs, options, fixed income, macroeconomics, news, transcripts, and regulatory filings., and Command-line interface (successor to the legacy OpenBB Terminal) plus Python workflows..

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

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