VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
NO ADVICE
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Tool Comparison
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) vs Unusual Whales comparison
Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
fred.stlouisfed.org
Unusual Whales
unusualwhales.com
Comparison highlights
- Tool score: the chart below shows community vote sentiment over the last 8 weeks. Use it as a signal, not a verdict.
- Overlap: both cover Calendar, Alerts, and Data APIs and 1 other categories.
- Coverage tilt: FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) has 6 categories you won't get in Unusual Whales; Unusual Whales has 8 unique categories.
- Pricing: FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) is Free; Unusual Whales is Free, Subscription.
Category leaders
- Screeners: Unusual Whales is tagged for this workflow; FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) has no category votes yet.
- News: Unusual Whales is tagged for this workflow; FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) has no category votes yet.
- Data Visualizations: FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) is tagged for this workflow; Unusual Whales has no category votes yet.
Vote sentiment comparison
Cumulative positive vote share. Loading fresh totals...
Side-by-side metrics
| Attribute | FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) | Unusual Whales |
|---|---|---|
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes | Other | Options, Stocks, ETFs, Cryptos |
Experience levels Who each product is built for | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Intermediate, Advanced |
Platforms Where you can access the product | Web, Mobile, API | Web, Mobile, API |
Pricing High-level pricing models | Free | Free, Subscription |
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat | Not yet | Yes |
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists | Standard listing | Highlighted |
Coverage overlap
Shared categories
Categories where both tools offer overlapping coverage.
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) strengths
Categories covered by FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) but not Unusual Whales.
Unusual Whales strengths
Categories covered by Unusual Whales but not FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data).
Frequently Asked Questions
Which workflows do FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Unusual Whales both support?
Both platforms cover Calendar, Alerts, Data APIs, 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 Unusual Whales require subscriptions?
Both FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Unusual Whales keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.
How can you access FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Unusual Whales?
Both FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) and Unusual Whales support web and mobile access, making it easy to keep tabs on research away from the desk.
What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) differentiates itself with 800,000+ economic data series from 100+ sources, covering topics such as GDP, prices/inflation, employment, exchange rates, and interest rates., Browse and track data via categories, releases, sources, and tags; series pages show metadata like units/frequency and “last updated / next release” fields., and Graphing and sharing options include embeddable graphs and graph-image links., whereas Unusual Whales stands out for Options flow tool: tracks options trades (docs: “every options trade placed across the entire US stock exchange”) and displays trade details across options exchanges; includes filters, configurable columns, sorting, and saved trades., Multi-leg tagging in the flow feed; multileg icon can open a pop-up that preloads the Options Profit Calculator with a P/L profile for the trade., and Mobile apps (iOS/Android) provide abridged access to Alerts, Flow (incl. Events feed for trading halts/unhalts + IPOs), Stocks (volume deviation alerts), News, and Dark Pools..
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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.