VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ A CURATED DIRECTORY OF FINANCIAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES ★

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Friday, December 26, 2025

Tool Comparison

Macrotrends vs U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Macrotrends adds Screeners, Data Visualizations, Financials, GDP, Interest Rates, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, and Consumer Sentiment coverage that U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) skips.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) includes Data APIs, Calendar, and Education categories that Macrotrends omits.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) offers mobile access, which Macrotrends skips.

In depth comparison

Macrotrends logo

Macrotrends

macrotrends.net

Free web-based portal for long-run charts and datasets across stocks, commodities, indices, FX, and macro indicators. Many series span 50–100+ years. Features include a stock screener and CSV downloads. Some content is gated by registration, and Terms mention fee-based premium products. No public API is advertised.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

FreeOther

Quick highlights

  • Interactive charts for stocks, commodities, indices, currencies, crypto, and macroeconomic data, often with history spanning back 50–100 years.
  • Free stock screener with 50+ filters covering fundamentals, technicals, and performance; includes U.S. and international equities.
  • Company profile pages combine daily prices, dividends, and full annual/quarterly financial statements, with fundamentals sourced from Zacks.
  • Macro indicator pages cite primary data sources such as BEA (GDP), University of Michigan (consumer sentiment), and Optimal Blue (mortgage rates).
  • CSV downloads available for many “Global Metrics” datasets via a dedicated download link.

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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) logo

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

bls.gov

Primary U.S. source for official labor‑market, inflation and productivity statistics. Offers a free Public Data API (v2) with JSON/XLSX responses, extensive web data tools (Series Report, Top Picks, Data Finder), and an official release calendar with RSS/iCal. Coverage spans CPI/PPI/Import‑Export prices, Employment Situation (payrolls & unemployment rate), JOLTS, ECI, productivity, QCEW and more. Registered API users get higher limits and can request calculations and catalog metadata.

Platforms

WebAPIMobile

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • Public Data API v2: JSON and Excel (.xlsx) output; single or batched series; optional calculations, annual averages, aspects & catalog metadata for registered users.
  • Usage limits (v2): up to 50 series per query, up to 20 years per query, ~50 requests per 10 seconds; daily cap 500 queries (registered) or 25 (unregistered).
  • Data Tools: Series Report (direct series ID lookup), Top Picks, One‑screen/Multi‑screen table builders, Data Finder, charts for news releases, CPI Inflation Calculator.
  • Official release schedules & feeds: per‑release pages (e.g., Employment Situation) show dates/times (typically 8:30 a.m. ET); global calendar with RSS and iCal (ICS) subscription.
  • Mobile: “BLS Local Data” app for iOS/Android surfaces local labor market stats (states, metros, counties) and includes QCEW content.

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Where they differ

Macrotrends

Distinct strengths include:

  • Interactive charts for stocks, commodities, indices, currencies, crypto, and macroeconomic data, often with history spanning back 50–100 years.
  • Free stock screener with 50+ filters covering fundamentals, technicals, and performance; includes U.S. and international equities.
  • Company profile pages combine daily prices, dividends, and full annual/quarterly financial statements, with fundamentals sourced from Zacks.
  • Macro indicator pages cite primary data sources such as BEA (GDP), University of Michigan (consumer sentiment), and Optimal Blue (mortgage rates).

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Distinct strengths include:

  • Public Data API v2: JSON and Excel (.xlsx) output; single or batched series; optional calculations, annual averages, aspects & catalog metadata for registered users.
  • Usage limits (v2): up to 50 series per query, up to 20 years per query, ~50 requests per 10 seconds; daily cap 500 queries (registered) or 25 (unregistered).
  • Data Tools: Series Report (direct series ID lookup), Top Picks, One‑screen/Multi‑screen table builders, Data Finder, charts for news releases, CPI Inflation Calculator.
  • Official release schedules & feeds: per‑release pages (e.g., Employment Situation) show dates/times (typically 8:30 a.m. ET); global calendar with RSS and iCal (ICS) subscription.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeMacrotrendsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates

Unique: Screeners, Data Visualizations, Financials, GDP, Interest Rates, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment

Shared: Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates

Unique: Data APIs, Calendar, Education

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, ETFs, Commodities, Currencies, Cryptos

Other

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web

Web, API, Mobile

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free, Other

Free

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • Interactive charts for stocks, commodities, indices, currencies, crypto, and macroeconomic data, often with history spanning back 50–100 years.
  • Free stock screener with 50+ filters covering fundamentals, technicals, and performance; includes U.S. and international equities.
  • Company profile pages combine daily prices, dividends, and full annual/quarterly financial statements, with fundamentals sourced from Zacks.
  • Macro indicator pages cite primary data sources such as BEA (GDP), University of Michigan (consumer sentiment), and Optimal Blue (mortgage rates).
  • CSV downloads available for many “Global Metrics” datasets via a dedicated download link.
  • Certain index charts update intramonth, with hourly refreshes for the current month.

Unique

  • Public Data API v2: JSON and Excel (.xlsx) output; single or batched series; optional calculations, annual averages, aspects & catalog metadata for registered users.
  • Usage limits (v2): up to 50 series per query, up to 20 years per query, ~50 requests per 10 seconds; daily cap 500 queries (registered) or 25 (unregistered).
  • Data Tools: Series Report (direct series ID lookup), Top Picks, One‑screen/Multi‑screen table builders, Data Finder, charts for news releases, CPI Inflation Calculator.
  • Official release schedules & feeds: per‑release pages (e.g., Employment Situation) show dates/times (typically 8:30 a.m. ET); global calendar with RSS and iCal (ICS) subscription.
  • Mobile: “BLS Local Data” app for iOS/Android surfaces local labor market stats (states, metros, counties) and includes QCEW content.
  • Mission/authority & confidentiality: Principal U.S. fact‑finding agency for labor economics; data collected and protected under CIPSEA and other federal laws.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Macrotrends and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) both support?

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

Do Macrotrends and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) require subscriptions?

Both Macrotrends and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) ships a dedicated mobile experience, while Macrotrends focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Macrotrends differentiates itself with Interactive charts for stocks, commodities, indices, currencies, crypto, and macroeconomic data, often with history spanning back 50–100 years., Free stock screener with 50+ filters covering fundamentals, technicals, and performance; includes U.S. and international equities., and Company profile pages combine daily prices, dividends, and full annual/quarterly financial statements, with fundamentals sourced from Zacks., whereas U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stands out for Public Data API v2: JSON and Excel (.xlsx) output; single or batched series; optional calculations, annual averages, aspects & catalog metadata for registered users., Usage limits (v2): up to 50 series per query, up to 20 years per query, ~50 requests per 10 seconds; daily cap 500 queries (registered) or 25 (unregistered)., and Data Tools: Series Report (direct series ID lookup), Top Picks, One‑screen/Multi‑screen table builders, Data Finder, charts for news releases, CPI Inflation Calculator..

Keep exploring

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.