VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ A CURATED DIRECTORY OF FINANCIAL TOOLS ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

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Tool Comparison

MarineTraffic vs SEC.gov (EDGAR) comparison

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

Quick takeaways

MarineTraffic adds Data Visualizations, and Shipping & Trade coverage that SEC.gov (EDGAR) skips.

SEC.gov (EDGAR) includes Improved Filings, Insider Data, 13F, and APIs & SDKs categories that MarineTraffic omits.

MarineTraffic ships a mobile app. SEC.gov (EDGAR) is web/desktop only.

In depth comparison

MarineTraffic

marinetraffic.com

Global AIS vessel tracking platform with map views, alerts, voyage history, and data exports. Many features are plan-gated: CSV export quotas, Past Track history, detailed Route Forecasts, and the number of Custom Areas you can define. API access is available with an API key, and mobile apps provide push notifications.

Platforms

WebMobileAPI

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

Live Map with advanced filters, including ship type, capacity, status, and custom smart filters.
Notifications for port calls, area entries, vessel movements (speed, course changes, drifting), AIS data updates (ETA, destination, draught), proximity events (STS, tug, pilot, bunkering), and AIS-coverage changes, delivered via email, mobile push, or archive.
CSV exports from vessel and port databases, with monthly quotas depending on plan: Basic (5), Essential (300), Enterprise (10,000).
Past Track playback varies by plan: Free (1 day), Essential (7 days), Enterprise (up to 5 years, in 7-day playback windows).
Route Forecast tools: Basic shows path previews; Essential and Enterprise unlock ETA and speed details.

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SEC.gov (EDGAR)

sec.gov

Editor’s pick Hands-on review

Official U.S. SEC portal for free public access to EDGAR filings and related data tools. Public REST APIs on data.sec.gov deliver JSON and require no auth/API keys, but automated access must comply with SEC privacy/security policy, uses a declared User-Agent header, and is rate-limited (SEC states a max of 10 requests/second). data.sec.gov does not support CORS. SEC also links to a separate EDGAR Public Dissemination Service (PDS) subscription feed (managed by a contractor).

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Search Filings provides free public access to EDGAR documents and search tools (e.g., Full Text Search, Latest Filings, Mutual Fund Search).
EDGAR Full-Text Search covers electronic filings since 2001 (including exhibits/attachments) and supports queries by keyword, ticker, company name, CIK, and reporter; boolean/wildcards and advanced search are supported (natural-language search is not).
Latest Filings provides a real-time listing of filings as they are submitted; SEC recommends Latest Filings + RSS for near-real-time access and notes EDGAR filing email alerts are not offered (RSS instead).
Mutual Funds Search supports searching funds/ETFs by name, series/class or contract IDs, ticker, or CIK, and links to prospectuses and proxy voting records; users can subscribe via RSS.
Developer access: data.sec.gov hosts RESTful JSON APIs for submissions history by company (submissions JSON includes names, exchanges and ticker symbols) and XBRL-derived data via companyconcept, companyfacts, and frames endpoints.

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Where they differ

MarineTraffic

Distinct strengths include:

Data Visualizations Shipping & Trade

Live Map with advanced filters, including ship type, capacity, status, and custom smart filters.
Notifications for port calls, area entries, vessel movements (speed, course changes, drifting), AIS data updates (ETA, destination, draught), proximity events (STS, tug, pilot, bunkering), and AIS-coverage changes, delivered via email, mobile push, or archive.
CSV exports from vessel and port databases, with monthly quotas depending on plan: Basic (5), Essential (300), Enterprise (10,000).
Past Track playback varies by plan: Free (1 day), Essential (7 days), Enterprise (up to 5 years, in 7-day playback windows).

SEC.gov (EDGAR)

Distinct strengths include:

Improved Filings Insider Data 13F APIs & SDKs

Search Filings provides free public access to EDGAR documents and search tools (e.g., Full Text Search, Latest Filings, Mutual Fund Search).
EDGAR Full-Text Search covers electronic filings since 2001 (including exhibits/attachments) and supports queries by keyword, ticker, company name, CIK, and reporter; boolean/wildcards and advanced search are supported (natural-language search is not).
Latest Filings provides a real-time listing of filings as they are submitted; SEC recommends Latest Filings + RSS for near-real-time access and notes EDGAR filing email alerts are not offered (RSS instead).
Mutual Funds Search supports searching funds/ETFs by name, series/class or contract IDs, ticker, or CIK, and links to prospectuses and proxy voting records; users can subscribe via RSS.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	MarineTraffic	SEC.gov (EDGAR)
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data APIs, Alerts Unique: Data Visualizations, Shipping & Trade	Shared: Data APIs, Alerts Unique: Improved Filings, Insider Data, 13F, APIs & SDKs
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Other	Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, 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, Subscription	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique Live Map with advanced filters, including ship type, capacity, status, and custom smart filters. Notifications for port calls, area entries, vessel movements (speed, course changes, drifting), AIS data updates (ETA, destination, draught), proximity events (STS, tug, pilot, bunkering), and AIS-coverage changes, delivered via email, mobile push, or archive. CSV exports from vessel and port databases, with monthly quotas depending on plan: Basic (5), Essential (300), Enterprise (10,000). Past Track playback varies by plan: Free (1 day), Essential (7 days), Enterprise (up to 5 years, in 7-day playback windows). Route Forecast tools: Basic shows path previews; Essential and Enterprise unlock ETA and speed details. Custom Areas can be created or imported (KMZ/KML/GEOJSON/WKT), with plan limits from 1 area (Essential) up to 2,000 (Enterprise).	Unique Search Filings provides free public access to EDGAR documents and search tools (e.g., Full Text Search, Latest Filings, Mutual Fund Search). EDGAR Full-Text Search covers electronic filings since 2001 (including exhibits/attachments) and supports queries by keyword, ticker, company name, CIK, and reporter; boolean/wildcards and advanced search are supported (natural-language search is not). Latest Filings provides a real-time listing of filings as they are submitted; SEC recommends Latest Filings + RSS for near-real-time access and notes EDGAR filing email alerts are not offered (RSS instead). Mutual Funds Search supports searching funds/ETFs by name, series/class or contract IDs, ticker, or CIK, and links to prospectuses and proxy voting records; users can subscribe via RSS. Developer access: data.sec.gov hosts RESTful JSON APIs for submissions history by company (submissions JSON includes names, exchanges and ticker symbols) and XBRL-derived data via companyconcept, companyfacts, and frames endpoints. API update schedule: data is updated in real time; typical processing delay is <1s for submissions and under 1 minute for XBRL; bulk ZIP archives (submissions.zip, companyfacts.zip) are republished nightly (~3:00 a.m. ET).
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Not yet	Yes
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Highlighted

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do MarineTraffic and SEC.gov (EDGAR) both support?

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

Do MarineTraffic and SEC.gov (EDGAR) require subscriptions?

Both MarineTraffic and SEC.gov (EDGAR) keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

MarineTraffic ships a dedicated mobile experience, while SEC.gov (EDGAR) focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

MarineTraffic differentiates itself with Live Map with advanced filters, including ship type, capacity, status, and custom smart filters., Notifications for port calls, area entries, vessel movements (speed, course changes, drifting), AIS data updates (ETA, destination, draught), proximity events (STS, tug, pilot, bunkering), and AIS-coverage changes, delivered via email, mobile push, or archive., and CSV exports from vessel and port databases, with monthly quotas depending on plan: Basic (5), Essential (300), Enterprise (10,000)., whereas SEC.gov (EDGAR) stands out for Search Filings provides free public access to EDGAR documents and search tools (e.g., Full Text Search, Latest Filings, Mutual Fund Search)., EDGAR Full-Text Search covers electronic filings since 2001 (including exhibits/attachments) and supports queries by keyword, ticker, company name, CIK, and reporter; boolean/wildcards and advanced search are supported (natural-language search is not)., and Latest Filings provides a real-time listing of filings as they are submitted; SEC recommends Latest Filings + RSS for near-real-time access and notes EDGAR filing email alerts are not offered (RSS instead)..

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