VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

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Tuesday, November 11, 2025

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Tool Comparison

Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) vs Visual Capitalist comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) adds Data APIs, and Shipping & Trade coverage that Visual Capitalist skips.

Visual Capitalist includes Newsletters categories that Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) omits.

In depth comparison

Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)

oec.world

A global trade and economic complexity platform with rich visualizations, country and product rankings, and an API. Pro plans unlock the latest monthly and subnational datasets, while Premium adds company-level Bill of Lading data and bulk downloads. Academic discounts and enterprise options with SSO support are also available.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

Visualizations and rankings based on Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and Product Complexity Index (PCI), with reports by HS classification.
Monthly international trade data and subnational coverage across 30+ countries available on Pro plans.
Premium tier adds company-level U.S. Bill of Lading data through a Company Explorer sourced from U.S. Customs.
REST API with a free tier for historical data and Pro/Premium tokens for the latest datasets, subnational access, and higher query volumes.
Data downloads in CSV, Excel, or JSON, with bulk access and larger query limits available for subscribers.

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Visual Capitalist

visualcapitalist.com

Publisher of striking, data-driven infographics and explainers on business, markets, and the global economy. Their premium tier, VC+, offers exclusive research notes, newsletters, webinars, and ad-free browsing, while a licensing program enables organizations to reuse and reprint their visuals under set terms.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

Well-known for data-rich charts, maps, and infographics across markets, energy, technology, and macroeconomics.
Coverage spans major themes like GDP trends, market share breakdowns, commodities, and economic freedom indices.
VC+ membership unlocks The Trendline newsletter (twice weekly), monthly market outlooks, special research dispatches, archives, and member-only events.
Ad-free browsing included with VC+ for a cleaner reading experience.
Content licensing available through a dedicated portal, with clear guidelines for reprints and permitted reuse.

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Where they differ

Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)

Distinct strengths include:

Data APIs Shipping & Trade

Visualizations and rankings based on Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and Product Complexity Index (PCI), with reports by HS classification.
Monthly international trade data and subnational coverage across 30+ countries available on Pro plans.
Premium tier adds company-level U.S. Bill of Lading data through a Company Explorer sourced from U.S. Customs.
REST API with a free tier for historical data and Pro/Premium tokens for the latest datasets, subnational access, and higher query volumes.

Visual Capitalist

Distinct strengths include:

Newsletters

Well-known for data-rich charts, maps, and infographics across markets, energy, technology, and macroeconomics.
Coverage spans major themes like GDP trends, market share breakdowns, commodities, and economic freedom indices.
VC+ membership unlocks The Trendline newsletter (twice weekly), monthly market outlooks, special research dispatches, archives, and member-only events.
Ad-free browsing included with VC+ for a cleaner reading experience.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)	Visual Capitalist
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data Visualizations, Education, Blogs Unique: Data APIs, Shipping & Trade	Shared: Data Visualizations, Education, Blogs Unique: Newsletters
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Other	Other
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, API	Web
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free, Subscription	Free, Subscription
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique Visualizations and rankings based on Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and Product Complexity Index (PCI), with reports by HS classification. Monthly international trade data and subnational coverage across 30+ countries available on Pro plans. Premium tier adds company-level U.S. Bill of Lading data through a Company Explorer sourced from U.S. Customs. REST API with a free tier for historical data and Pro/Premium tokens for the latest datasets, subnational access, and higher query volumes. Data downloads in CSV, Excel, or JSON, with bulk access and larger query limits available for subscribers. Support for multiple HS revisions (from HS92 through HS2022) with well-documented historical ranges.	Unique Well-known for data-rich charts, maps, and infographics across markets, energy, technology, and macroeconomics. Coverage spans major themes like GDP trends, market share breakdowns, commodities, and economic freedom indices. VC+ membership unlocks The Trendline newsletter (twice weekly), monthly market outlooks, special research dispatches, archives, and member-only events. Ad-free browsing included with VC+ for a cleaner reading experience. Content licensing available through a dedicated portal, with clear guidelines for reprints and permitted reuse. VC+ has also been offered in a lifetime membership format with the same core benefits.
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 Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) and Visual Capitalist both support?

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

Do Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) and Visual Capitalist require subscriptions?

Both Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) and Visual Capitalist keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) and Visual Capitalist?

Both Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) and Visual Capitalist prioritize web or desktop access. Investors wanting a mobile-first workflow may need to rely on responsive web views.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) differentiates itself with Visualizations and rankings based on Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and Product Complexity Index (PCI), with reports by HS classification., Monthly international trade data and subnational coverage across 30+ countries available on Pro plans., and Premium tier adds company-level U.S. Bill of Lading data through a Company Explorer sourced from U.S. Customs., whereas Visual Capitalist stands out for Well-known for data-rich charts, maps, and infographics across markets, energy, technology, and macroeconomics., Coverage spans major themes like GDP trends, market share breakdowns, commodities, and economic freedom indices., and VC+ membership unlocks The Trendline newsletter (twice weekly), monthly market outlooks, special research dispatches, archives, and member-only events..

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