VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View Open Payments (CMS)View OpenCorporates Back to Home

Head-to-head

Open Payments (CMS) vs OpenCorporates comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Open Payments (CMS) adds APIs & SDKs, and Data Visualizations coverage that OpenCorporates skips.

OpenCorporates includes Other categories that Open Payments (CMS) omits.

Open Payments (CMS) highlights: Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests., Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal., and Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style)..

OpenCorporates is known for: 230M+ company records spanning 145+ jurisdictions, aggregated from 140+ official registries with full provenance and source links., Versioned REST API with JSON (default) or XML output; API keys required. Free tier provides up to 200 requests per month (50 per day)., and OpenRefine Reconciliation API allows entity-matching from company names to legal identifiers..

Open Payments (CMS)

openpaymentsdata.cms.gov

U.S. federal open‑data program (Affordable Care Act ‘Sunshine Act’) that publishes financial relationships between drug/device manufacturers (and GPOs) and healthcare providers (physicians, NPPs since PY2021, and teaching hospitals). CMS publishes the prior program year’s full datasets on or before June 30 each year and issues a January refresh. Data are accessible via the web search tool, bulk downloads, and a REST Open Data API (filter, query, aggregate).

Platforms

Web

API

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests.
Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal.
Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style).
Publication cadence: initial annual publication on/around June 30 for the prior year, plus a January data refresh.
Pre‑publication workflow: 45‑day recipient review & dispute (Apr 1–May 15) + 15‑day correction window (May 16–May 30).

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OpenCorporates

opencorporates.com

The world’s largest open database of legal entities, offering both a public-facing search and an API. Free access is available for personal or public-benefit use, while commercial API access and bulk datasets require a paid plan. Bulk deliveries are provided via SFTP in CSV format, and the platform includes a public status page for web, API, knowledge base, and SFTP availability.

Platforms

Web

API

Pricing

Free

Subscription

Quick highlights

230M+ company records spanning 145+ jurisdictions, aggregated from 140+ official registries with full provenance and source links.
Versioned REST API with JSON (default) or XML output; API keys required. Free tier provides up to 200 requests per month (50 per day).
OpenRefine Reconciliation API allows entity-matching from company names to legal identifiers.
Enterprise bulk access via SFTP, with six structured CSV datasets (Companies, Officers, Non-Registered Addresses, Alternative Names, Additional Identifiers, and Relationships).
Relationships dataset includes 30M+ links covering subsidiaries, branches, control statements, and shareholdings, with data from sources like the SEC and UK PSC.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

2 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Data APIs, and Regulatory Filings Monitoring.

Where they differ

Open Payments (CMS)

Distinct strengths include:

APIs & SDKs

Data Visualizations

Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests.
Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal.
Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style).
Publication cadence: initial annual publication on/around June 30 for the prior year, plus a January data refresh.

OpenCorporates

Distinct strengths include:

Other

230M+ company records spanning 145+ jurisdictions, aggregated from 140+ official registries with full provenance and source links.
Versioned REST API with JSON (default) or XML output; API keys required. Free tier provides up to 200 requests per month (50 per day).
OpenRefine Reconciliation API allows entity-matching from company names to legal identifiers.
Enterprise bulk access via SFTP, with six structured CSV datasets (Companies, Officers, Non-Registered Addresses, Alternative Names, Additional Identifiers, and Relationships).

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	Open Payments (CMS)	OpenCorporates
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data APIs, Regulatory Filings Monitoring Unique: APIs & SDKs, Data Visualizations	Shared: Data APIs, Regulatory Filings Monitoring Unique: Other
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, API
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free	Free, Subscription
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests. Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal. Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style). Publication cadence: initial annual publication on/around June 30 for the prior year, plus a January data refresh. Pre‑publication workflow: 45‑day recipient review & dispute (Apr 1–May 15) + 15‑day correction window (May 16–May 30). Supplemental/lookup tables (e.g., Covered Recipient Profile Supplement; distinct physician profile) to aid joins.	Unique 230M+ company records spanning 145+ jurisdictions, aggregated from 140+ official registries with full provenance and source links. Versioned REST API with JSON (default) or XML output; API keys required. Free tier provides up to 200 requests per month (50 per day). OpenRefine Reconciliation API allows entity-matching from company names to legal identifiers. Enterprise bulk access via SFTP, with six structured CSV datasets (Companies, Officers, Non-Registered Addresses, Alternative Names, Additional Identifiers, and Relationships). Relationships dataset includes 30M+ links covering subsidiaries, branches, control statements, and shareholdings, with data from sources like the SEC and UK PSC. Data acquisition ranges from hourly to quarterly; registry ingestion checks run every 5 minutes. Bulk deliveries are typically no more than one month behind official registries.
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 Open Payments (CMS) and OpenCorporates both support?

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

Do Open Payments (CMS) and OpenCorporates require subscriptions?

Both Open Payments (CMS) and OpenCorporates keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access Open Payments (CMS) and OpenCorporates?

Both Open Payments (CMS) and OpenCorporates 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?

Open Payments (CMS) differentiates itself with Three core datasets each year: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership/Investment Interests., Web search/explorer with filtering and charts; program year downloads available from the portal., and Open Data API (ODA) for programmatic access with filtering, querying, and aggregation (SoQL‑style)., whereas OpenCorporates stands out for 230M+ company records spanning 145+ jurisdictions, aggregated from 140+ official registries with full provenance and source links., Versioned REST API with JSON (default) or XML output; API keys required. Free tier provides up to 200 requests per month (50 per day)., and OpenRefine Reconciliation API allows entity-matching from company names to legal identifiers..

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

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