VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

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Tool Comparison

Open Payments (CMS) vs SEC.gov (EDGAR) 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 SEC.gov (EDGAR) skips.

SEC.gov (EDGAR) includes 13F, 13D/13G, Insider Data, Financials, and Other categories that Open Payments (CMS) omits.

In depth comparison

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

WebAPI

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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SEC.gov (EDGAR)

sec.gov

Editor’s pick Hands-on review

The official source of U.S. regulatory filings. EDGAR provides free public access through its web portal, JSON data APIs, and structured RSS feeds (updated every 10 minutes). Developers can use the APIs on data.sec.gov for submissions and XBRL datasets, while filers use separate EDGAR Next APIs that require tokens. No email alerting is provided—RSS is the only push channel. Automated access must respect fair-use guidelines, including a descriptive User-Agent.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date.
Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames.
APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion.
Structured RSS feeds for XBRL disclosures update every 10 minutes during filing hours (Mon–Fri, 6am–10pm ET). Email alerts are not offered.
Official downloadable datasets include 13F holdings (as filed), Form D, and Financial Statement Data Sets (both as-filed statements and notes).

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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.

SEC.gov (EDGAR)

Distinct strengths include:

13F 13D/13G Insider Data Financials Other

Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date.
Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames.
APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion.
Structured RSS feeds for XBRL disclosures update every 10 minutes during filing hours (Mon–Fri, 6am–10pm ET). Email alerts are not offered.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	Open Payments (CMS)	SEC.gov (EDGAR)
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: 13F, 13D/13G, Insider Data, Financials, Other
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Other	Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Closed-End Funds
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
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 Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date. Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames. APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion. Structured RSS feeds for XBRL disclosures update every 10 minutes during filing hours (Mon–Fri, 6am–10pm ET). Email alerts are not offered. Official downloadable datasets include 13F holdings (as filed), Form D, and Financial Statement Data Sets (both as-filed statements and notes). The ‘Latest Filings’ feed shows real-time submissions entering EDGAR.
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 Open Payments (CMS) and SEC.gov (EDGAR) 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 SEC.gov (EDGAR) require subscriptions?

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

How can you access Open Payments (CMS) and SEC.gov (EDGAR)?

Both Open Payments (CMS) and SEC.gov (EDGAR) 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 SEC.gov (EDGAR) stands out for Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date., Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames., and APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion..

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