VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View Open Payments (CMS)View Sensor TowerBack to Home

Head-to-head

Open Payments (CMS) vs Sensor Tower comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Open Payments (CMS) adds Data APIs, Data Visualizations, and Regulatory Filings Monitoring coverage that Sensor Tower skips.

Sensor Tower includes App & Website Traffic 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)..

Sensor Tower is known for: App download estimates and advertising intelligence, with insights into audience and market share., App performance tracking for ASO workflows, including keyword opportunities, competitive benchmarking, and Apple Search Ads analysis. Free sign-ups provide limited access., and Usage insights built from panel data, showing daily and hourly patterns such as retention, time spent, and session frequency..

Open Payments (CMS) logo

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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Sensor Tower logo

Sensor Tower

sensortower.com

Mobile app and web intelligence platform covering downloads, usage, advertising, and audience trends. A limited free tier is available, while enterprise add-ons include App Teardown and expanded ASO capabilities such as unlimited keyword tracking and custom alerts. Data is delivered via Connect APIs and scheduled feeds with daily refreshes, available in CSV/Parquet and through Snowflake integration.

Platforms

Web
API

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • App download estimates and advertising intelligence, with insights into audience and market share.
  • App performance tracking for ASO workflows, including keyword opportunities, competitive benchmarking, and Apple Search Ads analysis. Free sign-ups provide limited access.
  • Usage insights built from panel data, showing daily and hourly patterns such as retention, time spent, and session frequency.
  • Advertising insights covering share of voice across networks, creative tracking, and messaging trends.
  • Web Insights module that measures cross-platform behavior across desktop web, mobile web, and apps, with deduplicated user benchmarking.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

1 overlap

Both tools cover this research theme.

Where they differ

Open Payments (CMS)

Distinct strengths include:

Data APIs
Data Visualizations
Regulatory Filings Monitoring
  • 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.

Sensor Tower

Distinct strengths include:

App & Website Traffic
  • App download estimates and advertising intelligence, with insights into audience and market share.
  • App performance tracking for ASO workflows, including keyword opportunities, competitive benchmarking, and Apple Search Ads analysis. Free sign-ups provide limited access.
  • Usage insights built from panel data, showing daily and hourly patterns such as retention, time spent, and session frequency.
  • Advertising insights covering share of voice across networks, creative tracking, and messaging trends.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeOpen Payments (CMS)Sensor Tower
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: APIs & SDKs

Unique: Data APIs, Data Visualizations, Regulatory Filings Monitoring

Shared: APIs & SDKs

Unique: App & Website Traffic

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

  • App download estimates and advertising intelligence, with insights into audience and market share.
  • App performance tracking for ASO workflows, including keyword opportunities, competitive benchmarking, and Apple Search Ads analysis. Free sign-ups provide limited access.
  • Usage insights built from panel data, showing daily and hourly patterns such as retention, time spent, and session frequency.
  • Advertising insights covering share of voice across networks, creative tracking, and messaging trends.
  • Web Insights module that measures cross-platform behavior across desktop web, mobile web, and apps, with deduplicated user benchmarking.
  • Connect APIs and scheduled feeds with daily updates, available in CSV or Parquet formats, and direct integration with Snowflake.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Open Payments (CMS) and Sensor Tower both support?

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

Do Open Payments (CMS) and Sensor Tower require subscriptions?

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

How can you access Open Payments (CMS) and Sensor Tower?

Both Open Payments (CMS) and Sensor Tower 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 Sensor Tower stands out for App download estimates and advertising intelligence, with insights into audience and market share., App performance tracking for ASO workflows, including keyword opportunities, competitive benchmarking, and Apple Search Ads analysis. Free sign-ups provide limited access., and Usage insights built from panel data, showing daily and hourly patterns such as retention, time spent, and session frequency..

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

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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.