VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Head-to-head

OpenBB vs USAspending comparison

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

Quick takeaways

OpenBB adds Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Custom Dashboards, News, IPO, Dividends, Splits, Interest Rates, GDP, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, Commitment of Traders (COT), Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Options & Derivatives, Quant, Financials, Transcripts, ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, Analyst Forecasts, Analyst Price Targets, Regulatory Filings Monitoring, AI, and AI Chat coverage that USAspending skips.

USAspending includes Videos, and Other categories that OpenBB omits.

OpenBB highlights: REST API and Python client with JSON-serializable endpoints; local API deployment supported., Wide coverage across equities, ETFs, options, fixed income, macroeconomics, news, transcripts, and regulatory filings., and Command-line interface (successor to the legacy OpenBB Terminal) plus Python workflows..

USAspending is known for: Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure., Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy., and Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints..

OpenBB logo

OpenBB

openbb.co

Open-source data and analytics platform with a REST API, Python SDK, and an enterprise workspace for custom dashboards and apps. The free Community plan includes unlimited dashboards and 20 AI Copilot queries per day. Pro adds collaboration features, Excel integration, secure deployment (VPC/on-prem), and export options. Infrastructure is SOC 2 Type II certified, with SSO support and a public status page.

Platforms

Web
API

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • REST API and Python client with JSON-serializable endpoints; local API deployment supported.
  • Wide coverage across equities, ETFs, options, fixed income, macroeconomics, news, transcripts, and regulatory filings.
  • Command-line interface (successor to the legacy OpenBB Terminal) plus Python workflows.
  • Workspace dashboards and apps with customizable widgets; unlimited dashboards on the Community tier.
  • OpenBB Copilot AI chat that integrates dashboard widgets as context and supports attachments (PDF, CSV, XLSX).

Community votes (overall)

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USAspending logo

USAspending

usaspending.gov

Official U.S. federal spending open‑data portal mandated by the DATA Act and operated by Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service. The public REST API powers the site (GET/POST endpoints, JSON responses). Data refreshes daily after a nightly pipeline; underlying source systems update on different cadences (e.g., monthly for Files A/B/C via the DATA Act Broker; next‑day for FPDS contracts; FABS within 2 weeks; FSRS subawards by month‑end; GTAS monthly). Bulk downloads and archives are available for awards back to FY2008.

Platforms

Web
API

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure.
  • Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy.
  • Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints.
  • Bulk data: Award Data Archive (pre‑generated, by agency/fiscal year), Custom Award Data, Custom Account Data, and full Database Download.
  • Award coverage: contracts, contract IDVs, grants, direct payments, loans, insurance, other financial assistance; prime awards and subawards (FSRS).

Community votes (overall)

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

3 overlaps

Mutual strengths include APIs & SDKs, Data APIs, and Data Visualizations.

Where they differ

OpenBB

Distinct strengths include:

  • REST API and Python client with JSON-serializable endpoints; local API deployment supported.
  • Wide coverage across equities, ETFs, options, fixed income, macroeconomics, news, transcripts, and regulatory filings.
  • Command-line interface (successor to the legacy OpenBB Terminal) plus Python workflows.
  • Workspace dashboards and apps with customizable widgets; unlimited dashboards on the Community tier.

USAspending

Distinct strengths include:

  • Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure.
  • Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy.
  • Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints.
  • Bulk data: Award Data Archive (pre‑generated, by agency/fiscal year), Custom Award Data, Custom Account Data, and full Database Download.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeOpenBBUSAspending
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: APIs & SDKs, Data APIs, Data Visualizations

Unique: Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Custom Dashboards, News, IPO, Dividends, Splits, Interest Rates, GDP, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, Commitment of Traders (COT), Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Options & Derivatives, Quant, Financials, Transcripts, ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, Analyst Forecasts, Analyst Price Targets, Regulatory Filings Monitoring, AI, AI Chat

Shared: APIs & SDKs, Data APIs, Data Visualizations

Unique: Videos, Other

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Cryptos

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, Subscription

Free

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • REST API and Python client with JSON-serializable endpoints; local API deployment supported.
  • Wide coverage across equities, ETFs, options, fixed income, macroeconomics, news, transcripts, and regulatory filings.
  • Command-line interface (successor to the legacy OpenBB Terminal) plus Python workflows.
  • Workspace dashboards and apps with customizable widgets; unlimited dashboards on the Community tier.
  • OpenBB Copilot AI chat that integrates dashboard widgets as context and supports attachments (PDF, CSV, XLSX).
  • Community plan includes 20 Copilot queries/day; Pro adds Excel Add-in, data export, team roles and sharing, and SSO (Azure/Google).

Unique

  • Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure.
  • Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy.
  • Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints.
  • Bulk data: Award Data Archive (pre‑generated, by agency/fiscal year), Custom Award Data, Custom Account Data, and full Database Download.
  • Award coverage: contracts, contract IDVs, grants, direct payments, loans, insurance, other financial assistance; prime awards and subawards (FSRS).
  • Entity identifiers: UEI (replaced DUNS on Apr 4, 2022) used for recipients as the governmentwide identifier (via SAM.gov).
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Not yet

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Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do OpenBB and USAspending both support?

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

Do OpenBB and USAspending require subscriptions?

Both OpenBB and USAspending keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access OpenBB and USAspending?

Both OpenBB and USAspending 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?

OpenBB differentiates itself with REST API and Python client with JSON-serializable endpoints; local API deployment supported., Wide coverage across equities, ETFs, options, fixed income, macroeconomics, news, transcripts, and regulatory filings., and Command-line interface (successor to the legacy OpenBB Terminal) plus Python workflows., whereas USAspending stands out for Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure., Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy., and Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints..

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.