VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 19, 2025

View OpenBB View Variant Home My Collections

Head-to-head

OpenBB vs Variant comparison

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

Quick takeaways

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

Variant includes Stock Ideas, Market Sentiment, and Forums 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..

Variant is known for: AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations., Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments., and Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events..

OpenBB has a free tier, while Variant requires a paid plan.

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).

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Variant

variantinsights.com

Invite- and approval-based platform for professional and student investors. Variant combines an AI-powered “Catalyst Finder” with buyside discussions and a predictions marketplace focused on public-company outcomes and earnings sentiment. All content is user-generated (never investment advice), with strict prohibitions against material non-public information. Access is available via professional approval, student programs at select universities, or invite-only flows.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Other

Quick highlights

AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations.
Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments.
Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events.
Structured prediction markets focused on company-specific outcomes and event-driven scenarios.
Access models include professional approval-based signup, student signup at partner universities, and invite-only admission.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

1 overlap

Both tools cover this research theme.

Where they differ

OpenBB

Distinct strengths include:

APIs & SDKs

Sheets / Excel Add-ins

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.

Variant

Distinct strengths include:

Stock Ideas

Market Sentiment

Forums

AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations.
Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments.
Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events.
Structured prediction markets focused on company-specific outcomes and event-driven scenarios.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	OpenBB	Variant
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: AI Unique: APIs & SDKs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Custom Dashboards, Data APIs, News, IPO, Dividends, Splits, Interest Rates, GDP, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, Commitment of Traders (COT), Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Data Visualizations, Options & Derivatives, Quant, Financials, Transcripts, ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, Analyst Forecasts, Analyst Price Targets, Regulatory Filings Monitoring, AI Chat	Shared: AI Unique: Stock Ideas, Market Sentiment, Forums
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Cryptos	Stocks
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, API	Web
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free, Subscription	Other
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 AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations. Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments. Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events. Structured prediction markets focused on company-specific outcomes and event-driven scenarios. Access models include professional approval-based signup, student signup at partner universities, and invite-only admission. Strict community standards: insights and analysis only, no investment advice, and zero tolerance for MNPI.
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 OpenBB and Variant both support?

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

Which tool offers a free plan?

OpenBB offers a free entry point, while Variant requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.

How can you access OpenBB and Variant?

Both OpenBB and Variant 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 Variant stands out for AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations., Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments., and Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events..

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Stay on top of related tools

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