Tool Comparison
OpenCorporates vs SEC API (sec-api.io)
- Paid from
- On request
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API
Best if
- You want other.
- Paid from
- $55/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API
Best if
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You want insider data, institutional ownership, and financials.
Pick OpenCorporates instead if
OpenCorporates
Free • Contact for pricing · Web · API
- You want other.
Start here
SEC API (sec-api.io)
Free • From $55/mo · Web · API
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You want insider data, institutional ownership, and financials.
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io) cover a lot of the same ground (2 shared categories, APIs & data feeds and regulatory filings monitoring), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. SEC API (sec-api.io) simply does more: 7 categories to OpenCorporates's 3, including insider data, institutional ownership, and financials. OpenCorporates counters by being completely free.
What readers say
OpenCorporates
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SEC API (sec-api.io)
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Key differences at a glance
- Real-time data
- SEC API (sec-api.io)
- Broader coverage
- SEC API (sec-api.io)7 vs 3 categories
- Global coverage
- OpenCorporates
- Free plan
- Both
What OpenCorporates does best
- Search more than 200 million company records collected from official sources, with provenance and source links.
- Use a versioned REST API with API-key authentication and JSON or XML output for company and officer data.
- Match company names to legal identifiers with the OpenRefine Reconciliation API.
- Receive bulk CSV datasets through SFTP for companies, officers, addresses, alternative names, identifiers, and relationships.
- Map subsidiaries, branches, control statements, and shareholdings with the relationships dataset.
What SEC API (sec-api.io) does best
- Search tools across SEC filings through query and full-text APIs covering all EDGAR form types and historical filings back to 1993.
- Real-time WebSocket filing streams when new SEC filings need to trigger alerts, workflows, or downstream processing quickly.
- Convert XBRL filings to standardized JSON financial statements for income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and US GAAP line-item workflows.
- Extract clean filing sections such as MD&A, Risk Factors, and other 10-K, 10-Q, or 8-K sections for research or AI pipelines.
- Access to specialized APIs for Forms 3/4/5, 13F, 13D/G, Form 144, ADV, S-1, 424B4, Form C, Form D, Reg A, N-PORT, N-PX, and N-CEN data.
Side by side
Pricing comparison
See for yourself
Side by side
Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.ShowHide
Side by side
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free • Contact for pricing | Free • From $55/mo |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | 9 limits: Essentials (API): api calls per month: 500, Essentials (API): api calls per day: 200 +7 more | 9 limits: Free Tier: api calls: 100, Personal & Startups: query api rate limit: 20 requests/second/API key +7 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | No |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | No | No |
Integrations | OpenRefine | — |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | — |
Categories covered | 3 | 7 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa | North America |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | Latency: End of Day and Granularity: EOD | Latency: Real-time |
Security | Status page | — |
| Try it | Visit OpenCorporates | Visit SEC API (sec-api.io) |
Standout features
The best features of OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io).ShowHide
Standout features
What OpenCorporates does best
- Search more than 200 million company records collected from official sources, with provenance and source links.
- Use a versioned REST API with API-key authentication and JSON or XML output for company and officer data.
- Match company names to legal identifiers with the OpenRefine Reconciliation API.
- Receive bulk CSV datasets through SFTP for companies, officers, addresses, alternative names, identifiers, and relationships.
- Map subsidiaries, branches, control statements, and shareholdings with the relationships dataset.
What SEC API (sec-api.io) does best
- Search tools across SEC filings through query and full-text APIs covering all EDGAR form types and historical filings back to 1993.
- Real-time WebSocket filing streams when new SEC filings need to trigger alerts, workflows, or downstream processing quickly.
- Convert XBRL filings to standardized JSON financial statements for income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and US GAAP line-item workflows.
- Extract clean filing sections such as MD&A, Risk Factors, and other 10-K, 10-Q, or 8-K sections for research or AI pipelines.
- Access to specialized APIs for Forms 3/4/5, 13F, 13D/G, Form 144, ADV, S-1, 424B4, Form C, Form D, Reg A, N-PORT, N-PX, and N-CEN data.
All details
Every attribute we track for OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io).ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Other | StocksETFsMutual FundsFunds |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North America |
Coverage details | Not specified | Countries: USIdentifiers: Ticker and CUSIP |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | End of Day | Real-time |
Data granularity | EOD | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | RESTWebSocket |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKey | Auth: APIKeySDKs: Python and TS |
Integrations | OpenRefine | Not specified |
Export formats | CSVJSON | JSONPDF |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Status page | Not specified |
Vendor & support | OpenCorporates LtdCountry: United KingdomFounded 2010Support: Email | Data2Value GmbHSupport: Email |
Curation ratings | Not specified | Methodology 4/5Reliability 4/5UX 4/5 |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing
Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.ShowHide
Pricing
| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free“Free (personal & public-benefit use)” | Free“Free Tier”api calls: 100 |
| Entry paid plan | £225/mo“Essentials (API)”api calls per month: 500 · api calls per day: 200 · +1 more | $55/mo“Personal & Startups”query api rate limit: 20 requests/second/API key · included download gbper month: 50 · +2 more |
| Tier 2 | £660/mo“Starter (API)”api calls per month: 2,500 · api calls per day: 500 · +1 more | $239/mo“Business (Internal Use)”query api rate limit: 40 requests/second/API key · included download gbper month: 100 · +2 more |
| Top plan | £1200/mo“Basic (API)”api calls per month: 5,000 · api calls per day: 1,000 · +1 more | — |
| Custom / enterprise | Contact sales“Enterprise Bulk (SFTP CSV datasets)” | Contact sales“Enterprise & Institutions” |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io)?
OpenCorporates leans toward APIs & data feeds, regulatory filings monitoring, and other, while SEC API (sec-api.io) puts more weight on APIs & data feeds, regulatory filings monitoring, and insider data. They overlap in 2 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io) cost?
Good news: both OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io) have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Do OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io) have APIs?
Yes, both offer API access, so developers and quants can pull data programmatically or wire up their own integrations.
Should I choose OpenCorporates or SEC API (sec-api.io)?
It depends on what you're after. Pick OpenCorporates if other matter to you; go with SEC API (sec-api.io) if you'd rather have insider data and institutional ownership. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io) cover?
OpenCorporates covers other. SEC API (sec-api.io) covers stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds.
Does OpenCorporates or SEC API (sec-api.io) have real-time data?
SEC API (sec-api.io) offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. OpenCorporates runs on delayed or end-of-day data, which is perfectly fine for longer-term investors who don't live and die by the tick.
Which covers international markets: OpenCorporates or SEC API (sec-api.io)?
OpenCorporates has documented international coverage (North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, and more), so it's the safer bet if you hold non-US stocks. SEC API (sec-api.io) is more region-specific, mainly North America.
Can I export data from OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io)?
OpenCorporates exports to CSV. SEC API (sec-api.io) is stingier about getting data out.
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