★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Tool comparison edition
Tool Comparison
OpenCorporates vs SEC API (sec-api.io)
Pick OpenCorporates instead if
OpenCorporates
Free • Contact for pricing · Web · API
- You care about other, something SEC API (sec-api.io) doesn't offer
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 care about insider data, institutional ownership, and financials, things OpenCorporates doesn't offer
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
See alternativesOutbound links may include affiliate or sponsor codes.
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
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
SEC API (sec-api.io)
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
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
See for yourself
How they stack up
The side-by-side table: pricing, platforms, data, and coverage at a glance.ShowHide
How they stack up
The side-by-side table: pricing, platforms, data, and coverage at a glance.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free • Contact for pricing | Free • From $55/mo |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | 8 limits: Essentials (API): api calls per month: 500, Essentials (API): api calls per day: 200 +6 more | 3 limits: Free Tier: api calls: 100, Personal & Startups: query api rate limit: 20 requests/second/API key +1 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) |
Where each one shines
What OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io) each do best.ShowHide
Where each one shines
What OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io) each do best.What OpenCorporates does best
- Search tools across a public legal-entity database advertised at 200M+ company records aggregated from official registries with provenance and source links.
- The versioned REST API with API-key authentication and JSON or XML output for company and officer data workflows.
- OpenRefine Reconciliation API to match company names to legal identifiers during entity-resolution work.
- Access to enterprise bulk data through SFTP-delivered CSV datasets for companies, officers, addresses, alternative names, identifiers, and relationships.
- Relationship data for subsidiaries, branches, control statements, shareholdings, and ownership-mapping workflows.
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.
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io), side by side.ShowHide
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for OpenCorporates and SEC API (sec-api.io), side by side.| 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 |
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.
What you'll actually pay
Plans, billing, trials, and per-month pricing for both tools.ShowHide
What you'll actually pay
Plans, billing, trials, and per-month pricing for both tools.| 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 | $55/mo“Personal & Startups”query api rate limit: 20 requests/second/API key |
| 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 |
| 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.
Keep researching
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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.