★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Tool comparison edition
Tool Comparison
OpenCorporates vs SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings)
Pick OpenCorporates instead if
OpenCorporates
Free • Contact for pricing · Web · API
- You care about other, something SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) doesn't offer
Start here
SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings)
Free · Web · API
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You care about IPO, corporate actions & special situations, and insider data, 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 EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) 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 EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) simply does more: 10 categories to OpenCorporates's 3, including IPO, corporate actions & special situations, and insider data. OpenCorporates counters by being completely free.
What readers say
OpenCorporates
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings)
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Key differences at a glance
- Real-time data
- SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings)
- Broader coverage
- SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings)10 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 |
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 | — |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | No |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | No | No |
Integrations | OpenRefine | EDGAR RSS Feeds, data.sec.gov (Submissions & XBRL APIs) +1 more |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | — |
Categories covered | 3 | 10 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa | North America |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | Latency: End of Day and Granularity: EOD | 5 signals: Latency: Real-time and End of Day, Granularity: EOD +3 more |
Security | Status page | Data residency: US and Status page |
| Try it | Visit OpenCorporates | Visit SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) |
Where each one shines
What OpenCorporates and SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) each do best.ShowHide
Where each one shines
What OpenCorporates and SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) 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 EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) does best
- Search tools across official SEC filings by company, ticker, CIK, person, filing type, filing category, date range, state, incorporation location, and full-text terms.
- Full-Text Search for filings and exhibits since 2001 when you need source documents rather than vendor summaries.
- Latest Filings to monitor newly submitted filings, including ownership Forms 3, 4, and 5 filters.
- Company Search, Mutual Fund Search, Variable Insurance Product Search, and CIK Lookup for issuer and fund discovery.
- Subscriptions to RSS feeds for latest filings and filtered searches when a no-cost monitoring workflow is enough.
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for OpenCorporates and SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings), side by side.ShowHide
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for OpenCorporates and SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings), side by side.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Other | StocksETFsMutual FundsClosed-End FundsBondsHedge FundsPrivate FundsReal Estate+1 more |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North America |
Coverage details | Not specified | Countries: US4 exchangesIdentifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | End of Day | Real-timeEnd of Day |
Data granularity | EOD | EOD |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | REST |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKey | Auth: None600 req/min |
Integrations | OpenRefine | EDGAR RSS Feedsdata.sec.gov (Submissions & XBRL APIs)EDGAR Public Dissemination Service (PDS) |
Export formats | CSVJSON | JSONXMLPDF |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Status page | Data residency: USStatus page |
Vendor & support | OpenCorporates LtdCountry: United KingdomFounded 2010Support: Email | U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)Country: USSupport: Email and Phone |
Curation ratings | Not specified | Methodology 5/5Reliability 5/5UX 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 |
| Entry paid plan | £225/mo“Essentials (API)”api calls per month: 500 · api calls per day: 200 | — |
| Tier 2 | £660/mo“Starter (API)”api calls per month: 2,500 · api calls per day: 500 · +1 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)” | — |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between OpenCorporates and SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings)?
OpenCorporates leans toward APIs & data feeds, regulatory filings monitoring, and other, while SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) puts more weight on regulatory filings monitoring, IPO, and corporate actions & special situations. They overlap in 2 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do OpenCorporates and SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) cost?
Good news: both OpenCorporates and SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Do OpenCorporates and SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) 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 EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings)?
It depends on what you're after. Pick OpenCorporates if other matter to you; go with SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) if you'd rather have IPO and corporate actions & special situations. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do OpenCorporates and SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) cover?
OpenCorporates covers other. SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) covers stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds.
Does OpenCorporates or SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) have real-time data?
SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) 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 EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings)?
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 EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) is more region-specific, mainly North America.
Can I export data from OpenCorporates and SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings)?
OpenCorporates exports to CSV. SEC EDGAR - Company Filings (Full‑Text Search & Search Filings) is stingier about getting data out.
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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.