Tool Comparison
OpenCorporates vs Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)
- Paid from
- On request
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API
Best if
- You want regulatory filings monitoring.
- Paid from
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API, Mobile
Best if
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You want citations & source pinning.
Pick OpenCorporates if
OpenCorporates
Free • Contact for pricing · Web · API
- You want regulatory filings monitoring.
Pick Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) if
Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)
Free · Web · API · Mobile
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You want citations & source pinning.
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 Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) cover a lot of the same ground (2 shared categories, APIs & data feeds and other), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. OpenCorporates includes regulatory filings monitoring, and Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) includes citations & source pinning.
What readers say
OpenCorporates
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Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)
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Key differences at a glance
- Mobile app
- Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)
- 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 Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) does best
- Save Page Now captures a current web page and returns an archive URL.
- Lookup tools for historical captures of IR pages, product pages, fund fact sheets, pricing pages, filings portals, and other web sources used in research.
- Availability, CDX, and Memento endpoints to discover captures, filter historical snapshots, and access time-based page versions.
- Comparison tools for page changes over time when a company, fund, vendor, or regulator has altered public language or removed a page.
- Signed-in users can request a screenshot, save the capture to My Web Archive, and receive results or a WACZ file by email.
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 |
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 | — |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | Yes |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | No | No |
Integrations | OpenRefine | Chrome extension, Firefox extension +2 more |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | — |
Categories covered | 3 | 3 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | Latency: End of Day and Granularity: EOD | Timezone: UTC |
Capabilities | — | Citation pinning |
Security | Status page | — |
| Try it | Visit OpenCorporates | Visit Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) |
Standout features
The best features of OpenCorporates and Wayback Machine (Internet Archive).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 Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) does best
- Save Page Now captures a current web page and returns an archive URL.
- Lookup tools for historical captures of IR pages, product pages, fund fact sheets, pricing pages, filings portals, and other web sources used in research.
- Availability, CDX, and Memento endpoints to discover captures, filter historical snapshots, and access time-based page versions.
- Comparison tools for page changes over time when a company, fund, vendor, or regulator has altered public language or removed a page.
- Signed-in users can request a screenshot, save the capture to My Web Archive, and receive results or a WACZ file by email.
All details
Every attribute we track for OpenCorporates and Wayback Machine (Internet Archive).ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Other | Other |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | End of Day | Not specified |
Data granularity | EOD | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | REST |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKey | Auth: None and APIKey |
Integrations | OpenRefine | Chrome extensionFirefox extensionSafari extensionEdge extension |
Export formats | CSVJSON | JSONImage |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Status page | Not specified |
Capability signals | Not specified | Citation pinning |
Vendor & support | OpenCorporates LtdCountry: United KingdomFounded 2010Support: Email | Internet ArchiveCountry: USFounded 1996Support: Email and Forum |
Curation ratings | Not specified | Methodology 3/5Reliability 3/5UX 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 |
| Entry paid plan | £225/mo“Essentials (API)”api calls per month: 500 · api calls per day: 200 · +1 more | — |
| 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 Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)?
OpenCorporates leans toward APIs & data feeds, regulatory filings monitoring, and other, while Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) puts more weight on APIs & data feeds, citations & source pinning, and other. They overlap in 2 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do OpenCorporates and Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) cost?
Good news: both OpenCorporates and Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Can I use OpenCorporates or Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) on my phone?
Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. OpenCorporates doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web and API.
Do OpenCorporates and Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) 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 Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)?
It depends on what you're after. Pick OpenCorporates if regulatory filings monitoring matter to you; go with Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) if you'd rather have citations & source pinning. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
Can I export data from OpenCorporates and Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)?
OpenCorporates exports to CSV. Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) 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.