★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Source check: Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) checked August 4, 2026
Tool Comparison
OpenCorporates vs Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)
Pick OpenCorporates if
OpenCorporates
Free • Contact for pricing · Web · API
- You care about regulatory filings monitoring, something Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) doesn't offer
Pick Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) if
Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)
Free · Web · API · Mobile
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You care about citations & source pinning, something 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 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. The real difference is focus: only OpenCorporates gives you regulatory filings monitoring, and only Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) gives you citations & source pinning.
What readers say
OpenCorporates
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
Key differences at a glance
- Real-time data
- Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)
- Mobile app
- Wayback Machine (Internet Archive)
- 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 | Yes |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | No | No |
Integrations | OpenRefine | Archive-It, Chrome extension +3 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 | Latency: Real-time and End of Day and Timezone: UTC |
Capabilities | — | Citation pinning |
Security | Status page | Data residency: US |
| Try it | Visit OpenCorporates | Visit Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) |
Where each one shines
What OpenCorporates and Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) each do best.ShowHide
Where each one shines
What OpenCorporates and Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) 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 Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) does best
- Save Page Now to capture a current webpage and create a durable archive URL for future citation.
- 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.
- Capture screenshots and related assets where supported so visual evidence can supplement archived HTML.
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for OpenCorporates and Wayback Machine (Internet Archive), side by side.ShowHide
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for OpenCorporates and Wayback Machine (Internet Archive), side by side.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Other | Other |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | End of Day | Real-timeEnd of Day |
Data granularity | EOD | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | REST |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKey | Auth: None and APIKeySDKs: Python and R12 req/min |
Integrations | OpenRefine | Archive-ItChrome extensionFirefox extensionSafari extensionEdge extension |
Export formats | CSVJSON | JSONImage |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Status page | Data residency: US |
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.
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 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.
Does OpenCorporates or Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) have real-time data?
Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) 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.
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.
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.