VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Tool Comparison

SEC.gov (EDGAR) vs USAspending comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

SEC.gov (EDGAR) adds 13F, 13D/13G, Insider Data, Financials, and Regulatory Filings Monitoring coverage that USAspending skips.

USAspending includes APIs & SDKs, Data Visualizations, and Videos categories that SEC.gov (EDGAR) omits.

In depth comparison

SEC.gov (EDGAR)

sec.gov

Editor’s pick Hands-on review

The official source of U.S. regulatory filings. EDGAR provides free public access through its web portal, JSON data APIs, and structured RSS feeds (updated every 10 minutes). Developers can use the APIs on data.sec.gov for submissions and XBRL datasets, while filers use separate EDGAR Next APIs that require tokens. No email alerting is provided—RSS is the only push channel. Automated access must respect fair-use guidelines, including a descriptive User-Agent.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date.
Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames.
APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion.
Structured RSS feeds for XBRL disclosures update every 10 minutes during filing hours (Mon–Fri, 6am–10pm ET). Email alerts are not offered.
Official downloadable datasets include 13F holdings (as filed), Form D, and Financial Statement Data Sets (both as-filed statements and notes).

Community votes (overall)

0% upvotes 0% downvotes

You haven't voted yet

View full profile Visit site

USAspending

usaspending.gov

Official U.S. federal spending open‑data portal mandated by the DATA Act and operated by Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service. The public REST API powers the site (GET/POST endpoints, JSON responses). Data refreshes daily after a nightly pipeline; underlying source systems update on different cadences (e.g., monthly for Files A/B/C via the DATA Act Broker; next‑day for FPDS contracts; FABS within 2 weeks; FSRS subawards by month‑end; GTAS monthly). Bulk downloads and archives are available for awards back to FY2008.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure.
Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy.
Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints.
Bulk data: Award Data Archive (pre‑generated, by agency/fiscal year), Custom Award Data, Custom Account Data, and full Database Download.
Award coverage: contracts, contract IDVs, grants, direct payments, loans, insurance, other financial assistance; prime awards and subawards (FSRS).

Community votes (overall)

0% upvotes 0% downvotes

You haven't voted yet

View full profile Visit site

Where they differ

SEC.gov (EDGAR)

Distinct strengths include:

13F 13D/13G Insider Data Financials Regulatory Filings Monitoring

Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date.
Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames.
APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion.
Structured RSS feeds for XBRL disclosures update every 10 minutes during filing hours (Mon–Fri, 6am–10pm ET). Email alerts are not offered.

USAspending

Distinct strengths include:

APIs & SDKs Data Visualizations Videos

Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure.
Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy.
Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints.
Bulk data: Award Data Archive (pre‑generated, by agency/fiscal year), Custom Award Data, Custom Account Data, and full Database Download.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	SEC.gov (EDGAR)	USAspending
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data APIs, Other Unique: 13F, 13D/13G, Insider Data, Financials, Regulatory Filings Monitoring	Shared: Data APIs, Other Unique: APIs & SDKs, Data Visualizations, Videos
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Closed-End Funds	Other
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, API	Web, API
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date. Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames. APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion. Structured RSS feeds for XBRL disclosures update every 10 minutes during filing hours (Mon–Fri, 6am–10pm ET). Email alerts are not offered. Official downloadable datasets include 13F holdings (as filed), Form D, and Financial Statement Data Sets (both as-filed statements and notes). The ‘Latest Filings’ feed shows real-time submissions entering EDGAR.	Unique Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure. Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy. Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints. Bulk data: Award Data Archive (pre‑generated, by agency/fiscal year), Custom Award Data, Custom Account Data, and full Database Download. Award coverage: contracts, contract IDVs, grants, direct payments, loans, insurance, other financial assistance; prime awards and subawards (FSRS). Entity identifiers: UEI (replaced DUNS on Apr 4, 2022) used for recipients as the governmentwide identifier (via SAM.gov).
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Yes	Not yet
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Highlighted	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do SEC.gov (EDGAR) and USAspending both support?

Both platforms cover Data APIs, and Other workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do SEC.gov (EDGAR) and USAspending require subscriptions?

Both SEC.gov (EDGAR) and USAspending keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access SEC.gov (EDGAR) and USAspending?

Both SEC.gov (EDGAR) and USAspending prioritize web or desktop access. Investors wanting a mobile-first workflow may need to rely on responsive web views.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

SEC.gov (EDGAR) differentiates itself with Full-text EDGAR search across filings since 2001, with filters by company, person, form type, and date., Public data APIs at data.sec.gov provide JSON endpoints for company submissions, XBRL facts, concepts, and frames., and APIs update continuously as filings are made public; nightly bulk ZIPs allow batch ingestion., whereas USAspending stands out for Advanced Search & profiles across awards, recipients, agencies, federal accounts; filters include date, place of performance, NAICS/PSC, Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA), DEFC for COVID/infrastructure., Spending Explorer and Agency/Federal Account profiles for top‑down views of obligations/outlays and drill‑downs by budget hierarchy., and Public REST API that powers the website (GET & POST endpoints; JSON responses); tutorial and contracts for commonly used endpoints..

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

Browse the categories and profiles that overlap most with this comparison to round out your shortlist.