VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Tool Comparison

Trading Economics vs U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Trading Economics adds News, Alerts, Central Bank Watcher, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Unemployment Rates, Interest Rates, Yield Curves, Credit Ratings & Outlooks, and Real Yields coverage that U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) skips.

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) includes APIs & SDKs categories that Trading Economics omits.

Trading Economics ships a mobile app. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is web/desktop only.

In depth comparison

Trading Economics logo

Trading Economics

tradingeconomics.com

Hands-on review

Trading Economics provides economic indicators, financial market data, forecasts, and news for over 150 countries. Its web and mobile Analytics plans bundle site features, alerts, and research dashboards, while API access is offered separately with usage-based pricing. Streaming feeds for calendars, markets, and earnings require API credentials. Plans range from free website access to professional subscriptions for institutional workflows.

Platforms

WebMobileAPI

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

  • REST and WebSocket API delivering data in JSON, CSV, or XML formats.
  • Coverage spans six API domains: Indicators, Calendar, Forecasts, Markets, Earnings, and News.
  • Economic calendar with ~1,600 monthly events across 150+ countries, refreshed in near real time.
  • Streaming support for calendar releases and earnings data via persistent WebSocket channels.
  • Market data includes real-time/delayed quotes for FX, commodities, stock indexes, and bonds, plus downloadable historical series.

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U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) logo

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)

bea.gov

Official U.S. macroeconomic statistics publisher (U.S. Dept. of Commerce). Offers free interactive tables (iTables) and a REST API with JSON/XML output for GDP, PCE/inflation, personal income/outlays, international transactions (ITA), international investment position (IIP), fixed assets, GDP by industry, and regional accounts. The API requires a 36‑character key and enforces throttling (100 requests/min or 100 MB/min; 429 with Retry‑After). A public release calendar is available (ICS/JSON).

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • Free REST API with JSON or XML responses, plus meta‑data methods (dataset list, parameter list/values); browser use supported via CORS/JSONP.
  • Official datasets: NIPA/GDP, NI underlying detail, personal income & outlays (incl. PCE price indexes), Fixed Assets, International Transactions (ITA), International Investment Position (IIP), GDP by Industry, and Regional accounts.
  • API key (36‑character UserID) with documented throttling: 100 requests/min OR 100 MB/min OR 30 errors/min; throttled requests return HTTP 429 with Retry‑After (~1‑hour timeout).
  • Interactive Data Tables (iTables) for building custom tables; download as CSV, Excel, or PDF.
  • Release Schedule provides machine‑readable calendar feeds (ICS/JSON) and shows planned 8:30/10:00 a.m. release times.

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Where they differ

Trading Economics

Distinct strengths include:

  • REST and WebSocket API delivering data in JSON, CSV, or XML formats.
  • Coverage spans six API domains: Indicators, Calendar, Forecasts, Markets, Earnings, and News.
  • Economic calendar with ~1,600 monthly events across 150+ countries, refreshed in near real time.
  • Streaming support for calendar releases and earnings data via persistent WebSocket channels.

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)

Distinct strengths include:

  • Free REST API with JSON or XML responses, plus meta‑data methods (dataset list, parameter list/values); browser use supported via CORS/JSONP.
  • Official datasets: NIPA/GDP, NI underlying detail, personal income & outlays (incl. PCE price indexes), Fixed Assets, International Transactions (ITA), International Investment Position (IIP), GDP by Industry, and Regional accounts.
  • API key (36‑character UserID) with documented throttling: 100 requests/min OR 100 MB/min OR 30 errors/min; throttled requests return HTTP 429 with Retry‑After (~1‑hour timeout).
  • Interactive Data Tables (iTables) for building custom tables; download as CSV, Excel, or PDF.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeTrading EconomicsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Data APIs, Calendar, Inflation Rates, GDP

Unique: News, Alerts, Central Bank Watcher, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Unemployment Rates, Interest Rates, Yield Curves, Credit Ratings & Outlooks, Real Yields

Shared: Data APIs, Calendar, Inflation Rates, GDP

Unique: APIs & SDKs

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Commodities, Currencies, Bonds, Stocks, Cryptos

Other

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web, Mobile, API

Web, API

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free, Subscription

Free

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • REST and WebSocket API delivering data in JSON, CSV, or XML formats.
  • Coverage spans six API domains: Indicators, Calendar, Forecasts, Markets, Earnings, and News.
  • Economic calendar with ~1,600 monthly events across 150+ countries, refreshed in near real time.
  • Streaming support for calendar releases and earnings data via persistent WebSocket channels.
  • Market data includes real-time/delayed quotes for FX, commodities, stock indexes, and bonds, plus downloadable historical series.
  • Global company financials and earnings fundamentals dataset.

Unique

  • Free REST API with JSON or XML responses, plus meta‑data methods (dataset list, parameter list/values); browser use supported via CORS/JSONP.
  • Official datasets: NIPA/GDP, NI underlying detail, personal income & outlays (incl. PCE price indexes), Fixed Assets, International Transactions (ITA), International Investment Position (IIP), GDP by Industry, and Regional accounts.
  • API key (36‑character UserID) with documented throttling: 100 requests/min OR 100 MB/min OR 30 errors/min; throttled requests return HTTP 429 with Retry‑After (~1‑hour timeout).
  • Interactive Data Tables (iTables) for building custom tables; download as CSV, Excel, or PDF.
  • Release Schedule provides machine‑readable calendar feeds (ICS/JSON) and shows planned 8:30/10:00 a.m. release times.
  • Official open‑source SDKs/tools: R package (bea.R) and a Python helper (beaapi) on BEA’s GitHub.
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Yes

Not yet

Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Trading Economics and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) both support?

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

Do Trading Economics and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) require subscriptions?

Both Trading Economics and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

Trading Economics ships a dedicated mobile experience, while U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Trading Economics differentiates itself with REST and WebSocket API delivering data in JSON, CSV, or XML formats., Coverage spans six API domains: Indicators, Calendar, Forecasts, Markets, Earnings, and News., and Economic calendar with ~1,600 monthly events across 150+ countries, refreshed in near real time., whereas U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) stands out for Free REST API with JSON or XML responses, plus meta‑data methods (dataset list, parameter list/values); browser use supported via CORS/JSONP., Official datasets: NIPA/GDP, NI underlying detail, personal income & outlays (incl. PCE price indexes), Fixed Assets, International Transactions (ITA), International Investment Position (IIP), GDP by Industry, and Regional accounts., and API key (36‑character UserID) with documented throttling: 100 requests/min OR 100 MB/min OR 30 errors/min; throttled requests return HTTP 429 with Retry‑After (~1‑hour timeout)..

Keep exploring

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.