Yes. Register on the developer hub, create an application and you get a key with a 600-requests-per-5-minutes limit, plus free bulk snapshot files. The register itself simply does not hold contact details, employee counts or structured financials, which is where CompanyData comes in.
UK register data, beyond the official API
Companies House API - UK Register Data
The Companies House API is free and solid for registry lookups. What it does not return: contact details, employee counts, or financials as structured data. CompanyData delivers 8.8M+ UK business records with UK SIC codes, revenue, employees, email, phone and website in one REST API.
8.8M+ UK businesses
Official UK SIC codes on every record
Financials & contacts as structured fields
What Is the Companies House API?
Companies House is the UK registrar, an executive agency of the Department for Business and Trade, with 5.4 million registered entities identified by an 8-character registration number.
The official REST API is free after developer registration: profile lookups, officer lists, PSC data, filing history and up to four UK SIC 2007 codes, at 600 requests per 5 minutes, plus a streaming API and free monthly bulk snapshots. Its boundaries are structural: the register holds no contact details and no employee counts, accounts arrive as iXBRL documents rather than JSON fields, and shareholder detail sits inside confirmation-statement documents.
CompanyData enriches that foundation: UK records with the registration number and UK SIC codes, plus revenue, employee counts, email, phone, website and international SIC and NACE classifications, filterable and exportable through one API that also covers 200+ other countries.
Compare Data Points
The Companies House API covers the register well. CompanyData delivers 50+ enriched data points per UK business in a single call.
| Data point | Companies House API | CompanyData API |
|---|---|---|
| Registered name | ✓ | ✓ |
| Registration number | ✓ | ✓ |
| Registered office address | ✓ | ✓ |
| Type & status | ✓ | ✓ |
| UK SIC 2007 codes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Directors & officers | ✓ | ✓ |
| PSC / UBO register | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trade names | ✗ | ✓ |
| Employee count | ✗ | ✓ |
| Financials as structured data | ✗ iXBRL documents | ✓ |
| Email, phone & website | ✗ | ✓ |
| International records | ✗ | ✓ 365M+ worldwide |
Compare Access & Filters
Companies House is built for per-entity lookups and bulk files. CompanyData adds segmentation on top.
| Access / Search | Companies House API | CompanyData API |
|---|---|---|
| Free API key | ✓ | ✗ free trial credits |
| Lookup by registration number | ✓ | ✓ |
| Search by name | ✓ | ✓ |
| Filter by SIC / industry | ✗ advanced search only | ✓ |
| Filter by revenue or employees | ✗ | ✓ |
| Filter by region or city | ✗ | ✓ |
| Streaming updates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bulk export with enrichment | ✗ registry snapshot only | ✓ |
Compare Price
Companies House is free. CompanyData adds the enrichment layer for a predictable credit price.
| Price comparison | Companies House API | CompanyData API |
|---|---|---|
| Registry lookups | Free | From €0.02 per credit |
| Contacts & financial fields | ✗ not on the register | ✓ |
| Free trial | ✓ free service | ✓ free credits included |
| Rate limits | 600 / 5 min | Plan-based, scalable |
| One API for 200+ countries | ✗ | ✓ |
Try It Live
Search any UK business and see the API response in real time.
Companies House API Use Cases
KYB & Onboarding
Verify UK counterparties by registration number. Check status, officers and PSC data automatically.
Lead Generation
Build prospect lists filtered by UK SIC code, region, revenue or business size across the UK.
CRM Enrichment
Append registration numbers, SIC codes, financials and contacts to your UK accounts in bulk.
Risk & Compliance
Monitor dissolutions, liquidations and officer changes across your UK supplier base.
Companies House API Pricing
Transparent, credit-based pricing. Start with a free trial.
Integration
Plug official register data into your stack in minutes.
REST APIJSONPython SDKJavaScriptSalesforceWebhooksZapier
Real-time responses with an average latency of <200ms. GDPR compliant with transparent data sourcing. Full documentation at companydata.com/api-docs.
More local trade register APIs
CompanyData covers official trade register data in 200+ countries through one API. Explore the register pages per country:
- CVR API (Denmark)
- Sirene API (France)
- CNPJ API (Brazil)
- KRS API (Poland)
- SEC EDGAR API (USA)
- Handelsregister API (Germany)
- ABN Lookup API (Australia)
- MCA API (India)
- Bolagsverket API (Sweden)
- ARES API (Czechia)
- Zefix API (Switzerland)
- KBO API (Belgium)
- Brreg API (Norway)
- BORME API (Spain)
- CIPC API (South Africa)
- KVK API (Netherlands)
Frequently Asked Questions
Create an account on the Companies House developer hub, register an application and generate a key. Authentication is HTTP basic auth with the key as username. For enriched UK data, CompanyData issues an API key instantly on signup with free trial credits.
Filed accounts are available as iXBRL documents through the filing history, not as structured JSON fields. CompanyData provides revenue and employee figures as structured fields on UK records, ready to filter and sort on.
Yes. Every UK record carries the official UK SIC 2007 codes from the register, next to international SIC and NACE codes, and you can filter searches by SIC to build industry-specific lists.
For registry-only lookups, the official API is excellent. When you need contacts, employee counts, structured financials or industry filtering, CompanyData enriches 8.8M+ UK records in one REST API that also covers 200+ other countries.
8.8M+ UK business records including active and historically registered entities, sole traders and branches, updated continuously from the register and other official sources.