Yes. The APIs at data.sec.gov are free and keyless (a declared User-Agent is required, with a 10 requests per second limit), including structured XBRL financials and nightly bulk files. The catch is scope: EDGAR only covers SEC-reporting entities.
US business data beyond public filers
SEC EDGAR API - US Business Data
EDGAR is excellent for what it covers: SEC-reporting entities. But private businesses, the overwhelming majority of the US market, are invisible to it. CompanyData delivers 64M+ US business records, public and private, with industry codes, financials and contact data in one REST API.
64M+ US businesses, public & private
SIC & NAICS-aligned classification
No 50-state registry stitching
What Is the SEC EDGAR API?
EDGAR is the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's filing system. Every SEC filer gets a CIK number, and the free APIs at data.sec.gov expose submissions, structured XBRL financials and full-text search.
EDGAR's boundary is its mandate: it only knows entities that file with the SEC, which means listed businesses, funds and insiders. There is no US federal register of private businesses at all; general incorporation lives in more than 50 separate state registries with no shared identifier, no common API and frequent paywalls. Stitching that landscape together is the actual hard problem of US business data.
CompanyData has done the stitching: 64M+ US records covering public and private businesses, with legal name, address, status, SIC classification, revenue, employee counts, email, phone and website, searchable and filterable through one REST API that also covers 200+ other countries.
Compare Data Points
EDGAR holds deep data on filers. CompanyData covers the whole US market with 50+ data points per business.
| Data point | SEC EDGAR API | CompanyData API |
|---|---|---|
| Public filers (listed businesses) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Private businesses | ✗ out of scope | ✓ |
| Legal name & address | ✓ filers only | ✓ |
| SIC industry code | ✓ filers only | ✓ |
| Structured financials | ✓ XBRL, filers only | ✓ |
| Officers & directors | ✓ via filings | ✓ |
| Employee count | ✓ in filings | ✓ |
| Email, phone & website | ✗ | ✓ |
| Registration status | ✗ state registries | ✓ |
| International records | ✗ | ✓ 365M+ worldwide |
Compare Access & Filters
EDGAR is free and open for filings. CompanyData is built for market-wide search and segmentation.
| Access / Search | SEC EDGAR API | CompanyData API |
|---|---|---|
| Free keyless access | ✓ User-Agent required | ✗ instant API key |
| Lookup by CIK / ticker | ✓ | ✓ |
| Search across private businesses | ✗ | ✓ |
| Filter by industry | ✓ SIC, filers only | ✓ |
| Filter by state or city | ✓ filers only | ✓ |
| Filter by revenue or employees | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full-text filing search | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bulk export | ✓ nightly ZIPs | ✓ enriched |
Compare Price
EDGAR is free. CompanyData covers the rest of the market for a predictable credit price.
| Price comparison | SEC EDGAR API | CompanyData API |
|---|---|---|
| Filing data | Free | From $0.02 per credit |
| Private-market coverage | ✗ 50-state patchwork | ✓ |
| Free trial | ✓ free service | ✓ free credits included |
| Contacts & enrichment | ✗ | ✓ |
| One API for 200+ countries | ✗ | ✓ |
Try It Live
Search any US business and see the API response in real time.
SEC EDGAR API Use Cases
KYB & Onboarding
Verify US counterparties, public or private. Check status, location and industry automatically.
Lead Generation
Build prospect lists filtered by SIC code, state, city, revenue or business size across the US.
CRM Enrichment
Append industry codes, financials and contacts to your US accounts in bulk, beyond listed filers.
Risk & Compliance
Screen private US vendors and partners that never appear in SEC filings.
SEC EDGAR 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)
- Companies House API (UK)
- Sirene API (France)
- CNPJ API (Brazil)
- KRS API (Poland)
- 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
No. Private businesses do not file with the SEC. Their registrations sit in more than 50 separate state registries with no common identifier or API. CompanyData covers 64M+ US businesses including that private majority.
The Central Index Key, EDGAR's identifier for each filer: up to 10 digits, never recycled. CompanyData records carry state registration identifiers and match filers to their EDGAR identity where applicable.
Every CompanyData record carries SIC codes as structured, filterable fields, alongside NACE for international consistency. That covers the classification EDGAR uses and extends it across the private market.
For filings and XBRL financials of listed businesses, EDGAR itself is the source. For the rest of the US market, CompanyData delivers 64M+ records with industry codes, financials and contact data in one REST API covering 200+ countries.
64M+ US business records across all 50 states, from listed corporations to LLCs and sole proprietorships, updated continuously.