Edgrapi vs raw SEC EDGAR
The SEC's own API is free and authoritative — and raw. Edgrapi runs on the same data but does the normalization, ratios and rate-limit handling for you.
The SEC publishes free REST APIs on data.sec.gov with no key. It's the source of truth and it costs nothing. The catch is the format: companyfacts returns every US-GAAP tag a filer ever used, indexed by CIK (not ticker), and the same metric is tagged differently across companies and years.
Edgrapi reads that same data and hands back one consistent JSON shape: revenue is just revenue for every company, ratios are pre-computed, ticker→CIK is automatic, and a managed rate gate keeps you under the SEC's limits.
| Edgrapi | Raw SEC EDGAR (data.sec.gov) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier, then metered | Free |
| Source | Public SEC EDGAR | Public SEC EDGAR (direct) |
| XBRL normalization | Done for you | You write the parsers |
| Consistent schema | One JSON shape | Tags vary by company & year |
| Ticker → CIK | Built in | Manual lookup |
| Pre-computed ratios | Yes | Compute yourself |
| Rate-limit handling | Managed (10 req/s gate) | Your responsibility |
| MCP server for AI agents | Yes | No |
Which should you use?
For raw access, nothing beats hitting EDGAR directly — it's free and it's the source. Use Edgrapi when the engineering time to normalize XBRL, resolve tickers, compute ratios, and stay under the SEC's rate limit costs more than a metered API. You're not paying for the data; you're paying to not build and maintain the parser.
Frequently asked questions
Is the SEC EDGAR API free?
Yes. The SEC's data.sec.gov endpoints are free with no key, capped at 10 requests per second. Edgrapi runs on the same public data but adds normalization, ratios, ticker resolution and managed rate limits, with a free tier of its own.
Why pay if the SEC data is free?
The data is free; making it usable is not. Edgrapi does the XBRL tag-fallback, period handling, ticker→CIK resolution, ratio computation and rate-limit gating once, centrally, so you don't write and maintain that parser yourself.