The agent-native alternative to SEC API.
SEC API is a solid choice for raw filing access. Clous is built for the next generation of SEC workflows: API-first, MCP-native, LLM-readable, and designed for agents and automated monitoring.
Architecture & developer experience
| Capability | SEC API | Clous |
|---|---|---|
| Filing search & structured data | ||
| One response envelope across every endpoint | ||
| Cursor pagination, no result ceiling | ||
| Entity resolution (filing → canonical entity) | Partial | |
| LLM-readable docs (llms.txt, copy-paste prompts) | Partial | |
| OpenAPI + agent-native JSON envelope | Partial | |
| Confidence + freshness on enriched fields | ||
| Per-request latency headers (Server-Timing) | ||
| Hosted MCP server | Soon | |
| Webhooks / real-time stream | Soon | |
| Transparent self-serve credit pricing | Partial |
Data & form coverage
The SEC core is at parity today — 50+ live endpoints over 734 SEC form types (since 1980). Every form below is queryable now (filing index + full-text); only the deeper structured parses are still rolling out. Both products derive everything from the same public EDGAR data; the difference is the layer above: one envelope, cursor paging with no 10,000-result ceiling, and a canonical entity_id on every record.
| Capability | SEC API | Clous |
|---|---|---|
| Filing query — all forms | ||
| Full-text search (bodies, 2001+) | ||
| XBRL financial statements | ||
| Insider trading — Form 3/4/5 | ||
| Form 13F — institutional holdings | ||
| Form 13D/G — beneficial ownership | ||
| Form D — private placements | ||
| Form ADV — investment advisers | ||
| N-PORT / N-CEN — fund holdings | ||
| 8-K material-event items (4.01 / 4.02 / 5.02 …) | ||
| Cybersecurity incidents — 8-K Item 1.05 | Partial | |
| 10-K/10-Q/8-K section extractor | ||
| Subsidiaries — Exhibit 21 | ||
| Executive comp & directors (DEF 14A) | ||
| Form 144 — restricted sales | ||
| Enforcement / litigation | ||
| CIK / CUSIP / ticker mapping & entities | ||
| S-1 / 424B1–4 — IPO registrations & prospectuses | ||
| Float & shares outstanding (XBRL) | ||
| Form N-PX — proxy-voting filings | Partial | |
| Form C / Reg A — crowdfunding filings | Partial | |
| Audit fees (DEF 14A) | Soon |
“Soon” = on the Clous roadmap. We only claim what we ship — no benchmarks we can’t back up.
When SEC API fits
SEC API is a strong incumbent for raw EDGAR access — full-text search, XBRL, and broad form coverage for traditional integrations. If you just need to pull filings, it does that well.
When Clous fits
Clous is built for software that acts on filings: resolve a list of companies, funds, or advisers to canonical entities; monitor the forms you care about; and receive structured events over API, MCP, or webhooks — with source links and confidence, so agents don’t hallucinate.
Moving from another SEC API?
Start with the endpoints you already use — filing search, company lookup, ADV, 13F, Form D — then add MCP, webhooks, and company-list monitoring when you’re ready.
See the detailed Clous vs sec-api.io comparison
All data is derived from public SEC EDGAR filings. Clous is independent of, and not affiliated with, the SEC. SEC API is a trademark of its respective owner; comparison reflects publicly documented features and may change.