BamSEC vs Earnings Feed: Which SEC Filing Tool is Right for You?
An honest comparison of BamSEC and Earnings Feed—features, pricing, and which tool fits your research workflow.
If you spend a lot of time in SEC filings, you've probably heard of BamSEC. It’s been a staple for professional investors for years. At $828/year, it’s powerful—but not cheap.
Earnings Feed takes the opposite approach: a free, real-time SEC feed focused on knowing the moment something files.
This guide is a practical, operator-focused comparison of both tools: what they’re good at, where they fall short, and how they fit into a modern research workflow.
TL;DR
- Use BamSEC when you need deep document work: full-text search, redlines, and serious due diligence.
- Use Earnings Feed when you need real-time awareness: instant filing alerts, watchlists, and mobile monitoring.
- Many investors use both: Earnings Feed for monitoring, BamSEC for digging.
Quick Summary: BamSEC vs Earnings Feed
| Feature | BamSEC | Earnings Feed |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $828/year ($69/month billed annually) | Free |
| Best for | Deep document research, side-by-side comparisons | Real-time monitoring, tracking companies over time |
| Document search | Full-text search across filings | Feed-level filters (ticker, company, form, keywords) |
| Document comparison | Yes (redline view) | Not yet |
| Real-time alerts | Manual refresh/check | Live stream; watchlists for focus |
| Company/portfolio view | Filing-centric with “tear sheet” style views | Company profiles, ownership, stock data, watchlists |
| Mobile experience | Usable, desktop-first | Mobile-friendly, easy to check on the go |
One-sentence bottom line:
BamSEC is a document workstation; Earnings Feed is a real-time radar for SEC filings.
In This Guide
- What is BamSEC?
- What is Earnings Feed?
- Head-to-Head: Key Features
- Who Should Choose BamSEC?
- Who Should Choose Earnings Feed?
- Using Both in One Workflow
- Feature Gap Snapshot
- FAQ: BamSEC Alternatives
- Next Steps
What is BamSEC?
BamSEC launched in 2016 as a cleaner, faster way to work with SEC filings (“Better Access to Material SEC filings”). It sits directly on top of EDGAR but fixes most of the UX pain:
- Clean, readable formatting
- Full-text search across multiple filings
- Easy navigation inside long 10-Ks, S-1s, proxies, etc.
Over time, BamSEC became a standard tool for buy-side analysts, lawyers, and bankers who live in filings. In 2021 it was acquired by Tegus, and in 2024 Tegus was acquired by AlphaSense—but BamSEC still runs as a standalone product with its own pricing and login.
BamSEC Pricing
- Free tier
- Limited access
- Watermarked documents
- Good for testing the UI, not for serious daily use
- Pro – $828/year ($69/month, billed annually)
- Full document search
- Redline comparisons
- Unlimited access
- Enterprise
- Custom pricing via AlphaSense
- Aimed at larger teams
For most individuals and small shops, “BamSEC” effectively means the Pro plan.
What is Earnings Feed?
Earnings Feed is a free SEC filings tracker built for real-time monitoring first and research second.
Instead of starting from “I have a document, let me search inside it,” Earnings Feed starts from “What just filed? And does it touch names I care about?”
Core ideas:
- The SEC already makes filings public for free
- Getting a fast, usable view of that stream shouldn’t cost thousands
- Alerts and awareness should be as simple as following a ticker
Key Earnings Feed Features
Live filings feed
Watch every SEC filing stream in as it hits EDGAR, typically within seconds.Company profiles
All recent filings, basic stock data, ownership, and company info in one place.Watchlists
Follow specific tickers and get a focused view of just their filings.Research hubs
Browse filings by form type, exchange, or industry to see what’s happening in a specific slice of the market.
Earnings Feed is currently 100% free:
- No paywall
- No credit card
- No feature gating
- No ads
Head-to-Head: Key Features
Document Search & Comparison
BamSEC: Built for deep document work
This is where BamSEC earns its subscription fee.
With BamSEC you can:
- Search text across multiple filings for a company
- Jump directly to each mention of a phrase (e.g., “goodwill impairment”)
- Search across exhibits and related documents in one shot
- Run redline comparisons between two versions of the same filing
If your job is to answer questions like:
- “How did management change their disclosure around AI between 2022 and 2024?”
- “Where exactly did they change this covenant language?”
BamSEC is the right tool.
Earnings Feed: Fast to the document, not inside it
Earnings Feed focuses on helping you find the right filing quickly, not searching inside it.
You can:
- Filter the live feed by ticker, company name, form type, and keywords
- Jump straight from a ticker or company page into the primary filings you care about
But:
- There’s no full-text search inside the PDFs/HTML yet
- There’s no redline comparison between filings
Verdict on search & comparison:
If you need full-text search and redlines, BamSEC wins by a wide margin.
Real-Time Monitoring
BamSEC: Check-in model
BamSEC lets you see recent filings, but awareness is on you:
- You refresh the page or check the “Recent Filings” view
- There’s no built-in live stream or push-style monitoring
If you’re okay with periodic check-ins, this works fine. If you care about seconds/minutes, it’s not ideal.
Earnings Feed: Always-on radar
Earnings Feed is built to answer one question very well:
“What just filed that I care about?”
You get:
- A live stream of filings as they hit EDGAR
- Filters so you can narrow to:
- Your tickers
- A specific form type (e.g., 8-K, S-1, 13D/13G)
- A specific exchange or industry
- A watchlist view for just the companies you care about
For time-sensitive things like:
- 8-Ks with material announcements
- 13D/13G filings showing stake changes
- S-1 and S-3 amendments
the speed difference is material.
Verdict on monitoring:
For awareness and speed, Earnings Feed clearly wins.
Company & Portfolio Views
BamSEC: Filing-centric summaries
BamSEC gives you filing-focused “tear sheets”:
- Quick summaries pulled from filings
- Handy for jumping into specific sections (financials, segments, etc.)
Great when your workflow is “open the filing and start reading.”
Earnings Feed: Profile + stream
Earnings Feed emphasizes company context over time:
- Company pages show:
- Recent filings
- Basic stock data
- Ownership information
- Industry/sector context
- Watchlists give you a portfolio-level stream of filings
If your question is:
- “What has this company filed in the last 12–18 months?”
- “What’s happening across my whole watchlist today?”
Earnings Feed makes that quick.
Verdict on research views:
Different strengths—BamSEC is better inside a filing, Earnings Feed is better for tracking companies and portfolios.
Pricing & Access
BamSEC: Paid tool with a limited free tier
- Free tier is okay to test the UI but not viable for heavy research
- Full value unlocks at $828/year per user
For a professional analyst or lawyer who lives in filings, this can be a justifiable line item. For students, retail investors, and small independents, it’s steep.
Earnings Feed: Free by design
- Core product is free
- No usage caps on core features
- No need to expense or justify a subscription
The team plans to add premium features over time, but the goal is for core SEC access and monitoring to stay free.
Verdict on pricing:
If cost matters at all, Earnings Feed wins. If ultra-deep search is mission-critical, BamSEC can still justify its price.
Mobile Experience
BamSEC: Desktop-first
- Usable on mobile browsers
- Best for desk sessions with multiple tabs and spreadsheets
Earnings Feed: Built to be checked on the go
- Clean, responsive layout
- Checking the live feed or your watchlist on your phone is natural
If you like to watch filings during market hours while away from your desk, Earnings Feed fits that pattern better.
Verdict on mobile:
For quick checks on the go, Earnings Feed wins.
Who Should Choose BamSEC?
BamSEC is the better fit if you:
- Do deep document work all day
- Buy-side/sell-side analysts
- Lawyers and compliance teams
- IB/PE/VC analysts building detailed models and memos
- Need redlines
- S-1/S-3/S-4 amendments
- Proxy revisions (DEF 14A)
- Changes in risk factors and covenants
- Live in Excel and Word
- Pulling tables, quoting passages, preparing diligence packs
If your workflow is:
“I already know which filings matter. I need to slice them, search them, and compare them in detail.”
…then BamSEC earns its subscription.
Who Should Choose Earnings Feed?
Earnings Feed is the better fit if you:
- Care about timing
- Want to know immediately when something files
- Track 8-Ks, 13D/13G, and earnings-related filings in real time
- Track multiple names
- Maintain a watchlist and want one clean stream of all their filings
- Are cost-sensitive
- Individual investors, students, smaller funds, or side-hustle PMs
- Use your phone a lot
- Checking filings on mobile between meetings or during the day
If your workflow is:
“Tell me as soon as something important hits EDGAR for the companies I care about.”
…then Earnings Feed is the obvious choice, especially as a free BamSEC alternative for monitoring.
Using Both in One Workflow
You don’t have to pick a side. A lot of serious investors run a two-tool stack:
Earnings Feed
- Live stream + watchlists tell you what just happened
- You catch 8-Ks, insider filings, and other events in real time
BamSEC
- You open specific filings for heavy lifting
- Use full-text search and redlines to unpack what changed and why
A typical pattern:
- Earnings Feed shows a new 8-K or S-1 amendment for a watchlist name
- You click through, skim the context, and decide if it’s important
- If it is, you open the same filing in BamSEC
- Use redline and search to understand the changes in detail
- Keep Earnings Feed pinned for the next wave of filings
Earnings Feed acts as your radar. BamSEC acts as your workbench.
Feature Gap Snapshot
What BamSEC Has That Earnings Feed Doesn’t (Yet)
- Full-text search across filings
- Redline comparisons between versions
- More advanced table extraction into spreadsheets
- Some plans include earnings call transcripts
- Filings workflow tailored to heavy desktop use
What Earnings Feed Has That BamSEC Doesn’t
- Free core product (no subscription required)
- Real-time streaming of all new SEC filings
- Watchlists with focused filing streams
- Mobile-optimized layout that’s easy to check quickly
- Hubs to browse by form type, exchange, or industry
- Integrated basic stock and ownership context alongside filings
FAQ: BamSEC Alternatives
Is there a free BamSEC alternative?
Yes. Earnings Feed is a free alternative if your main needs are:
- Real-time awareness of new filings
- Tracking a set of companies or a portfolio
- Quickly jumping into the right filing
It does not fully replace BamSEC’s deep document search or redlines yet, but it covers monitoring and basic research very well—at no cost.
Can Earnings Feed replace BamSEC completely?
It depends on your workflow:
- If you rarely need full-text search or redline comparisons, Earnings Feed can cover most of what you do with BamSEC’s recent filings and monitoring views.
- If you regularly do line-by-line comparisons and legal/financial diligence, you’ll still want BamSEC (or a similar deep-dive tool) alongside Earnings Feed.
Do I need both BamSEC and Earnings Feed?
You don’t need both, but:
- If you’re a professional who lives in filings, running both is a strong setup:
- Earnings Feed for alerts and tracking
- BamSEC for deep analysis
- If you’re a student, retail investor, or budget-conscious, start with Earnings Feed. You can always layer BamSEC on top later if your needs grow.
Next Steps
If you want a free way to track SEC filings in real time:
- Create a free watchlist and follow the tickers you care about
- Browse the live filings feed to see what’s hitting EDGAR right now
- Explore by form type or track insider trading
If you already use BamSEC, Earnings Feed slots in neatly as your always-on filing radar—no subscription required.