FRED is the best free economic database in the world. Eight hundred thousand series, decades deep, a clean API at 120 requests a minute, for nothing. It is a warehouse, though: the number arrives after the release, as a point on a series, with no forecast beside it and no reading of what it meant.
There is no argument against FRED on price or breadth, and this page is not one. The difference is time and reading. FRED posts a release once the source publishes and the series updates, minutes after the print at best. Helious reads the print as it crosses, scores it in standard deviations against its own history, pairs it with the forecast and the prior, and tells you what the market did about it. It adds what FRED does not have at all: Treasury auction results within seconds, the curve regime, and an MCP server with 24 tools so an AI can ask in plain words. From a free key with 100 credits a month, $14.99 on Starter, $39.99 on Pro.
| Helious | FRED | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price for the data a macro trader needs | Free key $0; Starter $14.99; Pro $39.99 a month | $0 |
| Cost per year | About $180 on Starter or $480 on Pro paid monthly, 25% off paid yearly | $0 |
| Free tier | Yes, 100 credits a month on a free key, no card | Everything is free with an API key |
| Economic calendar with forecast, prior and live result | Yes, every US release with forecast, prior and the actual the second it lands | Release dates only, no forecasts or live results |
| Releases scored on print, in standard deviations | Yes, every US release, against its own history | No |
| Treasury auction results with the tail and bidders | Yes, within seconds: tail, bid to cover, bidder split and a verdict | Not covered |
| Treasury curve and regime | Yes, 3 month bill to 30 year bond, 2s10s, and the regime named | Daily constant-maturity yields, no regime |
| Answers open with a plain sentence | Yes, every answer opens with the finished sentence, then the numbers | No, series observations |
| MCP server for AI agents | Yes, 24 tools at one address, no glue code | Community servers only |
| History | 7 days free, 12 months Starter, 24 months Pro, 10 years Ultimate | Decades, 800,000+ series |
| Calls a minute | 60 free, 90 Starter, 120 Pro, 300 Ultimate, per key | 120 a minute |
| Live stream | Yes, a WebSocket on Pro and Ultimate | No |
| Redistribution | Personal on Free to Pro; Ultimate at $99 allows redistribution | Open, with attribution |
Go with FRED if you are doing research, you need decades of history across thousands of series, and whether the number arrives at 8:30 or 8:45 does not change anything.
Go with Helious if you trade the release, the 15 minutes after it matter, you want the surprise measured, and you want the auctions and the curve in the same call.
There is a longer piece on what is the best financial news source if you want the whole category. Or go and look at the live news feed, the economic calendar and the Treasury auction results.
Competitor names are the trademarks of their respective owners. Prices shown are approximate list prices as of October 2026 and change without notice. Check each provider for current pricing. This is our own view of the market, offered as general information and not financial advice.
