Form 13F discloses what institutions hold, but the useful indicator is the change between quarters. Here’s an honest comparison of the main ways to get 13F data in 2026 — from free sites to subscription platforms to pay-per-use actors.
The options
| Option | Delta (QoQ change)? | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw SEC EDGAR (13F-HR) | No — you compute it | Free | Teams who build their own parsing |
| 13F.info | Browse only | Free, ad-supported | Quick one-off lookups in a browser |
| WhaleWisdom | Yes, rich | Subscription (free tier limited) | Heavy daily 13F research |
| sec-api.io | Raw 13F via API | Subscription | High-volume production pipelines |
| NexGenData actors | Yes — pre-computed | Pay-per-result, no minimum | On-demand/bursty use, indie analysts, apps |
Where each wins
Free routes (raw EDGAR, 13F.info) are great for price and casual lookups, but you either build the delta logic yourself or click through one filer at a time. WhaleWisdom is the deepest dedicated 13F platform — worth it if you live in 13F data daily. sec-api.io fits constant production use behind a subscription.
Pay-per-use actors win when you want the delta as structured data without a standing subscription: pull a filer’s holdings, get the quarter-over-quarter adds/trims/exits pre-computed, and run it across many filers on your own schedule.
The pay-per-use 13F toolkit
- 13F Tracker Pro — pull any institutional manager’s reported holdings as structured JSON (issuer, CUSIP, class, value, shares).
- 13F Holdings Delta Tracker — the differentiator: pre-computed quarter-over-quarter new/added/reduced/sold-out positions.
Want it for a specific manager? There are ready pages for Citadel, Tiger Global, Coatue, Two Sigma, Viking Global, and more. Full method in How to Track 13F Holdings Changes; surrounding toolkit in the SEC Filings Toolkit.
Bottom line
Daily, deep 13F research → WhaleWisdom. Constant production → a subscription API. Occasional, on-demand, or app-embedded use where you want the delta pre-computed and pay only when you pull → the pay-per-use actors.
FAQ
What’s the cheapest way to get 13F deltas? Pay-per-result actors that pre-compute the quarter-over-quarter change — no subscription floor, you pay per filing pulled.
Can I get 13F data for any fund? Yes — the tracker works for any institutional manager that files 13F, not just well-known names.
How current is it? 13F is due within 45 days of quarter-end, so the data is inherently lagged; schedule around the deadlines for the freshest view.
See also: New — SEC Filings to Markdown for RAG
See also: New — Options Unusual Activity Tracker
Factual public data — not financial or investment advice.
Don’t want to run the API yourself?
The Fund Positioning Monitor
delivers this as a maintained, ready-to-use dataset — refreshed every morning, no code required.
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