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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteOpenCorporates makes company records searchable online and offers structured access through an API and bulk-data channels. It is an aggregator—not a government registry—and “public” does not mean every field is complete, current, freely reusable, or authoritative. Check the original source and applicable reuse terms before relying on a record, especially for a financial or compliance decision.
What is OpenCorporates?
OpenCorporates is a company-data service that brings together records from public registers and other official sources, then makes them available through its website and data products. Its documentation also describes information created or reconciled within OpenCorporates. That makes it an access and aggregation layer, not the official registry responsible for a company’s legal record.
The company says it launched in December 2010 with records on 3 million companies across 3 jurisdictions, and introduced its API in December 2011. Those are historical launch figures, not a statement of current database size. Its business-discovery page advertises coverage of more than 140 government registries and other official sources, but does not date that figure; treat it as OpenCorporates’ own page claim, not an independently verified current count. OpenCorporates timeline · OpenCorporates business discovery
Is OpenCorporates data public?
Company records may originate in public sources, and OpenCorporates makes them searchable and available through data-access products. But there are two separate questions: whether a record can be viewed, and whether it can be reused for a particular purpose. OpenCorporates describes its data as available under share-alike attribution terms or commercially; its API documentation explains that the conditions depend on access type and intended use.
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For qualifying open-data projects, OpenCorporates describes access under share-alike attribution conditions, including a requirement that the resulting product or database also be released under a qualifying open licence. Paid accounts can remove OpenCorporates’ share-alike restrictions on rights it has through assembling and cleaning the database. These terms do not necessarily override licensing or other restrictions that apply to material from the underlying source. Review the current API documentation and terms for the planned use; account limits and conditions can change.
Where does OpenCorporates get its data?
OpenCorporates says its data comes from primary public sources, including public registers and government websites. Its API documentation describes source information that may include the source URL, publisher, source type, retrieval timestamp, and terms when known. Some records or statements may be derived from a public record or contributed by a user.
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This provenance is useful for checking a record, but it is not an accuracy warranty. A source date tells you about retrieval, not necessarily how recently the underlying register changed. And a missing or null terms value in the API does not prove that no licence applies. Follow the record back to the original register or document when the detail matters, and check that source’s own terms.
How can you access company records?
The service presents website searches, API access, and bulk-data extracts as access routes. A website lookup suits occasional searches; the API returns structured data for software workflows and requires an API key. The documentation says limits vary by account type and plan.
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- For an individual lookup: search for the company on the OpenCorporates website, then inspect the record’s source details and confirm important facts with the linked registry.
- For an application or repeatable workflow: consult the API reference, obtain an API key, and verify the access tier, rate limits, fields, and reuse terms that apply to your account.
- For larger-scale data work: check OpenCorporates’ bulk-data availability and terms through its data access page; do not assume website access or an API plan includes a bulk extract.
Can you rely on an OpenCorporates record?
Use it to discover or reconcile a company record, then validate the fields that matter against the relevant official source. Coverage and detail differ by jurisdiction, registry, entity type, and use case. A company appearing in search does not establish that every relevant field is present or up to date.
- Confirm that OpenCorporates covers the jurisdiction, registry, entity type, and specific fields you need.
- Check the cited source and retrieval date; determine how often the relevant registry itself updates.
- Compare high-impact details with the original register or filing rather than treating an aggregated result as a legal determination.
- Test representative records and edge cases before using the data in a consequential workflow.
- Review both the source-level licence and OpenCorporates’ terms before storing, redistributing, or building a product from the data.
OpenCorporates describes workflows such as legal-entity validation, corporate-network analysis, and reconciling names to legal entities through OpenRefine. These are possible applications, not proof that the dataset is fit for every deployment. An OECD user testimonial reproduced on OpenCorporates’ business-discovery page calls it a foundational resource for validating legal entities mentioned in different data sources; that is an attributed user statement, not an independent assessment of every record.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.OpenCorporates or the government register?
The best starting point depends on the job. OpenCorporates can make discovery across sources and structured integration more convenient; the government register is the primary place to verify its own filings and official records. Another company-data provider may have different coverage, update practices, access options, or reuse terms. Compare the specific jurisdiction and fields you need, not just the size of a provider’s overall catalogue.
| What to compare | Questions to check |
|---|---|
| Coverage | Does it include the country, registry, entity type, and fields required? |
| Traceability | Can you reach the original registry entry or document for the relevant record? |
| Freshness | What is the retrieval date, and how often does the original source update? |
| Access and integration | Do you need a web search, API, or bulk extract? What credentials, limits, and formats apply? |
| Reuse and cost | What obligations arise from source licences and provider terms, including attribution or share-alike requirements? |
What does “open” mean in practice?
OpenCorporates makes company information easier to find and use, but openness is conditional rather than universal. The appropriate access route and licence depend on whether you are browsing, building an open-data project, or using and redistributing data commercially. Before making the service part of a finance, due-diligence, or business-data process, verify coverage, provenance, update expectations, and the terms for your exact use.
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