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OpenCorporates makes company records publicly searchable through its website and available as structured data through an API and bulk-data channels. It is an aggregation and access layer, not the government registry itself. The service links records to originating public sources, but coverage, freshness, permitted reuse, and field-level reliability vary by jurisdiction and by use case.
What is OpenCorporates?
OpenCorporates combines company information from public registers, government websites, and other official sources into a searchable database. Its API documentation distinguishes external records from information created or reconciled within OpenCorporates, so the service should be understood as an index and data-delivery layer rather than the legal source of record.
The company says it launched in December 2010 with 3 million companies from three jurisdictions and introduced its API in December 2011. Those figures describe its historical launch, not its current database size.
Is OpenCorporates data public?
“Public” means that people can access company records through OpenCorporates’ website and, subject to account and licence conditions, through its API or bulk extracts. It does not mean that every underlying registry field is unrestricted, equally current, complete, or authoritative in every country.
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OpenCorporates’ business-discovery page currently advertises records from more than 140 government registries and other official sources. That is a current vendor claim; check the relevant coverage information for the jurisdiction, entity type, and fields you need.
Where does OpenCorporates get its data?
Sources can include public registers and government websites. OpenCorporates also performs assembly, cleaning, reconciliation, and other processing. A record may therefore contain a statement derived from a public record or information contributed by a user, rather than a direct copy of a single registry field.
What provenance information is available?
Documentation describes provenance details such as the source URL, publisher, source type, retrieval time, applicable terms when known, and—in a more granular provenance object—confidence information and log messages. A missing terms value does not prove that no licence applies.
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These details provide traceability and context. They are not a blanket guarantee that every value is accurate, complete, or current. For consequential decisions, follow the trail to the original register or document and verify the relevant field.
How can you access the records?
| Access method | Best suited to | Important conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Website search | One-off company lookups and exploratory research | Results are viewed through the OpenCorporates interface; coverage and displayed fields depend on the source. |
| API | Applications, entity resolution, recurring lookups, and automated workflows | An API key is required. Limits depend on account type and plan, and terms can change. |
| Bulk data extracts | Large-scale analysis, internal data management, and database loading | Confirm available datasets, delivery format, update schedule, licence, and account requirements before designing an import. |
For an API integration, obtain the appropriate account and key, identify the endpoints and fields needed for the target jurisdictions, and build handling for rate limits, missing values, source timestamps, and changed records. Do not treat a successful API response as proof that the underlying registry has been updated recently.
Can OpenCorporates data be used commercially?
OpenCorporates describes its database as available as share-alike attribution open data or commercially. Its API documentation says qualifying open-data projects can receive access where the resulting product or database is also released under a share-alike attribution open licence. Paid accounts can remove OpenCorporates’ share-alike restrictions on database rights it acquired through assembling and cleaning the database.
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Those permissions do not automatically override the terms of an underlying registry or document. Before commercial use, review the current OpenCorporates terms, the source-level licence, attribution requirements, redistribution rules, account limits, and the exact way you will publish or sell the resulting data.
What is OpenCorporates useful for?
Company and legal-entity discovery
Search can help locate a company across jurisdictions, names, and registration identifiers before a researcher goes to the originating register.
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Entity resolution
OpenCorporates describes workflows for matching names to legal entities and resolving companies in corporate networks. It also describes using OpenRefine to reconcile names to legal entities. These are workflow options, not independent proof that a particular deployment will achieve a required accuracy level.
Validation and data management
An aggregated record can provide a starting point for validating an entity mentioned in another dataset. OECD Head of Real-Time Data Analytics Graham Pilgrim is quoted on OpenCorporates’ business-discovery page calling it a foundational layer for validating official legal entities in different data sources. That is an OECD user testimonial reproduced by OpenCorporates, not an assessment of every record or jurisdiction.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.OpenCorporates versus going directly to a registry
| Decision factor | OpenCorporates | Direct registry or another provider |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction and field coverage | Aggregates many sources, but coverage varies and must be checked. | May provide the authoritative local fields for its own jurisdiction, or broader aggregation if it is another provider. |
| Primary-source traceability | Provides source context and links where documented. | Direct access can reduce one layer between you and the originating record. |
| Freshness | Review retrieval timestamps and the source’s update path. | Check the registry’s publication and update schedule. |
| Integration | Website, API, and bulk-data options; API access requires a key. | Interfaces, formats, credentials, and limits differ by registry or provider. |
| Reuse rights and cost | Consider OpenCorporates terms, source licences, attribution or share-alike duties, and account tier. | Apply the direct source’s licence and any provider-specific terms. |
There is no universally superior option. The right choice depends on the jurisdiction, entity type, required fields, verification standard, automation needs, and whether you will redistribute the result.
Checks to perform before relying on a record
- Define the target precisely. Record the country, registry, entity type, legal name variants, registration number, and fields required for the task.
- Confirm coverage. Check that OpenCorporates includes the relevant source and field, rather than assuming that a country-level listing covers every entity.
- Inspect provenance. Note the source publisher, source URL, source type, retrieval time, and any terms or confidence information supplied.
- Verify material facts. Compare important names, status values, dates, officers, ownership details, or filings with the original register or document.
- Assess freshness. Determine how often the originating register changes and whether the retrieved record is recent enough for your decision.
- Review rights. Confirm OpenCorporates’ current account and database terms, the source licence, attribution, share-alike obligations, and redistribution permissions.
- Test the workflow. Sample records across the jurisdictions and entity types you will process, and define how your system handles missing, conflicting, or withdrawn data.
What “open” does not promise
- It does not make OpenCorporates the government registry or replace an official filing.
- It does not guarantee that every jurisdiction, entity type, or field is covered.
- It does not guarantee that a value is current merely because it is displayed online.
- It does not remove source-level licences or legal restrictions.
- It does not make a null or unknown terms field proof that no licence applies.
- It does not turn provenance metadata into an accuracy warranty.
Bottom line for researchers and developers
OpenCorporates is a practical way to search and integrate company records from many public and official sources. Use it as a discovery, linking, and data-management layer; use provenance to trace claims; and verify material facts against the original registry when the stakes are high. Before launching an API or bulk-data workflow, validate coverage and update cadence for your exact jurisdictions and fields, then confirm the current licensing and account terms for your intended reuse.
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