Experian adds proprietary credit data. UKDataAPI adds FCA, Gazette, and transparent scoring — at a fraction of the cost for developers.
Experian Business is one of the UK's three major credit reference agencies, offering company credit reports, monitoring, and risk management tools. A single Experian business credit report costs £7.50-15, with annual subscriptions from £100+ for regular access. Experian's strength is its proprietary credit data — payment behaviour from trade contributors, county court judgments, and commercial credit scores. UKDataAPI doesn't have Experian's proprietary credit bureau data, but it delivers the same Companies House foundation enriched with FCA regulatory status, Gazette insolvency notices, and a transparent Corporate Distress Score. For developers and businesses that need company health checks without the black-box credit scoring, UKDataAPI offers a more affordable and transparent alternative.
| Feature | UKDataAPI | Experian Business |
|---|---|---|
| Company profile (name, status, SIC, address) | Included | Included |
| Officers & directors | ✓Full list with appointment dates | Key personnel |
| Credit score | Corporate Distress Score (0-100) — transparent factors | Experian Business Credit Score (1-100) — proprietary |
| County Court Judgments (CCJs) | Not included | ✓Full CCJ history |
| Trade payment data | Not included | ✓Payment behaviour from trade contributors |
| FCA regulatory status | ✓Cross-referenced automatically | Not included in standard reports |
| Gazette notices (insolvency warnings) | Real-time from The Gazette | Included in reports |
| Government contracts | ✓From Contracts Finder | Not included |
| Output format | ✓Structured JSON API | PDF report + web portal + API |
| Batch processing | ✓Up to 500 req/min | API access on enterprise plans |
| Monitoring and alerts | Build your own with API polling | ✓Built-in credit monitoring alerts |
| AI agent access (MCP/x402) | ✓Native support | Not available |
UKDataAPI
From £0.002/call (summary) to £0.03/call (full). Pay-as-you-go. No contract. Free tier: 200 credits/month.
Experian Business
Individual reports from £7.50. Subscriptions from ~£100/year. Enterprise API pricing by negotiation.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \ "https://www.ukdatapi.com/api/v1/entity/00445790?depth=standard" # Returns: company profile, officers, PSCs, filings, charges, # FCA status, Gazette notices, Distress Score (0-100) # Cost: 8 credits (£0.015)
200 free credits. No contract. No credit card.
What Is a Company Credit Check? The Developer's Guide
Learn how to run UK company credit checks via API. Understand Corporate Distress Scores, red flags, and how to automate due diligence. Guide with free tool and code examples.
BusinessHow to Check if a UK Company Is Solvent
Learn how to check if a UK company is solvent. Understand insolvency warning signs, Gazette notices, Companies House status codes, and Corporate Distress Scores.
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