The best sites for financial records.
See who already gave, which PACs spent, and what the official filings say. This is research, not a place to donate.
Compare
How ratings workSwipe sideways for every site.
| What to compare | OpenSecrets | FollowTheMoney | FEC.gov | Vote Smart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Chasing the money | State campaign money | Official filings | Positions plus finance notes |
| Best if | You want federal donors, PACs, or lobbying in plain English | The race is a state contest, not Congress | You need the official filing, not an explainer | You want a bio file that also mentions money |
| Federal donors, PACs, lobbying | Main explainer | Partner | Source filings | Notes |
| State campaign finance | Some | Main source | No | Some |
| Official government filings | Explained | Explained | The source | No |
| Can you donate here? | No | No | No | No |
| Issue positions too | No | No | No | Yes |
| Rating for this job |
- 1
Best forChasing the money
Best if
You want federal donors, PACs, or lobbying in plain English
OpenSecrets
Why to use. Shows who gave, which PACs spent, and who is lobbying, written so a non-expert can follow it.
Skip if. the race is a state contest, or the job is to donate.
Weakness. Not a donate form. State coverage is not the specialty.
- 2
Best forState campaign money
Best if
The race is a state contest, not Congress or president
FollowTheMoney
Why to use. The main place for state campaign money. It works with OpenSecrets on the state side.
Skip if. the question is federal PACs.
Weakness. Not the federal desk.
- 3
Best forOfficial filings
Best if
You need the official filing, not an explainer
FEC.gov
Why to use. The official government filings that sites like OpenSecrets turn into plain English.
Skip if. a human-readable graph is the point.
Weakness. A filing system, not an explainer.
- 4
Best forPositions plus finance notes
Best if
You want a bio file that also mentions money
Vote Smart
Why to use. A biography that also notes some campaign money. OpenSecrets is stronger if donors are the whole question.
Skip if. donors and PACs are the whole job.
Weakness. Behind OpenSecrets on donors.
Verdict
OpenSecrets wins federal money. FollowTheMoney wins a lot of state money. FEC.gov wins the source document. Vote Smart shows up on both lookup and finance and ranks behind the specialists.
ActBlue, WinRed, Anedot, and Power Players are donation forms — the opposite job.
Last updated September 23, 2026