What specifically costs money with Companies House?

Costs are incurred for obtaining certified copies of official company documents (e.g., articles of association), purchasing large bulk datasets for historical or comprehensive analysis, and services like company formations. Standard real-time API queries for public data are free.

Are there any usage limits on the free API?

Yes, the free API is subject to rate limits to ensure fair usage and system stability. Authenticated users typically have higher limits (e.g., 600 requests per 5 minutes) compared to unauthenticated requests. These limits are generally sufficient for most application development and operational needs.

How do I pay for paid services from Companies House?

Paid services can typically be paid for using a credit or debit card. For frequent users or businesses, it's also possible to set up a Companies House account with a pre-funded balance or credit facility.

Can I get historical company data for free?

The API allows retrieval of a specific company's filing history for free. However, if you require comprehensive historical datasets for all companies or large segments of the register for research or analytics, these are usually provided as paid bulk data products, not via free real-time API calls.

Is there a monthly subscription fee for Companies House API access?

No, UK Companies House does not operate a monthly subscription model for API access to its public data. Access is free, with charges applying on a per-transaction basis for specific documents or bulk data products only.

How does Companies House pricing compare to commercial data providers?

Companies House offers most public data for free, making it highly cost-effective for official UK company information. Commercial providers often charge significant subscription fees for enriched data, advanced analytics, and broader international coverage, which goes beyond the scope of Companies House's public data offerings.

UK Companies House Pricing: API Access & Fees (2026)

Q: Is the UK Companies House API free to use?

Yes, access to the majority of public company data via the UK Companies House API is free of charge. This includes company profiles, filing histories, officer details, and search functionality. Fees only apply for specific services like certified documents or bulk data products.

Pricing overview

UK Companies House operates a pricing model that prioritizes open access to public company data, making the majority of its API services available without charge. This approach aligns with government initiatives to promote transparency and facilitate data-driven innovation within the UK economy. The primary method for accessing real-time company information via the Companies House API is free. Developers can retrieve company profiles, filing histories, officer details, and other public records at no cost, subject to standard API rate limits.

Charges are incurred for specific services that involve higher administrative overheads or the provision of specialized data products. These typically include obtaining certified copies of documents, which require manual verification, or purchasing large, pre-compiled bulk datasets designed for analytical purposes. For instance, the Companies House service fees and payment options guide details charges for services such as certified copies of documents and historical company data products.

The pricing structure is designed to recover costs for these specific services while ensuring that foundational company data remains freely accessible. This hybrid model supports both individual developer queries and larger-scale data integration projects for businesses and researchers, distinguishing between standard API usage and premium data offerings.

Plans and tiers

UK Companies House does not operate a traditional tiered subscription model with distinct developer plans like many commercial API providers. Instead, access is largely bifurcated into free API usage and paid services for specific data products and documents.

Free API Access

The core of the Companies House offering is its free API access. This allows developers and applications to retrieve current public information about UK companies. This includes, but is not limited to, company registration details, registered office addresses, company status, key filing history events, and current officer appointments. There are no monthly fees or per-call charges for standard API requests. Usage is typically governed by API rate limits, which are generally generous enough for most application development and operational use cases. These limits are in place to ensure fair usage and system stability rather than to monetize access.

Paid Services

Paid services are transaction-based and apply to specific outputs rather than ongoing access. These include:

Certified Copies of Documents: When an official, legally recognized copy of a company document is required, Companies House charges a fee per document. This service involves manual verification and certification.
Bulk Data Products: For users requiring comprehensive historical datasets, such as the entire register of companies or all dissolved companies, Companies House offers bulk data products. These are typically large files provided on a recurring basis (e.g., monthly snapshots) and incur a fee based on the specific dataset and update frequency. These are distinct from real-time API queries.
Company Formation Services: While not directly API-related, fees apply for forming a new company through Companies House.

A summary of the payment structure:

Service Type	Price Model	Key Limits/Details	Best For
Standard API Access	Free	Subject to API rate limits (e.g., 200 requests/5 minutes for unauthenticated, higher for authenticated users)	Real-time data retrieval, application integration, due diligence checks, monitoring specific companies
Certified Document Copies	Per document fee (e.g., £15 for a certified copy of a document)	Requires manual processing; delivered physically or electronically	Legal and official purposes requiring verified documents
Bulk Data Products (e.g., Company Data Product)	Variable fee (e.g., £1,000+ for a full dataset)	Large datasets, often updated monthly or quarterly; specific formats	Large-scale analytics, research, data warehousing, market intelligence
Company Formation	Fixed fee (e.g., £50 online, £71 by post)	Registering a new limited company	Entrepreneurs and businesses establishing new legal entities

Free tier and limits

UK Companies House offers a comprehensive free tier that serves as the primary access method for most developers and businesses. This free access encompasses the majority of the public company data available via the Companies House Developer Hub.

What's included in the free tier:

Company Profile API: Access to current details for all active and dissolved UK companies, including company number, status, registered office, incorporation date, and company type.
Filing History API: Retrieval of a company's past filings, such as annual accounts, confirmation statements, and changes to officers and registered office.
Officers API: Information on current and past directors and secretaries, including appointment dates and personal details (subject to privacy regulations).
Company Search API: Functionality to search for companies by name or number.
Insolvency API: Data related to company insolvency events.

Limits and considerations for the free tier:

While access is free, usage is governed by API rate limits to ensure system stability and fair access for all users. These limits are dynamic and can vary, but typical authenticated user limits are higher than those for unauthenticated requests. For instance, developers can generally make hundreds of requests over a short period (e.g., 200 requests within 5 minutes for unauthenticated users, or 600 requests within 5 minutes for authenticated users, as per Companies House API documentation). For most real-time application needs, these limits are sufficient.

Users requiring significantly higher throughput or bulk data extraction beyond standard API rate limits may need to consider alternative methods, such as purchasing specific bulk data products, which are subject to fees. The free API is designed for interactive queries and integration, not for mass data scraping or replication of the entire Companies House register.

Real-world cost examples

Understanding the pricing model through practical scenarios can clarify when costs are incurred with UK Companies House services.

Scenario 1: Developing a web application displaying company information (Free)

A startup is building a web application that allows users to search for UK companies and view their basic profiles, filing history summaries, and current director details. The application makes real-time calls to the Companies House API whenever a user performs a search or views a company page. Given that the application is not requesting certified documents or bulk datasets, all API calls for company profiles, search, filing history, and officers fall within the free API access. As long as the application adheres to the defined API rate limits (e.g., a few hundred requests per five minutes), the operational cost for accessing this data via the API will be £0.

Scenario 2: Due diligence for a merger acquisition (Potentially Paid)

A law firm is conducting extensive due diligence on 50 target companies for a merger acquisition. They require official, certified copies of articles of association, shareholder resolutions, and recent annual accounts for each of the 50 companies. If each company requires three certified documents, and each certified copy costs £15, the total cost for these specific documents would be: 50 companies * 3 documents/company * £15/document = £2,250. This cost is for the certified documents only; any preliminary investigation or real-time lookup of company data via the API would remain free.

Scenario 3: Market research and data analytics (Paid)

A market research firm needs a comprehensive dataset of all active UK companies, including historical data, to perform an in-depth analysis of market trends over the past five years. Accessing this via individual API calls would be impractical and likely exceed rate limits. Instead, the firm would purchase a bulk data product, such as the full Company Data Product, which provides a snapshot of the entire register. The cost for such a product can be in the range of £1,000 or more, depending on the specific dataset, historical depth, and update frequency required. This is a one-off or recurring purchase for a large data dump, rather than a per-API-call charge.

Scenario 4: Validating company registration for an onboarding platform (Free)

An online onboarding platform for businesses integrates with the Companies House API to automatically verify the legal registration status and company number of new clients. Each time a client enters their company details, the platform makes a few API calls to confirm the information. With potentially hundreds or thousands of new clients per month, this integration would leverage the free API access. The platform would need to ensure its API key is authenticated to benefit from higher rate limits, but no direct costs would be incurred from Companies House for these verification calls.

How the pricing compares

Comparing UK Companies House's pricing model to alternatives highlights its unique position as a government-provided service focused on open data access, contrasting with commercial data providers.

Companies House vs. Commercial Data Providers (e.g., D&B Hoovers)

Companies House: Offers the vast majority of its real-time public company data via API for free. Charges apply only for specific certified documents or large bulk datasets. Its core mission is public transparency, not commercial monetization of basic public records.
Commercial Providers (e.g., D&B Hoovers): Typically operate on a subscription model, charging for access to their databases, which often include enhanced data beyond basic public records (e.g., private company financials, industry insights, contact details, proprietary credit scores). While they may aggregate Companies House data, their value proposition lies in enrichment, analysis, and broader international coverage. Pricing for these services can range from hundreds to thousands of pounds per month, depending on the scope of data, user seats, and features.

For developers needing only official, public UK company data, Companies House offers a significantly more cost-effective solution. For comprehensive, enriched, or international business intelligence, commercial providers are an alternative, but at a higher price point.

Companies House vs. Open Data Initiatives (e.g., OpenCorporates)

Companies House: The official source of UK company registration data. Its API provides direct access to the primary records.
OpenCorporates: An aggregator of official company data from around the world, including Companies House data. It also aims to make company data more accessible and usable. While OpenCorporates offers a free tier for some data and non-commercial use, its commercial API access typically involves subscription fees, similar to other data providers, for higher volumes or specific features. However, its pricing might be more flexible than large commercial entities, and it provides a unified interface for global data.

The key distinction here is that Companies House is the direct, primary source for UK data, whereas OpenCorporates is a valuable secondary source that aggregates and standardizes data from multiple official registers globally. For purely UK-focused applications, the direct Companies House API is often the first choice due to its official status and free access.

Companies House vs. Other National Registers

While the focus is on UK Companies House, it's worth noting that pricing structures vary significantly across national company registers. Some national registers may charge for API access, while others may offer similar free access. For example, the Companies Register in Northern Ireland, while part of the UK, has its own specific fees for certain services, though much of the online search is free. The general trend for government-run public registers is towards greater data openness, but the specifics of API access charges can differ.

In summary, UK Companies House's pricing stands out for its extensive free API access to public corporate data, positioning it as an essential and cost-effective resource for developers and businesses focused on the UK market. Costs primarily arise from requests for certified official documents or large-scale historical bulk datasets, which are distinct from the real-time API queries.