Nasdaq Data Link (Quandl) Alternatives for Quantitative Research

Nasdaq Data Link (Quandl) Alternatives for Quantitative Research

Quandl was the go-to for alternative data. Here is where that ecosystem has moved.

The Quandl Legacy

Quandl, now Nasdaq Data Link, pioneered the concept of an accessible marketplace for financial datasets. The platform aggregated data from hundreds of sources — macroeconomic indicators, futures data, alternative datasets — into a single API. The acquisition by Nasdaq brought institutional resources but also changed the pricing and access model, pushing some individual researchers to explore alternatives.

Alternatives

Polygon.io (now Massive.com)

For raw price data that Quandl users often pulled from the platform, Massive provides better quality and depth for U.S. markets.

EODHD

For global end-of-day data and fundamentals, EODHD provides similar breadth at a lower price point.

FRED (Federal Reserve)

For macroeconomic data, the Federal Reserve's FRED database remains free and comprehensive. Many Quandl users were essentially accessing FRED data through Quandl's API.

Research-Layer Data

For structured research datasets — the kind of derived, strategy-ready data that made Quandl interesting in the first place — Alphanume provides point-in-time datasets designed specifically for systematic trading research. This is closer to Quandl's original vision of specialized datasets than most price data providers.

Comparison Table