How to Get SEC Filing Alerts (5 Free Methods)
I tested every free way to get SEC filing alerts. Here's what actually works — from RSS feeds to dedicated tools.
You can't watch EDGAR all day. But when a company you own files an 8-K at 4:30pm disclosing that the CEO just quit, you'd rather not find out tomorrow morning.
The SEC publishes everything for free. The problem is knowing when something files. That's the gap filing alerts solve.
Full disclosure: I built Earnings Feed, so I'm biased. But I'll walk through the alternatives honestly—including where they're better—so you can decide what fits your workflow.
TL;DR — Pick based on your situation:
- Want zero setup? Earnings Feed — real-time feed, free tier, works on mobile
- Already use RSS? SEC EDGAR feeds — free, 10-min delay, full control
- Need Slack/Discord delivery? IFTTT — requires paid tier for speed
- Just a few holdings? Company IR pages — sign up directly, variable quality
Why Filing Alerts Matter
Some SEC filings move stocks before most investors even know they exist:
- 8-K at 4:15pm: CEO departure, effective immediately. Stock gaps down 8% in after-hours.
- Form 4 after hours: CFO just bought $1M of stock on the open market. First insider purchase in two years.
- 10-K risk factors: New litigation disclosed for the first time. Buried on page 47, but material.
- S-1 amendment: IPO pricing updated during market hours. Deal terms just changed.
- 13D filing: An activist fund just crossed 5% ownership. They're not passive.
The SEC publishes these the moment they're accepted. But "public" doesn't mean "visible." According to the SEC's own EDGAR documentation, filings are available immediately—but most investors don't have a way to see them in real time.
If you're reading about a filing in tomorrow's news, the move already happened.
What to Look for in an Alert Tool
Before comparing options, here's what actually matters:
- Speed — Real-time, 10 minutes, hourly, or "whenever they batch emails"?
- Company filtering — Can you track specific tickers?
- Form type filtering — Can you focus on 8-Ks and Form 4s?
- Setup friction — 2 minutes or 2 hours?
- Mobile access — Works on your phone, or desktop-only?
- Free tier quality — Actually usable, or a crippled trial?
The Official Options
SEC EDGAR RSS Feeds
Best for: Technical users who already use RSS readers
The SEC provides official RSS feeds for EDGAR filings. You can subscribe to feeds for specific companies, form types, or the entire daily filings stream.
How it works:
- Search for a company on EDGAR
- Look for the RSS icon on the results page
- Copy the feed URL into your RSS reader (Feedly, Inoreader, etc.)
- Repeat for each company
Speed: The SEC's structured feeds update every 10 minutes during market hours. Fast, but not real-time.
Pros:
- Official SEC data source
- Free forever, no account required
- Highly customizable if you know RSS
Cons:
- Requires RSS reader setup (5-10 min to configure)
- 10-minute delay, not instant
- No mobile push notifications
- Managing 20+ feeds gets messy
- Raw output—just metadata, no context
Verdict: Solid if you already live in an RSS reader. Otherwise, the friction isn't worth it.
SEC.gov Email Subscriptions
Best for: Regulatory news, not company-specific filings
The SEC offers email subscriptions for various updates. You can choose immediate, daily, or weekly digests.
What you can subscribe to:
- Press releases and announcements
- New rules and regulations
- Some filing types (limited)
Pros:
- Official source
- Free, no tools required
Cons:
- Very limited company filtering
- Can't easily track specific tickers
- "Immediate" still has noticeable lag
- Dated email formatting
Verdict: Fine for SEC regulatory news. Not useful for tracking your portfolio.
DIY Options
IFTTT Automation
Best for: Power users who want Slack or Discord alerts
IFTTT has an SEC trigger that fires on new filings. Connect it to email, Slack, or dozens of other services.
Free tier: Triggers check every hour (too slow for real-time awareness). Limited to 2 applets.
Pro tier ($3.49/mo): Checks every 5 minutes. Unlimited applets.
Pros:
- Send alerts anywhere (Slack, Discord, SMS via Twilio)
- Build custom automation workflows
Cons:
- Hourly delays on free tier defeat the purpose
- Requires configuration time
- SEC trigger has limited filtering
Verdict: Great for Slack/Discord delivery, but you need the paid tier for useful speed.
Company IR Pages
Best for: Your top 3-5 holdings only
Most public companies have Investor Relations pages with email signups for SEC filings.
Pros:
- Direct from the company
- Sometimes includes earnings call info
- Free
Cons:
- Sign up separately for each company
- No standardized format
- Many companies don't offer this at all
- Often delayed
- Inbox becomes a mess with 20+ subscriptions
Verdict: Fine as a supplement for your top holdings. Doesn't scale.
Where Earnings Feed Fits
I built Earnings Feed because the official methods are clunky and the DIY options have too much friction. The goal was something that "just works" for real-time awareness.
The free tier includes:
- Live filings feed — all SEC filings within seconds of hitting EDGAR
- Watchlists — filter the feed to companies you care about
- 5 email alert subscriptions — daily digest for watched companies
- Mobile-first design — check filings from your phone in two taps
Pro ($10/mo) adds:
- Instant email alerts — within minutes, not batched daily
- Unlimited alert subscriptions
Where it falls short:
- No keyword triggers (can't alert on "goodwill impairment" mentions)
- No full-text search inside filings—for that, use BamSEC
- Instant alerts require Pro
- No SMS yet
The free tier is genuinely usable, not a crippled trial. But I'm biased—try it and decide for yourself.
Comparison Table
| Method | Speed | Setup | Mobile | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Feed | Real-time | 2 min | Yes | Usable |
| SEC RSS | 10-min delay | 5-10 min | No | Full access |
| SEC.gov Email | Slow/batched | 5 min | No | Full access |
| IFTTT | Hourly (free) | 10-15 min | Depends | Very limited |
| Company IR | Varies | Per-company | No | Full access |
A Practical Workflow
Filing alerts are one layer of a research stack. Here's how I think about combining them:
Awareness layer — Use Earnings Feed or SEC RSS to know the moment something files. This should be always-on and low-friction.
Redundancy for top holdings — Add company IR signups for your 3-5 most important positions. Belt and suspenders.
Analysis layer — When a filing looks interesting, open BamSEC or Last10K to search inside the document, run comparisons, or export tables.
The alerts tell you when to pay attention. The analysis tools tell you what to think. Don't conflate the two.
The Bottom Line
The filings are public. The only question is whether you're seeing them in time.
If you already use RSS, the SEC feeds work fine. If you want Slack delivery, IFTTT's paid tier is reasonable. If you want something that works out of the box on your phone, give Earnings Feed a try.
Start with one method. If you're missing filings that matter, add another layer.