Endole vs Companies House — which should you use?
Short answer: Companies House is the statutory register — free, authoritative, live. Endole is a paid reseller layer with a credit score, cleaner UI and monitoring. Use Companies House by default; use Endole when you specifically need what its layer adds.
12-axis honest comparison
Each row names the winner. Both tools win on some — no tool is a clean sweep.
| Axis | Companies House | Endole | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free forever | £29.95/rpt or £29–£99/mo | Companies House |
| Data source | The primary register — first party | Resells Companies House data | Companies House |
| Freshness | Live — filings appear immediately | Lags by 24–48 hrs on some fields | Companies House |
| UI / UX | Functional, plain | Cleaner, faster, report-shaped | Endole |
| Credit score | — | Proprietary Endole score | Endole |
| Industry benchmarks | — | Sector medians included | Endole |
| Downloadable report | Individual filings only | Branded PDF summary | Endole |
| Portfolio monitoring | Email follow (per company) | Watchlists + alerts | Endole |
| Group hierarchy | You resolve it manually | Resolved / linked automatically | Endole |
| Director timelines | Officer appointments, timeline-ordered | Cross-company timeline UI | Tie |
| API | Free public API (rate-limited) | Paid, higher tier only | Companies House |
| Authority for legal use | Statutory register — quotable | Derivative — cite CH for legal | Companies House |
Which one — a decision tree
- 1Do you need a single answer for one company? → Companies House. Free, done in 30 seconds.
- 2Do you need to defend a credit decision to a committee? → Endole £29.95 (or Creditsafe / Red Flag Alert).
- 3Do you need to monitor 10+ counterparties for filings / CCJs? → Endole monthly, or Red Flag Alert for deeper credit.
- 4Are you researching acquisitions? → Sell Ltd's free checker + Companies House filings.
- 5Do you need KYC-grade onboarding? → Neither — go to DueDil / FullCircl or a dedicated KYC provider.
- 6Do you want legally quotable proof? → Companies House. Endole is derivative.
Default to Companies House. Upgrade to Endole with a reason.
Companies House is the record — free, live, quotable. Endole is the layer. Paying for a layer without a specific workflow that needs it is money burned. Name the workflow first, then decide.
FAQs
Should I use Endole or Companies House?
Use Companies House first — it is the statutory register, it is free and every UK filing lives there originally. Use Endole only when you need what Companies House cannot give you: a credit score, portfolio monitoring, group-hierarchy resolution or a branded downloadable report.
Is Endole's data more current than Companies House?
No. Companies House is the source; Endole is a reseller. Endole syncs from Companies House, so its data can only be as fresh as its last sync. In practice most fields are within 24 hours, but for the very latest position — especially on new filings — go direct to Companies House.
Why does Endole exist if Companies House is free?
Because Companies House is a register, not a research product. It answers 'what did this company file?' It doesn't answer 'is this company creditworthy?' or 'should I extend credit?' Endole packages Companies House data with a score and monitoring layer for people who need those answers quickly.
Is Companies House data really free?
Yes — under the Open Government Licence. Companies House Service (find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk) is free to search, view and download filings. There is also a free rate-limited API. Endole and every other reseller are paying £0 for the underlying data — you're paying them for their layer.
Can I quote Endole in a legal document?
For anything legally significant — court filings, credit-committee decisions, KYC records — quote Companies House as the source, not Endole. Endole is a derivative product; the statutory truth lives at Companies House. Endole's credit score is proprietary opinion, not registered fact.
Which is better for one-off lookups?
Companies House. It's free, it's authoritative, and the plain UI is not a real problem for a single lookup. Save Endole's £29.95 for cases where you need a portable report or the credit score.
Which is better for continuous monitoring?
Endole. Companies House has no watchlist feature, no alerting and no cross-company view. If you need to monitor 20 counterparties for new filings or CCJs, Endole (or Red Flag Alert for deeper credit monitoring) earns its subscription.
Do lenders trust Endole scores?
As one input, yes. UK credit committees typically triangulate two or three of Endole, Creditsafe, Experian and Dun & Bradstreet plus the underlying Companies House filings. No lender treats an Endole score as a decision — it's a directional signal alongside filed accounts.
Does Companies House have a credit score?
No. Companies House publishes filings; it doesn't score companies. Credit scoring is left to the private sector. If you want a score, you pay for it — that's Endole, Creditsafe, Experian, D&B, Red Flag Alert or Equifax.
How do I export data from Companies House?
Companies House has a free JSON API (developer.company-information.service.gov.uk) with generous rate limits, and bulk product downloads for the full register. Endole's export is easier — CSV/PDF via UI on paid tiers — but Companies House exports are richer if you can handle JSON.
What's Sell Ltd's honest verdict?
Companies House wins on cost, source authority and freshness. Endole wins on UX, credit scoring and monitoring. Neither replaces the other. If you can only use one, use Companies House — you can always upgrade to Endole later; you can't downgrade Endole to statutory truth.