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VolaIntel vs Capitol Trades
Capitol Trades and VolaIntel both show the stock trades members of Congress disclose, each linked to the person and the stock. What differs is scope and price: Capitol Trades is a free website focused on politicians' trades; VolaIntel is an app that puts politicians next to company insiders, big funds and 5% stakes, for $29.99 a year.
Below, the two side by side, with Capitol Trades' facts taken from its own pages and linked. Capitol Trades is the better fit for some people, and we say which. VolaIntel is a politician and insider stock-trade tracker.
The short version
| Capitol Trades | VolaIntel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free website (in its own words, “a free solution”) | One plan, VolaIntel Pro, $29.99 a year in the iPhone app; the filing pages on volaintel.com are free to read |
| Data | Politicians' trades, with pages for trades, politicians and issuers, plus articles | Congress trades (House and Senate), SEC Form 4 insider trades, 13F fund holdings, 13D/13G 5% stakes, White House executive orders |
| History | Restricted to the past 3 years on the website | A rolling window of recent filings |
| Places trades | Not stated on the page read | No. VolaIntel does not place trades or hold money |
| Best for | Anyone who wants a free, web-only view of politicians' trades | People who want Congress, insider and fund filings in one feed on their phone, each linked to the original filing |
How Capitol Trades works
Capitol Trades is published by 2iQ Research. The site's footer reads "© 2026 2iQ Research". (source). It calls itself free: “Tracking Capitol Hill politicians' trades can provide valuable insights for your investment research — and we offer you a free solution to do just that.”
Its pages are organised as Trades, Politicians, Issuers, Insights and Buzz, show each trade's size as a range (for example 1K–15K), and give each politician counts of trades, filings, issuers and volume. (source). It also notes: “*The historical data available on our website is restricted to the past 3 years.” It describes itself this way: “CapitolTrades.com is the industry leading resource for political investor intelligence, and a trusted source for media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.”
capitoltrades.com answered our requests in October 2026 with a browser security check, so the quotes above are from the Internet Archive's capture of its home page on May 31, 2026. Check the live site for anything newer.
How VolaIntel works
VolaIntel is a politician and insider stock-trade tracker: a web and iPhone app from Opie Platforms Inc. that shows the stock trades members of the US Congress disclose under the STOCK Act, corporate insiders on SEC Form 4, large funds on Form 13F and 5% holders on Schedule 13D/13G, plus White House executive orders, with an AI assistant that answers questions from those filings.
Every row links the original filing. Congressional trades show the value range the member reported, and the date it was filed. The filing pages on this site are free to read; the app is VolaIntel Pro at $29.99 a year, and VolaIntel never places trades. See the Congress trading statistics and the trade return calculator.
Where they differ
If all you need is Congress, Capitol Trades costs nothing. VolaIntel costs $29.99 a year and adds what Capitol Trades does not cover on the pages read: SEC Form 4 insider trades, 13F fund holdings, 13D/13G stakes and executive orders, an AI assistant, and an iPhone app with alerts.
When Capitol Trades is the better choice
- You only want politicians' trades and do not want to pay.
- You want up to three years of history on the website.
- You read on a computer and do not need phone alerts.
When VolaIntel is the better choice
- You want insiders, funds and 5% stakes next to politicians, in one feed.
- You want to follow members and stocks and switch on alerts for Congress, insider, fund and stake filings on your iPhone.
- You want to ask questions about a filing and get an answer from the filing itself.
Other comparisons: VolaIntel vs Quiver Quantitative, VolaIntel vs Unusual Whales, VolaIntel vs Autopilot, and the overview of the best politician trade trackers.
Capitol Trades details on this page are as of October 2026 and come from the pages linked above (the Internet Archive capture of May 31, 2026 where noted). Capitol Trades is a trademark of its owner, and VolaIntel is not affiliated with it. If anything here is out of date or wrong, email support@volaintel.com and we will correct it.
Questions
Is Capitol Trades free?
Yes. Its home page says “we offer you a free solution” for tracking politicians' trades (Internet Archive capture, May 31, 2026).
Who owns Capitol Trades?
2iQ Research; the site's footer reads “© 2026 2iQ Research”.
Is Capitol Trades legit?
Yes. It is run by 2iQ Research, which describes itself on 2iqresearch.com as an insider transaction data provider founded in 2002, and it shows trades from members' public disclosures, with trade sizes as the ranges members report.
Is VolaIntel a Capitol Trades alternative?
Yes. Both show disclosed Congress trades. VolaIntel adds company insiders (Form 4), funds (13F) and 5% stakes in an iPhone app for $29.99 a year; Capitol Trades is free on the web.
How far back does Capitol Trades go?
Its home page says the historical data on the website is restricted to the past 3 years.
VolaIntel reports public filings. It is not investment advice. Amounts for congressional trades are the value ranges members report.