Are all 22 datasets really free?+
Yes. Every source on the list is free to access, with three registration models: (1) fully public with no registration (SEC EDGAR, Census, BLS, SBA, FRED, BEA, HUD, IRS SOI, Data.gov, NYU Stern Damodaran, OECD.Stat, and the four Your Exit Path datasets); (2) free with a name+email registration (IBBA Market Pulse); and (3) free to view online with an optional email for the downloadable PDF (BizBuySell Insight Report). We deliberately exclude paid databases like PitchBook, S&P Capital IQ, Refinitiv, and Mergermarket — their $25K+/year subscriptions violate the 'free' inclusion criterion.
Which single dataset should I open first for M&A deal-activity research?+
SEC EDGAR, without exception. Every SEC-registered M&A transaction is disclosed there — 8-K item 1.01 for entry into a material agreement, 8-K item 2.01 for completed acquisitions, S-4 for stock-for-stock deals, and 14A/14C proxies for shareholder votes. Full-text search is free, the RESTful API is free, and filings appear within four business days of execution. For Main Street sub-$5M-revenue M&A that never touches SEC filings, pivot to SBA 7(a) loan data — the 'change of ownership' use-of-proceeds code isolates business-acquisition financing, which functions as a near-comprehensive proxy for the Main Street M&A market itself.
How do I cite this directory in a research paper or blog post?+
Copy-paste citation formats for APA, MLA, and Chicago styles are provided on this page in the 'How to cite this directory' section. The recommended short form is: 'Your Exit Path. (2026). Free M&A Data. Retrieved from https://yourexitpath.com/free-ma-data. Licensed CC BY 4.0.' If you're citing a specific source from the list rather than the aggregation itself, each source card includes its own citation string tailored to the publisher's preferred format.
Can I republish or embed this directory on my own site?+
Yes — the aggregation is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). You may copy the source list, embed the downloadable CSV or JSON, adapt it for your own audience, and use it in commercial contexts. The only requirements are (1) credit 'Your Exit Path' as the source of the aggregation, and (2) link back to this page. Note that each individual dataset retains its own upstream license; the CC BY 4.0 covers the curation and description work, not the underlying federal or academic datasets (most of which are public domain regardless).
How often is the directory updated?+
Quarterly. Every source is re-verified for URL accessibility, continued publication cadence, and license terms on the same schedule. Additions, removals, and material changes are logged in the changelog inside the data module (visible on GitHub if the repo is public). The next scheduled review is documented in the methodology block above.
Why include Your Exit Path's own four datasets alongside federal sources?+
Two reasons. First, they are genuinely relevant: Silver Tsunami Exit Map, Business Sale Multiples, Business Sale Timeline, and Buyer Demand Index are all CC BY 4.0-licensed and compiled from the same federal / practitioner sources listed elsewhere in this directory. Second, transparency: this directory is published by Your Exit Path, and hiding our own datasets while pointing at everyone else's would misrepresent the market. Every proprietary entry is clearly labeled as such under the 'Your Exit Path datasets' category.
What's excluded from this directory and why?+
Three categories of exclusion. (1) Paid databases with no meaningful free tier — PitchBook, S&P Capital IQ, Refinitiv, Mergermarket, CB Insights. (2) State-secretary-of-state business-filing portals — individually free but scattered across 50 different systems with no unified download, so not 'citable' at the aggregate level. (3) Interactive-only dashboards without a raw-data export — the data has to be downloadable in a machine-readable format (CSV, JSON, XLSX, XML) or via a documented API to make the list.
