Is there a cheap alternative to ImportGenius?

Yes. ImportGenius's underlying data is public: CBP AMS vessel manifests (public by statute (19 CFR 103.31)). Per-lookup pricing beats the $1,500–10,800/yr subscription for anyone below daily-power-user volume.

What data does ImportGenius actually use?

Same CBP AMS public manifest data as Panjiva, cheaper UX tier. Key sources: CBP AMS vessel manifests — public by statute (19 CFR 103.31).

Is it legal to rebuild ImportGenius from public data?

Facts and public-domain government data are not copyrightable, but there are real traps here: Same as Panjiva: imports only; confidentiality-masked records exist This is research, not legal advice.

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ImportGenius: what you're actually paying for

Yes — rebuildable from free public data

ImportGenius typically costs $125–$899/mo. Its core dataset is not proprietary: it is built on CBP AMS vessel manifests — public sources you can access directly for free. What the subscription actually adds is same CBP AMS public manifest data as Panjiva, cheaper UX tier.

The free public data underneath

Source	License	Access
CBP AMS vessel manifests	public by statute (19 CFR 103.31)	CBP bulk distribution

Rebuild recipe

See the Panjiva decomposition — identical upstream

DIY difficulty: high

The price math

Per-lookup pricing beats the $1,500–10,800/yr subscription for anyone below daily-power-user volume.

Licensing and legal traps

Same as Panjiva: imports only; confidentiality-masked records exist

Our coverage: TradePulse (enhancement planned)

Decompose any data product programmatically: GET https://pulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/unbundle?product=ImportGenius — $1.00 per call via x402. 22 products decomposed; honest misses for everything else.

Research as of 2026-07-06 by The Aslan Group LLC (info@theaslangroupllc.com). Product names are used nominatively to identify the products analyzed; all trademarks belong to their owners. Pricing is as publicly reported or contract-disclosed at research time and may change. This is research for build-vs-buy evaluation, not legal advice — verify licenses against the primary source before building.