FOIA Helper vs DOJ FOIA portal (foia.gov)
Plain-language federal FOIA request drafts in 12 languages. Here's an honest comparison and when each one is the right fit.
The two tools at a glance
DOJ FOIA portal (foia.gov)
The official portal lists every federal agency's FOIA contact, fee schedule, and request status tracker. It is the canonical place to file a request to a federal agency.
When it's right:
You know exactly which records you want and just need to find the right agency contact and fee schedule.
FOIA Helper
We help you draft the request itself — including fee-waiver arguments, 'reasonably described records' framing, and Vaughn-index strategy when the agency tries to redact. We do not file it. You take the draft to foia.gov and submit there.
When we're right:
You know what topic you care about but are not sure how to phrase the request, what the fee-waiver criteria are, or how to push back on a denial.