VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Monday, October 6, 2025

Free programmatic picks

The Zen of Investing logo

Free Alternatives to The Zen of Investing

Zero-cost replacements ranked by category overlap, pricing, and platform access. Use this list to test The Zen of Investing before paying for another subscription.

View standard alternatives

Quick takeaways

Stock Analysis is the closest drop-in replacement with overlapping coverage in Spin-offs and Calendar while adding Screeners and ETF Screeners coverage and Stock, ETF, and IPO screeners with 200+ indicators and real-time filtering. Pro users can save screens. and Coverage spans more than 100,000 tradable symbols worldwide. US quotes are real-time via Cboe; international quotes are delayed or EOD depending on exchange. features (category overlap ~67%).

Every pick keeps a free tier; start with Stock Analysis, ORTEX, and Smartkarma to road-test The Zen of Investing workflows without paying up front.

Need mobile access? Stock Analysis, ORTEX, and Smartkarma bring phone-ready workflows that The Zen of Investing lacks.

Round out your stack with new coverage areas like Screeners, ETF Screeners, IPO, and Top Analysts.

#1 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 603
Category overlap: 67%

Shared coverage

Spin-offs
Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Stock Analysis adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Screeners, ETF Screeners, and IPO coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Stock, ETF, and IPO screeners with 200+ indicators and real-time filtering. Pro users can save screens., Coverage spans more than 100,000 tradable symbols worldwide. US quotes are real-time via Cboe; international quotes are delayed or EOD depending on exchange., and Financial data provided by S&P Global. Free users see 5 years of history; Pro extends to 10 years. Downloadable exports use Nasdaq Data Link (US) and FMP (non-US)..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Blogs.

Adds coverage: Screeners, ETF Screeners, IPO, and Top Analysts

Standout features: Stock, ETF, and IPO screeners with 200+ indicators and real-time filtering. Pro users can save screens., Coverage spans more than 100,000 tradable symbols worldwide. US quotes are real-time via Cboe; international quotes are delayed or EOD depending on exchange., Financial data provided by S&P Global. Free users see 5 years of history; Pro extends to 10 years. Downloadable exports use Nasdaq Data Link (US) and FMP (non-US)., and Pro plan includes unlimited CSV/Excel exports, advanced analyst filtering, business metrics for 40,000+ companies, detailed ETF holdings, and full corporate actions. Pricing: $6.58/month (annual) or $9.99/month (monthly).

#2 Alternative

Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 589
Category overlap: 67%

Shared coverage

Calendar
Blogs

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • ORTEX adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Short Interest, Insider Data, and Quant coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers., Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates., and Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs.

Adds coverage: Short Interest, Insider Data, Quant, and Data Visualizations

Standout features: Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers., Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates., Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms., and Alpha trading signals across themes like Short Squeeze, EPS, RSI, MACD, and Company Events, each with back-tested stats and intraday updates.

#3 Alternative

Free Tier
Similarity score 581
Category overlap: 67%

Shared coverage

Calendar
Blogs

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Smartkarma adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Stock Ideas, Screeners, and Watchlist coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts., SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap., and Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs.

Adds coverage: Stock Ideas, Screeners, Watchlist, and News

Standout features: AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts., SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap., Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics., and Personalised watchlists and real-time notifications, with opt-in email alerts when relevant insights are published.

#4 Alternative

Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 577
Category overlap: 67%

Shared coverage

Calendar
Blogs

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Expands into Screeners, Dividends, and News coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Dividend Stock Screener with filters for sector, industry, market cap, DARS™ score, annual dividend, ex-date, and payout frequency., Ex-Dividend Date calendars for stocks, ADRs, preferreds, ETFs, and institutional-share mutual funds., and DARS™ rating system evaluates dividend stocks on five criteria; full breakdowns are available to Premium members..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs.

Adds coverage: Screeners, Dividends, News, and Watchlist

Standout features: Dividend Stock Screener with filters for sector, industry, market cap, DARS™ score, annual dividend, ex-date, and payout frequency., Ex-Dividend Date calendars for stocks, ADRs, preferreds, ETFs, and institutional-share mutual funds., DARS™ rating system evaluates dividend stocks on five criteria; full breakdowns are available to Premium members., and Dividend Watchlist with performance view and email alerts for tracked tickers.

#5 Alternative

Free Tier
Similarity score 569
Category overlap: 67%

Shared coverage

Calendar
Blogs

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Expands into Screeners, Watchlist, and News coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Free equity screener with both fundamental and alternative-data filters, including app rankings, social followers, job openings, and founder-led company flags., Alternative-data dashboards track website traffic, app store ranks, share of search, social activity, Google Trends, and patents., and Earnings calendars available in weekly or index views, with embeddable widgets via iframe for external sites..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs.

Adds coverage: Screeners, Watchlist, News, and Insider Data

Standout features: Free equity screener with both fundamental and alternative-data filters, including app rankings, social followers, job openings, and founder-led company flags., Alternative-data dashboards track website traffic, app store ranks, share of search, social activity, Google Trends, and patents., Earnings calendars available in weekly or index views, with embeddable widgets via iframe for external sites., and Tracks Wall Street analyst price targets and ranks analysts by their historical win rates.

#6 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 449
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Fiscal.ai adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Screeners, Data Visualizations, and Stock Comparison coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Global market coverage for more than 100,000 stocks, ETFs, and funds., Detailed company fundamentals including segments and KPIs for over 2,000 firms, with historical depth expanding by plan tier., and AI Copilot and automated summaries to speed up research; monthly prompt allowances scale with subscription level, with custom summaries on higher tiers..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Screeners, Data Visualizations, Stock Comparison, and Portfolio

Standout features: Global market coverage for more than 100,000 stocks, ETFs, and funds., Detailed company fundamentals including segments and KPIs for over 2,000 firms, with historical depth expanding by plan tier., AI Copilot and automated summaries to speed up research; monthly prompt allowances scale with subscription level, with custom summaries on higher tiers., and Analyst data including forward estimates, revisions, price targets, and ratings.

#7 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 449
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • GuruFocus adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Screeners, Stock Ideas, and Stock Comparison coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters, historical screening, and custom filter creation., Backtesting with survivorship-bias-free data. Windows vary by plan: up to 3 years for Premium and up to 10 years for Premium Plus. Global coverage spans 80+ countries., and Guru portfolios tracking 13F and mutual fund holdings, real-time picks, and portfolio downloads to Excel..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Screeners, Stock Ideas, Stock Comparison, and Portfolio

Standout features: All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters, historical screening, and custom filter creation., Backtesting with survivorship-bias-free data. Windows vary by plan: up to 3 years for Premium and up to 10 years for Premium Plus. Global coverage spans 80+ countries., Guru portfolios tracking 13F and mutual fund holdings, real-time picks, and portfolio downloads to Excel., and Specialty trackers for insider trading and U.S. politician trades.

#8 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 449
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Koyfin adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Screeners, ETF Screeners, and Data Visualizations coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Plan tiers: Free, Plus ($39/mo), Premium ($79/mo), Advisor Core ($209/mo), and Advisor Pro ($299/mo), with a published plan comparison., Global equities coverage with prices, financial statements, valuation, analyst estimates, filings, news, and transcripts. US quotes are live or 15-minute delayed, Canadian quotes are 15-minute delayed, and most international markets are end-of-day., and Stock Screener covering ~100,000 global equities with nearly 6,000 filter criteria. Results can be saved to watchlists or exported to CSV, though some data exports are restricted..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Screeners, ETF Screeners, Data Visualizations, and News

Standout features: Plan tiers: Free, Plus ($39/mo), Premium ($79/mo), Advisor Core ($209/mo), and Advisor Pro ($299/mo), with a published plan comparison., Global equities coverage with prices, financial statements, valuation, analyst estimates, filings, news, and transcripts. US quotes are live or 15-minute delayed, Canadian quotes are 15-minute delayed, and most international markets are end-of-day., Stock Screener covering ~100,000 global equities with nearly 6,000 filter criteria. Results can be saved to watchlists or exported to CSV, though some data exports are restricted., and Custom Formulas & Calculations for table columns. Limits vary by plan: Free (1), Plus (up to 10), Premium (unlimited).

#9 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 449
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Quartr adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Transcripts, Improved Filings, and AI coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Stream live earnings calls with real-time transcripts—instant coverage as events happen., Centralizes IR material from 13,000+ companies across 27 markets: events, filings, reports, and slide decks, all searchable in one place., and AI chat over transcripts, filings, and slides, with every answer fully source-traceable back to the original document..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Transcripts, Improved Filings, AI, and AI Chat

Standout features: Stream live earnings calls with real-time transcripts—instant coverage as events happen., Centralizes IR material from 13,000+ companies across 27 markets: events, filings, reports, and slide decks, all searchable in one place., AI chat over transcripts, filings, and slides, with every answer fully source-traceable back to the original document., and Search across transcripts, filings, and slides to track narrative shifts, compare language, and follow how management decks evolve over time.

#10 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 449
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Seeking Alpha adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Screeners, ETF Screeners, and Stock Comparison coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Quant Ratings for stocks with five Factor Grades (Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, EPS Revisions), plus ETF Factor Grades (Momentum, Expenses, Dividends, Risk, Liquidity)., Stock and ETF screeners with ratings, grades, and advanced filters. Premium members can save screens for reuse., and Side-by-side comparison of up to 20 stocks, with export to Excel or PDF..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Screeners, ETF Screeners, Stock Comparison, and Data Visualizations

Standout features: Quant Ratings for stocks with five Factor Grades (Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, EPS Revisions), plus ETF Factor Grades (Momentum, Expenses, Dividends, Risk, Liquidity)., Stock and ETF screeners with ratings, grades, and advanced filters. Premium members can save screens for reuse., Side-by-side comparison of up to 20 stocks, with export to Excel or PDF., and Portfolio tools with custom views, health scores, and Excel export. Premium users can link brokers for daily auto-sync through Plaid or SnapTrade.

#11 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 449
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Stock Rover adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Screeners, ETF Screeners, and Stock Comparison coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Metrics-rich tables with up to 700+ data points in the Premium Plus plan (275+ / 375+ / 700+ by tier)., Flexible screening: ranked screening, historical screening, and custom equation builders., and Portfolio analytics include correlation matrices, Monte Carlo “future simulations,” rebalancing tools, and trade planning support..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Screeners, ETF Screeners, Stock Comparison, and ETF Comparison

Standout features: Metrics-rich tables with up to 700+ data points in the Premium Plus plan (275+ / 375+ / 700+ by tier)., Flexible screening: ranked screening, historical screening, and custom equation builders., Portfolio analytics include correlation matrices, Monte Carlo “future simulations,” rebalancing tools, and trade planning support., and Insight Panel combines fundamentals, analyst recommendations, news, and full earnings transcripts in one view.

#12 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 449
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • TipRanks adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Top Analysts, Screeners, and ETF Screeners coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Analyst coverage includes forecasts, price targets, recommendations, and Top Analysts leaderboards., Smart Score: a proprietary 1–10 multi-factor equity rating system., and Tracks insider transactions and hedge fund activity, with manager rankings based on filings..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Top Analysts, Screeners, ETF Screeners, and Stock Ideas

Standout features: Analyst coverage includes forecasts, price targets, recommendations, and Top Analysts leaderboards., Smart Score: a proprietary 1–10 multi-factor equity rating system., Tracks insider transactions and hedge fund activity, with manager rankings based on filings., and Stock and ETF screeners, technical analysis filters, and stock/ETF comparison tools.

#13 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 449
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • TradingView adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Screeners, ETF Screeners, and Stock Ideas coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Flexible charting with up to 16 charts per layout, synchronized by symbol and timeframe., Over 400 built-in indicators, 100,000+ community scripts, and 110+ drawing tools., and Server-side alerts with 13 conditions, drawing-tool triggers, and webhook integrations..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Screeners, ETF Screeners, Stock Ideas, and Data Visualizations

Standout features: Flexible charting with up to 16 charts per layout, synchronized by symbol and timeframe., Over 400 built-in indicators, 100,000+ community scripts, and 110+ drawing tools., Server-side alerts with 13 conditions, drawing-tool triggers, and webhook integrations., and Equity, ETF, forex, and crypto screeners with auto-refresh and export options.

#14 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 449
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Unusual Whales adds mobile access for on-the-go monitoring.
  • Expands into Screeners, Options & Derivatives, and Portfolio coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Live options flow across all US options exchanges, with a status indicator so you know the feed is healthy., Dark-pool tape plus ‘Dark Pool Levels’ to surface recent prints and ticker-specific liquidity zones., and Options and stock screeners with filters for premium, volume, open interest, IV rank, and common technicals..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Screeners, Options & Derivatives, Portfolio, and Paper Trading

Standout features: Live options flow across all US options exchanges, with a status indicator so you know the feed is healthy., Dark-pool tape plus ‘Dark Pool Levels’ to surface recent prints and ticker-specific liquidity zones., Options and stock screeners with filters for premium, volume, open interest, IV rank, and common technicals., and Options Profit Calculator to model multi-leg strategies, Greeks, and payoff P/L.

#15 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 437
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Expands into Improved Filings, Diff View, and Filing Sentiment coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Advanced EDGAR and transcript search with Boolean, phrase, and proximity operators., Near real-time filing alerts (about one minute) via email for saved searches and favorite tickers; bulk CSV upload supported., and Earnings transcript catalog updated hourly, with results downloadable to CSV..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Improved Filings, Diff View, Filing Sentiment, and Transcripts

Standout features: Advanced EDGAR and transcript search with Boolean, phrase, and proximity operators., Near real-time filing alerts (about one minute) via email for saved searches and favorite tickers; bulk CSV upload supported., Earnings transcript catalog updated hourly, with results downloadable to CSV., and IPO calendar with coverage of S-1, F-1, and S-11 filings, plus access to retail roadshows via Deal Roadshow.

#16 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 437
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Blogs

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Expands into Valuation Models, Financials, and Interest Rates coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Annual data library covering corporate-finance and valuation metrics, with the latest update in January and mid-year updates for country risk premiums., Downloadable Excel spreadsheets with datasets such as historical returns, industry betas, valuation multiples, cost of capital estimates, and country risk premiums., and Long-run U.S. return series since 1928, including equities, small caps, Treasury bills, 10-year bonds, Baa corporates, real estate, and gold..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Calendar.

Adds coverage: Valuation Models, Financials, Interest Rates, and Education

Standout features: Annual data library covering corporate-finance and valuation metrics, with the latest update in January and mid-year updates for country risk premiums., Downloadable Excel spreadsheets with datasets such as historical returns, industry betas, valuation multiples, cost of capital estimates, and country risk premiums., Long-run U.S. return series since 1928, including equities, small caps, Treasury bills, 10-year bonds, Baa corporates, real estate, and gold., and Monthly updates for the U.S. implied equity risk premium, provided as a downloadable spreadsheet.

#17 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 437
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Expands into Portfolio, Watchlist, and Screeners coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Dividend-oriented portfolio tracker with stock screener, watchlists, ex-dividend views, and curated stock lists., Plan limits: Basic supports up to 3 portfolios and 50 transactions per month; Supporter tier expands to 20 portfolios, 1000 monthly transactions, extended history, and more stats/heatmaps., and Interactive Brokers integration via Flex token: daily sync for all users, with Supporter tier enabling on-demand refreshes every ~5 minutes. Sync window is 15:00–16:00 UTC; Flex limited to 365 days of history..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Portfolio, Watchlist, Screeners, and Dividends

Standout features: Dividend-oriented portfolio tracker with stock screener, watchlists, ex-dividend views, and curated stock lists., Plan limits: Basic supports up to 3 portfolios and 50 transactions per month; Supporter tier expands to 20 portfolios, 1000 monthly transactions, extended history, and more stats/heatmaps., Interactive Brokers integration via Flex token: daily sync for all users, with Supporter tier enabling on-demand refreshes every ~5 minutes. Sync window is 15:00–16:00 UTC; Flex limited to 365 days of history., and Data import supported via CSV/XLSX uploads or manual entry, with duplicate detection and ISIN fallback matching.

#18 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 437
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Blogs

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Expands into ETF Overview, ETF Performance, and ETF Holdings coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Holdings look‑through & overlap: visualize shared constituents across funds to surface concentration risk and duplication., Correlation matrix across portfolio assets; efficient‑frontier visualization with Sharpe‑ratio context., and Sankey diagrams, drill‑downs by asset class, sector, geography and exchange; customizable visualizations..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Calendar.

Adds coverage: ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, and ETF Factors

Standout features: Holdings look‑through & overlap: visualize shared constituents across funds to surface concentration risk and duplication., Correlation matrix across portfolio assets; efficient‑frontier visualization with Sharpe‑ratio context., Sankey diagrams, drill‑downs by asset class, sector, geography and exchange; customizable visualizations., and ETF screener (filters by asset class, geography, theme, provider, sector) and performance & info panels.

#19 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 437
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Expands into Data APIs, Financials, and ETF Holdings coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Tiered access: Starter (U.S.), Premium (adds UK/Canada and up to 30 years of history), Ultimate (global markets, transcripts, ETFs, mutual funds, 13F data, one-minute intraday, bulk/batch delivery)., REST APIs secured with API keys; calls made by appending the key to endpoints., and WebSocket streaming for real-time equities, forex, and crypto feeds..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Data APIs, Financials, ETF Holdings, and 13F

Standout features: Tiered access: Starter (U.S.), Premium (adds UK/Canada and up to 30 years of history), Ultimate (global markets, transcripts, ETFs, mutual funds, 13F data, one-minute intraday, bulk/batch delivery)., REST APIs secured with API keys; calls made by appending the key to endpoints., WebSocket streaming for real-time equities, forex, and crypto feeds., and Historical and intraday chart data with resolutions from one minute to four hours, including dividend-adjusted series.

#20 Alternative

Analyst Pick
Hands-on Tested
Free Tier
Similarity score 437
Category overlap: 33%

Shared coverage

Calendar

Assets: Stocks

Experience: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Platforms: Web

Pricing: Free

Why investors switch

  • Expands into Screeners, Quant, and Backtesting coverage beyond what The Zen of Investing offers.
  • Standout features include Build custom multi-factor ranking systems and rank stocks by universe, sector, or industry., Spreadsheet-style screening with formulas (including Piotroski F-Score) across current and historical data., and Backtesting with realistic assumptions for slippage, commissions, buy/sell rules, position sizing, and hedging..
  • Pair it with The Zen of Investing if you still need Spin-offs and Blogs.

Adds coverage: Screeners, Quant, Backtesting, and Portfolio

Standout features: Build custom multi-factor ranking systems and rank stocks by universe, sector, or industry., Spreadsheet-style screening with formulas (including Piotroski F-Score) across current and historical data., Backtesting with realistic assumptions for slippage, commissions, buy/sell rules, position sizing, and hedging., and ‘Books’ feature to combine multiple strategies and view correlations between them.

Coverage Snapshot

Where alternatives already align

Most shared categories across the top matches.

Calendar×18
Blogs×6
Spin-offs×1

New angles introduced

Categories the alternatives add beyond The Zen of Investing.

Screeners+15
News+14
Portfolio+13
Financials+12
Watchlist+12
Alerts+11
Dividends+10
ETF Holdings+9

Free Access & Pricing

Free options

All 20

20 vetted picks keep a permanent free tier so you can validate workflows before upgrading.

Mobile ready

12/20

12 alternatives bring native mobile access.

API availability

8/20

8 of the shortlisted tools expose API endpoints for automation-heavy workflows.

Quality checks

16 starred / 18 tested

16 tools are flagged as analyst picks; 18 have been hands-on tested.

Avg. coverage overlap

42%

Average percentage of categories shared with the base tool.

Free Alternatives FAQ

What are the best free alternatives to The Zen of Investing?

Start with Stock Analysis, ORTEX, and Smartkarma to replicate The Zen of Investing workflows without paying for a subscription.

Do these picks stay permanently free?

Yes. Each platform listed keeps a standing free tier with no credit card required -- though export limits or seat caps may apply if you scale usage.

Which The Zen of Investing workflows stay covered on the free plan?

Expect solid overlap across Spin-offs, Calendar, and Blogs, so core The Zen of Investing workflows can move over without a paid upgrade.

What extra coverage do the free alternatives add?

Screeners, ETF Screeners, IPO, Top Analysts, Stock Comparison, ETF Comparison, Portfolio, Watchlist, News, Dividends, Splits, Delisted, Ticker Changes, Acquisitions, Bankruptcy, Financials, ETF Overview, ETF Holdings, ETF Fundamentals, ETF Performance, Short Interest, Insider Data, Quant, Data Visualizations, Index Rebalancing, Money Flow, Options & Derivatives, Options, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, Data APIs, US Government Trades, Stock Ideas, Alerts, AI, Videos, Newsletters, Scores, Compounding Calculator, Dividend, Institutional Data, 13F, Transcripts, App & Website Traffic, Job Postings, Patents / USPTO, Analyst Forecasts, Valuation Models, Backtesting, Investor Holdings, GDP, Interest Rates, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, Commitment of Traders (COT), Yield Curves, APIs & SDKs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins, ETF Overlap, ETF Valuation, Improved Filings, AI Chat, Webhooks, Bulls Say Bear Say, ETF Factors, Which ETF includes this Stock?, AI Report, AI Earnings Summary, Correlation, Monte Carlo, Fund Overview, Fund Performance, Fund Holdings, Fund Rating, Education, Flags, News Sentiment, Paper Trading, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, Order Book / Level II, Forums, Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Diff View, Filing Sentiment, 13D/13G, Secondary Offerings, Broker Connectors, Dividend Tax / ADR Withholding, and ESG Ratings show up most often as bonus coverage beyond the base platform, giving you room to experiment before upgrading.

Where might I still rely on The Zen of Investing?

Blogs, Spin-offs, and Calendar remain strengths for The Zen of Investing. Keep it handy for those tasks or plan for a paid upgrade if they matter.

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About Me

Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I'm an independent investor with a soft spot for coding and the stock market - especially value investing (as you can probably tell from the tools I've collected here, haha). Hopefully you'll find something useful or interesting along the way.

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Starred Tools

These are my top picks. Tools I've tested thoroughly and found to be excellent. They do their job really well, and I use them a lot. If you're not already familiar with them, I highly recommend checking them out.

Tested Tools

These are tools I've tried and found to be solid, but not standout. Think of them as passing an initial quality screen: worth exploring, though not all will be exceptional.

Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.