★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Tool comparison edition
Tool Comparison
13F Insight vs GuruFocus
13F Insight
Best for data visualizations and watchlist
Free • Contact for pricing
GuruFocus
Best for stock ideas and screeners
Free • From $549/yr
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The verdict
The bottom line
13F Insight and GuruFocus cover a lot of the same ground (9 shared categories, including data visualizations, watchlist, and institutional ownership), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. GuruFocus simply does more: 48 categories to 13F Insight's 9, including stock ideas, screeners, and ETF screeners, plus a mobile app. 13F Insight counters by being completely free.
Key differences at a glance
- Mobile app
- GuruFocus
- Free trial
- GuruFocus7 days
- Broader coverage
- GuruFocus48 vs 9 categories
- Global coverage
- GuruFocus
- Asset coverage
- GuruFocusAdds mutual funds and funds
- Free plan
- Both
Choose
13F Insight if…
- 13F Insight's overall approach simply feels right to you; they're close on paper
Choose
GuruFocus if…
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You care about stock ideas, screeners, and ETF screeners, things 13F Insight doesn't offer
Comparison snapshot
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free • Contact for pricing | Free • From $549/yr |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | 7 days |
Plan limits | 3 limits: Free: watchlist items: 5, Standard: watchlist items: 20 +1 more | 38 limits: Free: portfolio limit: Up to 3 portfolios with 25 stocks each for free members, Free: data api requests: 100/month included in the Free API package +36 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | Yes |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | — | Yes |
Integrations | — | GuruFocus Data API, GuruFocus Excel Add-in +6 more |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | Retail Traders, Pro Retail +3 more | Retail Traders, Pro Retail +9 more |
Categories covered | 9 | 48 |
Regions | North America | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | — | 5 signals: Latency: End of Day, Granularity: EOD +3 more |
Data partners | — | 5 partners: QuoteMedia, Morningstar +3 more |
Capabilities | AI summaries: Filings | 8 signals: Custom formulas, Ranking backtests +6 more |
Security | Encryption in transit | Status page and Encryption in transit |
| Try it | Visit 13F Insight | Visit GuruFocus |
Standout features
What 13F Insight does best
- Tracks institutional investors, analyzes 13F filings, and shows what hedge funds are buying and selling.
- Covers SEC 13F institutional holdings, Form 4 insider transactions, and 13D/G beneficial ownership reports.
- Provides AI-generated analysis of position changes, filing summaries, and unusual activity alerts.
- Offers watchlists for both filers and stocks; Free accounts can watchlist 5 items, Standard 20, and Pro 100.
- Standard and Pro plans include email alerts for watchlist activity.
What GuruFocus does best
- Global value-investing research platform with historical financial and valuation data, screeners, charts, comparisons, institutional-investor trading histories, executive trading histories, market valuation data, economic indicators, and industry indicators.
- Large global coverage footprint: GuruFocus says it serves more than 1 million users worldwide, covers 100,000 stocks in 100 markets, tracks 8,000+ institutional investors’ trading histories, and tracks 15,000+ mutual fund holdings; API documentation separately describes 60,000+ companies across 9 regions.
- All-in-One Screener with 500+ filters across fundamentals, valuation, profitability, growth, dividends, guru holdings, insider trades, predefined value screens, custom filters, saved screens, downloadable results, and portfolio workflow integration.
- Screener backtesting for more than 80 countries, with U.S. backtests starting January 1, 2006 and non-U.S. country backtests generally starting January 1, 2016; parameters include stock count, ranking metric, sort order, start/end date, and rebalance frequency.
- GuruFocus states that screener backtests are designed to be free of survivorship bias by considering historical mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, and delistings.
Data & access details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | StocksETFsOptionsBonds | StocksETFsBondsMutual FundsOptionsFundsOther |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Retail TradersPro RetailValue InvestorsGrowth InvestorsAnalysts | Retail TradersPro RetailLong-term InvestorsValue InvestorsQuality InvestorsDividend InvestorsAnalystsQuants/Developers+3 more |
Regions | North America | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica |
Coverage details | Countries: USIdentifiers: Ticker, CUSIP, and CIK | Identifiers: Ticker and CIK |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Not specified | End of Day |
Data granularity | Not specified | EOD |
Pricing sources | Not specified | ExchangeVendorModel |
Data partners | Not specified | QuoteMediaMorningstarRefinitivFREDSEC / local regulators |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | Not specified | REST |
API auth & delivery | Not specified | Auth: APIKeySDKs: Python and GoDocs |
Import methods | Not specified | CSVBrokerOAuthManual |
Integrations | Not specified | GuruFocus Data APIGuruFocus Excel Add-inGuruFocus Google Sheets Add-onSnapTradeSchwabFidelityRobinhoodInteractive Brokers |
Export formats | Not specified | CSVExcelJSON |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Encryption in transit | Status pageEncryption in transit |
Capability signals | AI summaries: Filings | Custom formulasRanking backtestsUniverse builderFactors: Value, Quality, Momentum, and GrowthBroker syncMulti-currencyYield curvesAI summaries: Transcripts |
Vendor & support | 13F InsightSupport: Email | GuruFocus.com, LLCCountry: United StatesFounded 2004Support: Email, Chat, Phone, and Forum |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing breakdown
Free
Lower starting price
Plans & pricing
- watchlist items: 5
- watchlist items: 20
- watchlist items: 100
$549/yr
Starting price
Plans & pricing
- portfolio limit: Up to 3 portfolios with 25 stocks each for free members
- data api requests: 100/month included in the Free API package
- +1 more
- billing: Annual only
- data api requests: 200/month included with Premium membership
- +2 more
- billing: Annual only
- data api requests: 500/month included with Premium Plus membership
- +2 more
- billing: Annual only
- data api requests: 2,000/month included with Professional membership
- requests: 100/month
- billing: Billed annually
- canada add on: $100/month
- +8 more
- billing: Billed annually
- initial top up: $100 credit
- company profile: $0.10/request
- +11 more
Coverage overlap
Shared categories
9Where the two tools cover the same ground.
13F Insight strengths
0What you only get with 13F Insight.
No unique categories.
GuruFocus strengths
39What you only get with GuruFocus.
Community category leaders
Vote sentiment comparison
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 13F Insight and GuruFocus?
13F Insight leans toward data visualizations, watchlist, and institutional ownership, while GuruFocus puts more weight on stock ideas, screeners, and ETF screeners. They overlap in 9 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do 13F Insight and GuruFocus cost?
Good news: both 13F Insight and GuruFocus have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Can I use 13F Insight or GuruFocus on my phone?
GuruFocus lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. 13F Insight doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web and API.
Do 13F Insight and GuruFocus have APIs?
Yes, both offer API access, so developers and quants can pull data programmatically or wire up their own integrations.
Should I choose 13F Insight or GuruFocus?
It depends on what you're after. Pick 13F Insight if you prefer its overall approach; go with GuruFocus if you'd rather have stock ideas and screeners. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do 13F Insight and GuruFocus cover?
Both cover stocks, ETFs, options, and bonds. GuruFocus adds mutual funds, funds, and other on top.
Which covers international markets: 13F Insight or GuruFocus?
GuruFocus has documented international coverage (North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, and more), so it's the safer bet if you hold non-US stocks. 13F Insight is more region-specific, mainly North America.
Can I export data from 13F Insight and GuruFocus?
GuruFocus exports to CSV and Excel. 13F Insight is stingier about getting data out.
Are 13F Insight and GuruFocus good for long-term investing?
Yes, both are aimed squarely at long-term investors. Compare their coverage, workflow, and price before assuming they solve the same long-term research job.
Which has a better stock screener: 13F Insight or GuruFocus?
GuruFocus has a stock screener for surfacing ideas; 13F Insight doesn't, and focuses its energy elsewhere.
Can I track my portfolio with 13F Insight or GuruFocus?
GuruFocus handles portfolio tracking. 13F Insight is really a research tool; you'd track your portfolio elsewhere.
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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.