VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Tool Comparison

Alpha Vantage vs The Zen of Investing comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

Alpha Vantage adds Data APIs, News, News Sentiment, Dividends, Splits, IPO, Delisted, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, Options & Derivatives, ETF Holdings, Transcripts, Insider Data, APIs & SDKs, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins coverage that The Zen of Investing skips.

The Zen of Investing includes Spin-offs, and Blogs categories that Alpha Vantage omits.

In depth comparison

Alpha Vantage

alphavantage.co

Hands-on review

REST APIs delivering global market data in JSON and CSV. The free tier allows 25 requests per day, while premium plans remove limits and unlock real-time and 15-minute delayed US equities plus real-time US options. Entitlements and account management are handled through the Alpha X Terminal.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

Equity time series for global stocks (intraday down to 1-minute, plus daily/weekly/monthly) with 20+ years of history, including pre- and post-market support and adjustment toggles for splits and dividends.
US options coverage with real-time and historical data spanning over 15 years, including optional greeks and implied volatility outputs in JSON or CSV.
Fundamentals and corporate actions such as company overviews, financials, dividends, splits, plus ETF profiles and holdings.
Corporate calendars: earnings announcements, IPO schedules, listings, and delisting status.
Alpha Intelligence datasets with market news and sentiment, earnings call transcripts, insider transactions, and daily gainers/losers.

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The Zen of Investing

thezenofinvesting.com

A free, niche site dedicated to spinoffs and special situations. It maintains curated lists of upcoming and recent spinoffs, often linking directly to investor decks, prospectuses, and filings. The site also offers RSS feeds for SEC prospectus and tender-offer filings, making it a useful resource for event-driven investors. No subscriptions, paywalls, or API access are offered.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Covers U.S. spinoffs and select international cases, with a clear focus on special situations.
“Upcoming Spinoffs” list tracks definitively announced events, often with links to presentations and filings.
“Recent Spinoffs” page compiles completed transactions, including prospectuses and investor decks.
Archives investor-relations PDFs from major spinoff companies, such as DuPont or GE Vernova.
Publishes RSS feeds that surface SEC prospectus and tender-offer filings for easy monitoring.

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Where they differ

Alpha Vantage

Distinct strengths include:

Data APIs News News Sentiment Dividends Splits IPO Delisted Inflation Rates

Equity time series for global stocks (intraday down to 1-minute, plus daily/weekly/monthly) with 20+ years of history, including pre- and post-market support and adjustment toggles for splits and dividends.
US options coverage with real-time and historical data spanning over 15 years, including optional greeks and implied volatility outputs in JSON or CSV.
Fundamentals and corporate actions such as company overviews, financials, dividends, splits, plus ETF profiles and holdings.
Corporate calendars: earnings announcements, IPO schedules, listings, and delisting status.

The Zen of Investing

Distinct strengths include:

Spin-offs Blogs

Covers U.S. spinoffs and select international cases, with a clear focus on special situations.
“Upcoming Spinoffs” list tracks definitively announced events, often with links to presentations and filings.
“Recent Spinoffs” page compiles completed transactions, including prospectuses and investor decks.
Archives investor-relations PDFs from major spinoff companies, such as DuPont or GE Vernova.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	Alpha Vantage	The Zen of Investing
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Calendar Unique: Data APIs, News, News Sentiment, Dividends, Splits, IPO, Delisted, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, Options & Derivatives, ETF Holdings, Transcripts, Insider Data, APIs & SDKs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins	Shared: Calendar Unique: Spin-offs, Blogs
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks, ETFs, Options, Currencies, Cryptos, Commodities, Mutual Funds	Stocks
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, API	Web
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free, Subscription	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique Equity time series for global stocks (intraday down to 1-minute, plus daily/weekly/monthly) with 20+ years of history, including pre- and post-market support and adjustment toggles for splits and dividends. US options coverage with real-time and historical data spanning over 15 years, including optional greeks and implied volatility outputs in JSON or CSV. Fundamentals and corporate actions such as company overviews, financials, dividends, splits, plus ETF profiles and holdings. Corporate calendars: earnings announcements, IPO schedules, listings, and delisting status. Alpha Intelligence datasets with market news and sentiment, earnings call transcripts, insider transactions, and daily gainers/losers. Coverage across FX and crypto exchange rates (including intraday), commodities (oil, metals, agriculture), and US macro indicators like GDP, CPI, interest rates, and unemployment.	Unique Covers U.S. spinoffs and select international cases, with a clear focus on special situations. “Upcoming Spinoffs” list tracks definitively announced events, often with links to presentations and filings. “Recent Spinoffs” page compiles completed transactions, including prospectuses and investor decks. Archives investor-relations PDFs from major spinoff companies, such as DuPont or GE Vernova. Publishes RSS feeds that surface SEC prospectus and tender-offer filings for easy monitoring. Simple, free access with a contact form for inquiries; no paid plans or gated features.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Yes	Not yet
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Alpha Vantage and The Zen of Investing both support?

Both platforms cover Calendar workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do Alpha Vantage and The Zen of Investing require subscriptions?

Both Alpha Vantage and The Zen of Investing keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access Alpha Vantage and The Zen of Investing?

Both Alpha Vantage and The Zen of Investing prioritize web or desktop access. Investors wanting a mobile-first workflow may need to rely on responsive web views.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Alpha Vantage differentiates itself with Equity time series for global stocks (intraday down to 1-minute, plus daily/weekly/monthly) with 20+ years of history, including pre- and post-market support and adjustment toggles for splits and dividends., US options coverage with real-time and historical data spanning over 15 years, including optional greeks and implied volatility outputs in JSON or CSV., and Fundamentals and corporate actions such as company overviews, financials, dividends, splits, plus ETF profiles and holdings., whereas The Zen of Investing stands out for Covers U.S. spinoffs and select international cases, with a clear focus on special situations., “Upcoming Spinoffs” list tracks definitively announced events, often with links to presentations and filings., and “Recent Spinoffs” page compiles completed transactions, including prospectuses and investor decks..

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