VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ A CURATED DIRECTORY OF FINANCIAL TOOLS ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Monday, December 8, 2025

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Tool Comparison

Barron's vs IBorrowDesk comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Barron's adds News, Newsletters, and Videos coverage that IBorrowDesk skips.

IBorrowDesk includes Short Interest categories that Barron's omits.

IBorrowDesk keeps a free entry point that Barron's lacks.

Barron's ships a mobile app. IBorrowDesk is web/desktop only.

In depth comparison

Barron's logo

Barron's

barrons.com

Subscription news and analysis service for investors. Digital plans cover Barrons.com and the mobile/tablet apps, while Print + Digital adds weekly Saturday delivery of the magazine. Most premium content is paywalled. Subscriptions also include newsletters, market alerts, and watchlist functionality.

Platforms

WebMobile

Pricing

Subscription

Quick highlights

  • Subscription options: Digital (Barrons.com + apps) or Print + Digital (adds Saturday home delivery).
  • Weekly Barron's Magazine with each issue available online.
  • Email newsletters on a range of market and investing topics, with preferences managed through the Customer Center.
  • Web and mobile notifications for breaking news and major stories.
  • Dedicated mobile apps for iOS and Android.

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IBorrowDesk logo

IBorrowDesk

iborrowdesk.com

Tracks stock-loan availability and borrow fee data as reported by Interactive Brokers (IBKR). Updates roughly every 15 minutes during North American trading hours and hourly elsewhere on weekdays. The data reflects IBKR only and not the wider market. The site is unaffiliated with IBKR; displayed quotes are provided by IEX. A paid Patron tier adds longer history, CSV exports, and more tracking capacity.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

  • Borrow fee percentages and shortable share availability, sourced directly from Interactive Brokers public datasets.
  • Intraday refresh cadence: ~15 minutes during North American trading hours; hourly outside of them on weekdays.
  • Per-ticker pages show recent borrow snapshots with timestamps, plus options to add tickers to a watchlist or set alerts.
  • Patron plan ($10/month) unlocks 5+ years of history versus 1 year on free, enables CSV historical export, and expands watchlist capacity to ~50 securities.
  • Scope limited to Interactive Brokers—availability and fees may differ across other brokers.

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Where they differ

Barron's

Distinct strengths include:

NewsNewslettersVideos
  • Subscription options: Digital (Barrons.com + apps) or Print + Digital (adds Saturday home delivery).
  • Weekly Barron's Magazine with each issue available online.
  • Email newsletters on a range of market and investing topics, with preferences managed through the Customer Center.
  • Web and mobile notifications for breaking news and major stories.

IBorrowDesk

Distinct strengths include:

Short Interest
  • Borrow fee percentages and shortable share availability, sourced directly from Interactive Brokers public datasets.
  • Intraday refresh cadence: ~15 minutes during North American trading hours; hourly outside of them on weekdays.
  • Per-ticker pages show recent borrow snapshots with timestamps, plus options to add tickers to a watchlist or set alerts.
  • Patron plan ($10/month) unlocks 5+ years of history versus 1 year on free, enables CSV historical export, and expands watchlist capacity to ~50 securities.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeBarron'sIBorrowDesk
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Alerts, Watchlist

Unique: News, Newsletters, Videos

Shared: Alerts, Watchlist

Unique: Short Interest

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds

Stocks, ETFs

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web, Mobile

Web

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Subscription

Free, Subscription

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • Subscription options: Digital (Barrons.com + apps) or Print + Digital (adds Saturday home delivery).
  • Weekly Barron's Magazine with each issue available online.
  • Email newsletters on a range of market and investing topics, with preferences managed through the Customer Center.
  • Web and mobile notifications for breaking news and major stories.
  • Dedicated mobile apps for iOS and Android.
  • Podcasts including *Streetwise*, *Barron’s Live*, and *At Barron’s*.

Unique

  • Borrow fee percentages and shortable share availability, sourced directly from Interactive Brokers public datasets.
  • Intraday refresh cadence: ~15 minutes during North American trading hours; hourly outside of them on weekdays.
  • Per-ticker pages show recent borrow snapshots with timestamps, plus options to add tickers to a watchlist or set alerts.
  • Patron plan ($10/month) unlocks 5+ years of history versus 1 year on free, enables CSV historical export, and expands watchlist capacity to ~50 securities.
  • Scope limited to Interactive Brokers—availability and fees may differ across other brokers.
  • Site disclaimer notes no affiliation with IBKR; market quotes shown alongside borrow data come from IEX.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Barron's and IBorrowDesk both support?

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

Which tool offers a free plan?

IBorrowDesk offers a free entry point, while Barron's requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.

Which tool has mobile access?

Barron's ships a dedicated mobile experience, while IBorrowDesk focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Barron's differentiates itself with Subscription options: Digital (Barrons.com + apps) or Print + Digital (adds Saturday home delivery)., Weekly Barron's Magazine with each issue available online., and Email newsletters on a range of market and investing topics, with preferences managed through the Customer Center., whereas IBorrowDesk stands out for Borrow fee percentages and shortable share availability, sourced directly from Interactive Brokers public datasets., Intraday refresh cadence: ~15 minutes during North American trading hours; hourly outside of them on weekdays., and Per-ticker pages show recent borrow snapshots with timestamps, plus options to add tickers to a watchlist or set alerts..

Keep exploring

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Stay on top of related tools

Browse the categories and profiles that overlap most with this comparison to round out your shortlist.

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.