Tool Comparison
Calcbench vs Portfolio123
- Paid from
- $500/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, Desktop, API
Best if
- You want improved filings, diff view, and stock comparison.
- Paid from
- $25/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API, Desktop
Best if
- You want the cheaper way in: plans start at $25/mo instead of $500/mo
- You want screeners, data visualizations, and quant.
- You're newer to investing and want something approachable
Pick Calcbench if
Calcbench
Free • From $6000/yr · Web · Desktop · API
- You want improved filings, diff view, and stock comparison.
Pick Portfolio123 if
Portfolio123
Free • From $300/yr · Web · API · Desktop
- You want the cheaper way in: plans start at $25/mo instead of $500/mo
- You want screeners, data visualizations, and quant.
- You're newer to investing and want something approachable
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
Calcbench and Portfolio123 cover a lot of the same ground (2 shared categories, financials and APIs & data feeds), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. Portfolio123 simply does more: 19 categories to Calcbench's 8, including screeners, data visualizations, and quant. Calcbench counters by keeping things simpler.
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Calcbench
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Portfolio123
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Key differences at a glance
- Cheaper paid plan
- Portfolio123$25/mo vs $500/mo
- Free trial
- Calcbench14 days
- Broader coverage
- Portfolio12319 vs 8 categories
- Global coverage
- Portfolio123
- Asset coverage
- Portfolio123Adds ETFs and closed-end funds
- Beginner friendly
- Portfolio123
What Calcbench does best
- Research as-reported statements, 10-Ks, 10-Qs, earnings releases, proxies, 8-Ks, and SEC comment letters.
- Disclosure and footnote tools to search MD&A, risk factors, accounting notes, and other filing sections across peers or periods.
- Use standardized GAAP metrics while tracing values back to source documents.
- Review point-in-time data, timestamps, revision chains, and redline additions or deletions to understand what changed and when.
- Pull financial statements, accounting metrics, and raw XBRL tags into Excel.
What Portfolio123 does best
- Build multifactor ranking systems, stock screens, ETF screens, and rules-based strategies.
- Run simulations with custom universes, buy and sell rules, position sizing, hedging, rebalancing, slippage, and commissions.
- Point-in-time data designed to avoid survivorship and look-ahead bias, with fundamentals, estimates, corporate actions, sector and industry classifications, and historical issues.
- Create ranking systems from fundamental, technical, sentiment, and macro factors, including public factor documentation and FRED-linked economic series.
- AI Factor to train machine-learning predictors for expected returns and feed those predictions into rankings, simulations, and asset-level analysis.
Side by side
Pricing comparison
See for yourself
Side by side
Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.ShowHide
Side by side
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free • From $6000/yr | Free • From $300/yr |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | 14 days | — |
Plan limits | — | 25 limits: Free Screener & Backtesting Access: duration days: 30, Screener (Annual): backtest history years: 5 +23 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Desktop app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | No |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | — | Yes |
Integrations | Microsoft Excel (Calcbench Excel Add-in) | Interactive Brokers and Tradier |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | Institutional Investors, Analysts +2 more | Retail Traders, Pro Retail +5 more |
Categories covered | 8 | 19 |
Regions | North America | North America, Europe |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | Latency: Real-time and Timezone: US/Eastern | 5 signals: Latency: Real-time and End of Day, Granularity: EOD +3 more |
Data partners | — | 4 partners: FactSet, S&P Global Market Intelligence +2 more |
Capabilities | — | 6 signals: Custom formulas, Ranking backtests +4 more |
| Try it | Visit Calcbench | Visit Portfolio123 |
Standout features
The best features of Calcbench and Portfolio123.ShowHide
Standout features
What Calcbench does best
- Research as-reported statements, 10-Ks, 10-Qs, earnings releases, proxies, 8-Ks, and SEC comment letters.
- Disclosure and footnote tools to search MD&A, risk factors, accounting notes, and other filing sections across peers or periods.
- Use standardized GAAP metrics while tracing values back to source documents.
- Review point-in-time data, timestamps, revision chains, and redline additions or deletions to understand what changed and when.
- Pull financial statements, accounting metrics, and raw XBRL tags into Excel.
What Portfolio123 does best
- Build multifactor ranking systems, stock screens, ETF screens, and rules-based strategies.
- Run simulations with custom universes, buy and sell rules, position sizing, hedging, rebalancing, slippage, and commissions.
- Point-in-time data designed to avoid survivorship and look-ahead bias, with fundamentals, estimates, corporate actions, sector and industry classifications, and historical issues.
- Create ranking systems from fundamental, technical, sentiment, and macro factors, including public factor documentation and FRED-linked economic series.
- AI Factor to train machine-learning predictors for expected returns and feed those predictions into rankings, simulations, and asset-level analysis.
All details
Every attribute we track for Calcbench and Portfolio123.ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Stocks | StocksETFsClosed-End Funds |
Experience | IntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Institutional InvestorsAnalystsQuants/DevelopersStudents/Researchers | Retail TradersPro RetailInstitutional InvestorsAnalystsQuants/DevelopersFinancial AdvisorsStudents/Researchers |
Regions | North America | North AmericaEurope |
Coverage details | Identifiers: Ticker and CIK | Countries: US and CAIdentifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Real-time | Real-timeEnd of Day |
Data granularity | Not specified | EOD |
Data partners | Not specified | FactSetS&P Global Market IntelligenceICE Data ServicesFRED |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | REST |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKeySDKs: PythonDocs | Auth: APIKeyDocs |
Import methods | Not specified | BrokerOAuthCSV |
Integrations | Microsoft Excel (Calcbench Excel Add-in) | Interactive BrokersTradier |
Export formats | Excel | CSVJSON |
| Plans & trust | ||
Capability signals | Not specified | Custom formulasRanking backtestsUniverse builderBroker syncRebalancingCorrelation |
Vendor & support | CalcbenchCountry: United StatesFounded 2011 | Portfolio123Support: Forum |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing
Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.ShowHide
Pricing
| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free“Basic” | Free“Manage (Free)” |
| Entry paid plan | $6000/yr≈ $500/mo“Premium (Annual)” | $300/yr≈ $25/mo“Screener (Annual)”backtest history years: 5 · resource units: 400 · +1 more |
| Tier 2 | $12000/yr≈ $1000/mo“Professional (Annual)” | $35/mo“Screener (Monthly)”backtest history years: 5 · resource units: 400 · +1 more |
| Tier 3 | — | $1000/yr≈ $83.33/mo“Backtest (Annual)”backtest history years: 10 · resource units: 1,000 · +1 more |
| Tier 4 | — | $116/mo“Backtest (Monthly)”backtest history years: 10 · resource units: 1,000 · +1 more |
| Tier 5 | — | $1500/yr≈ $125/mo“Portfolio (Annual)”backtest history years: 15 · resource units: 5,000 · +1 more |
| Tier 6 | — | $174/mo“Portfolio (Monthly)”backtest history years: 15 · resource units: 5,000 · +1 more |
| Tier 7 | — | $2400/yr≈ $200/mo“Ultimate (Annual)”backtest history years: 20 · resource units: 10,000 · +1 more |
| Top plan | — | $278/mo“Ultimate (Monthly)”backtest history years: 20 · resource units: 10,000 · +1 more |
| Custom / enterprise | Contact sales“Academic Access” | Contact sales“Professional / API & Data Licenses” |
| Free trial | 14 days | — |
Alternatives
Free alternatives
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between Calcbench and Portfolio123?
Calcbench leans toward financials, improved filings, and diff view, while Portfolio123 puts more weight on screeners, data visualizations, and quant. They overlap in 2 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do Calcbench and Portfolio123 cost?
Good news: both Calcbench and Portfolio123 have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Which is better for beginners: Calcbench or Portfolio123?
Portfolio123 is the friendlier place to start; its interface takes less getting used to. Both work fine once you're past the basics.
Do Calcbench and Portfolio123 have APIs?
Yes, both offer API access, so developers and quants can pull data programmatically or wire up their own integrations.
Should I choose Calcbench or Portfolio123?
It depends on what you're after. Pick Calcbench if improved filings and diff view matter to you; go with Portfolio123 if you'd rather have screeners and data visualizations. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do Calcbench and Portfolio123 cover?
Both cover stocks. Portfolio123 adds ETFs and closed-end funds on top.
Do Calcbench and Portfolio123 offer real-time data?
Yes, both serve real-time market data, so either works when timing matters.
Which covers international markets: Calcbench or Portfolio123?
Portfolio123 has documented international coverage (North America and Europe), so it's the safer bet if you hold non-US stocks. Calcbench is more region-specific, mainly North America.
Can I export data from Calcbench and Portfolio123?
Yes, both export to spreadsheets (Calcbench: Excel; Portfolio123: CSV), which is handy if you like running your own numbers.
Which has a better stock screener: Calcbench or Portfolio123?
Portfolio123 has a stock screener for surfacing ideas; Calcbench doesn't, and focuses its energy elsewhere.
Can I track my portfolio with Calcbench or Portfolio123?
Portfolio123 handles portfolio tracking. Calcbench is really a research tool; you'd track your portfolio elsewhere.
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