BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON

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Checked Aug 23 to Sep 24, 2026

Tool Comparison

ChartMill vs Smartfin

Paid from
—
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web

Best if

  • You want screeners, stock comparison, and valuation models.
  • You've outgrown the basics and want pro-level depth
  • You trade often and need tooling built for speed
Paid from
$8.33/mo
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web

Best if

  • Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
  • You want transcripts, checklist, and AI research.

Pick ChartMill if

ChartMill logo

ChartMill

chartmill.comTested

Free • Paid plans available · Web

  • You want screeners, stock comparison, and valuation models.
  • You've outgrown the basics and want pro-level depth
  • You trade often and need tooling built for speed

Pick Smartfin if

Smartfin logo

Smartfin

thesmartfin.com

Free • From $8.33/mo · Web

  • Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
  • You want transcripts, checklist, and AI research.

Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.

See alternatives

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Not set on either one? See the top 50 tools, ranked by user votes, or the deals page for big discounts on popular tools.

Our take

The bottom line

ChartMill and Smartfin cover a lot of the same ground (9 shared categories, including stock ideas, data visualizations, and scores), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. ChartMill simply does more: 24 categories to Smartfin's 12, including screeners, stock comparison, and valuation models. Smartfin counters by keeping things simpler.

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ChartMill

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Key differences at a glance

Real-time data
Smartfin
Broader coverage
ChartMill24 vs 12 categories
Global coverage
ChartMill
Asset coverage
ChartMillAdds ETFs
Free plan
Both
See the full side-by-side table
ChartMill logo

What ChartMill does best

  1. Screening for stocks and ETFs with technical, fundamental, dividend, valuation, growth, profitability, health, and custom-expression filters.
  2. Start from Trading Ideas templates for breakouts, pullbacks, CANSLIM, Minervini, GARP, dividends, value, and growth.
  3. ChartMill ratings, technical setup views, analyzer pages, and fundamental reports to compare candidates.
  4. Build watchlists, save screens, export results, and set alerts for prices, setups, earnings, news, insider activity, fundamentals, analyst changes, and screen results.
  5. Multi-chart layouts, saved chart configurations, drawings, indicators, event markers, and watchlist-based charting.
Smartfin logo

What Smartfin does best

  1. AI overviews summarize positives, negatives, recent financials, trends, and sector context.
  2. Scores compare value, profit, growth, and financial-health metrics with companies in the same sector.
  3. The visual explorer supports annual and quarterly charts, more than 200 metrics and ratios, and image downloads.
  4. Available financial history depends on plan: five years on Starter, ten years on Premium, and more than 30 years on Pro.
  5. Email and in-app alerts cover insider trades and analyst price-target changes.

Side by side

Pricing & plans
Starting price
Free • Paid plans available
Free • From $8.33/mo
Free tier
Yes
Yes
Free trial
—
—
Platforms & access
Web app
Yes
Yes
Mobile app
No
No
API access
No
No
Coverage & data
Asset types
StocksETFs
Stocks
Target audience
Retail TradersPro RetailDay TradersSwing TradersLong-term InvestorsGrowth InvestorsValue InvestorsDividend Investors
Not specified
Data freshness
15-min DelayedEnd of Day
Real-timeEnd of Day
Data granularity
EODMinute
EOD
Export formats
CSV
Image

Pricing comparison

Tier
ChartMillCheaper start
Free plan
Free
Free“Starter”
Entry paid plan
$34.97/mo“Monthly Subscription”
$8.33/mo“Premium”
Top plan
$299.97/yr“Annual Subscription + Free Course”
$16.99/mo“Pro”

See for yourself

Side by side

Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.
Show
Side-by-side comparison of ChartMill and Smartfin
Attribute
ChartMill logo
ChartMill
Smartfin logo
Smartfin
Pricing & plans
Starting price
Free • Paid plans availableFree • From $8.33/mo
Free tier
YesYes
Free trial
——
Plan limits
Free: financials history: 4 years/quarters (free users, example pages).—
Platforms & access
Web app
YesYes
Mobile app
NoNo
API access
NoNo
Audience & fit
Experience level
Beginner, Intermediate, AdvancedBeginner, Intermediate
Best for
Retail Traders, Pro Retail +6 more—
Categories covered
2412
Regions
North America, EuropeNorth America
Data & capabilities
Data quality
3 signals: Latency: 15-min Delayed and End of Day, Granularity: EOD and Minute +1 moreLatency: Real-time and End of Day and Granularity: EOD
Capabilities
Custom formulas and Universe builderAI summaries: Filings
Try itVisit ChartMillVisit Smartfin

Standout features

The best features of ChartMill and Smartfin.
Show
ChartMill logo

What ChartMill does best

  1. Screening for stocks and ETFs with technical, fundamental, dividend, valuation, growth, profitability, health, and custom-expression filters.
  2. Start from Trading Ideas templates for breakouts, pullbacks, CANSLIM, Minervini, GARP, dividends, value, and growth.
  3. ChartMill ratings, technical setup views, analyzer pages, and fundamental reports to compare candidates.
  4. Build watchlists, save screens, export results, and set alerts for prices, setups, earnings, news, insider activity, fundamentals, analyst changes, and screen results.
  5. Multi-chart layouts, saved chart configurations, drawings, indicators, event markers, and watchlist-based charting.
Smartfin logo

What Smartfin does best

  1. AI overviews summarize positives, negatives, recent financials, trends, and sector context.
  2. Scores compare value, profit, growth, and financial-health metrics with companies in the same sector.
  3. The visual explorer supports annual and quarterly charts, more than 200 metrics and ratios, and image downloads.
  4. Available financial history depends on plan: five years on Starter, ten years on Premium, and more than 30 years on Pro.
  5. Email and in-app alerts cover insider trades and analyst price-target changes.

All details

Every attribute we track for ChartMill and Smartfin.
Show
Attribute
ChartMill logo
ChartMill
Smartfin logo
Smartfin
Coverage & fit
Asset types
StocksETFs
Stocks
Experience
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
BeginnerIntermediate
Target audience
Retail TradersPro RetailDay TradersSwing TradersLong-term InvestorsGrowth InvestorsValue InvestorsDividend Investors
Not specified
Regions
North AmericaEurope
North America
Coverage details
17 countries9 exchangesIdentifiers: Ticker and ISIN
Countries: USExchanges: XNYS and XNASIdentifiers: Ticker
Data
Data freshness
15-min DelayedEnd of Day
Real-timeEnd of Day
Data granularity
EODMinute
EOD
Access & integrations
Export formats
CSV
Image
Plans & trust
Capability signals
Custom formulasUniverse builder
AI summaries: Filings
Vendor & support
ChartMill
SmartfinSupport: Email
Curation ratings
Not specified
Methodology 3/5Reliability 3/5UX 4/5

Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.

Pricing

Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.
Show
Plan-by-plan pricing comparison of ChartMill and Smartfin
Tier
ChartMill logo
ChartMillCheaper start
Smartfin logo
Smartfin
Free plan
Freefinancials history: 4 years/quarters (free users, example pages).
Free“Starter”
Entry paid plan
$34.97/mo“Monthly Subscription”
$8.33/mo“Premium”
Top plan
$299.97/yr“Annual Subscription + Free Course”
$16.99/mo“Pro”

Questions we keep getting

What's the difference between ChartMill and Smartfin?

ChartMill leans toward screeners, stock ideas, and stock comparison, while Smartfin puts more weight on stock ideas, financials, and scores. They overlap in 9 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.

How much do ChartMill and Smartfin cost?

Good news: both ChartMill and Smartfin have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.

Which is better for beginners: ChartMill or Smartfin?

Honestly, neither is aimed at beginners. Expect a learning curve either way; that's the trade-off for the depth they offer.

Should I choose ChartMill or Smartfin?

It depends on what you're after. Pick ChartMill if screeners and stock comparison matter to you; go with Smartfin if you'd rather have transcripts and checklist. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.

What asset classes do ChartMill and Smartfin cover?

Both cover stocks. ChartMill also handles ETFs.

Does ChartMill or Smartfin have real-time data?

Smartfin offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. ChartMill runs on delayed or end-of-day data, which is perfectly fine for longer-term investors who don't live and die by the tick.

Which covers international markets: ChartMill or Smartfin?

ChartMill has documented international coverage (North America and Europe), so it's the safer bet if you hold non-US stocks. Smartfin is more region-specific, mainly North America.

Can I export data from ChartMill and Smartfin?

ChartMill exports to CSV. Smartfin is stingier about getting data out.

Is ChartMill or Smartfin better for day trading?

ChartMill is the one positioned more for active traders. Smartfin is the better fit if you care less about fast trading workflows and more about a calmer research process.

Which has a better stock screener: ChartMill or Smartfin?

ChartMill has a stock screener for surfacing ideas; Smartfin doesn't, and focuses its energy 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.