VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Head-to-head

FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) vs IBorrowDesk comparison

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

Quick takeaways

FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) adds Portfolio, Compounding Calculator, Screeners, ETF Screeners, Financials, Insider Data, Fund Overview, Fund Performance, Fund Holdings, Fund Rating, and Data Visualizations coverage that IBorrowDesk skips.

IBorrowDesk includes Short Interest categories that FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) omits.

FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) highlights: Comprehensive tools hub including watchlists, portfolio tracking, alerts, equities and fund screeners, and a compound growth calculator (beta)., Free accounts allow users to build watchlists, track portfolios, and set price or news alerts directly from instrument pages., and Portfolio tool supports manual transaction entry, shows key fundamentals, and integrates related FT news..

IBorrowDesk is known 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..

FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) ships a mobile app. IBorrowDesk is web/desktop only.

FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) logo

FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times)

markets.ft.com

Hands-on review

The Financial Times’ markets portal combines global market data with watchlists, portfolios, alerts, and screeners. Free registration unlocks basic tools, while an FT subscription is needed for deeper features like director dealings, detailed company financials and forecasts, and access to the Data Archive PDFs. Market data is delayed at least 15 minutes, with equity prices sourced from LSEG and fund data provided by Morningstar.

Platforms

Web
Mobile

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • Comprehensive tools hub including watchlists, portfolio tracking, alerts, equities and fund screeners, and a compound growth calculator (beta).
  • Free accounts allow users to build watchlists, track portfolios, and set price or news alerts directly from instrument pages.
  • Portfolio tool supports manual transaction entry, shows key fundamentals, and integrates related FT news.
  • Alerts can be managed on-site or via myFT email preferences.
  • World Markets and sector pages offer interactive charts, overlays, and performance comparisons.

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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

Free
Subscription

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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Overlap

Shared focus areas

2 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Watchlist, and Alerts.

Where they differ

FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times)

Distinct strengths include:

  • Comprehensive tools hub including watchlists, portfolio tracking, alerts, equities and fund screeners, and a compound growth calculator (beta).
  • Free accounts allow users to build watchlists, track portfolios, and set price or news alerts directly from instrument pages.
  • Portfolio tool supports manual transaction entry, shows key fundamentals, and integrates related FT news.
  • Alerts can be managed on-site or via myFT email preferences.

IBorrowDesk

Distinct strengths include:

  • 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

AttributeFT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times)IBorrowDesk
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Watchlist, Alerts

Unique: Portfolio, Compounding Calculator, Screeners, ETF Screeners, Financials, Insider Data, Fund Overview, Fund Performance, Fund Holdings, Fund Rating, Data Visualizations

Shared: Watchlist, Alerts

Unique: Short Interest

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Commodities, Currencies

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

Free, Subscription

Free, Subscription

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • Comprehensive tools hub including watchlists, portfolio tracking, alerts, equities and fund screeners, and a compound growth calculator (beta).
  • Free accounts allow users to build watchlists, track portfolios, and set price or news alerts directly from instrument pages.
  • Portfolio tool supports manual transaction entry, shows key fundamentals, and integrates related FT news.
  • Alerts can be managed on-site or via myFT email preferences.
  • World Markets and sector pages offer interactive charts, overlays, and performance comparisons.
  • Subscriber-only features include insider transaction data (Director Dealings), detailed company financials, and analyst forecasts.

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.
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 FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) and IBorrowDesk both support?

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

Do FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) and IBorrowDesk require subscriptions?

Both FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) and IBorrowDesk keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) ships a dedicated mobile experience, while IBorrowDesk focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) differentiates itself with Comprehensive tools hub including watchlists, portfolio tracking, alerts, equities and fund screeners, and a compound growth calculator (beta)., Free accounts allow users to build watchlists, track portfolios, and set price or news alerts directly from instrument pages., and Portfolio tool supports manual transaction entry, shows key fundamentals, and integrates related FT news., 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..

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.