Tool Comparison
FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) vs MarketWatch
- Paid from
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, Mobile
Best if
- You want portfolio, compounding calculator, and ETF screeners.
- Paid from
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, Mobile
Best if
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You want news, calendar, and paper trading.
Pick FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) if
FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times)
Free • Paid plans available · Web · Mobile
- You want portfolio, compounding calculator, and ETF screeners.
Pick MarketWatch if
MarketWatch
Free • Paid plans available · Web · Mobile
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You want news, calendar, and paper trading.
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) and MarketWatch cover a lot of the same ground (6 shared categories, including watchlist, alerts, and screeners), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. MarketWatch simply does more: 17 categories to FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times)'s 10, including news, calendar, and paper trading. FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) counters by being completely free.
What readers say
FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times)
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MarketWatch
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Key differences at a glance
- Real-time data
- MarketWatch
- Broader coverage
- MarketWatch17 vs 10 categories
- Asset coverage
- MarketWatchAdds options and futures
- Free plan
- Both
What FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) does best
- Tracking global equities, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, commodities, and currencies through FT market pages.
- Watchlists, portfolio tracking, alerts, equity screeners, fund screeners, and a compound growth calculator from the markets tools hub.
- Tools for building watchlists and manual portfolios with a free FT account, then connect instrument pages to related FT news.
- Email alerts for 52-week highs or lows, unusual trading volume, and moves through the 15-day moving average.
- World Markets and sector pages for interactive charts, overlays, and performance comparisons.
What MarketWatch does best
- Read market news and analysis covering equities, funds, options, futures, commodities, currencies, crypto, and rates.
- Quote pages, multi-quote lookup, stock and market screeners, mutual-fund research, ETF pages, fund comparisons, and basic company financial views.
- Tools for building free account-based watchlists that sync across web and mobile apps with customizable price and news alerts.
- Tracking events with calendars for U.S. economic releases, corporate earnings, IPOs, and options-expiration dates.
- BigCharts supports multiple timeframes and technical overlays.
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 • Paid plans available | Free • Paid plans available |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | — | MarketWatch Digital: standard rate: $5/week after intro period and Student: eligibility: Student verification required; current price not publicly confirmed |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
API access | No | No |
Broker sync | No | No |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | — |
Categories covered | 10 | 17 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | 4 signals: Latency: 15-min Delayed and End of Day, Granularity: EOD +2 more | 5 signals: Latency: Real-time, 15-min Delayed, and End of Day, Granularity: Minute and EOD +3 more |
Capabilities | Universe builder | Yield curves |
| Try it | Visit FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) | Visit MarketWatch |
Standout features
The best features of FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) and MarketWatch.ShowHide
Standout features
What FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) does best
- Tracking global equities, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, commodities, and currencies through FT market pages.
- Watchlists, portfolio tracking, alerts, equity screeners, fund screeners, and a compound growth calculator from the markets tools hub.
- Tools for building watchlists and manual portfolios with a free FT account, then connect instrument pages to related FT news.
- Email alerts for 52-week highs or lows, unusual trading volume, and moves through the 15-day moving average.
- World Markets and sector pages for interactive charts, overlays, and performance comparisons.
What MarketWatch does best
- Read market news and analysis covering equities, funds, options, futures, commodities, currencies, crypto, and rates.
- Quote pages, multi-quote lookup, stock and market screeners, mutual-fund research, ETF pages, fund comparisons, and basic company financial views.
- Tools for building free account-based watchlists that sync across web and mobile apps with customizable price and news alerts.
- Tracking events with calendars for U.S. economic releases, corporate earnings, IPOs, and options-expiration dates.
- BigCharts supports multiple timeframes and technical overlays.
All details
Every attribute we track for FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) and MarketWatch.ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | StocksETFsMutual FundsBondsCommoditiesCurrencies | StocksETFsMutual FundsOptionsFuturesCommoditiesCurrenciesCryptos+1 more |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica |
Coverage details | Identifiers: Ticker | Identifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | 15-min DelayedEnd of Day | Real-time15-min DelayedEnd of Day |
Data granularity | EOD | MinuteEOD |
| Access & integrations | ||
Import methods | Manual | Not specified |
Export formats | Not specified | CSV |
| Plans & trust | ||
Capability signals | Universe builder | Yield curves |
Vendor & support | The Financial Times Ltd.Country: United KingdomSupport: Email | MarketWatch, Inc. (Dow Jones)Country: United StatesFounded 1997Support: Email |
Curation ratings | Methodology 4/5Reliability 4/5UX 4/5 | Methodology 3/5Reliability 4/5UX 4/5 |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing
Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.ShowHide
Pricing
| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free“Free (Registered)” | Free |
| Entry paid plan | Subscription“FT Digital (Subscriber)” | Subscription“MarketWatch Digital”standard rate: $5/week after intro period |
| Top plan | — | Subscription“Student”eligibility: Student verification required; current price not publicly confirmed |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) and MarketWatch?
FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) leans toward portfolio, watchlist, and alerts, while MarketWatch puts more weight on news, alerts, and calendar. They overlap in 6 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) and MarketWatch cost?
Good news: both FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) and MarketWatch have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Should I choose FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) or MarketWatch?
It depends on what you're after. Pick FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) if portfolio and compounding calculator matter to you; go with MarketWatch if you'd rather have news and calendar. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) and MarketWatch cover?
Both cover stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and bonds. MarketWatch adds options, futures, and cryptos on top.
Does FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) or MarketWatch have real-time data?
MarketWatch offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) 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.
Can I export data from FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) and MarketWatch?
MarketWatch exports to CSV. FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) is stingier about getting data out.
Which has a better stock screener: FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) or MarketWatch?
Both FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) and MarketWatch include stock screeners, and they differ more in interface than raw power; try both and see which one clicks for you.
Can I track my portfolio with FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) or MarketWatch?
FT Markets (Markets data - Financial Times) handles portfolio tracking. MarketWatch is really a research tool; you'd track your portfolio elsewhere.
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