VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Head-to-head

FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) vs Smartfin 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, Fund Overview, Fund Performance, Fund Holdings, and Fund Rating coverage that Smartfin skips.

Smartfin includes Stock Ideas, Scores, Transcripts, Checklist, Analyst Price Targets, Calendar, and AI Business Summary 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..

Smartfin is known for: AI overview cards: plain‑English company summaries with positives/negatives and peer positioning on hover., Sector‑adjusted scorecards across value, profit, growth, and financial health with peer rankings., and Visual Stock Explorer: 30+ years of fundamentals, 200+ metrics, annual/quarterly toggles, downloadable charts..

FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) ships a mobile app. Smartfin 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.

Community votes (overall)

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Smartfin logo

Smartfin

thesmartfin.com

Beginner‑friendly stock research platform focused on fundamentals: visual financials, sector‑adjusted scoring (value/profit/growth/health), AI company snapshots, curated stock lists, and real‑time alerts for insider trades & analyst price‑target changes. US‑stocks centric; no brokerage sync or advanced risk/quant features.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • AI overview cards: plain‑English company summaries with positives/negatives and peer positioning on hover.
  • Sector‑adjusted scorecards across value, profit, growth, and financial health with peer rankings.
  • Visual Stock Explorer: 30+ years of fundamentals, 200+ metrics, annual/quarterly toggles, downloadable charts.
  • Real‑time alerts for insider trades and analyst price‑target changes; customizable watchlists.
  • Event hub for tracked tickers (earnings, SEC filings, transcripts) and a lightweight research checklist.

Community votes (overall)

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

5 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Watchlist, Alerts, and Financials plus 2 more areas.

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.

Smartfin

Distinct strengths include:

  • AI overview cards: plain‑English company summaries with positives/negatives and peer positioning on hover.
  • Sector‑adjusted scorecards across value, profit, growth, and financial health with peer rankings.
  • Visual Stock Explorer: 30+ years of fundamentals, 200+ metrics, annual/quarterly toggles, downloadable charts.
  • Real‑time alerts for insider trades and analyst price‑target changes; customizable watchlists.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeFT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times)Smartfin
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Watchlist, Alerts, Financials, Insider Data, Data Visualizations

Unique: Portfolio, Compounding Calculator, Screeners, ETF Screeners, Fund Overview, Fund Performance, Fund Holdings, Fund Rating

Shared: Watchlist, Alerts, Financials, Insider Data, Data Visualizations

Unique: Stock Ideas, Scores, Transcripts, Checklist, Analyst Price Targets, Calendar, AI Business Summary

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

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

Stocks

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate

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

  • AI overview cards: plain‑English company summaries with positives/negatives and peer positioning on hover.
  • Sector‑adjusted scorecards across value, profit, growth, and financial health with peer rankings.
  • Visual Stock Explorer: 30+ years of fundamentals, 200+ metrics, annual/quarterly toggles, downloadable charts.
  • Real‑time alerts for insider trades and analyst price‑target changes; customizable watchlists.
  • Event hub for tracked tickers (earnings, SEC filings, transcripts) and a lightweight research checklist.
  • Curated ‘Stock Lists’ (e.g., top dividend, top AI, top market cap) focused on U.S. markets.
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 Smartfin both support?

Both platforms cover Watchlist, Alerts, Financials, Insider Data, and Data Visualizations 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 Smartfin require subscriptions?

Both FT Markets (Markets data — Financial Times) and Smartfin 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 Smartfin 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 Smartfin stands out for AI overview cards: plain‑English company summaries with positives/negatives and peer positioning on hover., Sector‑adjusted scorecards across value, profit, growth, and financial health with peer rankings., and Visual Stock Explorer: 30+ years of fundamentals, 200+ metrics, annual/quarterly toggles, downloadable charts..

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.