Tool Comparison
GuruFocus vs Insider Monitor
- Paid from
- $549/yr, billed annually
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, Mobile, API
Best if
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You want an API so you can script or automate things
- You want stock ideas, screeners, and ETF screeners.
- Paid from
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web
Best if
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You want regulatory filings monitoring.
Start here
GuruFocus
Free • From $549/yr, billed annually · Web · Mobile · API
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You want an API so you can script or automate things
- You want stock ideas, screeners, and ETF screeners.
Pick Insider Monitor instead if
Insider Monitor
Free · Web
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You want regulatory filings monitoring.
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
GuruFocus simply does more: 49 categories to Insider Monitor's 2, including stock ideas, screeners, and ETF screeners, plus a mobile app. Insider Monitor counters by being completely free. On paper they're closely matched, so let pricing, platform fit, and the details below break the tie.
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Key differences at a glance
- Real-time data
- Insider Monitor
- Free trial
- GuruFocus7 days
- Broader coverage
- GuruFocus49 vs 2 categories
- Mobile app
- GuruFocus
- API access
- GuruFocus
- Global coverage
- GuruFocus
What GuruFocus does best
- Research coverage for global stocks with long historical financials, valuation data, charts, comparisons, market valuation indicators, economic indicators, industry data, and company-level fundamentals.
- The All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters across fundamentals, valuation, profitability, growth, dividends, guru holdings, insider trades, predefined value screens, custom filters, saved screens, and downloads.
- ETF Screener and ETF GF Scores for filtering and comparing more than 5,000 U.S.
- Corporate and government bond screening by yield, maturity, ratings, coupon structure, outstanding amount, issuer, and industry, plus company-level bond tabs.
- Backtest screener strategies across many countries with configurable stock count, ranking metric, sort order, date range, and rebalance frequency; current membership terms give Premium the latest five years and Premium Plus/Professional history back to 2006.
What Insider Monitor does best
- Browse a real-time insider table with purchases, sales, filing times, issuer details, insider roles, values, and SEC links.
- Officer cluster-buy reports to find tickers bought by multiple corporate officers over the past two weeks.
- Review weekly and monthly top-10 lists for the largest insider purchases when looking for high-value Form 4 activity.
- Direct access to company and trader pages for per-issuer and per-insider transaction history, monthly summaries, year summaries, CIK references, and SEC source links.
- Industry views to compare Form 4 filing counts across broad industry divisions since 2020.
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 $549/yr, billed annually | Free |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | 7 days | — |
Plan limits | 55 limits: Free: portfolio limit: Up to 3 portfolios with 25 stocks each for free members, Free: data api requests: 100/month included in the Free API package +53 more | — |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | Yes | No |
API access | Yes | No |
Broker sync | Yes | — |
Integrations | GuruFocus Data API, GuruFocus MCP Server +3 more | — |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | Retail Traders, Pro Retail +9 more | — |
Categories covered | 49 | 2 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa | North America |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | 5 signals: Latency: End of Day, Granularity: EOD +3 more | Latency: Real-time and Timezone: America/New_York |
Data partners | 5 partners: QuoteMedia, Morningstar +3 more | — |
Capabilities | 9 signals: Custom formulas, Ranking backtests +7 more | — |
Security | Status page and Encryption in transit | — |
| Try it | Visit GuruFocus | Visit Insider Monitor |
Standout features
The best features of GuruFocus and Insider Monitor.ShowHide
Standout features
What GuruFocus does best
- Research coverage for global stocks with long historical financials, valuation data, charts, comparisons, market valuation indicators, economic indicators, industry data, and company-level fundamentals.
- The All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters across fundamentals, valuation, profitability, growth, dividends, guru holdings, insider trades, predefined value screens, custom filters, saved screens, and downloads.
- ETF Screener and ETF GF Scores for filtering and comparing more than 5,000 U.S.
- Corporate and government bond screening by yield, maturity, ratings, coupon structure, outstanding amount, issuer, and industry, plus company-level bond tabs.
- Backtest screener strategies across many countries with configurable stock count, ranking metric, sort order, date range, and rebalance frequency; current membership terms give Premium the latest five years and Premium Plus/Professional history back to 2006.
What Insider Monitor does best
- Browse a real-time insider table with purchases, sales, filing times, issuer details, insider roles, values, and SEC links.
- Officer cluster-buy reports to find tickers bought by multiple corporate officers over the past two weeks.
- Review weekly and monthly top-10 lists for the largest insider purchases when looking for high-value Form 4 activity.
- Direct access to company and trader pages for per-issuer and per-insider transaction history, monthly summaries, year summaries, CIK references, and SEC source links.
- Industry views to compare Form 4 filing counts across broad industry divisions since 2020.
All details
Every attribute we track for GuruFocus and Insider Monitor.ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | StocksETFsBondsMutual FundsOptionsFundsOther | StocksClosed-End Funds |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Retail TradersPro RetailLong-term InvestorsValue InvestorsQuality InvestorsDividend InvestorsAnalystsQuants/Developers+3 more | Not specified |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North America |
Coverage details | Identifiers: Ticker and CIK | Countries: USIdentifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | End of Day | Real-time |
Data granularity | EOD | Not specified |
Pricing sources | ExchangeVendorModel | Not specified |
Data partners | QuoteMediaMorningstarRefinitivFREDSEC / local regulators | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | Not specified |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKeySDKs: Python and GoDocs | Not specified |
Import methods | CSVBrokerOAuthManual | Not specified |
Integrations | GuruFocus Data APIGuruFocus MCP ServerGuruFocus Excel Add-inGuruFocus Google Sheets Add-onSnapTrade | Not specified |
Export formats | CSVExcelJSON | Not specified |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Status pageEncryption in transit | Not specified |
Capability signals | Custom formulasRanking backtestsUniverse builderFactors: Value, Quality, Momentum, and GrowthBroker syncMulti-currencyYield curvesCredit ratings+1 more | Not specified |
Vendor & support | GuruFocus.com, LLCCountry: United StatesFounded 2004Support: Email, Chat, Phone, and Forum | Insider MonitorSupport: Email |
Curation ratings | Not specified | Methodology 2/5Reliability 3/5UX 3/5 |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing
Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.ShowHide
Pricing
| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Freeportfolio limit: Up to 3 portfolios with 25 stocks each for free members · data api requests: 100/month included in the Free API package · +1 more | Free |
| Entry paid plan | $549/yrBilled annually≈ $45.75/mo“Premium”billing: Annual only · region price: $549/year for USA, Asia, or Europe; $369/year for several other regions · +7 more | — |
| Tier 2 | $1398/yrBilled annually≈ $116.50/mo“Premium Plus”billing: Annual only · screener export rows: 5,000 · +3 more | — |
| Tier 3 | $200/moBilled monthly“Data API Builder”billing: Billed annually · monthly request limit: No limit · +12 more | — |
| Tier 4 | $2448/yrBilled annually≈ $204/mo“Professional”billing: Annual only · data api requests: 2,000/month included with Professional membership | — |
| Tier 5 | $2000/moBilled monthly“Data API Commercial”billing: Billed annually · monthly request limit: No limit · +1 more | — |
| Top plan | $100 per unit“Data API Pay As You Go”initial top up: $100 credit · stock daily prices: $0.05/request · +16 more | — |
| Custom / enterprise | Contact sales“Custom API / Enterprise Package” | — |
| Free trial | 7 days | — |
Free alternatives
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between GuruFocus and Insider Monitor?
GuruFocus leans toward stock ideas, screeners, and ETF screeners, while Insider Monitor puts more weight on insider data and regulatory filings monitoring. They overlap in 1 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do GuruFocus and Insider Monitor cost?
Good news: both GuruFocus and Insider Monitor have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Can I use GuruFocus or Insider Monitor on my phone?
GuruFocus lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. Insider Monitor doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web.
Does GuruFocus or Insider Monitor have an API?
GuruFocus has an API for programmatic access and custom integrations. Insider Monitor doesn't, so you're working through its interface.
Should I choose GuruFocus or Insider Monitor?
It depends on what you're after. Pick GuruFocus if stock ideas and screeners matter to you; go with Insider Monitor if you'd rather have regulatory filings monitoring. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do GuruFocus and Insider Monitor cover?
Both cover stocks. GuruFocus also handles ETFs, bonds, and mutual funds. Insider Monitor adds closed-end funds on top.
Does GuruFocus or Insider Monitor have real-time data?
Insider Monitor offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. GuruFocus 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: GuruFocus or Insider Monitor?
GuruFocus has documented international coverage (North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, and more), so it's the safer bet if you hold non-US stocks. Insider Monitor is more region-specific, mainly North America.
Can I export data from GuruFocus and Insider Monitor?
GuruFocus exports to CSV and Excel. Insider Monitor is stingier about getting data out.
Which has a better stock screener: GuruFocus or Insider Monitor?
GuruFocus has a stock screener for surfacing ideas; Insider Monitor doesn't, and focuses its energy elsewhere.
Can I track my portfolio with GuruFocus or Insider Monitor?
GuruFocus handles portfolio tracking. Insider Monitor is really a research tool; you'd track your portfolio elsewhere.
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