VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View GuruFocus View Magic Formula Investing Back to Home

Head-to-head

GuruFocus vs Magic Formula Investing comparison

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

Quick takeaways

GuruFocus adds Stock Comparison, Portfolio, Backtesting, Investor Holdings, US Government Trades, News, Alerts, Calendar, GDP, Interest Rates, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, Commitment of Traders (COT), Yield Curves, Financials, Valuation Models, Scores, Transcripts, Insider Data, 13F, ETF Overview, ETF Holdings, APIs & SDKs, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins coverage that Magic Formula Investing skips.

GuruFocus highlights: All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters, historical screening, and custom filter creation., Backtesting with survivorship-bias-free data. Windows vary by plan: up to 3 years for Premium and up to 10 years for Premium Plus. Global coverage spans 80+ countries., and Guru portfolios tracking 13F and mutual fund holdings, real-time picks, and portfolio downloads to Excel..

Magic Formula Investing is known for: Straightforward screener with only two inputs: minimum market cap (USD, millions) and number of results (30 or 50)., Universe restricted to U.S.-listed equities, excluding financial and utility companies., and Ranks companies on two factors: high earnings yield (low P/E) and high return on capital, with minor accounting adjustments..

GuruFocus ships a mobile app. Magic Formula Investing is web/desktop only.

GuruFocus

gurufocus.com

Editor’s pick Hands-on review

A global equity research and value-investing platform with robust screening, backtesting, and portfolio tools. Features and data access depend on plan tier—Premium vs. Premium Plus—while enterprise-level users can license data directly via API. Add-ins for Excel and Google Sheets extend workflows, though usage caps apply to lower tiers. Alerts and mobile apps are included across paid plans.

Platforms

Web

Mobile

API

Pricing

Free

Subscription

Quick highlights

All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters, historical screening, and custom filter creation.
Backtesting with survivorship-bias-free data. Windows vary by plan: up to 3 years for Premium and up to 10 years for Premium Plus. Global coverage spans 80+ countries.
Guru portfolios tracking 13F and mutual fund holdings, real-time picks, and portfolio downloads to Excel.
Specialty trackers for insider trading and U.S. politician trades.
ETF profiles with current and historical holdings, including N-PORT data and timestamps.

Community votes (overall)

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Magic Formula Investing

magicformulainvesting.com

Free stock screener based on Joel Greenblatt’s Magic Formula strategy. Covers only U.S.-listed equities, excluding financials and utilities. Users choose a minimum market cap and get either 30 or 50 ranked results. Prices are updated daily on trading mornings, and fundamentals refresh quarterly. Free registration is required.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Straightforward screener with only two inputs: minimum market cap (USD, millions) and number of results (30 or 50).
Universe restricted to U.S.-listed equities, excluding financial and utility companies.
Ranks companies on two factors: high earnings yield (low P/E) and high return on capital, with minor accounting adjustments.
Update cadence: price data refreshed daily around 8:00 AM ET on trading days; financial data updated quarterly.
Underlying data source is S&P Compustat. Official guidance suggests focusing on larger caps for less volatility and holding at least 20 stocks.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

2 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Screeners, and Stock Ideas.

Where they differ

GuruFocus

Distinct strengths include:

All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters, historical screening, and custom filter creation.
Backtesting with survivorship-bias-free data. Windows vary by plan: up to 3 years for Premium and up to 10 years for Premium Plus. Global coverage spans 80+ countries.
Guru portfolios tracking 13F and mutual fund holdings, real-time picks, and portfolio downloads to Excel.
Specialty trackers for insider trading and U.S. politician trades.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	GuruFocus	Magic Formula Investing
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Screeners, Stock Ideas Unique: Stock Comparison, Portfolio, Backtesting, Investor Holdings, US Government Trades, News, Alerts, Calendar, GDP, Interest Rates, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, Commitment of Traders (COT), Yield Curves, Financials, Valuation Models, Scores, Transcripts, Insider Data, 13F, ETF Overview, ETF Holdings, APIs & SDKs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins	Shared: Screeners, Stock Ideas
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds	Stocks
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, Mobile, API	Web
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free, Subscription	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters, historical screening, and custom filter creation. Backtesting with survivorship-bias-free data. Windows vary by plan: up to 3 years for Premium and up to 10 years for Premium Plus. Global coverage spans 80+ countries. Guru portfolios tracking 13F and mutual fund holdings, real-time picks, and portfolio downloads to Excel. Specialty trackers for insider trading and U.S. politician trades. ETF profiles with current and historical holdings, including N-PORT data and timestamps. Valuation and scoring tools: discounted cash flow calculators, GF Value, and GF Score frameworks.	Unique Straightforward screener with only two inputs: minimum market cap (USD, millions) and number of results (30 or 50). Universe restricted to U.S.-listed equities, excluding financial and utility companies. Ranks companies on two factors: high earnings yield (low P/E) and high return on capital, with minor accounting adjustments. Update cadence: price data refreshed daily around 8:00 AM ET on trading days; financial data updated quarterly. Underlying data source is S&P Compustat. Official guidance suggests focusing on larger caps for less volatility and holding at least 20 stocks. Suggested rules: equal-dollar weighting, annual holding period (sell losses just before 1 year, gains just after 1 year) to optimize after-tax results.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Yes	Not yet
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Highlighted	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do GuruFocus and Magic Formula Investing both support?

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

Do GuruFocus and Magic Formula Investing require subscriptions?

Both GuruFocus and Magic Formula Investing keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

GuruFocus ships a dedicated mobile experience, while Magic Formula Investing focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

GuruFocus differentiates itself with All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters, historical screening, and custom filter creation., Backtesting with survivorship-bias-free data. Windows vary by plan: up to 3 years for Premium and up to 10 years for Premium Plus. Global coverage spans 80+ countries., and Guru portfolios tracking 13F and mutual fund holdings, real-time picks, and portfolio downloads to Excel., whereas Magic Formula Investing stands out for Straightforward screener with only two inputs: minimum market cap (USD, millions) and number of results (30 or 50)., Universe restricted to U.S.-listed equities, excluding financial and utility companies., and Ranks companies on two factors: high earnings yield (low P/E) and high return on capital, with minor accounting adjustments..

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