VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Monday, October 6, 2025

Head-to-head

IBorrowDesk vs Smartkarma comparison

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

Quick takeaways

IBorrowDesk adds Short Interest coverage that Smartkarma skips.

Smartkarma includes Stock Ideas, Screeners, News, Calendar, AI, Videos, Newsletters, and Blogs categories that IBorrowDesk omits.

IBorrowDesk 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., and Per-ticker pages show recent borrow snapshots with timestamps, plus options to add tickers to a watchlist or set alerts..

Smartkarma is known for: AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts., SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap., and Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics..

Smartkarma offers mobile access, which IBorrowDesk skips.

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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Smartkarma logo

Smartkarma

smartkarma.com

An AI-augmented investment intelligence platform that combines independent research, data tools, and real-time alerts. Access is plan-gated: the flagship Pro Platform costs USD 10,950/year per user and is available to accredited or professional investors; Premium and Data subscriptions are available on request, while separate offerings exist for Corporate Digital IR and Plus platforms. Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android.

Platforms

Web
Mobile

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts.
  • SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap.
  • Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics.
  • Personalised watchlists and real-time notifications, with opt-in email alerts when relevant insights are published.
  • Research is distributed simultaneously on the platform, via alerts/email, and syndicated to Bloomberg Terminal.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

2 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Watchlist, and Alerts.

Where they differ

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.

Smartkarma

Distinct strengths include:

  • AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts.
  • SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap.
  • Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics.
  • Personalised watchlists and real-time notifications, with opt-in email alerts when relevant insights are published.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeIBorrowDeskSmartkarma
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Watchlist, Alerts

Unique: Short Interest

Shared: Watchlist, Alerts

Unique: Stock Ideas, Screeners, News, Calendar, AI, Videos, Newsletters, Blogs

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, ETFs

Stocks, ETFs, Bonds, Currencies, Cryptos

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web

Web, Mobile

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free, Subscription

Free, Subscription

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

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.

Unique

  • AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts.
  • SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap.
  • Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics.
  • Personalised watchlists and real-time notifications, with opt-in email alerts when relevant insights are published.
  • Research is distributed simultaneously on the platform, via alerts/email, and syndicated to Bloomberg Terminal.
  • Additional investment tools include FX, rates and macroeconomic calendars, and crypto dashboards.
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Editor pick

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do IBorrowDesk and Smartkarma 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 IBorrowDesk and Smartkarma require subscriptions?

Both IBorrowDesk and Smartkarma keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

Smartkarma ships a dedicated mobile experience, while IBorrowDesk focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

IBorrowDesk differentiates itself with 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., whereas Smartkarma stands out for AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts., SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap., and Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics..

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.