BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON

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Checked September 24, 2026

Tool Comparison

IBorrowDesk vs Zacks (Zacks.com)

Paid from
$1/mo
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web

Best if

  • You want the cheaper way in: plans start at $1/mo instead of $20.75/mo
  • You want short interest.

Zacks (Zacks.com)

TestedMost versatile pick
Review & pricing
Paid from
$20.75/mo
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web, Mobile

Best if

  • Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
  • You do a lot of your research from your phone
  • You want screeners, ETF screeners, and portfolio.

Pick IBorrowDesk instead if

IBorrowDesk logo

IBorrowDesk

iborrowdesk.com

Free • From $1/mo · Web

  • You want the cheaper way in: plans start at $1/mo instead of $20.75/mo
  • You want short interest.
Most versatile pick

Start here

Zacks (Zacks.com) logo

Zacks (Zacks.com)

zacks.comTested

Free • From $249/yr · Web · Mobile

  • Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
  • You do a lot of your research from your phone
  • You want screeners, ETF screeners, and portfolio.

Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.

See alternatives

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Outbound links may include affiliate or sponsor codes.

Not set on either one? See the top 50 tools, ranked by user votes, or the deals page for big discounts on popular tools.

Our take

The bottom line

IBorrowDesk and Zacks (Zacks.com) cover a lot of the same ground (2 shared categories, watchlist and alerts), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. Zacks (Zacks.com) simply does more: 12 categories to IBorrowDesk's 3, including screeners, ETF screeners, and portfolio, plus a mobile app. IBorrowDesk counters by starting cheaper at $1/mo.

What readers say

IBorrowDesk

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Zacks (Zacks.com)

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Key differences at a glance

Cheaper paid plan
IBorrowDesk$1/mo vs $20.75/mo
Free trial
Zacks (Zacks.com)30 days
Broader coverage
Zacks (Zacks.com)12 vs 3 categories
Mobile app
Zacks (Zacks.com)
Real-time data
Zacks (Zacks.com)
Asset coverage
Zacks (Zacks.com)Adds mutual funds
See the full side-by-side table
IBorrowDesk logo

What IBorrowDesk does best

  1. Tracking borrow fee percentages and shortable share availability for stocks and ETFs from Interactive Brokers public data.
  2. Ticker pages to review recent borrow snapshots with timestamps, fee rates, and available shares.
  3. Monitor intraday changes with roughly 15-minute refreshes during North American trading hours and slower weekday updates outside those hours.
  4. Support for adding tickers to watchlists and set alerts for borrow availability or fee changes.
  5. IBorrowDesk as one input for short-interest, squeeze-risk, borrow-cost, and liquidity research.
Zacks (Zacks.com) logo

What Zacks (Zacks.com) does best

  1. Zacks Rank scores from #1 to #5 and Zacks Industry Rank on company pages for earnings-revision research.
  2. Comparison tools for Value, Growth, and Momentum Style Scores alongside the rank when screening or reviewing individual stocks.
  3. Screening for stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds with hundreds of filters, with 45+ Premium Screens gated behind paid access.
  4. Direct access to ticker pages with analyst forecasts, earnings estimates, price targets, company research, and related market context.
  5. Review Price-Consensus-EPS Surprise charts that connect historical estimates, actual earnings, and surprise patterns.

Side by side

Pricing & plans
Starting price
Free • From $1/mo
Free • From $249/yr
Free tier
Yes
Yes
Free trial
—
30 days
Platforms & access
Web app
Yes
Yes
Mobile app
No
Yes
API access
No
No
Broker sync
No
No
Coverage & data
Asset types
StocksETFs
StocksETFsMutual Funds
Data freshness
15-min DelayedEnd of Day
Real-timeEnd of Day
Data granularity
MinuteEOD
EOD
Export formats
CSV
Not specified

Pricing comparison

Free plan
Free
Free
Entry paid plan
$1/mo“Supporter”
$249/yr≈ $20.75/mo“Premium Annual”
Tier 2
$10/mo“Subscriber”
$495/yr≈ $41.25/mo“Investor Collection Annual”
Tier 3
—
$59/mo“Investor Collection Monthly”
Tier 4
—
$2995/yr≈ $249.58/mo“Ultimate Annual”
Top plan
—
$299/mo“Ultimate Monthly”
Free trial
—
30 days

See for yourself

Side by side

Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.
Show
Side-by-side comparison of IBorrowDesk and Zacks (Zacks.com)
Attribute
IBorrowDesk logo
IBorrowDesk
Zacks (Zacks.com) logo
Zacks (Zacks.com)
Pricing & plans
Starting price
Free • From $1/moFree • From $249/yr
Free tier
YesYes
Free trial
—30 days
Plan limits
4 limits: Supporter: alerts: 10, Subscriber: alerts: 50 +2 more—
Platforms & access
Web app
YesYes
Mobile app
NoYes
API access
NoNo
Broker sync
NoNo
Audience & fit
Experience level
Beginner, Intermediate, AdvancedBeginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Best for
——
Categories covered
312
Regions
North America, Europe, APAC, LatAmNorth America, Europe
Data & capabilities
Data quality
3 signals: Latency: 15-min Delayed and End of Day, Granularity: Minute and EOD +1 more3 signals: Latency: Real-time and End of Day, Granularity: EOD +1 more
Capabilities
—Factors: Value, Momentum, and Growth
Try itVisit IBorrowDeskVisit Zacks (Zacks.com)

Standout features

The best features of IBorrowDesk and Zacks (Zacks.com).
Show
IBorrowDesk logo

What IBorrowDesk does best

  1. Tracking borrow fee percentages and shortable share availability for stocks and ETFs from Interactive Brokers public data.
  2. Ticker pages to review recent borrow snapshots with timestamps, fee rates, and available shares.
  3. Monitor intraday changes with roughly 15-minute refreshes during North American trading hours and slower weekday updates outside those hours.
  4. Support for adding tickers to watchlists and set alerts for borrow availability or fee changes.
  5. IBorrowDesk as one input for short-interest, squeeze-risk, borrow-cost, and liquidity research.
Zacks (Zacks.com) logo

What Zacks (Zacks.com) does best

  1. Zacks Rank scores from #1 to #5 and Zacks Industry Rank on company pages for earnings-revision research.
  2. Comparison tools for Value, Growth, and Momentum Style Scores alongside the rank when screening or reviewing individual stocks.
  3. Screening for stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds with hundreds of filters, with 45+ Premium Screens gated behind paid access.
  4. Direct access to ticker pages with analyst forecasts, earnings estimates, price targets, company research, and related market context.
  5. Review Price-Consensus-EPS Surprise charts that connect historical estimates, actual earnings, and surprise patterns.

All details

Every attribute we track for IBorrowDesk and Zacks (Zacks.com).
Show
Attribute
IBorrowDesk logo
IBorrowDesk
Zacks (Zacks.com) logo
Zacks (Zacks.com)
Coverage & fit
Asset types
StocksETFs
StocksETFsMutual Funds
Experience
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Regions
North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAm
North AmericaEurope
Coverage details
Identifiers: Ticker
Identifiers: Ticker
Data
Data freshness
15-min DelayedEnd of Day
Real-timeEnd of Day
Data granularity
MinuteEOD
EOD
Access & integrations
Import methods
Not specified
Manual
Export formats
CSV
Not specified
Plans & trust
Capability signals
Not specified
Factors: Value, Momentum, and Growth
Vendor & support
IBorrowDeskSupport: Email
Zacks Investment Research
Curation ratings
Methodology 3/5Reliability 3/5UX 3/5
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.
Show
Plan-by-plan pricing comparison of IBorrowDesk and Zacks (Zacks.com)
Tier
IBorrowDesk logo
IBorrowDeskCheaper start
Zacks (Zacks.com) logo
Zacks (Zacks.com)
Free plan
Free
Free
Entry paid plan
$1/mo“Supporter”alerts: 10
$249/yr≈ $20.75/mo“Premium Annual”
Tier 2
$10/mo“Subscriber”alerts: 50 · history: Daily since 2015 in most cases · +1 more
$495/yr≈ $41.25/mo“Investor Collection Annual”
Tier 3—
$59/mo“Investor Collection Monthly”
Tier 4—
$2995/yr≈ $249.58/mo“Ultimate Annual”
Top plan—
$299/mo“Ultimate Monthly”
Free trial—30 days

Questions we keep getting

What's the difference between IBorrowDesk and Zacks (Zacks.com)?

IBorrowDesk leans toward short interest, watchlist, and alerts, while Zacks (Zacks.com) puts more weight on screeners, ETF screeners, and watchlist. They overlap in 2 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.

How much do IBorrowDesk and Zacks (Zacks.com) cost?

Good news: both IBorrowDesk and Zacks (Zacks.com) have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.

Can I use IBorrowDesk or Zacks (Zacks.com) on my phone?

Zacks (Zacks.com) lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. IBorrowDesk doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web.

Should I choose IBorrowDesk or Zacks (Zacks.com)?

It depends on what you're after. Pick IBorrowDesk if short interest matter to you; go with Zacks (Zacks.com) if you'd rather have screeners and ETF screeners. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.

What asset classes do IBorrowDesk and Zacks (Zacks.com) cover?

Both cover stocks and ETFs. Zacks (Zacks.com) adds mutual funds on top.

Does IBorrowDesk or Zacks (Zacks.com) have real-time data?

Zacks (Zacks.com) offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. IBorrowDesk 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 IBorrowDesk and Zacks (Zacks.com)?

IBorrowDesk exports to CSV. Zacks (Zacks.com) is stingier about getting data out.

Which has a better stock screener: IBorrowDesk or Zacks (Zacks.com)?

Zacks (Zacks.com) has a stock screener for surfacing ideas; IBorrowDesk doesn't, and focuses its energy elsewhere.

Can I track my portfolio with IBorrowDesk or Zacks (Zacks.com)?

Zacks (Zacks.com) handles portfolio tracking. IBorrowDesk is really a research tool; you'd track your portfolio elsewhere.

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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.