VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View Magic Formula Investing View Seeking Alpha Back to Home

Head-to-head

Magic Formula Investing vs Seeking Alpha comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Magic Formula Investing adds Stock Ideas coverage that Seeking Alpha skips.

Seeking Alpha includes ETF Screeners, Stock Comparison, Data Visualizations, Portfolio, Watchlist, News, Alerts, Calendar, Dividends, Financials, Scores, Bulls Say Bear Say, Transcripts, ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, ETF Fundamentals, ETF Factors, Analyst Forecasts, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, Options, Which ETF includes this Stock?, AI Report, and AI Earnings Summary categories that Magic Formula Investing omits.

Magic Formula Investing 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., and Ranks companies on two factors: high earnings yield (low P/E) and high return on capital, with minor accounting adjustments..

Seeking Alpha is known for: Quant Ratings for stocks with five Factor Grades (Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, EPS Revisions), plus ETF Factor Grades (Momentum, Expenses, Dividends, Risk, Liquidity)., Stock and ETF screeners with ratings, grades, and advanced filters. Premium members can save screens for reuse., and Side-by-side comparison of up to 20 stocks, with export to Excel or PDF..

Seeking Alpha offers mobile access, which Magic Formula Investing skips.

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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Seeking Alpha

seekingalpha.com

Editor’s pick Hands-on review

One of the largest investor communities online, blending crowdsourced research with data tools. Premium unlocks Quant Ratings and Factor Grades, stock and ETF screeners, advanced comparison tools with Excel/PDF export, broker syncing (via Plaid and SnapTrade), and AI-driven “Virtual Analyst” reports. PRO goes further with curated Top Ideas, Short Ideas, and the PRO Quant Portfolio. Market quotes are a mix of real-time and 15-minute delayed, depending on the exchange.

Platforms

Web

Mobile

Pricing

Free

Subscription

Quick highlights

Quant Ratings for stocks with five Factor Grades (Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, EPS Revisions), plus ETF Factor Grades (Momentum, Expenses, Dividends, Risk, Liquidity).
Stock and ETF screeners with ratings, grades, and advanced filters. Premium members can save screens for reuse.
Side-by-side comparison of up to 20 stocks, with export to Excel or PDF.
Portfolio tools with custom views, health scores, and Excel export. Premium users can link brokers for daily auto-sync through Plaid or SnapTrade.
Market data includes both real-time and delayed quotes, with advanced charts covering intraday to multi-year intervals.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

1 overlap

Both tools cover this research theme.

Screeners

Where they differ

Magic Formula Investing

Distinct strengths include:

Stock Ideas

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.

Seeking Alpha

Distinct strengths include:

Quant Ratings for stocks with five Factor Grades (Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, EPS Revisions), plus ETF Factor Grades (Momentum, Expenses, Dividends, Risk, Liquidity).
Stock and ETF screeners with ratings, grades, and advanced filters. Premium members can save screens for reuse.
Side-by-side comparison of up to 20 stocks, with export to Excel or PDF.
Portfolio tools with custom views, health scores, and Excel export. Premium users can link brokers for daily auto-sync through Plaid or SnapTrade.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	Magic Formula Investing	Seeking Alpha
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Screeners Unique: Stock Ideas	Shared: Screeners Unique: ETF Screeners, Stock Comparison, Data Visualizations, Portfolio, Watchlist, News, Alerts, Calendar, Dividends, Financials, Scores, Bulls Say Bear Say, Transcripts, ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, ETF Fundamentals, ETF Factors, Analyst Forecasts, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, Options, Which ETF includes this Stock?, AI Report, AI Earnings Summary
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks	Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Closed-End Funds, Options
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	Free, Subscription
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	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.	Unique Quant Ratings for stocks with five Factor Grades (Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, EPS Revisions), plus ETF Factor Grades (Momentum, Expenses, Dividends, Risk, Liquidity). Stock and ETF screeners with ratings, grades, and advanced filters. Premium members can save screens for reuse. Side-by-side comparison of up to 20 stocks, with export to Excel or PDF. Portfolio tools with custom views, health scores, and Excel export. Premium users can link brokers for daily auto-sync through Plaid or SnapTrade. Market data includes both real-time and delayed quotes, with advanced charts covering intraday to multi-year intervals. Full library of earnings call transcripts, with AI-generated “Earnings Call Insights” and “Virtual Analyst” summaries.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Not yet	Yes
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Highlighted

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Magic Formula Investing and Seeking Alpha both support?

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

Do Magic Formula Investing and Seeking Alpha require subscriptions?

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

Which tool has mobile access?

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

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Magic Formula Investing differentiates itself with 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., whereas Seeking Alpha stands out for Quant Ratings for stocks with five Factor Grades (Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, EPS Revisions), plus ETF Factor Grades (Momentum, Expenses, Dividends, Risk, Liquidity)., Stock and ETF screeners with ratings, grades, and advanced filters. Premium members can save screens for reuse., and Side-by-side comparison of up to 20 stocks, with export to Excel or PDF..

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Stay on top of related tools

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