BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON

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Checked September 24, 2026

Tool Comparison

Magic Formula Investing vs Value Sense

Value Sense

Most versatile pick
Review & pricing
Paid from
$15/mo
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web

Best if

  • You want backtesting, stock comparison, and data visualizations.
  • You're a long-term investor who cares more about fundamentals than headlines

Pick Magic Formula Investing instead if

Magic Formula Investing logo

Magic Formula Investing

magicformulainvesting.com

Free · Web

  • Go this way if it's completely free.
Most versatile pick

Start here

Value Sense logo

Value Sense

valuesense.io

Free • From $15/mo · Web

  • You want backtesting, stock comparison, and data visualizations.
  • You're a long-term investor who cares more about fundamentals than headlines

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

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Our take

The bottom line

Magic Formula Investing and Value Sense cover a lot of the same ground (2 shared categories, screeners and stock ideas), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. Value Sense simply does more: 17 categories to Magic Formula Investing's 2, including backtesting, stock comparison, and data visualizations. Magic Formula Investing counters by being completely free.

What readers say

Magic Formula Investing

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Value Sense

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Key differences at a glance

Broader coverage
Value Sense17 vs 2 categories
Free plan
Both
See the full side-by-side table
Magic Formula Investing logo

What Magic Formula Investing does best

  1. The official Magic Formula screener with two inputs, minimum market cap and either 30 or 50 results.
  2. Screening for companies ranked on high earnings yield and high return on capital, with the accounting adjustments described by the official methodology.
  3. A narrow value and quality idea list for further research.
  4. Focus on U.S.-listed equities because the official universe excludes foreign companies and ADRs.
  5. Financial and utility companies are excluded from the official screen.
Value Sense logo

What Value Sense does best

  1. The stock screener supports presets, saved filters, and historical testing on Pro and higher plans.
  2. Valuation pages include DCF, relative value, reverse DCF, Peter Lynch fair value, and earnings-power approaches.
  3. Fundamental charts compare companies and metrics across annual, quarterly, and trailing periods.
  4. Company pages include financial statements, ratios, KPIs, segments, estimates, dividends, and earnings surprises.
  5. Earnings tools include call summaries, sentiment scores, focus areas, transcripts, and investor presentations.

Side by side

Pricing & plans
Starting price
Free
Free • From $15/mo
Free tier
Yes
Yes
Free trial
—
—
Platforms & access
Web app
Yes
Yes
Mobile app
No
No
API access
No
No
Coverage & data
Asset types
Stocks
Stocks
Target audience
Not specified
Retail TradersValue InvestorsAnalysts
Data freshness
End of Day
Not specified
Data granularity
EOD
Not specified
Export formats
Not specified
ExcelImagePDF

Pricing comparison

Free plan
Free
Free
Entry paid plan
—
$15/mo“Starter”
Top plan
—
$29/mo“Pro”
Custom / enterprise
—
Contact sales“ValueQuant Strategy”

See for yourself

Side by side

Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.
Show
Side-by-side comparison of Magic Formula Investing and Value Sense
Attribute
Magic Formula Investing logo
Magic Formula Investing
Value Sense logo
Value Sense
Pricing & plans
Starting price
FreeFree • From $15/mo
Free tier
YesYes
Free trial
——
Plan limits
—16 limits: Starter: annual billing usd: 129, Starter: stock views per week: 25 +14 more
Platforms & access
Web app
YesYes
Mobile app
NoNo
API access
NoNo
Audience & fit
Experience level
Beginner, Intermediate, AdvancedBeginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Best for
—Retail Traders, Value Investors +1 more
Categories covered
217
Regions
North America—
Data & capabilities
Data quality
3 signals: Latency: End of Day, Granularity: EOD +1 more—
Capabilities
—Ranking backtests and AI summaries: Transcripts
Try itVisit Magic Formula InvestingVisit Value Sense

Standout features

The best features of Magic Formula Investing and Value Sense.
Show
Magic Formula Investing logo

What Magic Formula Investing does best

  1. The official Magic Formula screener with two inputs, minimum market cap and either 30 or 50 results.
  2. Screening for companies ranked on high earnings yield and high return on capital, with the accounting adjustments described by the official methodology.
  3. A narrow value and quality idea list for further research.
  4. Focus on U.S.-listed equities because the official universe excludes foreign companies and ADRs.
  5. Financial and utility companies are excluded from the official screen.
Value Sense logo

What Value Sense does best

  1. The stock screener supports presets, saved filters, and historical testing on Pro and higher plans.
  2. Valuation pages include DCF, relative value, reverse DCF, Peter Lynch fair value, and earnings-power approaches.
  3. Fundamental charts compare companies and metrics across annual, quarterly, and trailing periods.
  4. Company pages include financial statements, ratios, KPIs, segments, estimates, dividends, and earnings surprises.
  5. Earnings tools include call summaries, sentiment scores, focus areas, transcripts, and investor presentations.

All details

Every attribute we track for Magic Formula Investing and Value Sense.
Show
Attribute
Magic Formula Investing logo
Magic Formula Investing
Value Sense logo
Value Sense
Coverage & fit
Asset types
Stocks
Stocks
Experience
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Target audience
Not specified
Retail TradersValue InvestorsAnalysts
Regions
North America
Not specified
Coverage details
Countries: USIdentifiers: Ticker
Identifiers: Ticker
Data
Data freshness
End of Day
Not specified
Data granularity
EOD
Not specified
Access & integrations
Export formats
Not specified
ExcelImagePDF
Plans & trust
Capability signals
Not specified
Ranking backtestsAI summaries: Transcripts
Vendor & support
Not specified
VALUESENSE INCCountry: USASupport: Email
Curation ratings
Methodology 4/5Reliability 4/5UX 3/5
Not specified

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 Magic Formula Investing and Value Sense
Tier
Magic Formula Investing logo
Magic Formula InvestingCheaper start
Value Sense logo
Value Sense
Free plan
Free
Free
Entry paid plan—
$15/mo“Starter”annual billing usd: 129 · stock views per week: 25 · +5 more
Top plan—
$29/mo“Pro”annual billing usd: 189 · stock views: Unlimited · +6 more
Custom / enterprise—
Contact sales“ValueQuant Strategy”pricing model: Book demo / free trial

Questions we keep getting

What's the difference between Magic Formula Investing and Value Sense?

Magic Formula Investing leans toward screeners and stock ideas, while Value Sense puts more weight on stock ideas, screeners, and backtesting. They overlap in 2 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.

How much do Magic Formula Investing and Value Sense cost?

Good news: both Magic Formula Investing and Value Sense have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.

Should I choose Magic Formula Investing or Value Sense?

It depends on what you're after. Pick Magic Formula Investing if you prefer its overall approach; go with Value Sense if you'd rather have backtesting and stock comparison. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.

Can I export data from Magic Formula Investing and Value Sense?

Value Sense exports to Excel. Magic Formula Investing is stingier about getting data out.

Which has a better stock screener: Magic Formula Investing or Value Sense?

Both Magic Formula Investing and Value Sense include stock screeners, and they differ more in interface than raw power; try both and see which one clicks for you.

Feedback

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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.