★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Source check: Yellowbrick Investing checked August 4, 2026
Tool Comparison
Magic Formula Investing vs Yellowbrick Investing
Pick Magic Formula Investing instead if
Magic Formula Investing
Free · Web
- Go this way if it's completely free.
Start here
Yellowbrick Investing
Free • From $24/mo · Web
- You care about institutional ownership, alerts, and newsletters, things Magic Formula Investing doesn't offer
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
See alternativesOutbound links may include affiliate or sponsor codes.
Our take
The bottom line
Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing 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. Yellowbrick Investing simply does more: 5 categories to Magic Formula Investing's 2, including institutional ownership, alerts, and newsletters. Magic Formula Investing counters by being completely free.
What readers say
Magic Formula Investing
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Yellowbrick Investing
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Key differences at a glance
- Global coverage
- Yellowbrick Investing
- Broader coverage
- Yellowbrick Investing5 vs 2 categories
- Asset coverage
- Yellowbrick InvestingAdds ETFs
- Free plan
- Both
See for yourself
How they stack up
The side-by-side table: pricing, platforms, data, and coverage at a glance.ShowHide
How they stack up
The side-by-side table: pricing, platforms, data, and coverage at a glance.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free | Free • From $24/mo |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | No |
API access | No | No |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | — |
Categories covered | 2 | 5 |
Regions | North America | North America, Europe, APAC |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | 3 signals: Latency: End of Day, Granularity: EOD +1 more | — |
| Try it | Visit Magic Formula Investing | Visit Yellowbrick Investing |
Where each one shines
What Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing each do best.ShowHide
Where each one shines
What Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing each do best.What Magic Formula Investing does best
- Tools for running the official Magic Formula screener with only two inputs: minimum market cap and either 30 or 50 ranked results.
- Screening for companies ranked on high earnings yield and high return on capital, with the accounting adjustments described by the official methodology.
- Magic Formula Investing serves as a simple value-quality idea list before checking financial statements, business quality, debt, cyclicality, and current valuation context.
- Focus on U.S.-listed equities because the official universe excludes foreign companies and ADRs.
- Sector exclusions: financial and utility companies are removed from the official screen.
What Yellowbrick Investing does best
- Search tools across aggregated stock pitches by ticker, sector, valuation metrics, price targets, dividends, sentiment, geography, and other research filters.
- Elite Investor Feeds to follow curated trades and ideas from tracked investors, with displayed average return statistics where available.
- Tracking hedge fund holdings and 13F activity through Hedge Fund Watcher, including fund trades, leaderboards, model portfolios, and fund-level stats on paid access.
- Premium for no-delay access to stock pitches, premium filters, professional fund portfolios, expanded return analytics, and the Premium daily email with 25+ ideas.
- Monitoring the Yellowbrick Premium Portfolio, marketed as a real-money portfolio based on the 10 most profitable investors in its database, with alerts for new trades.
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing, side by side.ShowHide
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing, side by side.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Stocks | StocksETFs |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | North America | North AmericaEuropeAPAC |
Coverage details | Countries: USIdentifiers: Ticker | Identifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | End of Day | Not specified |
Data granularity | EOD | Not specified |
| Plans & trust | ||
Curation ratings | Methodology 4/5Reliability 4/5UX 3/5 | Methodology 3/5Reliability 3/5UX 4/5 |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
What you'll actually pay
Plans, billing, trials, and per-month pricing for both tools.ShowHide
What you'll actually pay
Plans, billing, trials, and per-month pricing for both tools.| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free | Free |
| Entry paid plan | — | $24/mo“Yellowbrick Premium Annual” |
| Tier 2 | — | $30/mo“Yellowbrick Premium Monthly” |
| Tier 3 | — | $40/mo“CEO Watcher Premium” |
| Top plan | — | Subscription“Bundle” |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing?
Magic Formula Investing leans toward screeners and stock ideas, while Yellowbrick Investing puts more weight on stock ideas, screeners, and institutional ownership. They overlap in 2 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing cost?
Good news: both Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing 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 Yellowbrick Investing?
It depends on what you're after. Pick Magic Formula Investing if you prefer its overall approach; go with Yellowbrick Investing if you'd rather have institutional ownership and alerts. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing cover?
Both cover stocks. Yellowbrick Investing adds ETFs on top.
Which covers international markets: Magic Formula Investing or Yellowbrick Investing?
Yellowbrick Investing has documented international coverage (North America, Europe, and APAC), so it's the safer bet if you hold non-US stocks. Magic Formula Investing is more region-specific, mainly North America.
Which has a better stock screener: Magic Formula Investing or Yellowbrick Investing?
Both Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing include stock screeners, and they differ more in interface than raw power; try both and see which one clicks for you.
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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.