★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Tool comparison edition
Tool Comparison
MarketScreener vs Tracefour
MarketScreener
Best for news and alerts
Free • From $39/mo
Tracefour
Best for US government trades
Free
MarketScreener
Best for news and alerts
Free • From $39/mo
Tracefour
Best for US government trades
Free
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The verdict
The bottom line
MarketScreener and Tracefour cover a lot of the same ground (3 shared categories, screeners, data visualizations, and insider data), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. MarketScreener simply does more: 16 categories to Tracefour's 4, including news, alerts, and calendar, plus a mobile app. Tracefour counters by being completely free.
Key differences at a glance
- Mobile app
- MarketScreener
- Broader coverage
- MarketScreener16 vs 4 categories
- Real-time data
- Tracefour
- Asset coverage
- MarketScreenerAdds commodities and currencies
- Free plan
- Both
Choose
MarketScreener if…
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You care about news, alerts, and calendar, things Tracefour doesn't offer
- You're a long-term investor who cares more about fundamentals than headlines
Choose
Tracefour if…
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You care about US government trades, something MarketScreener doesn't offer
Comparison snapshot
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free • From $39/mo | Free |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | 5 limits: Access: annual equivalent monthly usd: 34, Premium: annual billing usd: 600 +3 more | — |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | Yes | No |
API access | No | No |
Broker sync | No | — |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | Retail Traders, Pro Retail +4 more | — |
Categories covered | 16 | 4 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa | North America, Europe |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | — | Latency: Real-time |
Data partners | 3 partners: FactSet, Morningstar +1 more | — |
Capabilities | Universe builder | Universe builder |
| Try it | Visit MarketScreener | Visit Tracefour |
Standout features
What MarketScreener does best
- Follow market news and quotes across equities, ETFs, commodities, currencies, forex, and cryptocurrencies.
- Build custom watchlists with quotes, news, earnings releases, valuation trends, broker recommendations, and smart email alerts.
- Screen stocks globally with hundreds of fundamental and technical criteria, with higher filter counts reserved for Premium and Expert tiers.
- Use dynamic charts with configurable technical indicators and quick switching between individual stocks and personal lists.
- Explore thematic investment lists for idea discovery and compare themes against index trends and historical performance.
What Tracefour does best
- Scan a heatmap of insider and director-dealing activity across U.S., U.K., Swedish, German, Dutch, and U.S.
- Use ticker, market, role, transaction type, sector, date, and trade-size filters to narrow the transaction feed.
- Review cluster, aggressive-buy, material, and fresh-trade tags designed to surface higher-signal insider activity.
- Use methodology notes that explain how cluster scoring works and why disclosed 10b5-1 planned sales are excluded from that score.
- Check company and insider drilldowns before validating material trades against original regulatory disclosures.
Data & access details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | StocksETFsCommoditiesCurrenciesCryptos | StocksETFs |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Retail TradersPro RetailLong-term InvestorsValue InvestorsGrowth InvestorsDividend Investors | Not specified |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North AmericaEurope |
Coverage details | Identifiers: Ticker and ISIN | 5 countriesIdentifiers: Ticker and CIK |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Not specified | Real-time |
Data partners | FactSetMorningstarS&P Global Market Intelligence | Not specified |
| Plans & trust | ||
Capability signals | Universe builder | Universe builder |
Vendor & support | Surperformance SASCountry: France | Not specified |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing breakdown
$39/mo
Starting price
Plans & pricing
- annual equivalent monthly usd: 34
- annual billing usd: 600
- annual equivalent monthly usd: 50
- annual billing usd: 2,628
- annual equivalent monthly usd: 219
Free
Lower starting price
Plans & pricing
Coverage overlap
Shared categories
3Where the two tools cover the same ground.
MarketScreener strengths
13What you only get with MarketScreener.
Tracefour strengths
1What you only get with Tracefour.
Community category leaders
Vote sentiment comparison
Loading sentiment chart...
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between MarketScreener and Tracefour?
MarketScreener leans toward news, alerts, and calendar, while Tracefour puts more weight on insider data, screeners, and data visualizations. They overlap in 3 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do MarketScreener and Tracefour cost?
Good news: both MarketScreener and Tracefour have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Can I use MarketScreener or Tracefour on my phone?
MarketScreener lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. Tracefour doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web.
Should I choose MarketScreener or Tracefour?
It depends on what you're after. Pick MarketScreener if news and alerts matter to you; go with Tracefour if you'd rather have US government trades. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do MarketScreener and Tracefour cover?
Both cover stocks and ETFs. MarketScreener also handles commodities, currencies, and cryptos.
Does MarketScreener or Tracefour have real-time data?
Tracefour offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. MarketScreener 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.
Which has a better stock screener: MarketScreener or Tracefour?
Both MarketScreener and Tracefour include stock screeners, and they differ more in interface than raw power; try both and see which one clicks for you.
Can I track my portfolio with MarketScreener or Tracefour?
MarketScreener handles portfolio tracking. Tracefour is really a research tool; you'd track your portfolio elsewhere.
Other tools you might like
These profiles share overlapping coverage with both sides of this matchup.
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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.