BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON

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Checked September 24, 2026

Tool Comparison

MarketScreener vs Visible Alpha

Paid from
$34/mo
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web, Mobile

Best if

  • You'd rather start free and only pay if you outgrow it
  • You do a lot of your research from your phone
  • You want news, alerts, and calendar.
Paid from
On request
Free plan
No
Platforms
Web, Desktop, API

Best if

  • Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
  • You want an API so you can script or automate things
  • You want stock comparison, research templates, and APIs & data feeds.

Pick MarketScreener if

MarketScreener logo

MarketScreener

marketscreener.com

Free • From $34/mo · Web · Mobile

  • You'd rather start free and only pay if you outgrow it
  • You do a lot of your research from your phone
  • You want news, alerts, and calendar.

Pick Visible Alpha if

Visible Alpha logo

Visible Alpha

spglobal.com

Contact for pricing · Web · Desktop · API

  • Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
  • You want an API so you can script or automate things
  • You want stock comparison, research templates, and APIs & data feeds.

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

See alternatives

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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

MarketScreener and Visible Alpha cover a lot of the same ground (5 shared categories, including data visualizations, financials, and analyst forecasts), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. MarketScreener simply does more: 16 categories to Visible Alpha's 10, including news, alerts, and calendar, plus a mobile app. Visible Alpha counters by keeping things simpler.

What readers say

MarketScreener

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Visible Alpha

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Key differences at a glance

Free plan
MarketScreener
Broader coverage
MarketScreener16 vs 10 categories
Mobile app
MarketScreener
Desktop app
Visible Alpha
API access
Visible Alpha
Real-time data
Visible Alpha
See the full side-by-side table
MarketScreener logo

What MarketScreener does best

  1. Monitor market news and quotes across equities, ETFs, commodities, currencies, forex, and cryptocurrencies.
  2. Build watchlists with quotes, news, earnings releases, valuation trends, broker recommendations, and email alerts.
  3. Screening for stocks globally with hundreds of fundamental and technical criteria, with higher filter counts reserved for Premium and Expert tiers.
  4. Use dynamic charts with technical indicators and switch between stocks and personal lists.
  5. Explore thematic lists and compare them with index trends and past performance.
Visible Alpha logo

What Visible Alpha does best

  1. Analyze line-item consensus built from full sell-side models rather than only EPS or revenue estimates.
  2. VA Actuals to connect stitched historical fundamentals with forward estimates for cleaner time-series analysis.
  3. Work in Visible Alpha Insights, S&P Capital IQ Pro, or Excel with templates, tear sheets, and updated figures.
  4. Review target-price and rating distributions with valuation context and consensus changes.
  5. Monitor line-item revisions, dispersion, trends, and threshold changes through company and metric-level monitoring workflows.

Side by side

Pricing & plans
Starting price
Free • From $34/mo
Contact for pricing
Free tier
Yes
No
Free trial
—
—
Platforms & access
Web app
Yes
Yes
Desktop app
No
Yes
Mobile app
Yes
No
API access
No
Yes
Broker sync
No
—
Integrations
—
S&P Capital IQ Pro, Data Feed +2 more
Coverage & data
Asset types
StocksETFsCommoditiesCurrenciesCryptos
Stocks
Target audience
Retail TradersPro RetailLong-term InvestorsValue InvestorsGrowth InvestorsDividend Investors
Not specified
Data freshness
Not specified
Real-timeEnd of Day
Data granularity
Not specified
EOD
Export formats
Not specified
Excel

Pricing comparison

Free plan
Free“Free Member”
—
Entry paid plan
$34/mo“Access”
—
Tier 2
$59/mo“Premium”
—
Top plan
$279/mo“Expert”
—
Custom / enterprise
—
Contact sales“Enterprise”

See for yourself

Side by side

Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.
Show
Side-by-side comparison of MarketScreener and Visible Alpha
Attribute
MarketScreener logo
MarketScreener
Visible Alpha logo
Visible Alpha
Pricing & plans
Starting price
Free • From $34/moContact for pricing
Free tier
YesNo
Free trial
——
Plan limits
13 limits: Free Member: lists: 5, Free Member: securities per list: 25 +11 more—
Platforms & access
Web app
YesYes
Desktop app
NoYes
Mobile app
YesNo
API access
NoYes
Broker sync
No—
Integrations
—S&P Capital IQ Pro, Data Feed +2 more
Audience & fit
Experience level
Beginner, Intermediate, AdvancedIntermediate, Advanced
Best for
Retail Traders, Pro Retail +4 more—
Categories covered
1610
Regions
North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, AfricaNorth America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa
Data & capabilities
Data quality
—3 signals: Latency: Real-time and End of Day, Granularity: EOD +1 more
Data partners
3 partners: FactSet, Morningstar +1 more—
Capabilities
Universe builder—
Try itVisit MarketScreenerVisit Visible Alpha

Standout features

The best features of MarketScreener and Visible Alpha.
Show
MarketScreener logo

What MarketScreener does best

  1. Monitor market news and quotes across equities, ETFs, commodities, currencies, forex, and cryptocurrencies.
  2. Build watchlists with quotes, news, earnings releases, valuation trends, broker recommendations, and email alerts.
  3. Screening for stocks globally with hundreds of fundamental and technical criteria, with higher filter counts reserved for Premium and Expert tiers.
  4. Use dynamic charts with technical indicators and switch between stocks and personal lists.
  5. Explore thematic lists and compare them with index trends and past performance.
Visible Alpha logo

What Visible Alpha does best

  1. Analyze line-item consensus built from full sell-side models rather than only EPS or revenue estimates.
  2. VA Actuals to connect stitched historical fundamentals with forward estimates for cleaner time-series analysis.
  3. Work in Visible Alpha Insights, S&P Capital IQ Pro, or Excel with templates, tear sheets, and updated figures.
  4. Review target-price and rating distributions with valuation context and consensus changes.
  5. Monitor line-item revisions, dispersion, trends, and threshold changes through company and metric-level monitoring workflows.

All details

Every attribute we track for MarketScreener and Visible Alpha.
Show
Attribute
MarketScreener logo
MarketScreener
Visible Alpha logo
Visible Alpha
Coverage & fit
Asset types
StocksETFsCommoditiesCurrenciesCryptos
Stocks
Experience
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
IntermediateAdvanced
Target audience
Retail TradersPro RetailLong-term InvestorsValue InvestorsGrowth InvestorsDividend Investors
Not specified
Regions
North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica
North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica
Coverage details
Identifiers: Ticker and ISIN
Identifiers: Ticker, CUSIP, SEDOL, and ISIN
Data
Data freshness
Not specified
Real-timeEnd of Day
Data granularity
Not specified
EOD
Data partners
FactSetMorningstarS&P Global Market Intelligence
Not specified
Access & integrations
API protocols
Not specified
REST
API auth & delivery
Not specified
Auth: APIKey
Integrations
Not specified
S&P Capital IQ ProData FeedSnowflakeExcel
Export formats
Not specified
Excel
Plans & trust
Capability signals
Universe builder
Not specified
Vendor & support
Surperformance SASCountry: France
Visible Alpha (S&P Global Market Intelligence)Country: USFounded 2015Support: Email and Phone
Curation ratings
Not specified
Methodology 4/5Reliability 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 MarketScreener and Visible Alpha
Tier
MarketScreener logo
MarketScreener
Visible Alpha logo
Visible Alpha
Free plan
Free“Free Member”lists: 5 · securities per list: 25 · +1 more
—
Entry paid plan
$34/mo“Access”financial history years: 5 · company reports per month: 3 · +4 more
—
Tier 2
$59/mo“Premium”annual billing usd: 600 · annual equivalent monthly usd: 50
—
Top plan
$279/mo“Expert”annual billing usd: 2,628 · annual equivalent monthly usd: 219
—
Custom / enterprise—
Contact sales“Enterprise”

Questions we keep getting

What's the difference between MarketScreener and Visible Alpha?

MarketScreener leans toward news, alerts, and calendar, while Visible Alpha puts more weight on financials, analyst forecasts, and analyst ratings & price targets. They overlap in 5 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.

Is MarketScreener or Visible Alpha free to use?

MarketScreener has a free tier, so you can get started without paying anything. Visible Alpha is paid-only. If budget matters, start with MarketScreener and see how far it takes you before opening your wallet.

Which is better for beginners: MarketScreener or Visible Alpha?

MarketScreener is the friendlier place to start; its interface takes less getting used to. Both work fine once you're past the basics.

Can I use MarketScreener or Visible Alpha on my phone?

MarketScreener lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. Visible Alpha doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web, desktop, and API.

Does MarketScreener or Visible Alpha have an API?

Visible Alpha has an API for programmatic access and custom integrations. MarketScreener doesn't, so you're working through its interface.

Should I choose MarketScreener or Visible Alpha?

It depends on what you're after. Pick MarketScreener if news and alerts matter to you; go with Visible Alpha if you'd rather have stock comparison and research templates. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.

What asset classes do MarketScreener and Visible Alpha cover?

Both cover stocks. MarketScreener also handles ETFs, commodities, and currencies.

Does MarketScreener or Visible Alpha have real-time data?

Visible Alpha 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.

Can I export data from MarketScreener and Visible Alpha?

Visible Alpha exports to Excel. MarketScreener is stingier about getting data out.

Which has a better stock screener: MarketScreener or Visible Alpha?

MarketScreener has a stock screener for surfacing ideas; Visible Alpha doesn't, and focuses its energy elsewhere.

Can I track my portfolio with MarketScreener or Visible Alpha?

MarketScreener handles portfolio tracking. Visible Alpha is really a research tool; you'd track your portfolio elsewhere.

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.