Tool Comparison
MarketWatch vs MarketXLS
- Paid from
- —
- 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
- $70.83/mo
- Free plan
- No
- Platforms
- Desktop, Web
Best if
- You want sheets / excel add-ins, broker connectors, and options p&l.
Pick MarketWatch if
MarketWatch
Free • Paid plans available · 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 MarketXLS if
MarketXLS
From $850/yr · Desktop · Web
- You want sheets / excel add-ins, broker connectors, and options p&l.
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
MarketWatch and MarketXLS cover a lot of the same ground (6 shared categories, including screeners, watchlist, and financials), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. MarketWatch includes news and alerts, and MarketXLS includes sheets / excel add-ins and broker connectors.
What readers say
MarketWatch
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MarketXLS
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Key differences at a glance
- Free plan
- MarketWatch
- Mobile app
- MarketWatch
- Desktop app
- MarketXLS
- Asset coverage
- MarketWatchAdds commodities and bonds
What MarketWatch does best
- Read market news and analysis covering equities, funds, options, futures, commodities, currencies, crypto, and rates.
- Quote pages, multi-quote lookup, stock and market screeners, mutual-fund research, ETF pages, fund comparisons, and basic company financial views.
- Tools for building free account-based watchlists that sync across web and mobile apps with customizable price and news alerts.
- Tracking events with calendars for U.S. economic releases, corporate earnings, IPOs, and options-expiration dates.
- BigCharts supports multiple timeframes and technical overlays.
What MarketXLS does best
- Use more than 1,000 market-data and analysis functions in Excel on Windows, Mac, and the web, or in Google Sheets.
- Access quotes, fundamentals, historical statements, ETF data, options data, mutual-fund data, crypto pairs, FRED economic series, and selected technical data into workbooks.
- Real-time streaming quotes on Advanced and Business plans for covered U.S. and Canadian stocks, ETFs, and options.
- Standard defaults to 15-minute delayed stock, ETF, and crypto data, with EOD options, mutual-fund, and economic data.
- Analyze options chains, Greeks, implied volatility, order flow, strategy profit and loss, and broker symbols.
Side by side
Pricing comparison
See for yourself
Side by side
Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.ShowHide
Side by side
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free • Paid plans available | From $850/yr |
Free tier | Yes | No |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | MarketWatch Digital: standard rate: $5/week after intro period and Student: eligibility: Student verification required; current price not publicly confirmed | 9 limits: Standard: stock etf delay minutes: 15, Standard: options timing: End of day +7 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Desktop app | No | Yes |
Mobile app | Yes | No |
API access | No | No |
Broker sync | No | No |
Integrations | — | Interactive Brokers, Thinkorswim +11 more |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | — |
Categories covered | 17 | 16 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa | North America, Europe, APAC |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | 5 signals: Latency: Real-time, 15-min Delayed, and End of Day, Granularity: Minute and EOD +3 more | 4 signals: Latency: Real-time, 15-min Delayed, and End of Day, Granularity: Minute and EOD +2 more |
Capabilities | Yield curves | 5 signals: Factors: Value, Quality, and Momentum, Multi-leg options +3 more |
Security | — | Status page |
| Try it | Visit MarketWatch | Visit MarketXLS |
Standout features
The best features of MarketWatch and MarketXLS.ShowHide
Standout features
What MarketWatch does best
- Read market news and analysis covering equities, funds, options, futures, commodities, currencies, crypto, and rates.
- Quote pages, multi-quote lookup, stock and market screeners, mutual-fund research, ETF pages, fund comparisons, and basic company financial views.
- Tools for building free account-based watchlists that sync across web and mobile apps with customizable price and news alerts.
- Tracking events with calendars for U.S. economic releases, corporate earnings, IPOs, and options-expiration dates.
- BigCharts supports multiple timeframes and technical overlays.
What MarketXLS does best
- Use more than 1,000 market-data and analysis functions in Excel on Windows, Mac, and the web, or in Google Sheets.
- Access quotes, fundamentals, historical statements, ETF data, options data, mutual-fund data, crypto pairs, FRED economic series, and selected technical data into workbooks.
- Real-time streaming quotes on Advanced and Business plans for covered U.S. and Canadian stocks, ETFs, and options.
- Standard defaults to 15-minute delayed stock, ETF, and crypto data, with EOD options, mutual-fund, and economic data.
- Analyze options chains, Greeks, implied volatility, order flow, strategy profit and loss, and broker symbols.
All details
Every attribute we track for MarketWatch and MarketXLS.ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | StocksETFsMutual FundsOptionsFuturesCommoditiesCurrenciesCryptos+1 more | StocksETFsOptionsMutual FundsCurrenciesFuturesCryptos |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North AmericaEuropeAPAC |
Coverage details | Identifiers: Ticker | Countries: US and CA5 exchangesIdentifiers: Ticker and CUSIP |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Real-time15-min DelayedEnd of Day | Real-time15-min DelayedEnd of Day |
Data granularity | MinuteEOD | MinuteEOD |
| Access & integrations | ||
Integrations | Not specified | Interactive BrokersThinkorswimTradierOrionCharles Schwab (OpenView Gateway)QuoteMediaIEX CloudNasdaq+5 more |
Export formats | CSV | ExcelCSV |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Not specified | Status page |
Capability signals | Yield curves | Factors: Value, Quality, and MomentumMulti-leg optionsGreeksMonte CarloCorrelation |
Vendor & support | MarketWatch, Inc. (Dow Jones)Country: United StatesFounded 1997Support: Email | MarketXLS LimitedCountry: IrelandFounded 2016Support: Email and Phone |
Curation ratings | Methodology 3/5Reliability 4/5UX 4/5 | Methodology 3/5Reliability 4/5UX 4/5 |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing
Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.ShowHide
Pricing
| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free | — |
| Entry paid plan | Subscription“MarketWatch Digital”standard rate: $5/week after intro period | $850/yr≈ $70.83/mo“Standard”stock etf delay minutes: 15 · options timing: End of day · +1 more |
| Tier 2 | Subscription“Student”eligibility: Student verification required; current price not publicly confirmed | $1500/yr≈ $125/mo“Advanced”stock etf timing: Real-time streaming · options timing: Real-time streaming · +1 more |
| Top plan | — | $2400/yr≈ $200/mo“Business”support: VIP · consulting: Included · +1 more |
Alternatives
Free alternatives
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between MarketWatch and MarketXLS?
MarketWatch leans toward news, alerts, and calendar, while MarketXLS puts more weight on sheets / excel add-ins, broker connectors, and screeners. They overlap in 6 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
Is MarketWatch or MarketXLS free to use?
MarketWatch has a free tier, so you can get started without paying anything. MarketXLS is paid-only. If budget matters, start with MarketWatch and see how far it takes you before opening your wallet.
Can I use MarketWatch or MarketXLS on my phone?
MarketWatch lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. MarketXLS doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is desktop and web.
Should I choose MarketWatch or MarketXLS?
It depends on what you're after. Pick MarketWatch if news and alerts matter to you; go with MarketXLS if you'd rather have sheets / excel add-ins and broker connectors. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do MarketWatch and MarketXLS cover?
Both cover stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and options. MarketWatch also handles commodities and bonds.
Do MarketWatch and MarketXLS offer real-time data?
Yes, both serve real-time market data, so either works when timing matters.
Can I export data from MarketWatch and MarketXLS?
Yes, both export to spreadsheets (CSV), which is handy if you like running your own numbers.
Which has a better stock screener: MarketWatch or MarketXLS?
Both MarketWatch and MarketXLS 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 MarketWatch or MarketXLS?
MarketXLS handles portfolio tracking. MarketWatch is really a research tool; you'd track your portfolio elsewhere.
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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.