Tool Comparison
MarketWatch vs Nasdaq.com
- Paid from
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, Mobile
Best if
- You want alerts, data visualizations, and paper trading.
- Paid from
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, Mobile
Best if
- You want dividends, splits, and institutional ownership.
Pick MarketWatch if
MarketWatch
Free • Paid plans available · Web · Mobile
- You want alerts, data visualizations, and paper trading.
Pick Nasdaq.com if
Nasdaq.com
Free · Web · Mobile
- You want dividends, splits, and institutional ownership.
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 Nasdaq.com cover a lot of the same ground (11 shared categories, including news, calendar, and screeners), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. MarketWatch includes alerts and data visualizations, and Nasdaq.com includes dividends and splits.
What readers say
MarketWatch
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Nasdaq.com
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Key differences at a glance
- Asset coverage
- MarketWatchAdds futures and commodities
- Free plan
- Both
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 Nasdaq.com does best
- Lookup tools for official Nasdaq.com quote and company pages with market data, company profiles, news, SEC filings, financial statements, and analyst context.
- Stock, ETF, and mutual-fund screeners with filterable metrics for idea generation and market exploration.
- Review options chains with Greeks such as Delta, Gamma, and Vega for supported symbols.
- Event calendars for earnings, dividends, IPOs, economic releases, splits, and other market dates.
- Research coverage for short interest, insider transactions, and institutional holdings, including 13F-style ownership context.
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 | Free |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | MarketWatch Digital: standard rate: $5/week after intro period and Student: eligibility: Student verification required; current price not publicly confirmed | Free: saved watchlist symbols: 20 and Free: watchlist requires account: Yes |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
API access | No | No |
Broker sync | No | No |
Integrations | — | Nasdaq Data Link |
| 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 |
| 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: EOD +2 more |
Capabilities | Yield curves | Universe builder and Greeks |
| Try it | Visit MarketWatch | Visit Nasdaq.com |
Standout features
The best features of MarketWatch and Nasdaq.com.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 Nasdaq.com does best
- Lookup tools for official Nasdaq.com quote and company pages with market data, company profiles, news, SEC filings, financial statements, and analyst context.
- Stock, ETF, and mutual-fund screeners with filterable metrics for idea generation and market exploration.
- Review options chains with Greeks such as Delta, Gamma, and Vega for supported symbols.
- Event calendars for earnings, dividends, IPOs, economic releases, splits, and other market dates.
- Research coverage for short interest, insider transactions, and institutional holdings, including 13F-style ownership context.
All details
Every attribute we track for MarketWatch and Nasdaq.com.ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | StocksETFsMutual FundsOptionsFuturesCommoditiesCurrenciesCryptos+1 more | StocksETFsMutual FundsOptionsCryptosCurrencies |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North AmericaEurope |
Coverage details | Identifiers: Ticker | Countries: USIdentifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Real-time15-min DelayedEnd of Day | Real-time15-min DelayedEnd of Day |
Data granularity | MinuteEOD | EOD |
| Access & integrations | ||
Import methods | Not specified | Manual |
Integrations | Not specified | Nasdaq Data Link |
Export formats | CSV | Not specified |
| Plans & trust | ||
Capability signals | Yield curves | Universe builderGreeks |
Vendor & support | MarketWatch, Inc. (Dow Jones)Country: United StatesFounded 1997Support: Email | Nasdaq, Inc.Country: USSupport: 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 | Freesaved watchlist symbols: 20 · watchlist requires account: Yes |
| Entry paid plan | Subscription“MarketWatch Digital”standard rate: $5/week after intro period | — |
| Top plan | Subscription“Student”eligibility: Student verification required; current price not publicly confirmed | — |
Alternatives
Free alternatives
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between MarketWatch and Nasdaq.com?
MarketWatch leans toward news, alerts, and calendar, while Nasdaq.com puts more weight on screeners, watchlist, and news. They overlap in 11 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do MarketWatch and Nasdaq.com cost?
Good news: both MarketWatch and Nasdaq.com have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Should I choose MarketWatch or Nasdaq.com?
It depends on what you're after. Pick MarketWatch if alerts and data visualizations matter to you; go with Nasdaq.com if you'd rather have dividends and splits. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do MarketWatch and Nasdaq.com cover?
Both cover stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and options. MarketWatch also handles futures, commodities, and bonds.
Do MarketWatch and Nasdaq.com offer real-time data?
Yes, both serve real-time market data, so either works when timing matters.
Can I export data from MarketWatch and Nasdaq.com?
MarketWatch exports to CSV. Nasdaq.com is stingier about getting data out.
Which has a better stock screener: MarketWatch or Nasdaq.com?
Both MarketWatch and Nasdaq.com 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.