VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ A CURATED DIRECTORY OF FINANCIAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES ★

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Friday, December 26, 2025

Tool Comparison

Seeking Alpha vs Total Real Returns comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

Seeking Alpha adds Screeners, ETF Screeners, Stock Comparison, Portfolio, Watchlist, News, Alerts, Calendar, Dividends, Financials, Scores, Bulls Say Bear Say, Transcripts, ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, ETF Fundamentals, ETF Factors, Analyst Forecasts, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, Options, Which ETF includes this Stock?, AI Report, and AI Earnings Summary coverage that Total Real Returns skips.

Total Real Returns includes Risk Metrics categories that Seeking Alpha omits.

Seeking Alpha ships a mobile app. Total Real Returns is web/desktop only.

In depth comparison

Seeking Alpha logo

Seeking Alpha

seekingalpha.com

Editor’s pick Hands-on review

One of the largest investor communities online, blending crowdsourced research with data tools. Premium unlocks Quant Ratings and Factor Grades, stock and ETF screeners, advanced comparison tools with Excel/PDF export, broker syncing (via Plaid and SnapTrade), and AI-driven “Virtual Analyst” reports. PRO goes further with curated Top Ideas, Short Ideas, and the PRO Quant Portfolio. Market quotes are a mix of real-time and 15-minute delayed, depending on the exchange.

Platforms

WebMobile

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

  • Quant Ratings for stocks with five Factor Grades (Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, EPS Revisions), plus ETF Factor Grades (Momentum, Expenses, Dividends, Risk, Liquidity).
  • Stock and ETF screeners with ratings, grades, and advanced filters. Premium members can save screens for reuse.
  • Side-by-side comparison of up to 20 stocks, with export to Excel or PDF.
  • Portfolio tools with custom views, health scores, and Excel export. Premium users can link brokers for daily auto-sync through Plaid or SnapTrade.
  • Market data includes both real-time and delayed quotes, with advanced charts covering intraday to multi-year intervals.

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Total Real Returns logo

Total Real Returns

totalrealreturns.com

Web tool for CPI-U inflation-adjusted ("real") and nominal total return charts with dividends reinvested, plus returns tables and drawdowns (EOD; daily updates ~8pm ET).

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • CPI-U inflation-adjusted "Total Real Return" charts with dividends reinvested (purchasing-power view).
  • Toggle inflation adjustment on/off (real vs. nominal dollars) on chart pages.
  • Compare multiple symbols on a single chart by entering comma-separated tickers.
  • Controls for custom date ranges and normalization modes (Start=1, End=1, IPO=1, Off).
  • Per-symbol performance breakdown includes overall return, exponential trendline/annualized rates (with R^2), growth of $10,000, annual returns, and drawdowns.

Community votes (overall)

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Where they differ

Seeking Alpha

Distinct strengths include:

  • Quant Ratings for stocks with five Factor Grades (Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, EPS Revisions), plus ETF Factor Grades (Momentum, Expenses, Dividends, Risk, Liquidity).
  • Stock and ETF screeners with ratings, grades, and advanced filters. Premium members can save screens for reuse.
  • Side-by-side comparison of up to 20 stocks, with export to Excel or PDF.
  • Portfolio tools with custom views, health scores, and Excel export. Premium users can link brokers for daily auto-sync through Plaid or SnapTrade.

Total Real Returns

Distinct strengths include:

  • CPI-U inflation-adjusted "Total Real Return" charts with dividends reinvested (purchasing-power view).
  • Toggle inflation adjustment on/off (real vs. nominal dollars) on chart pages.
  • Compare multiple symbols on a single chart by entering comma-separated tickers.
  • Controls for custom date ranges and normalization modes (Start=1, End=1, IPO=1, Off).

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeSeeking AlphaTotal Real Returns
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Data Visualizations

Unique: Screeners, ETF Screeners, Stock Comparison, Portfolio, Watchlist, News, Alerts, Calendar, Dividends, Financials, Scores, Bulls Say Bear Say, Transcripts, ETF Overview, ETF Performance, ETF Holdings, ETF Fundamentals, ETF Factors, Analyst Forecasts, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, Options, Which ETF includes this Stock?, AI Report, AI Earnings Summary

Shared: Data Visualizations

Unique: Risk Metrics

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Closed-End Funds, Options

Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Currencies

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web, Mobile

Web

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free, Subscription

Free

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • Quant Ratings for stocks with five Factor Grades (Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, EPS Revisions), plus ETF Factor Grades (Momentum, Expenses, Dividends, Risk, Liquidity).
  • Stock and ETF screeners with ratings, grades, and advanced filters. Premium members can save screens for reuse.
  • Side-by-side comparison of up to 20 stocks, with export to Excel or PDF.
  • Portfolio tools with custom views, health scores, and Excel export. Premium users can link brokers for daily auto-sync through Plaid or SnapTrade.
  • Market data includes both real-time and delayed quotes, with advanced charts covering intraday to multi-year intervals.
  • Full library of earnings call transcripts, with AI-generated “Earnings Call Insights” and “Virtual Analyst” summaries.

Unique

  • CPI-U inflation-adjusted "Total Real Return" charts with dividends reinvested (purchasing-power view).
  • Toggle inflation adjustment on/off (real vs. nominal dollars) on chart pages.
  • Compare multiple symbols on a single chart by entering comma-separated tickers.
  • Controls for custom date ranges and normalization modes (Start=1, End=1, IPO=1, Off).
  • Per-symbol performance breakdown includes overall return, exponential trendline/annualized rates (with R^2), growth of $10,000, annual returns, and drawdowns.
  • Instrument pages include common stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and a USDOLLAR cash/currency series.
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Yes

Not yet

Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

Highlighted

Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Seeking Alpha and Total Real Returns both support?

Both platforms cover Data Visualizations workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do Seeking Alpha and Total Real Returns require subscriptions?

Both Seeking Alpha and Total Real Returns keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

Seeking Alpha ships a dedicated mobile experience, while Total Real Returns focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Seeking Alpha differentiates itself with Quant Ratings for stocks with five Factor Grades (Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, EPS Revisions), plus ETF Factor Grades (Momentum, Expenses, Dividends, Risk, Liquidity)., Stock and ETF screeners with ratings, grades, and advanced filters. Premium members can save screens for reuse., and Side-by-side comparison of up to 20 stocks, with export to Excel or PDF., whereas Total Real Returns stands out for CPI-U inflation-adjusted "Total Real Return" charts with dividends reinvested (purchasing-power view)., Toggle inflation adjustment on/off (real vs. nominal dollars) on chart pages., and Compare multiple symbols on a single chart by entering comma-separated tickers..

Keep exploring

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.