VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Head-to-head

Smartkarma vs Value Investors Club (VIC) comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Smartkarma adds Screeners, Watchlist, News, Alerts, Calendar, AI, Videos, Newsletters, and Blogs coverage that Value Investors Club (VIC) skips.

Value Investors Club (VIC) includes Forums categories that Smartkarma omits.

Smartkarma highlights: AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts., SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap., and Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics..

Value Investors Club (VIC) is known for: Highly selective membership: applicants must submit a current idea to be considered; only a few hundred active members at any time., Members are required to post at least two ideas per year (up to six) and rate 20 ideas annually to maintain access., and Each idea has its own discussion thread, with members able to mark certain comments as private (visible to members only)..

Smartkarma ships a mobile app. Value Investors Club (VIC) is web/desktop only.

Smartkarma logo

Smartkarma

smartkarma.com

An AI-augmented investment intelligence platform that combines independent research, data tools, and real-time alerts. Access is plan-gated: the flagship Pro Platform costs USD 10,950/year per user and is available to accredited or professional investors; Premium and Data subscriptions are available on request, while separate offerings exist for Corporate Digital IR and Plus platforms. Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android.

Platforms

Web
Mobile

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts.
  • SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap.
  • Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics.
  • Personalised watchlists and real-time notifications, with opt-in email alerts when relevant insights are published.
  • Research is distributed simultaneously on the platform, via alerts/email, and syndicated to Bloomberg Terminal.

Community votes (overall)

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Value Investors Club (VIC) logo

Value Investors Club (VIC)

valueinvestorsclub.com

Hands-on review

A legendary forum for deep-dive investment write-ups, founded in 1999 by Joel Greenblatt and John Petry. Membership is free but extremely selective, with obligations to contribute original ideas to stay active. Guests can read older ideas on a delayed basis, while full members have real-time access and can join discussions. Twice a month, the best write-up earns a $5,000 prize. The site carries no ads and no paid subscriptions, emphasizing community quality over monetization.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • Highly selective membership: applicants must submit a current idea to be considered; only a few hundred active members at any time.
  • Members are required to post at least two ideas per year (up to six) and rate 20 ideas annually to maintain access.
  • Each idea has its own discussion thread, with members able to mark certain comments as private (visible to members only).
  • Guest users can browse delayed content: free signup grants access to 45-day-old ideas, while non-logged visitors see ideas after 90 days.
  • Robust search and filters for idea discovery, including long/short orientation, performance, ratings, and geography.

Community votes (overall)

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

1 overlap

Both tools cover this research theme.

Where they differ

Smartkarma

Distinct strengths include:

  • AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts.
  • SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap.
  • Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics.
  • Personalised watchlists and real-time notifications, with opt-in email alerts when relevant insights are published.

Value Investors Club (VIC)

Distinct strengths include:

  • Highly selective membership: applicants must submit a current idea to be considered; only a few hundred active members at any time.
  • Members are required to post at least two ideas per year (up to six) and rate 20 ideas annually to maintain access.
  • Each idea has its own discussion thread, with members able to mark certain comments as private (visible to members only).
  • Guest users can browse delayed content: free signup grants access to 45-day-old ideas, while non-logged visitors see ideas after 90 days.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeSmartkarmaValue Investors Club (VIC)
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Stock Ideas

Unique: Screeners, Watchlist, News, Alerts, Calendar, AI, Videos, Newsletters, Blogs

Shared: Stock Ideas

Unique: Forums

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, ETFs, Bonds, Currencies, Cryptos

Stocks, Bonds

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Intermediate, Advanced

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

  • AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts.
  • SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap.
  • Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics.
  • Personalised watchlists and real-time notifications, with opt-in email alerts when relevant insights are published.
  • Research is distributed simultaneously on the platform, via alerts/email, and syndicated to Bloomberg Terminal.
  • Additional investment tools include FX, rates and macroeconomic calendars, and crypto dashboards.

Unique

  • Highly selective membership: applicants must submit a current idea to be considered; only a few hundred active members at any time.
  • Members are required to post at least two ideas per year (up to six) and rate 20 ideas annually to maintain access.
  • Each idea has its own discussion thread, with members able to mark certain comments as private (visible to members only).
  • Guest users can browse delayed content: free signup grants access to 45-day-old ideas, while non-logged visitors see ideas after 90 days.
  • Robust search and filters for idea discovery, including long/short orientation, performance, ratings, and geography.
  • Bi-monthly $5,000 “Best Idea” prize for the top member submission.
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Not yet

Yes

Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Smartkarma and Value Investors Club (VIC) both support?

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

Do Smartkarma and Value Investors Club (VIC) require subscriptions?

Both Smartkarma and Value Investors Club (VIC) keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

Smartkarma ships a dedicated mobile experience, while Value Investors Club (VIC) focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Smartkarma differentiates itself with AI-augmented research hub delivering real-time, actionable insights with direct access to top-ranked analysts., SmartScore Screener covers five factors—Value, Dividend, Growth, Resilience, and Momentum—with filters by country, sector, and market cap., and Relative Value tool highlights HoldCo and share-class pair opportunities, with proprietary Actionability/Investability scores and z-score diagnostics., whereas Value Investors Club (VIC) stands out for Highly selective membership: applicants must submit a current idea to be considered; only a few hundred active members at any time., Members are required to post at least two ideas per year (up to six) and rate 20 ideas annually to maintain access., and Each idea has its own discussion thread, with members able to mark certain comments as private (visible to members only)..

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.