Tool Comparison
The Ledger Terminal vs The Motley Fool
- Paid from
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web
Best if
- You want screeners, stock comparison, and data visualizations.
- You're a long-term investor who cares more about fundamentals than headlines
- Paid from
- $16.58/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, Mobile
Best if
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You want portfolio, videos, and newsletters.
Pick The Ledger Terminal if
The Ledger Terminal
Free • Paid plans available · Web
- You want screeners, stock comparison, and data visualizations.
- You're a long-term investor who cares more about fundamentals than headlines
Pick The Motley Fool if
The Motley Fool
Free • From $199/yr · Web · Mobile
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You want portfolio, videos, and newsletters.
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
The Ledger Terminal and The Motley Fool cover a lot of the same ground (5 shared categories, including stock ideas, watchlist, and news), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. The Ledger Terminal simply does more: 17 categories to The Motley Fool's 8, including screeners, stock comparison, and data visualizations. The Motley Fool counters by keeping things simpler.
What readers say
The Ledger Terminal
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The Motley Fool
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Key differences at a glance
- Mobile app
- The Motley Fool
- Free trial
- The Ledger Terminal7 days
- Broader coverage
- The Ledger Terminal17 vs 8 categories
- Asset coverage
- The Motley FoolAdds ETFs
- Free plan
- Both
What The Ledger Terminal does best
- Direct access to one-page stock tearsheets that combine business description, historical financials, valuation visuals, quality checks, SEC filing links, and relevant news.
- More than 10,000 US stocks, plus UK companies sourced from ESEF filings.
- Review SEC EDGAR-derived financial-statement history with source filing links, automated QA checks, annual and quarterly data, and trailing twelve months where available.
- Log-scale valuation charts to compare price against fair value views such as P/E, P/FCF, P/CF, and P/OE owner earnings.
- Support for applying a 9-point quality checklist covering profitability, growth, capital efficiency, shareholder returns, fair value, and balance-sheet health.
What The Motley Fool does best
- Reading access to free investing articles, market news, educational content, podcasts, and market snapshots on Fool.com.
- Stock Advisor for two new stock recommendations per month at $199/year for the annual plan.
- Upgrade to Epic for broader access including Rule Breakers, Dividend Investor, Hidden Gems, FoolIQ/GamePlan, AI-powered tools, and 7 monthly recommendations.
- Epic Plus for more recommendation volume, including 8+ monthly stock recommendations and daily Moneyball recommendations.
- Fool Portfolios and Fool One for real-money portfolio access, specialized research and events.
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 • From $199/yr |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | 7 days | — |
Plan limits | 7 limits: Free: anonymous daily stock views: 1, Free: authenticated daily stock views: 6 +5 more | — |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | Yes |
API access | No | No |
Broker sync | No | No |
Integrations | SEC EDGAR source links and Third-party financial data | — |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | Retail Traders, Pro Retail +7 more | — |
Categories covered | 17 | 8 |
Regions | North America, Europe | — |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | 3 signals: Latency: End of Day, Granularity: EOD +1 more | — |
Data partners | 3 partners: SEC EDGAR, Third-party financial data +1 more | — |
Capabilities | Universe builder and Factors: Value, Quality, Growth, and Size | — |
Security | Data residency: EU and Other and Encryption in transit | — |
| Try it | Visit The Ledger Terminal | Visit The Motley Fool |
Standout features
The best features of The Ledger Terminal and The Motley Fool.ShowHide
Standout features
What The Ledger Terminal does best
- Direct access to one-page stock tearsheets that combine business description, historical financials, valuation visuals, quality checks, SEC filing links, and relevant news.
- More than 10,000 US stocks, plus UK companies sourced from ESEF filings.
- Review SEC EDGAR-derived financial-statement history with source filing links, automated QA checks, annual and quarterly data, and trailing twelve months where available.
- Log-scale valuation charts to compare price against fair value views such as P/E, P/FCF, P/CF, and P/OE owner earnings.
- Support for applying a 9-point quality checklist covering profitability, growth, capital efficiency, shareholder returns, fair value, and balance-sheet health.
What The Motley Fool does best
- Reading access to free investing articles, market news, educational content, podcasts, and market snapshots on Fool.com.
- Stock Advisor for two new stock recommendations per month at $199/year for the annual plan.
- Upgrade to Epic for broader access including Rule Breakers, Dividend Investor, Hidden Gems, FoolIQ/GamePlan, AI-powered tools, and 7 monthly recommendations.
- Epic Plus for more recommendation volume, including 8+ monthly stock recommendations and daily Moneyball recommendations.
- Fool Portfolios and Fool One for real-money portfolio access, specialized research and events.
All details
Every attribute we track for The Ledger Terminal and The Motley Fool.ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Stocks | StocksETFs |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Retail TradersPro RetailLong-term InvestorsValue InvestorsQuality InvestorsGrowth InvestorsDividend InvestorsAnalysts+1 more | Not specified |
Regions | North AmericaEurope | Not specified |
Coverage details | Countries: US and GBIdentifiers: Ticker | Identifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | End of Day | Not specified |
Data granularity | EOD | Not specified |
Pricing sources | VendorModel | Not specified |
Data partners | SEC EDGARThird-party financial dataFinancial outlets and wire services | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
Import methods | Manual | Manual |
Integrations | SEC EDGAR source linksThird-party financial data | Not specified |
Export formats | Excel | Not specified |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Data residency: EU and OtherEncryption in transit | Not specified |
Capability signals | Universe builderFactors: Value, Quality, Growth, and Size | Not specified |
Vendor & support | The Ledger TerminalCountry: PortugalSupport: Email | The Motley Fool, LLCCountry: USFounded 1993Support: Phone |
Curation ratings | Not specified | 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 | Freeanonymous daily stock views: 1 · authenticated daily stock views: 6 · +2 more | Free |
| Entry paid plan | Subscription“Pro (Annual)”annual renewal usd: 144 · financial history years: 15 · +1 more | $199/yr≈ $16.58/mo“Stock Advisor annual” |
| Tier 2 | — | $499/yr≈ $41.58/mo“Epic annual” |
| Tier 3 | — | $1999/yr≈ $166.58/mo“Epic Plus annual” |
| Tier 4 | — | $3999/yr≈ $333.25/mo“Fool Portfolios annual” |
| Top plan | — | $13999/yr≈ $1166.58/mo“Fool One” |
| Free trial | 7 days | — |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between The Ledger Terminal and The Motley Fool?
The Ledger Terminal leans toward stock ideas, screeners, and stock comparison, while The Motley Fool puts more weight on stock ideas, portfolio, and watchlist. They overlap in 5 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do The Ledger Terminal and The Motley Fool cost?
Good news: both The Ledger Terminal and The Motley Fool have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Can I use The Ledger Terminal or The Motley Fool on my phone?
The Motley Fool lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. The Ledger Terminal doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web.
Should I choose The Ledger Terminal or The Motley Fool?
It depends on what you're after. Pick The Ledger Terminal if screeners and stock comparison matter to you; go with The Motley Fool if you'd rather have portfolio and videos. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do The Ledger Terminal and The Motley Fool cover?
Both cover stocks. The Motley Fool adds ETFs on top.
Can I export data from The Ledger Terminal and The Motley Fool?
The Ledger Terminal exports to Excel. The Motley Fool is stingier about getting data out.
Which has a better stock screener: The Ledger Terminal or The Motley Fool?
The Ledger Terminal has a stock screener for surfacing ideas; The Motley Fool doesn't, and focuses its energy elsewhere.
Can I track my portfolio with The Ledger Terminal or The Motley Fool?
The Motley Fool handles portfolio tracking. The Ledger Terminal is really a research tool; you'd track your portfolio elsewhere.
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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.