VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View The Motley Fool View Value Investors Club (VIC)Back to Home

Head-to-head

The Motley Fool vs Value Investors Club (VIC) comparison

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

Quick takeaways

The Motley Fool adds Portfolio, Watchlist, News, Education, Videos, Newsletters, and Blogs coverage that Value Investors Club (VIC) skips.

Value Investors Club (VIC) includes Forums categories that The Motley Fool omits.

The Motley Fool highlights: Stock Advisor membership includes two new stock recommendations per month, currently priced at $199/year, with a 30-day refund policy., Tiered memberships expand access: Epic ($499/year) adds research and scorecards; Epic Plus ($1,999/year) includes the real-money Moneyball Portfolio with daily guidance; Fool Portfolios ($3,999/year) provides access to Tom Gardner’s live portfolios; Fool One is an all-access bundle., and Mobile apps (iOS and Android) send instant notifications for new recommendations and service updates, plus tools to track “My Portfolios” and watchlists..

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)..

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

The Motley Fool

fool.com

A long-standing publisher and stock-picking service with both free content and premium memberships. The flagship Stock Advisor offers two new recommendations each month, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Higher tiers add more scorecards, tools, live model portfolios, and exclusive research. Mobile apps deliver real-time alerts for new picks and portfolio updates.

Platforms

Web

Mobile

Pricing

Free

Subscription

Quick highlights

Stock Advisor membership includes two new stock recommendations per month, currently priced at $199/year, with a 30-day refund policy.
Tiered memberships expand access: Epic ($499/year) adds research and scorecards; Epic Plus ($1,999/year) includes the real-money Moneyball Portfolio with daily guidance; Fool Portfolios ($3,999/year) provides access to Tom Gardner’s live portfolios; Fool One is an all-access bundle.
Mobile apps (iOS and Android) send instant notifications for new recommendations and service updates, plus tools to track “My Portfolios” and watchlists.
Personal portfolio and watchlist features let you add tickers and monitor performance inside the platform.
Free market news, analysis articles, and daily podcasts such as Motley Fool Money.

Community votes (overall)

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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.

Stock Ideas

Where they differ

The Motley Fool

Distinct strengths include:

Stock Advisor membership includes two new stock recommendations per month, currently priced at $199/year, with a 30-day refund policy.
Tiered memberships expand access: Epic ($499/year) adds research and scorecards; Epic Plus ($1,999/year) includes the real-money Moneyball Portfolio with daily guidance; Fool Portfolios ($3,999/year) provides access to Tom Gardner’s live portfolios; Fool One is an all-access bundle.
Mobile apps (iOS and Android) send instant notifications for new recommendations and service updates, plus tools to track “My Portfolios” and watchlists.
Personal portfolio and watchlist features let you add tickers and monitor performance inside the platform.

Value Investors Club (VIC)

Distinct strengths include:

Forums

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

Attribute	The Motley Fool	Value Investors Club (VIC)
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Stock Ideas Unique: Portfolio, Watchlist, News, Education, Videos, Newsletters, Blogs	Shared: Stock Ideas Unique: Forums
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks, ETFs	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 Stock Advisor membership includes two new stock recommendations per month, currently priced at $199/year, with a 30-day refund policy. Tiered memberships expand access: Epic ($499/year) adds research and scorecards; Epic Plus ($1,999/year) includes the real-money Moneyball Portfolio with daily guidance; Fool Portfolios ($3,999/year) provides access to Tom Gardner’s live portfolios; Fool One is an all-access bundle. Mobile apps (iOS and Android) send instant notifications for new recommendations and service updates, plus tools to track “My Portfolios” and watchlists. Personal portfolio and watchlist features let you add tickers and monitor performance inside the platform. Free market news, analysis articles, and daily podcasts such as Motley Fool Money. Market pages give quick snapshots of indices and top stock movers.	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	Standard listing	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do The Motley Fool 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 The Motley Fool and Value Investors Club (VIC) require subscriptions?

Both The Motley Fool 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?

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

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

The Motley Fool differentiates itself with Stock Advisor membership includes two new stock recommendations per month, currently priced at $199/year, with a 30-day refund policy., Tiered memberships expand access: Epic ($499/year) adds research and scorecards; Epic Plus ($1,999/year) includes the real-money Moneyball Portfolio with daily guidance; Fool Portfolios ($3,999/year) provides access to Tom Gardner’s live portfolios; Fool One is an all-access bundle., and Mobile apps (iOS and Android) send instant notifications for new recommendations and service updates, plus tools to track “My Portfolios” and watchlists., 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)..

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