VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View The Motley Fool View Variant Back to Home

Head-to-head

The Motley Fool vs Variant 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 Variant skips.

Variant includes Market Sentiment, Forums, and AI 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..

Variant is known for: AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations., Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments., and Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events..

The Motley Fool has a free tier, while Variant requires a paid plan.

The Motley Fool ships a mobile app. Variant 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.

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Variant

variantinsights.com

Invite- and approval-based platform for professional and student investors. Variant combines an AI-powered “Catalyst Finder” with buyside discussions and a predictions marketplace focused on public-company outcomes and earnings sentiment. All content is user-generated (never investment advice), with strict prohibitions against material non-public information. Access is available via professional approval, student programs at select universities, or invite-only flows.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Other

Quick highlights

AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations.
Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments.
Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events.
Structured prediction markets focused on company-specific outcomes and event-driven scenarios.
Access models include professional approval-based signup, student signup at partner universities, and invite-only admission.

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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.

Variant

Distinct strengths include:

Market Sentiment

Forums

AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations.
Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments.
Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events.
Structured prediction markets focused on company-specific outcomes and event-driven scenarios.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	The Motley Fool	Variant
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Stock Ideas Unique: Portfolio, Watchlist, News, Education, Videos, Newsletters, Blogs	Shared: Stock Ideas Unique: Market Sentiment, Forums, AI
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks, ETFs	Stocks
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	Other
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 AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations. Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments. Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events. Structured prediction markets focused on company-specific outcomes and event-driven scenarios. Access models include professional approval-based signup, student signup at partner universities, and invite-only admission. Strict community standards: insights and analysis only, no investment advice, and zero tolerance for MNPI.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Not yet	Not yet
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do The Motley Fool and Variant 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.

Which tool offers a free plan?

The Motley Fool offers a free entry point, while Variant requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.

Which tool has mobile access?

The Motley Fool ships a dedicated mobile experience, while Variant 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 Variant stands out for AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations., Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments., and Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events..

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