Stock research platforms aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, but they’re not rare either. In fact, there are plenty to choose from!
The best stock research platforms provide investors with things like:
- Real-time stock prices and market updates
- Portfolio tracking and management tools
- Stock screeners and watchlists
- Proprietary ratings
- Done-for-you stock picks (in some cases)
- Access to tons of research and analysis
In this review, we’ll be comparing Seeking Alpha vs Motley Fool vs Zacks. These are three of the most popular stock research platforms. They’re all subscription services and each has its own unique features.
- Seeking Alpha has 20 million monthly visitors, but we can’t say how many of those are paying subscribers
- Motley Fool may have between 500,000 and 1 million subscribers to their premium services, and they say they have millions of active monthly users
- Zacks hasn’t released subscription numbers, but they say their newsletters have between 450,000 and 750,000 unique subscribers.
In this review, we’ll help you decide which platform best suits your investment style, whether you’re a beginner, an intermediate investor, or someone who’s got a ton of experience.
Pro Tip:
Ready to enhance your portfolio? Sign up for Seeking Alpha, The Motley Fool, or Zacks and start making informed investment decisions today!
Detailed View of Each Platform
To help you understand what we’re talking about, here’s our detailed overview of each platform.
Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha is an investment platform with a unique twist. While there’s plenty of expert analysis and financials available, it bills itself as the world’s largest investment community.
Premium subscribers get access to the community plus investing groups, which provide a way for members to share information and build portfolios together.
Seeking Alpha’s features include:
- Proprietary Quant ratings with a proven track record – “Strong Buy” ratings have outperformed the S&P 500 by 450+%
- Investment community & investing groups
- Portfolio management tools, including a Portfolio Health Score, and price/rating/news alerts that you can customize
- Preset and custom screeners and watchlists
- Investment comparison tool
What Seeking Alpha doesn’t have is research about cryptocurrencies or mutual funds, which may be a disappointment for some investors. Two relatively new features related to portfolios are the ability to link to a brokerage account and the Portfolio Health Score, which compares users’ portfolios to others in the Seeking Alpha Community.
Premium services include Seeking Alpha Premium and Seeking Alpha Pro. Most investors should consider Seeking Alpha Premium with its more affordable price.
Motley Fool
Motley Fool has a lot of research and analysis available, but it’s primarily a stock picking service. Every month, Motley Fool Stock Advisor releases two new stock picks. Historically, their picks have outperformed the S&P 500 by about 750%.
Here are some of the features you’ll find with Motley Fool Premium.
- Link to brokerage portfolio
- 2 stock picks every month
- Access to historical picks
- Portfolio management tools
- Access to Fool IQ and investment strategies
- News coverage and expert insights
- Real-time market updates
If you upgrade to the Epic bundle or above, you’ll also get access to picks from Motley Fool Rule Breakers, Motley Fool Hidden Gems, and Motley Fool Dividend Investor, for a total of 9 stock picks every month.
Motley Fool Stock Advisor is the main subscription service. Motley Fool used to break down some of its other services as stand-alone options, but that’s no longer the case. Stock Advisor comes first, then you can choose to upgrade to one of its bundles, like Epic or Epic+, to get more features.
The Motley Fool is also regulated by the SEC, as a registered investment advisor, giving prospective users additional confidence that its motivation lies in the benefit of its clients.
Zacks
Zacks Premium is also an investment research platform. They don’t provide stock picks, but they do have their own quantitative ratings that have beaten the S&P 500 by an average of 13.8% each year since its inception
Some of the features you’ll get as a Zacks subscriber include:
- Proprietary Zacks Rank ratings
- Stock recommendations
- In-depth research
- Portfolio views & management tools
- Access to expert-created analysis
- Financial data to evaluate investments
- Access to data on stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and cryptocurrencies
Zacks doesn’t allow linking to an outside brokerage account, but they do make it easy to create a portfolio and enter your transactions so you can monitor your investments.
Subscribers can choose from a free plan with limited features, Zacks Premium, or their top tier, Zacks Ultimate
Comparison: Seeking Alpha Vs Motley Fool Vs Zacks
Here’s a quick comparison of Seeking Alpha vs Zacks vs Motley Fool to make it easy for you to see the differences.
| Features | Seeking Alpha | Motley Fool | Zacks |
| Investment Approach | Seeking Alpha’s subscribers can choose their own investment approach. “Buy” and “Strong Buy” rated stocks have historically outperformed the market and are often safe choices. | Motley Fool recommends a “buy and hold” strategy where investors buy every recommendation and hold for at least 5 years. Their Rule Breakers picks are more geared toward investors who don’t mind some risk. | Zacks doesn’t recommend or endorse an investment approach. Instead, the platform is set up to help users research stocks and other investments and make their own decisions. |
| Content Type | Community and expert-created analysis; news; educational content; financials | Educational content; news; stock picks; newsletters; podcasts; videos | News articles; up-to-date market analysis; Zacks ratings; educational content |
| Subscription Price | Seeking Alpha Premium has a 30-day trial for $4.95, which renews at the annual subscription price of $199 for first-time subscribers. Renewals are $299 per year, and a pro subscription is $2,400 per year. There is a free plan with limited features. | Motley Fool Stock Advisor costs $199 per year and the Epic bundle costs $499 per year. There’s some free content available and you don’t need an account to access it. Stock Advisor and other plans come with a 30-day refund policy. | Zacks has a free plan. They offer 30-day free trials for both premium plans. The cost for Zacks Premium is $249 per year, and Zacks Ultimate is $2,995 per year. |
| Mobile App | Seeking Alpha has a well-regarded mobile app with a 4.8 star rating in the Apple Store and 4.3 on Google Plan. | Motley Fool also has an app, but the ratings aren’t so great, with an average of 2.8 on both Apple and Google Play. | Zacks has a mostly well-regarded mobile app with average ratings of 4.2 stars on Apple and 4.4 on Google Play. |
| Target Audience | The target audience for Seeking Alpha is broad, but we like it for experienced investors who can benefit from being part of an investment community and access to tons of in-depth research and analysis. | Motley Fool is best for beginner investors, or those who just want done-for-you stock picks every month. | Zacks is most suited for advanced investors who like a data-based approach and don’t mind a less-than-intuitive interface. |
| User Experience | Nice clean interface that’s easy to navigate. | A clean interface, although there could be a little more information about how some of the features work. | Zacks interface can be a little overwhelming. There’s a lot of information and it would benefit from some customization options to make it less cluttered. |
Pricing Models
We’ve talked about general pricing information, but here are some details to help you understand what you’ll be getting for your money.
Seeking Alpha Pricing
Seeking Alpha has attractive pricing for first-time subscribers. Here’s how it breaks down.
- Free plan: you can set up a portfolio, customize alerts, and get access to some news and analysis and one Premium article per month.
- Seeking Alpha Premium: everything in the free plan, plus access to Quant, SA, and Wall St Analyst ratings, preset and custom screeners and watchlists, 10 years of financials, Earnings Call Transcriptions and recordings, portfolio management tools, and Portfolio Health Score. There’s a 30-day trial for $4,95, then new subscribers pay $199 for a year. Renewals clock in at $299 per year.
- Seeking Alpha Pro: everything in Premium, plus Short Ideas, instant Upgrade and Downgrade alerts, access to content from top-rated Authors, and VIP customer service. There’s a 30-day trial for $99, then the cost is $2,400 per year.
Motley Fool Pricing
Motley Fool used to have more pricing tiers, but they’ve simplified. Here’s how it breaks down.
- Motley Fool Premium: portfolio management tools, 2 stock picks per month, access to in-depth research and analysis. The cost is $199 per year and there’s a 30-day, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee.
- Motley Fool Epic Bundle: everything in Premium, plus access to additional picks from formerly stand-alone services such as Rule Breakers, Hidden Gems, and Dividend Investor, Fool IQ, portfolio strategies, CAPS newsletter, and more. The cost is $499 per year and the same 30-day refund policy applies.
- Motley Fool Epic Plus: everything in Epic, plus additional research & recommendations covering options, international, value & trends, plus an intro to Tom Gardner’s portfolio management. The cost is $1,999 per year with a 30-day, money-back guarantee.
We should note that you can pay separately to have Tom Gardner manage your portfolio (3,999 per year) or to get every product bundled into one at a cost of $13,999 per year.
Zacks Pricing
Zacks pricing breaks down like this.
- Zacks Premium: daily update updates of Zacks Rank, access to Zacks #1 Rank List, Focus List portfolio of 50 long-term stock, premium screener, and access to Equity Research Reports. There’s a 30-day free trial and after that the cost is $249 per year.
- Zacks Ultra: everything included in Zacks Premium, plus access to some of Zacks special insights, including Alternative Energy Innovators, Healthcare Innovators, and Stockers Under $10. There’s a 30-day free trial and the annual price is $2,995 per year.
- Zacks Investment Bundle: Zacks Premium, plus access to Home Run Investor, ETF Investor, and Value Investor, to name a few.
We really like the 30-day free trial, which we think everyone should offer since it’s the best way to really get to know a platform before committing to an annual subscription.
Pro Tip:
Ready to enhance your portfolio? Sign up for Seeking Alpha, The Motley Fool, or Zacks and start making informed investment decisions today!
Pros and Cons
Here’s our take on the pros and cons of each of these services to help you weigh your options.
Seeking Alpha
Pros
- Low-cost premium trial
- Access to market-beating Quant ratings
- Clean interface
- Proven track record
- Link to brokerage account
- Access to investor community and investment groups
- Huge library of research and analysis
- Customizable home screen
Cons
- No free trial and free version offers extremely limited features
- Doesn’t make stock recommendations or picks
- May be overwhelming for beginners
Motley Fool
Pros
- 2 done-for-you stock picks every month
- Stock picks have outperformed the S&P 500
- Portfolio views
- Access to historical picks
- Plenty of research and analysis
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Can’t link to brokerage account
- No home screen customization
- No free plan
Zacks
Pros
- 30-day free trial for all plans
- Access to Zacks Picks, which have outperformed the market
- Real-time stock prices and market news
- Access to videos, podcasts, and other educational content
Cons
- User experience is less than idea
- No customization/cluttered home page
- Less comprehensive research content, e.g. no financials, no earnings calls
Pro Tip:
Ready to enhance your portfolio? Sign up for Seeking Alpha, The Motley Fool, or Zacks and start making informed investment decisions today!
Best Use Cases for Different Types of Investors
Some investment research platforms are better suited for beginners, while others may be best suited for those with years of experience.
- Best for Beginners (Motley Fool): We believe that Motley Fool is the best choice for beginners. The recommended buy and hold strategy is easy to follow, and there’s plenty of simple and easy-to-understand investment advice, plus monthly picks and newsletters. It’s not too overwhelming to use, and the done-for-you picks make it easy to build a portfolio and get your feet wet as an investor.
- Best for Experienced Investors (Seeking Alpha): We like Seeking Alpha for experienced investors because it offers the most in-depth research and analysis, plus newsletters, investing groups, and plenty of customization options. Advanced investors will appreciate the depth of research available, including 10 years of financials, Earnings Call Transcriptions, and much more.
- Best for Traders and Data-Driven Investors (Zacks): We think Zacks is best suited for day traders and data-driven investors who prioritize up-to-the-minute information and short-term price movement predictions. The interface may be overwhelming for beginners.
We’re not saying you can’t use Seeking Alpha as a beginner or that you can’t opt in for Motley Fool’s stock picks even with decades of experience. Our goal here is to give new users the information they need to choose the platform that’s right for them.
Which Platform Is Best For You?
So there you have it: all the information you need to compare Seeking Alpha vs Motley Fool vs Zacks and decide which one is right for you. You should keep in mind your investment experience, risk tolerance, and needs.
As a reminder, our pick is Seeking Alpha for variety and depth of research, Motley Fool for simplicity, and Zacks for data-driven decisions.
FAQ
Yes. Seeking Alpha has a free plan and you can access some Motley Fool content without setting up an account. Zacks has a 30-day free trial. Seeking Alpha doesn’t offer a free trial, but you can try their Premium subscription for 30 days for just $4.95. Motley Fool offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Seeking Alpha doesn’t make stock recommendations per se. However, their “Strong Buy” picks have outperformed the S&P by more than 400% since the company’s inception.
Motley Fool recommends a buy and hold strategy. They evaluate companies based on an array of factors, including management, market advantages, strategy, company culture, and historical performance.
Zacks may be best suited for traders and people who want to make data-driven decisions. We’d say that it can be good for long-term investing, but we prefer Motley Fool.
All three platforms have mobile apps. The apps for Seeking Alpha and Motley Fool are highly rated, while Zacks app could use some improvement.
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