Are you someone who’s interested in investing or wants to continue building a portfolio that will help you reach your financial goals? If so, then you should consider subscribing to an investment research and/or stock picking platform.
Zacks, Morningstar, Motley Fool, and Seeking Alpha are all investment platforms that have proven themselves to be both popular and useful.
For example, Motley Fool Stock Advisor’s picks have delivered an 819% return to investors over 22 years, while the S&P 500 has returned 170%. That’s more than 4x the earnings for investors who’ve bought every stock recommended by Stock Advisor.
It can be a bit overwhelming to choose among them, and that’s why we’ve written this Zacks vs Morningstar vs Motley Fool vs Seeking Alpha review: to help you choose the right platform for your needs and start making informed decisions about which investments deserve a spot in your portfolio.
Key Differences Between Zacks, Morningstar, Motley Fool, and Seeking Alpha
The best way to compare Zacks vs Morningstar vs Motley Fool vs Seeking Alpha is to look at them side by side. Here’s our overview to help you get a handle on what each of these services offers and how they might benefit your investing journey.
| Zacks | Morningstar | Motley Fool | Seeking Alpha | |
| Key Features | In-depth research; real-time market news and prices; Zacks Rank; preset watchlists including Zacks #1. | Portfolio management tools; in-depth research and insights, Portfolio X-ray; investment insights for stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs. | 2 stock picks each month; portfolio management tools; real-time market updates; portfolio alerts. | Quant ratings; investment community; community-sourced analysis; portfolio score and portfolio management tools; alerts. |
| User Experience | Interface is cluttered and navigation may be confusing for beginners. | Nice, clean interface; simple navigation from top menu. | Clean interface; easy to navigate | Customizable interface; simple navigation |
| Investment Strategies | Zacks doesn’t endorse or recommend any particular investment strategy. | Best suited for value investors who want to find investments that deliver consistent returns. | Best for long-term investors who embrace a “buy and hold” strategy”, buying every recommendation and holding for at least 5 years. | Doesn’t recommend any one strategy; instead, subscribers have tons of resources to do their own research. |
| Pricing | $249 per year | $249 per year | $199 per year for first year; $299 per year on renewal | $299 per year |
| Trial | 30 days for $1 | 14 days free trial | No, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee | Free account with limited features; 30-day premium trial for $4.95 |
| Best For | Advanced investors who want to make data-driven investment decisions. | Advanced investors looking for objective analysis; investors doing research on mutual funds or ETFs. | Beginning investors who want reliable stock picks and a user-friendly interface. | Intermediate to advanced investors who like to do their own research. |
It’s also important to note that Zacks, the Motley Fool, and some Morningstar subsidiaries are considered Registered Investment Advisors and are regulated by the SEC, while Seeking Alpha remains exempt due to its policy of providing mostly investment news and community opinions.
Pro Tip:
If you sign up with Seeking Alpha Premium today, you will receive $30 off and access to an exclusive 7-day free trial! Get a Zack’s 30 day free trial for $1, $100 off first year of Stock Advisor with 3-day moneyback guarantee, or $50 off first year of Morningstar Investor
Detailed Feature Comparison
Let’s take a deeper dive into each platform. In this section, we’ll run through the most important features, review the user experience, and give you the pros and cons of each platform as we see them.
Zacks
Zacks doesn’t make stock picks, but they offer several features that are useful to investors.
- Zacks Rank scores, updated daily
- Access to the Zacks #1 Rank List
- Premium screeners
- Equity research reports
- Focus list portfolio of 50 longer-term stocks to buy
- Real-time market news and prices
The user experience for Zacks could be better. There’s a lot of information on the home page and no option to customize what you see. We think the interface could be cleaner and the navigation more intuitive, although we should note that Zacks has made some significant improvements in this area.
Here are some pros and cons to consider before subscribing to Zacks.
- Pros: tons of research and news; Zacks Rank scores; premium screeners; has information about crypto when many research platforms don’t.
- Cons: Cluttered interface; may be overwhelming for beginners.
We like that Zacks offers a 30-day trial for just $1. That makes it easy for investors at any level to check out the platform and decide if it’s right for them.
Morningstar
Morningstar is a popular investment research platform for a reason. Here are some of the key features.
- Investment trackers
- High-level market and investment news
- Investment insights for stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs
- Access to Morningstar ratings on stocks, bonds, and individual managers, plus things like environmentally-conscious investments
- Portfolio management and analysis tools
- Custom portfolio views
- Portfolio X-ray
As you can see, Morningstar has an attractive interface that includes lots of information without being overwhelming. Navigation is simple using the menu at the top.
Here are some pros and cons to consider.
- Pros: Clean interface, expert investment insights, top-notch portfolio management tools, Portfolio X-ray, useful information to make investment picks
- Cons: Screeners could be more intuitive, some of Morningstar’s ratings only look at past performance, cost is higher if you choose to pay monthly
Morningstar is the only service in this review that offers a truly free trial, which lasts for 14 days. We strongly recommend taking advantage of the free trial to play with Morningstar’s features and see if it’s right for you.
Motley Fool
Motley Fool Stock Advisor makes stock picks (2 per month) and you can get additional picks by upgrading your subscription to the Epic bundle. It’s not regulated by FINRA, but its affiliates, Motley Fool Asset Management and Motley Fool Wealth Management, are.
Here are some key features.
- 2 stock picks per month
- Access to historical picks
- Portfolio management tools
- Monthly stock rankings
- Guidance for cautious, intermediate, and aggressive investment styles
- Daily news
- Video library
The user experience for Motley Fool is excellent. The home page is neat in its layout and navigation is simple from its side menu.
As you might expect, there are pros and cons to consider.
- Pros: Clean interface, proven track record of beating the S&P 500, portfolio management tools and alerts, screeners, access to historical picks, first year price is lower than other services
- Cons: Need money to invest every month, can’t link to brokerage account, renewal price is higher than other services
Motley Fool is a good choice for beginners, particularly those who are just starting to build a portfolio.
Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha is a stock research platform that provides subscribers with tons of information and data that they can use to make their own assessments. Here are some of the key features. (Check out our full review.)
- Proprietary Quant Ratings with a proven record of beating the market
- Link to brokerage portfolio
- Portfolio Health Score
- Portfolio management tools
- Access to 10 years of financials
- Access to Earnings Call Transcriptions
- Preset and custom screeners and watchlists
- Custom alerts based on ratings and prices
- Expert and community-created analysis
- Access to investment communities
Here are the pros and cons of Seeking Alpha as we see them.
- Pros: Access to extensive financials and research, community analysis, investment groups, portfolio management tools, Quant ratings.
- Cons: Information may be too much for beginner investors, no information about mutual funds or crypto.
We like how easy it is to find financials and earnings call transcriptions on Seeking Alpha. It may be too much for beginner investors, but intermediate and advanced investors will benefit from the extensive information that’s available.
Pro Tip:
If you sign up with Seeking Alpha Premium today, you will receive $30 off and access to an exclusive 7-day free trial! Get a Zack’s 30 day free trial for $1, $100 off first year of Stock Advisor with 3-day moneyback guarantee, or $50 off first year of Morningstar Investor
Which Platform is Right for You?
When you choose an investment research platform, it’s important to keep certain things in mind.
- Your investment experience level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced)
- Your investment horizon (short, medium, or long-term)
- Your risk tolerance (low, medium, or high)
- Your investment goals (build a portfolio, maximize earnings, etc.)
- Your investment style (do you want done-for-you picks? A platform to do your own research?)
- Your budget
Only you can decide how to weigh these things and what’s most important to you.
For Beginners
The platform we like most for beginners is Motley Fool Stock Advisor. It offers done-for-you picks with an excellent track record overall, making it a good choice for people who don’t want to do their own research.
Another thing that makes Stock Advisor a solid choice for beginners is its user-friendly interface. There’s plenty of information for people who want the option to do some research, plus intuitive portfolio tools and access to financials and real-time market information.
For Long-Term Investors
Long-term investors may be best served by either Motley Fool, which promotes a “buy and hold” investment strategy that works for long-term investors, or by Seeking Alpha, which offers the tools needed to identify growth stocks.
Both these platforms have intuitive user interfaces and navigation, making them accessible to beginners and advanced investors alike.
For Short-Term Traders
Short-term traders may be drawn to Zacks, which offers a huge amount of information in return for the price of a subscription. It’s got information that’s tailored to several investor personas, including day traders – something that Motley Fool and Seeking Alpha don’t focus on.
Keep in mind that short-term trades can be risky and don’t always pay off. If you’re going to try these trades, make sure to do it within a balanced portfolio to ensure you don’t lose more than you can afford to.
For Data-Driven Investors
Zacks is the ideal platform for data-driven investors, followed by Seeking Alpha and Zacks. All three platforms offer access to a huge amount of research and analysis.
Some of the things data lovers can find include financial reports, Earnings Call Transcripts, ratings, and expert-level analysis to help them choose investments.
Value Investors
We recommend Morningstar for value investors. Their platform strives to identify stocks with the potential to provide ongoing value.
Morningstar’s star ratings and other factors make it easy to review any asset you want to buy and make an informed decision.
Pro Tip:
If you sign up with Seeking Alpha Premium today, you will receive $30 off and access to an exclusive 7-day free trial! Get a Zack’s 30 day free trial for $1, $100 off first year of Stock Advisor with 3-day moneyback guarantee, or $50 off first year of Morningstar Investor
Which Platform is Best for You? (Conclusion)
The key takeaway from this Zacks vs Morningstar vs Motley Fool vs Seeking Alpha review is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution when you’re looking for an investment research platform.
Our final recommendations are that beginners and those seeking simplicity should go with Motley Fool Stock Advisor. Zacks is best for data-driven decisions, Morningstar is best for value investors, and Seeking Alpha has the most variety plus a unique community element.
FAQ
Morningstar’s star ratings have received mixed reviews. While some investors praise their willingness to constantly revise ratings as needed, that approach may not be ideal for investors who are nervous about riding out volatility. In the end, rating systems vary and that’s why we recommend doing at least a little independent research before buying an investment based on a rating.
Yes, but it’s important to make sure you aren’t spending more than you can afford – or more than you’re earning from your investments. If you want Motley Fool’s picks but also want access to in-depth research, you might benefit from two subscriptions.
That depends. On average, they cost about $20 per month, but most require an annual payment. If you can afford that amount and you use the platform as it’s intended, you’ll probably get your money’s worth.
Stock picks can vary a lot in terms of their accuracy. For example, the overall performance of Motley Fool Stock Advisor picks is excellent. That said, recent picks have yet to prove themselves. Picks can be made for a variety of reasons and with a variety of investment styles in mind. It’s always a good idea to do a bit of reading on your own before buying a pick, and to keep in mind that past success with picks isn’t a guarantee of future performance.
We like Motley Fool Stock Advisor for beginners. It provides done-for-you stock picks every month, and their track record is good.
