Are you seeking alpha in your investments? The answer should be yes, since in the financial world, ‘alpha’ refers to the return you get on your investments.
Seeking Alpha is one of the best known and most respected investment research platforms around. It offers subscribers access to a ton of useful tools. Things like stock screeners, watchlists, alerts, and a huge library of expert and community-created content.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Seeking Alpha’s impressive returns compared to the S&P 500.
While it’s not a stock picking service, nor is it regulated by FINRA, Seeking Alpha’s “Strong Buy” rated stocks have outperformed the benchmark substantially, delivering an average return of 26% per year.
Investors are attracted to Seeking Alpha because it provides access to in-depth research, analysis, and financials, making it easy to be an informed investor.
There are two paid plans to choose from and you might be wondering: which plan is best for me?
We’ve got the answers. In this Seeking Alpha Pro vs Premium review, we’ll explore the features of each subscription tier, including pricing per feature, and tell you which subscription offers the best value for your investment style and preferences.
Overview of Seeking Alpha Subscriptions
Seeking Alpha offers several subscriptions, but we’re sticking to its two main premium products: Seeking Alpha Premium and Seeking Alpha Pro.
Both options provide subscribers with access to an impressive library of research and analysis.
Pro Tip:
Sign up today and receive $30 off and an exclusive 7-day free trial of Seeking Alpha Premium!
Overview of Seeking Alpha Premium Features
Seeking Alpha Premium is the lowest paid tier for Seeking Alpha. Here are the features.
- Access to Quant ratings and other ratings for stocks and ETFs
- Create portfolio (linking to outside portfolios is now possible)
- Create Watchlists
- Set price and rating alerts for your investments, including stocks and ETFs
- Get full access to expert and community-created analysis
- 10 years of financials to research investments
- Access to investing groups and the Seeking Alpha community
- Unlimited access to Earnings Call Transcripts
- Custom Portfolio Views
- Portfolio Health Score
Those last two features are new, and so is the option to link directly to your brokerage account.
Overview of Seeking Alpha Pro Features
Seeking Alpha Pro is the top subscription tier available on Seeking Alpha. Here are the features.
- All features included with Seeking Alpha Premium
- Quick access to content from the top-performing analysts on the platform
- Exclusive Buy and Strong Buy ratings and coverage on stocks that have no Wall Street coverage
- Daily Upgrades, Downgrades, and analyst ratings
- Access to short ideas from contributing analysts
- VIP customer service
Seeking Alpha Pro is suited to experienced investors and we’ll explain why as we get further into this review.
Comparison
| Feature | Seeking Alpha Premium | Seeking Alpha Pro |
| Link Portfolio | Y | Y |
| Price & Ratings Alerts | Y | Y |
| Quant Ratings | Y | Y |
| Preset and Custom Screeners | Y | Y |
| Full access to expert and community content | Y | Y |
| 10 years of financials | Y | Y |
| Access to short ideas | N | Y |
| Access to upgrades/downgrades | N | Y |
| Exclusive Buy and Strong Buy ratings | N | Y |
Detailed Breakdown: Seeking Alpha Premium
Seeking Alpha Premium is a top-notch investment research platform. Here are some of the details about its most impressive features for serious investors.
Quant Ratings and Author Ratings
Seeking Alpha’s proprietary Quant Ratings have a proven track record, as we’ve already noted. They’re something that’s also used in another premium service, Seeking Alpha Picks.
To calculate Quant ratings, they use hundreds of data points for each investment, then grade them on five factors: Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum and EPS Revisions.
Author ratings are community-generated ratings that subscribers can assign to each Author, thus helping other subscribers evaluate their ideas and decide who to follow.
Unlimited Access to Articles
Seeking Alpha subscribers and experts post thousands of ideas every day. With the Premium membership, you’ll get full access to articles.
You can choose your favorite authors to follow, and even post ideas yourself if that’s something you want to do.
Stock and ETF Screeners
Stock and ETF screeners are available to Premium members. These include preset screeners with Seeking Alpha’s Top Rated Stocks and Top Dividend Stocks, among others. Similar screeners are available for ETFs.
You have the option to follow these presets or set up custom screeners to your specifications.
Portfolio Management Tools
After you link your portfolio, you’ll get access to some useful portfolio management features. These include:
- Watchlists
- Price alerts
- Rating alerts
- Portfolio Health Grade
That last one rates your portfolio compared to others in the Seeking Alpha community and it can help you balance your portfolio and manage your risk.
Pro Tip:
Sign up today and receive $30 off and an exclusive 7-day free trial of Seeking Alpha Premium!
Who Should Choose Premium?
Seeking Alpha Premium is ideal for long-term investors who are looking for in-depth research and stock ideas. It may also be suitable for casual investors who want in-depth stock analysis but don’t want or need real-time data.
Detailed Breakdown: Seeking Alpha Pro
Now let’s look at Seeking Alpha Pro. This subscription tier offers even more in-depth analysis and research, including some unique features you won’t find anywhere else.
Access to Exclusive, Institutional-Grade Research Reports
- Instant access to all content from the top-performing Seeking Alpha analysts
- Coverage on stocks that have no Wall Street Coverage
Real-Time Alerts and Access to Pro-Only Ideas
- Real-Time price alerts
- Exclusive Buy and Strong Buy ratings
- Access to Short Ideas from top analysts
Proprietary Stock Analysis and Access to In-Depth Data Tools
- Daily Upgrades, Downgrades, and analyst ratings
- Access to highly-vetted and reliable expert analysis
Who Should Choose Pro?
Seeking Alpha Pro’s high price tag makes it ideal for hedge fund managers, day traders, and investment professionals who require up-to-the-minute information and institutional level research. It’s not ideal for beginners or casual investors.
Pro Tip:
Sign up today and receive $30 off and an exclusive 7-day free trial of Seeking Alpha Premium!
Seeking Alpha Pro Vs Premium Comparison
Here’s our table comparing Seeking Alpha Premium vs Pro features.
| Feature | Premium | Pro |
| Content Quality | As a Premium subscriber, you’ll get full access to community-created content, plus expert analysis. Community content isn’t always vetted, so you’ll need to proceed with caution. | Pro subscribers get access to all community and expert-created content. They also get immediate access to analysis and ideas from top contributors. |
| Stock Ideas | The closest thing to “stock ideas” you’ll get with Premium is access to Quant Ratings. | Pro subscribers get access to ideas from expert analysts plus short ideas, as well. |
| Real-Time Alerts | You can set up stock price and rating alerts with Premium. | Pro subscribers can set up price and rating alerts, but they also get access to real-time Upgrades and Downgrades from analysts. |
| Data Analysis Tools | Premium subscribers get access to preset and custom screeners and watchlists, plus easy-to-use tools to compare up to 20 investments at a time. | Pro subscribers can compare an unlimited number of investments at a time, plus get access to all the data analysis that comes with Premium. |
| Cost Consideration | Most investors will get all the value they need from Seeking Alpha Premium. | The additional cost for Seeking Alpha Pro may be worth it for day traders, financial professionals, and people who have a large enough portfolio to justify the price of a Pro subscription. |
Which Subscription is Right for You?
To understand which Seeking Alpha subscription is right for you, let’s break it down into user personas.
For Beginners
A beginner investor is someone who may be young and just starting their investment journey. They may have their first “real” job and access to a 401(k) or IRA. Or they might be someone later in life who has realized they need to get serious about retirement.
Either way, a beginner may benefit from Seeking Alpha Premium, which is the most cost-effective and budget-friendly option for those just getting started. Premium provides access to a whole array of useful research and analysis, plus portfolio management features such as alerts, watchlists, and screeners.
For Experienced Traders
An experienced trader is the opposite of a casual investor. They’re probably a financial professional who’s managing large portfolios on behalf of their clients. They may be interested in day trading and shorting investments, and they’re not afraid to dig into the deep financial details to make investment decisions.
Financial pros and experienced traders are the ones who can probably justify paying the high price tag attached to Seeking Alpha Pro.
For Long-Term Investors
People who have a long investment horizon may be young adults, or they may be slightly older people who are focused on long-term gains and not interested in playing the market. They need access to research because they want to make smart decisions, and they’re comfortable with a “buy and hold” strategy in most circumstances.
For these investors, Seeking Alpha Premium is the best choice. With a subscription, they’ll get access to deep research and portfolio management tools that will allow them to stay on top of their investments without blowing through their budget.
Pricing and Value for Money
The pricing difference between Seeking Alpha Premium and Seeking Alpha Pro is significant.
First-time subscribers to Seeking Alpha Premium pay $299 per year, which works out to $24.92 per month. That gives them access to a huge library of research and analysis, portfolio management tools, screeners, watchlists, and more.
The renewal cost for Seeking Alpha Premium is $499 per year, which works out to $41.58 per month.
The price tag for Seeking Alpha Pro is $200 per month, or $2,400 per year. That’s a high price, and that’s why we recommend it only for experienced traders and pros.
There are discounted trials for both plans, as follows.
- Seeking Alpha Premium: One-month trial for $4.95
- Seeking Alpha Pro: One-month trial for $99.00
It’s sometimes possible to find discount codes online, too.
| Seeking Alpha Premium | Seeking Alpha Pro | |
| # of Features | 8 | 13 |
| Cost per feature | $3.11/month | $15.38/month |
As you can see, the cost per feature is more than five times as high for Pro as it is for Premium. That’s a testament to how Seeking Alpha sees those Pro features, but it’s also an indication of why the Premium subscription is more than enough for most investors.
When you consider that Seeking Alpha Pro is only offering 5 more features, that shines some light. If you take the cost of those five additional features, which include Upgrades and Downgrades, Short Ideas, Top Expert Analysis, and Extra Ratings, you’re looking at an additional $31.68 per month, per feature.
Only you can decide if Seeking Alpha Premium or Seeking Alpha Pro is worth it to you.
Pro Tip:
Sign up today and receive $30 off and an exclusive 7-day free trial of Seeking Alpha Premium!
Conclusion
Both Seeking Alpha Premium and Seeking Alpha Pro are excellent stock research subscriptions. If you subscribe, you’ll get access to an impressive array of investment research features, including screeners, watchlists, expert analysis, and portfolio management tools.
Seeking Alpha Premium is suited for beginner, intermediate, and long-term investors who want access to investment research and analysis tools but don’t require the more expensive features included in the Pro subscription.
Seeking Alpha Pro is for expert investors, experienced traders, and financial professionals who are willing to pay for things like Short Ideas and VIP customer service.
Have you made your decision? Click here to try Seeking Alpha Premium, and here to sign up for Seeking Alpha Pro.
FAQs
Can I try Seeking Alpha Premium or Pro before subscribing?
Yes. There’s no free trial, but you can get a 30-day trial of Premium for just $4.95, and a 30-day trial of Pro for $99. The trial subscription will renew at the full price when it ends unless you cancel.
Does Seeking Alpha Premium include stock screeners?
Yes. Seeking Alpha Premium subscribers get access to a selection of preset stock and ETF screeners, including things like the Top Stock Screener, Top ETF Screener, and Top Dividend Screener. Subscribers may also choose to set up custom screeners using any metrics they choose.
Can I upgrade from Premium to Pro?
Yes. Premium members will see an “Upgrade to Pro” button under the menu on the left-hand side of the screen. Click it and you’ll be taken to a subscription page. Your Pro upgrade will start with a $99 30-day trial, then renew at the full price for Pro.
Can I cancel Seeking Alpha Premium or Pro at any time?
Yes, you may cancel your subscription whenever you want. The cancellation will go into effect at the end of your current billing period. Subscriptions are set to auto-renew, so make sure to notify Seeking Alpha that you want to cancel before the automatic renewal takes place.
