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This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide financial advice.
Some investors prefer to take a hands-on approach when it comes to investing. They do their own research and make judgment calls drawing from their experience. Other investors don’t have the time or inclination to spend hours every day researching and keeping up with the fluctuations of the stock market. For these investors, stock advising platforms like The Motley Fool and Seeking Alpha are the solution.
Founded in 1993, Motley Fool is a financial and investing advice company. It offers dozens of investing products and uses a subscription-based system. On top of subscription-specific add-ons like real estate recommendations and biotech stocks, all subscriptions grant access to a library of 171 stocks plus 25 foundational stocks; must-haves to start building a solid portfolio. Subscribers receive 12 expert stock reports and detailed recommendations each month, with a bonus video summarizing the thought process behind each pick.
Seeking Alpha is an investment research service launched in 2004 by David Jackson. Unlike Motley Fool and other stock advisors, Seeking Alpha relies on its community: the original concept was that knowledgeable investors would share their insights on various stocks investments and compare them with other investors, and all sides would have a more thorough overview and come better off it. Applying this crowdsourced approach, Seeking Alpha has over 20 million users and thousands of contributors.
In this Seeking Alpha vs. Motley Fool review, we will compare the two platforms side by side, consider all the features and benefits of each, and make a recommendation.
Keep in mind this is a quick summary of these products; for a more in-depth analysis, check out our full Seeking Alpha vs. Motley Fool review.
Motley Fool & Seeking Alpha plans
Starting with the similarities; both platforms offer access to:
- Daily or monthly recommendations
- Stock screening tools
- Stock Ratings system
- US markets
- 2- to 4-week free trial
- Stock news & email alerts
- Best Buys and Strong Buys recommendations
Despite both being stock advising service providers, Seeking Alpha and Motley Fool are very distinct. Starting with their fee system, Seeking Alpha offers a basic plan and two paid plans: Premium and PRO. The Premium and PRO plans are directed at knowledgeable and experienced investors who can take advantage of self-directed tools.
On the other hand, most Motley Fool products are self-contained recommendations. By design, they are meant to take the guesswork out of the equation. This makes Motley Fool services ideal for new or experienced investors who don’t have the time to do their own research.
Motley Fool offers three categories of premium services: Stock Picking Services, Real Money Portfolio Services, and Specialty Services. In this review, we will compare one of their biggest services, Stock Advisor, and see how it stacks up with Seeking Alpha’s premium plans.
Motley Fool vs. Seeking Alpha Basic Plan
Platform | Motley Fool | Seeking Alpha Basic |
Monthly subscription | Free | Free |
Articles | Yes | Yes |
Videos | Yes | No |
Podcasts | Yes | No |
Official recommendations | No | Yes. (15 newsletters) |
Access to official Ratings | No | Limited |
Sync with your broker | No | Yes |
Build and manage a portfolio of stocks or ETFs | No | Yes |
Receive stock news & analysis email alerts | No | Yes |
The Motley Fool doesn’t really have a basic plan; instead, it offers access to resources for free, available on its website. These include articles, videos, and podcasts. Users won’t have access to any official ratings, stock news, or alerts but will have access to CAPS, a community-driven pool of resources and recommendations. It’s important to note that even though the articles are written by Motley Fool analysts, they do not represent and are not connected to Motley Fools official Best Buys recommendations.
The Seeking Alpha basic plan comes with 15 official recommendations sent directly to your email, access to newsletters for different stocks, and limited access to its proprietary Quant Ratings. Quant Ratings is an algorithm that uses real-time data and future prospects of stocks to make a recommendation. One major benefit over Motley Fool’s free plan – and all other Motley Fools products – is that it can be synced with the biggest online brokers. That means you can research stocks and start trading within the Seeking Alpha platform.
Our Pick
Based on the services offered, support for official recommendations (backed by the issuing company), and compatibility with all the biggest brokerages, the clear winner here is the Seeking Alpha basic plan.
Motley Fool vs. Seeking Alpha Premium And Pro Plans
Now, we will compare Motley Fools’ biggest service, Stock Advisor, with both of Seeking Alpha plans. For starters, the prices are very different;
Platform | Stock Advisor | Seeking Alpha Premium | Seeking Alpha Pro |
Subscription | $39/month (or $89/year for the first year) | $29.99/month (or $239/yearly) | $299.99/month (or $2,388/yearly) |
Premium Recommendations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Access to Stock Screeners | Yes | No | Yes. PRO screener |
exclusive premium newsletters | Yes | No | Yes |
Exclusive Recommendations | Yes | No | Yes |
Sync with your broker | No | Yes | Yes |
Trial period | 30 days | 14 days | 14 days |
Stock rating system | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Direct access to Financial Statements of companies | No | Yes. (Last 5 years) | Yes. (Last 10 years) |
When comparing these services, there’s a clear divide between the Stock Advisor and the Seeking Alpha Premium plan and the Seeking Alpha PRO plan. Both Motley Fools Stock Advisor and Seeking Alpha’s Premium plan have similar prices but have very distinct benefits and features. Both come with premium recommendations directly from each team’s pro analysts, and they have developed their own very successful rating systems, CAPS for Motley Fool and Quant for Seeking Alpha. The main differences are compatibility and research: Stock Advisor comes with access to a stock screener, 171 expertly-picked stocks, plus 25 foundational stocks.
Seeking Alpha Premium and Seeking Alpha PRO are not just stock advisors. Both services are fully compatible with the largest brokerages in the US, and users can sync their accounts and place orders right from the Seeking Alpha dashboard. It’s particularly useful if you have your investments spread across different platforms and would like to track everything in one place and gain valuable expert insights. You will also receive Strong Buy recommendations every couple of days. For more information about the Quant Rating system and additional features, here’s our complete Seeking Alpha review.
The Seeking Alpha Premium service doesn’t come with a stock screener, but the PRO plan has one of the most thorough idea screeners out there: you can filter by long or short, sector, market cap, country, growth vs. value, and much more. Both Seeking Alpha plans to provide direct access to companies’ financial statements from the last 5 and 10 years, respectively.
Our Pick
Between Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor and Seeking Alpha’s Premium plan, our recommendation is Seeking Alpha’s Premium plan. We based this pick on the lower pricing, high compatibility with brokerages, and overall greater access to research tools.
The Seeking Alpha PRO plan is considerably more expensive than the Premium plan, and it’s hard to justify for the average investor; however, if you are an experienced investor with lots of investments across different platforms, or a fund manager looking to make the most out of the PRO stock screener, it might be worth considering.
Sign-Up Process
Signing Up With Motley Fool
Anyone can register for any of Motley Fool’s services, but the company mainly targets US citizens. The signup process is very quick; you only need a valid email address. Here are the steps:
- Visit Motley Foolspage
- Click Our Services on the top left
- Select a service
If you use this link to sign up, you will get 60%+ off your first year for whichever service you decide to go for. Keep in mind this discount is only available if you haven’t signed for any of their products in the past – if you’re unsure which service to go for, check out our full Motley Fool services review.
Additionally, a 30-day money-back guaranteed trial will be applied automatically; If you’re not satisfied with the product, you can cancel before the end period and get a full refund.
Signing Up With Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha is available worldwide, and anyone can register. The sign-up process doesn’t take more than 5 minutes; here are the steps:
- Visit Seeking Alpha’swebsite
- Click the Try Premium button
- Select a plan
Use our link to sign up with Seeking Alpha and you will not only get a discount on the Premium and PRO plans but also gain access to the 14-day free trial. To get the full refund, just make sure to cancel the subscription before the 14-day period ends.
Choosing Your Plan
If you’re still unsure which plan to pick, these are our recommendations.
- If you’re not looking to spend any money on a subscription and want to get a feel for the platform, you should pick Seeking Alpha’s basic plan
- If you’re looking for premium recommendations from experts and access to a basic stock screener, one of Motley Fools’ services like Stock Advisor is for you
- If you’re looking for an affordable subscription that allows you to manage your investments across brokerages in one place, with strong research tools and a proven Stock Rating system, Seeking Alpha’s Premium plan is for you
- Suppose you’re an expert trader or a fund manager that needs the best stock screener in the market and complete access to financial statements from companies and are ready to pay for the privilege, you should pick the Seeking Alpha PRO plan
Usually, when it comes to stock advisor services it’s a good idea to start with the basic plans and upgrade as necessary. All services listed here offer free trials and money-back guarantees, so make sure to test them out before committing to a full subscription.
Motley Fool Fees vs. Seeking Alpha Fees
Motley Fool
- Stock Advisor Subscription: $39/month ($89/year the first year)
- Rule Breakers Subscription: $39/month ($99/year the first year)
For new users, the first year for these services is $89 and $99 respectively. From the second year onwards, the fees are $199/year for Stock Advisor and $299/year for rule breakers. Keep in mind all Motley Fool services come with a 30-day free trial. Before that period ends, you can cancel the service and get your money back – no questions asked.
Seeking Alpha
- Basic Plan: Free
- Premium Plan: $29.99/month, or $239/year ($19.99/month)
- PRO Plan: $299.99/month, or $2,388/year ($199.99/month)
Seeking Alpha’s fee system can be a bit confusing. Each of their two paid plans, Premium and PRO. If you sign up for the premium plan and pay monthly, the fee is $29.99. If you opt for a 1-year plan, you pay $239/year, roughly $19.99 monthly. If you choose the 3-year plan, you pay $540 at the start of the year, which is roughly $14.99 per month. The same thing applies to the PRO plan, but the respective fees are $299.99/month and $2,388 for a 1-year subscription.
Conclusion
Both Seeking Alpha and Motley Fool are contenders if you’re looking for a solid stock advising platform. Motley Fool products target beginner and intermediate investors and are ideal if you can’t spend hours on end researching stocks and other investments. Seeking Alpha, on the other hand, is ideal for DIY investors and fund managers who can take full advantage of all the research tools.
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