MarketWatch vs Motley Fool 2023

Whether you’re investing in individual stocks or mutual funds, you’ll want a subscription service that can help you make investment decisions that outperform the average return.

Experienced investors who understand how to analyze data can make use of more complex platforms. However, these types of platforms might provide a bit too much information for newer investors, which is why we’re comparing these two beginner-friendly alternatives.

In this MarketWatch vs Motley Fool comparison, we’ll place the two side-by-side to see which one is better at helping investors navigate the stock market.

When comparing premium services, it’s important to make sure that the subscription service of your choice aligns with your investment goals and investing style.

While some individual investors may take a more active role in the stock market, the long-term investor likely requires the same data. Always ensure that you’re not overpaying for services, data, or features that you won’t use.

Free Features	Limited access to articles Stock pricing Access to “Research & Tools” Ad-supported experience	Limited access to articles
Paid Features	Unlimited Access Exclusive Content Newsletter Watchlists Fewer ads	Monthly stock picks, Best Buy Nows, Starter Stocks, community access, educational resources
Annual Subscription Fees	$5/week	$199 ($89 for the first year with Modest Money)
Securities Analyzed	Stocks, ETFs, crypto, other equities	Stocks
Investing Approach	Fundamental & analytical	Quantitative and qualitative
Best Use	Stock news	Moderate Risk Investing
Current Promotion	More Info	More Info
Modest Money Overall Rating	3.5 rating based on 5 ratings	4.5 rating based on 5 ratings

Factor 1: Free Features

Although most people will pay for a subscription to these premium services, we’ll first be taking a look at what features you can use for free. The free versions certainly can’t act as a substitute for a competent financial advisor, but you may be able to use some of the information to build a diversified portfolio anyway.

Let’s see what types of investment ideas and investment strategies the non-paid versions of these services can offer.

MarketWatch

If you want to see the performance of individual stocks across your investment portfolios, MarketWatch can help. The site offers free users a limited amount of data, but it should be enough to identify high-growth stocks, find new investment ideas, and formulate investment strategies.

The limited information won’t necessarily be enough to turn you into a successful investor, but it can certainly help get you started.

Motley Fool

If—during your investing journey—you decide to use Motley Fool’s service for free, you’ll only have access to limited content. This includes free articles, YouTube videos, and podcasts. This content covers a variety of financial topics, not just investing.

Occasionally, you’ll see single stock recommendations, but it’s important to remember that these aren’t official recommendations from Motley Fool. Unfortunately, the only way to get the current stock recommendations is by subscribing to one of Motley Fool’s premium services (like Motley Fool Stock Advisor or Rule Breakers).

Factor 2: Paid Features

Next, we’ll take a look at the wide range of premium features offered by these platforms. While one caters to a more relaxed investing style by offering monthly stock picks, the other is more designed for active investors.

While both cover the stock prices and the stock market in general, coverage on other asset types—such as exchange-traded funds—varies between the two. To become a successful investor, you’ll want to make sure that the service you choose covers all of the asset types you’re interested in.

MarketWatch

If you’re looking for the platform with the most resources for investors, MarketWatch would be the better option. While you may be able to use the site to find current stock recommendations, the site itself doesn’t offer single stock recommendations: it’s not a stock picking service.

Instead, MarketWatch primarily focuses on financial news (such as market movement and changes in stock prices). You’ll also be able to gather critical information about companies like a financial statement, its historical performance, average return, and other relevant data.

The data MarketWatch offers is more comprehensive than the data from Motley Fool Stock Advisor’s services, but it likely won’t be enough to satisfy the advanced investor and other types of investors who like to analyze data.

Motley Fool

There are a limited number of resources for investors who just want stocks that they can “set and forget.” Fortunately, Motley Fool Stock Advisor is an excellent source of stock picks that aligns perfectly with this investing strategy, making it ideal for the hands-off type of investor.

The Fool’s premium investment services are all based around the idea of providing a straightforward stock picking service with supplementary investment advice. Subscribing to the Motley Fool Stock Advisor will give you instant access to their recommended starter stocks, monthly stock picks, and more.

Factor 3: Subscription Costs

Both of these premium investment services are capable of providing excellent investment recommendations, but how much are you willing to pay for this information? Let’s compare the two—and their pricing plans—to see which one aligns the closest with your allotted budget.

MarketWatch

With their current promotion, MarketWatch is only charging $1/week for their premium investment services (for the first year). However, regular pricing is $5/week, which adds up to $260 per year.

Motley Fool

For instant access to monthly recommendations, starter stocks, and more, you’ll need to pay $200 for the entire year. However, if you use our promotional link, you can grab your first year for only $99!

MarketWatch vs Motley Fool: Our Opinion

If you’re an experienced investor looking to perform stock analysis, Marketwatch might be the better option for you. While it does offer some investment research services—at least, more than Motley Fool—there are definitely superior services out there.

Motley Fool doesn’t try to be something it’s not: it just provides investment recommendations and individual stock picks (along with a bit of individual investment advice) in a monthly format. For the casual investor or the investor who’s just searching for supplementary stocks, we think Motley Fool is the better option between these two.

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