What is the best free stock scanner? Trade Ideas. A free account, just an email and no card, opens the Web Dashboard: Top Lists, Stock Races, heat maps and unusual options activity, on delayed data. Real-time starts with TI Standard. For free screening after the close, Finviz's free version is a good second pick, and TradingView Basic if charts come first.
Competitor prices and features checked October 12, 2026.
"Not listed" means the vendor's page does not say. We did not test the free tiers' data speed ourselves.
AI Assistant building a Top List (Screener).
The list
The 6 best free stock scanners
Popular stocks in a Top List (Screener), refreshing as you watch.
1. Trade Ideas (free Web Dashboard)
Trade Ideas has a free account, just an email and no card. It opens the Web Dashboard in your browser, on delayed data.
What you get free
Top Lists that rank the market, Stock Races, heat maps and unusual options activity, in any browser with no download.
When you want real-time
TI Standard ($127 a month or $1,068 a year) adds real-time data, Streaming Alerts that can fire on every trade, 310 alerts and 249 filters, Top Lists that re-check every 15 seconds while rankings update in real time, and the AI Assistant in TI Pro. TI Premium ($254 a month or $2,136 a year) adds Holly AI signals and OddsMaker.
Best for
Anyone who wants a real market scanner free in the browser, with a clear path to real-time when they trade during the session.
2. Finviz (free version)
Finviz is our pick for free screening after the close. With a free registered account you get the screener, heat maps and charts without paying.
Free includes
The screener with basic filters, 50 saved presets, 20 rows per page, market maps and daily charts.
Data
Delayed quotes on the free version; the screener auto-refreshes every 3 minutes.
Not in free
Alerts, intraday maps, the interactive charting suite and exports are Elite features.
Upgrade
Elite: $24.96/mo billed annually ($299.50/yr) or $39.50 monthly.
Best for: Screening and heat maps after the close.
Stay free while you research after the close. Consider paying when one of these is true:
You trade during the session and a delayed quote or a 3-minute refresh means you see moves late.
You want an alert to tell you when a stock does something, instead of re-running a screen.
You want to test a scan before you trade it. In Trade Ideas, that is OddsMaker, part of TI Premium.
To see how Trade Ideas works before you pay, open a free account. It runs on 15-minute delayed data.
Past results, including backtests, don't guarantee future results.
Method
How we checked
Free tiers from vendor pages. What each free tier includes comes from that company's own pricing or plans page, read on October 9, 2026.
Order. By how much a free account gets you. Trade Ideas is first: its free Web Dashboard gives you live-ranked Top Lists, Stock Races and heat maps, on delayed data.
Trade Ideas. Its free account, just an email, opens the Web Dashboard with Top Lists, Stock Races, heat maps and unusual options activity, on delayed data. Finviz's free version is a good pick for screening after the close, and TradingView Basic if charts come first.
Is there a free real-time stock scanner?
thinkorswim costs nothing for Schwab clients. Most free tiers use delayed data or skip auto-refresh: Finviz free is delayed with a 3-minute refresh, and TradingView lists screener auto-refresh on paid plans. Trade Ideas' free Web Dashboard runs on delayed data; real-time starts with TI Standard.
Is Trade Ideas free?
Yes, there's a free account: Market Dashboards in your browser with 15-minute delayed data. Real-time data, the TI Pro app and the AI Assistant start with TI Standard.
What do free stock screeners leave out?
Usually real-time data, auto-refresh, alerts, saved screens and exports. Which ones depends on the tool.
When is a paid stock scanner worth it?
When you trade during the session and need to know what is moving now, or want alerts and backtesting. If you research after the close, a free screener may be all you need.
What does Trade Ideas cost per month?
On a yearly bill, TI Standard works out to $89 a month, charged as $1,068 a year; month to month it is $127. TI Premium works out to $178 a month on a yearly bill ($2,136 a year) or $254 month to month. Premium is the plan with Holly AI Signals, OddsMaker backtesting, Money Machine, Smart Risk Levels and RBI/GBI windows. You can open a free account to try it. Prices checked October 2026 on trade-ideas.com/pricing.
