Best Stock Scanners: Uncover Winning Trades Easily
In the crowded world of trading tools, finding the best stock scanners can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, Finviz offers a streamlined, powerful solution that brings real-time data, advanced charting, and customizable filters right to your fingertips. With its intuitive layout and comprehensive feature set, Finviz helps you pinpoint high-potential stocks faster. Get Started with Finviz for Free Today.
You know the frustration of sifting through delayed quotes, clunky interfaces, and paywalls just to run a quick scan. After testing dozens of platforms over the past decade, I can confidently say Finviz has stood the test of time. Founded in 2007 and trusted by millions of traders—ranging from beginners to professionals—its Elite plan delivers ad-free real-time data, extended hours trading sessions, and powerful backtesting. Ready to elevate your trading game? Get Started with Finviz for Free Today and see why it’s regarded among the best stock scanners.
What is Finviz?
Finviz is an all-in-one stock market research platform designed to help day traders, swing traders, and long-term investors discover and analyze opportunities efficiently. At its core, Finviz provides a highly customizable stock screener, interactive heat maps, advanced charting tools, and the ability to screen across fundamental and technical indicators—all in one place. By aggregating real-time quotes, premarket and aftermarket data, and historical performance, Finviz streamlines the scanning and analysis process so you can focus on making informed trading decisions.
Finviz Overview
Launched in 2007, Finviz was built on the premise that market research shouldn’t be cumbersome or expensive. Its mission: deliver professional-grade tools in a streamlined interface. Over the years, Finviz has expanded from a basic screener into a full-fledged market intelligence platform. Key milestones include the introduction of interactive heat maps, the rollout of extended hours data, integration of powerful backtesting features, and the unveiling of correlation analytics specifically tuned for financial markets. Today, Finviz serves millions of users with a mix of free and Elite subscriptions.
Continuous updates—driven by direct feedback from traders—ensure Finviz stays ahead of evolving market demands. With each new feature release, whether it’s customizable alerts or deeper chart overlays, the platform reaffirms its position among the industry’s best stock scanners.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Real-time quotes and extended hours sessions for next-level scanning.
- Ad-free layout in the Elite plan keeps distractions to a minimum.
- Over 100 technical indicators and drawing tools for deep analysis.
- Backtesting across 24 years of data helps validate your strategies.
- Correlation matrices to uncover inverse and correlated stocks.
- Customizable email and push alerts for price, news, ratings, and more.
Cons:
- The free version uses delayed data and limited filters.
- Learning curve for traders new to advanced screeners and backtests.
Features
Finviz’s suite of features addresses every stage of your market research process—from initial idea generation to in-depth technical and fundamental analysis.
Stock Screener
The cornerstone of Finviz, the Stock Screener lets you filter thousands of tickers using over 100 criteria.
- Technical filters: RSI, SMA crossovers, volume spikes.
- Fundamental filters: EPS growth, P/E ratios, debt-to-equity.
- Preset scans: Top gainers, new highs, undervalued stocks.
- Custom filters: Save up to 200 custom screen setups in Elite.
- Data export: Download filtered results straight to Excel.
Advanced Charts
Perform deep technical analysis with interactive, multi-layout charts.
- Intraday and extended hours charts from 4:00 AM through aftermarket.
- Overlays and indicators: Bollinger Bands, MACD, Fibonacci retracements.
- Drawing tools: Trendlines, support and resistance zones.
- Fullscreen mode and performance comparison charts.
Backtests
Validate trading strategies using decades of historical data.
- 24 years of price history for US-listed stocks.
- 100+ technical indicators available as entry/exit conditions.
- Compare your system’s performance against the SPY benchmark.
- Detailed metrics: Win rate, profit factor, drawdown analysis.
Correlations
Optimize portfolio diversification by exploring stock correlations.
- Identify stocks moving in tandem or in opposition.
- Pinpoint sector interdependencies for risk management.
- Proprietary algorithms tailored to financial data sets.
Alerts & Notifications
Stay on top of market moves with instant alerts.
- Email and push notifications for individual tickers and portfolios.
- Trigger conditions: price levels, news events, ratings changes.
- Customizable alert frequency to match your trading style.
Finviz Pricing
Choose between a fully free plan or unlock the Elite account for advanced capabilities.
Free
- Monthly fee: $0
- Ideal for casual investors and learning the platform basics.
- Includes delayed quotes, basic charts, and limited screener presets.
Elite
- Monthly fee: $39.50 (or $24.96/month billed annually)
- Ideal for active traders requiring real-time data and advanced tools.
- Highlights:
- Ad-free interface
- Real-time quotes and extended hours sessions
- Advanced charts, backtests, correlations, and alerts
- Includes a 7-day free trial to explore all features risk-free.
Finviz Is Best For
Whether you’re a scalper or a patient value investor, Finviz has features tailored to your approach.
Day Traders
Access real-time premarket data and intraday charts to capitalize on short-term volatility. Use custom filters for volume spikes and momentum shifts.
Swing Traders
Scan for chart patterns, moving average crossovers, and RSI divergences across multiple timeframes. Backtest strategies to refine entry and exit rules.
Long-Term Investors
Drill into fundamental screens for EPS growth, revenue trends, and balance sheet strength. Monitor correlated stocks to diversify risk and build a resilient portfolio.
Benefits of Using Finviz
- Speed: Comprehensive scans complete in seconds, so you never miss an opportunity.
- Clarity: Clean, ad-free layouts in Elite keep your focus on data that matters.
- Confidence: Backtest your strategies against decades of history before risking capital.
- Diversification: Correlation tools help balance your positions across uncorrelated assets.
- Convenience: Export data directly to Excel for custom analysis and record-keeping.
Customer Support
Finviz offers responsive customer service via email and an extensive online knowledge base. For Elite subscribers, support requests are prioritized, ensuring technical questions and subscription inquiries receive prompt attention.
Whether you need help configuring an alert or troubleshooting chart layouts, Finviz’s support team typically responds within 24 hours. A dedicated FAQ section, tutorial videos, and step-by-step guides also make self-service a breeze.
External Reviews and Ratings
Traders on platforms like Reddit, Trustpilot, and TradingView consistently praise Finviz for its intuitive interface and robust feature set. Many highlight the value of real-time extended hours data, while some note occasional server lag during peak market hours. Overall ratings hover around 4.5 stars, with Elite’s fast performance and breadth of indicators singled out as major strengths.
A few users wish for integrated brokerage execution, but Finviz continues to evolve and recently launched API endpoints for automated data access. The development team actively monitors user feedback and implements regular updates to address feature requests.
Educational Resources and Community
Finviz maintains an official blog featuring market recaps, strategy tutorials, and screener walkthroughs. Webinars with professional traders dive deep into chart studies and backtesting tips, while a dedicated forum lets you swap ideas with fellow Finviz users. YouTube channels and third-party blogs also publish strategy guides leveraging Finviz tools, creating a vibrant ecosystem of shared knowledge.
Conclusion
When it comes to identifying market opportunities quickly, nothing beats having one of the best stock scanners at your disposal. Finviz’s combination of real-time data, advanced charts, backtests, and correlation analytics delivers the clarity and speed traders need. Ready to streamline your research workflow? Get Started with Finviz for Free Today and take advantage of the 7-day Elite trial.
Get Started with Finviz for Free Today and begin scanning smarter.