Buyer's guide
Best Free Stock Screener in 2026
Market Census is the only US scanner that gives a plain-English reason for every score. Below is an honest, feature-only comparison of the genuinely free stock screeners worth your time in 2026 — what each free path includes, whether it names the factors behind its score, and whether it needs a card. No performance claims, because a screener that promised returns would be lying to you.
Free account: email and password, no card; scans show the top 10 rows.
At a glance — the free paths compared
Features only. We compare what each free path gives you and whether the scoring factors are named — never claimed returns.
| Screener | Free path | Factors named | No card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market Census (free plan) | A free account runs the scanner at the top ten scored rows of any scan (prices delayed about 15 minutes) — and the ticker pages need no account at all | Yes | Yes |
| Finviz (free) | Free web screener — 60+ raw filter fields across a broad US universe, delayed data, ads | No score | Yes |
| TradingView (free screener) | Free stock screener + best-in-class charting, with limits on saved screens and alerts | No score | Yes |
| StockAnalysis.io | Free screener + clean fundamental data tables, no login wall on the basics | No score | Yes |
Market Census (free plan)
Free path: A free account runs the scanner at the top ten scored rows of any scan (prices delayed about 15 minutes) — and the ticker pages need no account at all
The only US scanner that gives a plain-English reason for every score. There are two free paths here, and they are worth separating. Reading asks for nothing at all: the composite score and the plain-English Why on each ticker page are open to anyone. Running the scanner asks for an email and a password and nothing else — the free plan shows you the top ten scored rows of whatever scan you build, with one saved screen and a five-symbol watchlist. A card is what turns on the rest of the matching rows, alerts and SEC Form 4 insider filings, and adding one starts the 30-day Premium trial ($0 that day, first charge on day 30, cancel online any time).
Finviz (free)
Free path: Free web screener — 60+ raw filter fields across a broad US universe, delayed data, ads
The free Finviz screener is deep on raw filter fields — you build your own thesis from the data. There's no composite score; it's a filter box, not a scoring engine. The paid Elite tier removes ads and adds real-time data. If you like filtering the universe by hand, the free tier is genuinely useful.
TradingView (free screener)
Free path: Free stock screener + best-in-class charting, with limits on saved screens and alerts
TradingView pairs a genuinely usable free screener with the best charting on the internet and a huge community ideas feed. The screener is filter-based rather than a scoring engine, and there's no first-party record of how its screens have done. Best if you live in charts and want a free screener alongside them.
StockAnalysis.io
Free path: Free screener + clean fundamental data tables, no login wall on the basics
The most usable no-strings free screener — clean fundamentals, ETF and IPO coverage, and no paywall on the essentials. It's filter-based, with no composite score. If all you need is a basic free screener and readable financial tables, you honestly don't need to pay anyone.
How we compared them
Three feature criteria, no performance criteria: is there a genuinely free path (not a disguised trial); does the tool name the factors behind any score it shows; and does it work with no credit card. We deliberately do not rank screeners by claimed returns — descriptive analytics only.
Market Census is the only tool here that answers "yes" to the factors-named column. It is also the one entry here with two free paths rather than one: the ticker pages read with no account, and the scanner runs on a free plan that asks for an email and a password and nothing else. That second path has a real ceiling and we'd rather you hear it here — ten scored rows a scan, where the other four hand you every row your filters match. The raw filter screeners (Finviz, TradingView, StockAnalysis.io) don't produce a composite score at all, so those columns simply don't apply to them — a fair difference in design, not a knock.
Keep exploring
- Browse every scored US ticker → — the full coverage directory.
- Best swing trade stocks: the guide → — how the swing-trading ranking works. The live list is in your dashboard.
The scanner that shows its work.
The ticker pages stay free with no account. An account is an email and a password: the scanner opens on the free plan at ten scored rows a scan. A card is what shows every matching row and turns on alerts — it starts the 30-day Premium trial, $0 today, first charge on day 30, cancel online any time. Pro from $8.25/mo ($99/yr billed annually). 30-day money back on monthly plans; annual plans get a prorated refund in the same window.