Motley Fool vs Seeking Alpha

  • Investments are mostly passive
  • Educates beginner investors
  • Wide range of subscription plans
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  • Geared towards experienced investors
  • Financial data spans years
  • Focused on self-directed analysis
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Many investors are happy to leave their money in an investment account and let it grow over time. Others develop an interest in the market, and people want to keep at the cutting edge of market research.

Motley Fool and Seeking Alpha are both effective firms, offering expert stock tips, security recommendations, and other market overviews.

Both firms provide their customers with the best in market research, but there are enough differences between both firms’ premium services to consider one over the other.

Motley Fool is mostly concerned with finding the next best stock that will outperform the market, and they report and long-lasting track record out outperforming the S&P.

Seeking Alpha also focuses on individual stocks but emphasizes the firm’s “Quant” computerized stock ratings. This piece can help you decide which premium service is right for you in the debate between Motley Fool vs. Seeking alpha.

Motley Fool Overview

Motley Fool has been in operation since 1998, making it one of the more dependable stock advisors on the market. Despite the humorous language in each of its pieces, the Motley Fool has proven a stalwart advisory firm that provides stock tips.

Those who are hesitant to immediately invest in the company’s premium subscriptions can pour through the myriad of free columns and market advice offered on its website.

This should give potential customers ample to decide whether The Motley Fool is worth investing further into its premium subscription plans and market analysis tools.

The Motley Fool’s typical premium plan will cost $199 per year. Users can spend considerably more than this, all the way up to the $13,999 per year subscription that allows unlimited access to all of Motley Fool’s publications and market tools.

There is a recent $149 option for those who only want to receive publications and advice related to retirement planning. If you want more beyond the droves of free content that Motley Fool offers there are plenty of options for you to choose from depending on your investment interests.

Motley Fool Pros

  • Proven record of reliable growth
  • A subscription plan for every budget
  • Education available for all experience levels

Motley Fool Cons

  • Somewhat aggressive marketing strategy
  • Can be too much information for customers
  • Humorous tone might not be appropriate for every subscriber

Seeking Alpha Overview

Seeking Alpha (SA) is another market advisor platform that offers users both free and subscription services. It boasts a focus on a large community of people analyzing the market together in addition to its proprietary “Quant” rating of stocks.

Much like Motley Fool, SA also offers newsletters and advice columns. Seeking Alpha claims that thousands of authors contribute roughly 10,000 articles every month.

Whether or not this is important information to keep investors informed or producing content for its own sake will ultimately be a decision for potential customers to decide.

Seeking Alpha pros

  • Very affordable subscription price
  • Large community of professionals and amateurs contributing information
  • Comprehensive “Quant” stock rating based on a range of stats

Seeking Alpha cons

  • Not suitable for beginner investors
  • Sheer volume of statistics to sift through can be too much for the uninitiated
  • Most useful analytical tools are hidden behind a paywall

Motley Fool vs. Seeking Alpha: The Verdict

Both Seeking Alpha and Motley Fool offer reliable services to different types of investors. Both firms offer plenty of market research and stock tip columns, but their demographics differ slightly. Motley Fool offers plans for subscribers who are new but enthusiastic about market research.

They still offer a wide variety of programs for veteran investors, but Motley Fool’s philosophy always revolves around long-term investing even though the company will send daily newsletters to those hungry to get a sense of the market.

Seeking Alpha will not be of use to beginning investors as it centers around providing more complex analytics to intermediate/advanced customers. Its crowd-sourcing approach makes it great for individuals who would like a mix of opinions between both professionals and amateur investors.

This can be a gift or a curse depending on the individual’s preferences, but it is a dynamic not often seen in market advisory services.Regardless of your conclusion in the debate between Motley Fool vs. Seeking Alpha, you can start your investment ambitions right here!

Bob Haegele

About the Author:

Bob Haegele is a personal finance writer, entrepreneur, and dog walker. Bob has been writing about personal finance for three years and now manages several personal finance sites, including The Frugal Fellow, Good Credit Info, and Blooming Wealth. You can also find him contributing to popular websites such as Yahoo! Finance, MSN Money, and GOBankingRates. You can see more of his work on Muck Rack and Contently, or connect with him on LinkedIn.