Joy Wallet is advertiser-supported: we may earn compensation from the products and offers mentioned in this article. However, any expressed opinions are our own and aren't influenced by compensation. To read our full disclosure, click here.
You’ve probably heard stories of ordinary people picking the right stock at the right time and cashing in big, seemingly overnight. While investing in specific stocks can be risky, it can also lead to big rewards — if timed correctly. But doing the due diligence needed isn’t always possible for those with busy schedules. That’s where a stock picker comes into play.
A stock picking service can help present you with the best stock opportunities of the moment, giving you the inside scoop to begin day trading with more education and confidence.
Keep in mind, that trading on the stock market is always a gamble. Even day traders who do this for a living can’t predict how the market will land on any given day. If you’re looking for safer investments, I recommend mutual funds, index funds, and ETFs over individual stocks. But if you’re looking for recommendations on specific stocks to add to your watchlist, here are some of the best stock-picking services with proven algorithms and track records.
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
In this article
Best stock picking services overview
Stock Picker | Best For |
Motley Fool Stock Advisor | Best overall for long-term investors |
Seeking Alpha | Best for free access to stock analysis |
Zacks Premium | Best for short-term stock trading |
Stock Rover | Best for custom stock screening |
Warrior Trading | Best for beginner day traders |
Mindful Trader | Best low-cost swing trading service |
Sykes | Best for penny stocks |
Swing Trader | Best beginner swing trading platform |
Morningstar Premium | Best for fundamental analysis |
The Motley Fool is offering its top stock-picking service at 50% off for new members.*
*$99 is an introductory price for new members only. 50% discount based on current list price of Stock Advisor of $199/year. Membership will renew annually at the then-current list price.
Best stock-picking services
Motley Fool Stock Advisor
Perhaps one of the most well-known stock pickers, Motley Fool Stock Advisor is ideal for buy-and-hold investors looking to grow their portfolios. Stock Advisor sticks to traditional, well-established companies when making recommendations, lowering (but not eliminating) your risk by focusing on growth stocks.
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor claims to have performed three times better than the S&P 500 for almost two decades. The types of stocks recommended here are expected to grow into higher-valued stocks over time. They could be a good fit for you if you’re looking to build your portfolio substantially over several decades. The service recommends buying at least 25 stocks from their recommendations and holding for a minimum of five years, in order to build long-term wealth.
This service promises to give you access to disruptive companies worth buying into now that are expected to be major industry players years down the road. Former Motley Fool Stock Advisor picks include Amazon, Priceline, and Costco.
It costs $79 to sign up for Motley Fool Stock Advisor (for your first year*). Once you're a member, you’ll gain access to their in-depth stock reports and recommendations.
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
The Motley Fool is offering its top stock-picking service at 50% off for new members.*
*$99 is an introductory price for new members only. 50% discount based on current list price of Stock Advisor of $199/year. Membership will renew annually at the then-current list price.
Seeking Alpha
Founded in 2004 by former Wall Street financial analyst David Jackson, Seeking Alpha offers professional investment analysis that allows you to set alerts on your favorite stocks by adding them to your watchlist.
Like the Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha functions as a stock database with educational resources and offers both paid and premium services. Unlike the Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha does not deliver stock recommendations or a specific focus list of investment options. Instead, you can research through their database, offering you more control but less hand-holding. You can also research dividend stocks.
Seeking Alpha offers three service tiers: a free plan, a premium plan, and a pro plan. The free plan allows you to set alerts and notifications on your favorite stocks, but you’re limited in the analyses and ratings you can see. The premium plan lets you view ratings for all stocks and the authors’ previous analyses and stock performance — you also have access to a stock screener and past educational tools. The pro plan offers all of the perks of premium, with extra advice and interviews from finance professionals, along with a “top ideas” report, which top performers that expert analysts agree upon.
It costs $19.99 monthly for the Seeking Alpha Premium Plan and $199.99 a month for the Pro Plan (both billed annually).
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
Zacks Premium
Another top contender in the stock picker market is Zacks Premium, originally founded by Len Zacks in 1978. Zacks analyzes stocks, mutual funds, shares, and ETFs. Like Seeking Alpha, it won’t tell you which stocks you should be buying but will share ratings when you research picks on their site. It’s also a great research platform for digging into new stock statistics.
Zacks offers a top buy list (the top 5% of stocks with the most growth potential), an industry rank list, independent research reports, and more. Focus lists are provided, but you won’t receive the detailed packages that Motley Fool offers. However, you can receive a large amount of analysis, metrics, research tools, and reports on the stocks you choose to view. Stocks that Zacks rates as a 1 (the highest) average 25.6% returns over the S&P 500’s 11.2%. It offers picks all across the major industries — including cryptocurrency. You can also find good starter stocks to begin growing your portfolio with.
Zacks Premium costs $249 a year and gets you access to their focus list portfolio, equity research reports, premium screens, Zacks Rank, and more. Zacks Investor Collection costs $495 a year and offers all of the features as Zacks Premium, plus an ETF investor, stocks under $10 list, confidential stock listings, and more.
There’s also a more limited free version, where you can access five stocks on the Zacks list.
The Motley Fool is offering its top stock-picking service at 50% off for new members.*
*$99 is an introductory price for new members only. 50% discount based on current list price of Stock Advisor of $199/year. Membership will renew annually at the then-current list price.
Stock Rover
Stock Rover is another top option when looking for a stock selection service. It can connect to your existing brokerage account and then analyze your portfolio to help you find growth opportunities.
One of the major perks Stock Rover offers over some competitors is its custom stock screeners. You can choose from over 140 already-built screens or build your own. The screens are built based on different investment strategies, thus satisfying a large range of stock needs. Stock Rover also offers hundreds of metrics, from efficiency and financial standing to ratings. On the downside, it does not offer access to cryptocurrency.
Stock Rover offers a limited free plan. The next level up is its Essentials Plan, $79.99 yearly or $139.99 for two years. That gains you access to over 8,500 stocks, 260+ financial metrics, five years of financial history, brokerage integration, and much more. Premium ($179.99 a year or $319.99 for two years) gets you 90 additional metrics, 10 years of financial history, advanced alerts, and prioritized phone alerts. Lastly, Premium Plus ($279.99 a year or $479.99 for two years) gets you 300 additional metrics, custom metrics, equation screening, investor warnings, ratio charts, and even more analytic tools.
Research reports that offer comprehensive analysis on over 7,000 North American companies are also available for an additional $49.99.
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
Warrior Trading
If you’re looking for a way to get started with day trading, Warrior Trading could offer the educational tools you’ve been looking for. This service is best for anyone looking for short-term growth opportunities who isn’t afraid of taking large risks. This service won’t be a great fit for anyone looking to grow long-term wealth steadily and safely.
Warrior Trading puts a high value on financial and stock education and can teach you how to read a stock chart like a professional. This service also has a bustling chat room with advice during market hours on short-term day trading, swing trading, scalping, and other short-term strategies. Warrior Trading also offers webinars, online courses, and group mentoring sessions designed to teach you the basics of investing and day trading.
There is a free introductory course called “How to Day Trade” that you can watch to determine if Warrior Trading’s style is the right match for you. There are also two membership plans — Warrior Starter and Warrior Pro. Warrior Starter is ideal for beginners and lets you learn the basics of day trading at your own pace. You gain access to 15 chapters of content, as well as the live trading chat rooms, some stock scanner access, and a real-time stock simulator. Warrior Pro offers more targeted courses for day traders who already know the basics, full chat room access, six mentor sessions, and customizable stock scanners.
Warrior Starter charges $597 as a one-time membership fee and an additional $97/month for the trading tool subscription. Warrior Pro costs $2,978 for a one-time membership fee and $247 monthly for the trading subscription tool.
Learn more about Warrior Trading here.
The Motley Fool is offering its top stock-picking service at 50% off for new members.*
*$99 is an introductory price for new members only. 50% discount based on current list price of Stock Advisor of $199/year. Membership will renew annually at the then-current list price.
Mindful Trader
The Mindful Trader is a stock-picking service run by Eric Ferguson. It focuses on swing trading and offers live trading and education on stocks, futures, options, and other resources. The Mindful Trader might be a good fit for you if you need help getting started and want someone to walk you through the trading moves they make.
This service offers stock buy alerts, the primary motivator of signing up. Eric will walk you through his live trades, allowing you to replicate a similar trade. There is also a watchlist functionality focusing on potential entry, potential profit, and potential stop. You also gain access to Eric’s live positions list and daily market commentary emails from Eric. Educational videos are also available to teach you the basics of swing trading. You’re also able to reach out to Eric directly with questions.
The Mindful Trader is also more affordable than most other stock-picking services, with one membership tier costing $47 per month.
Learn more about The Mindful Trader here.
Timothy Sykes
As a known penny stock trader, Timothy Sykes’ self-named service aims to help you make money on penny stocks. Sykes is also a top guru and co-creator of Profit.ly, a social platform for traders.
Sykes’ stock picks rely heavily on technical analysis, breaking down stock charts for most trades, purchasing penny stocks right before they take off, and selling them before they begin to settle down. His approach typically will have you holding a stock for a few hours rather than multiple days.
To access Timothy Sykes’ penny stock picks, you can sign up for Tim’s Alerts, which costs $74.95 per month (you’ll get a discount for signing up for a year). You’ll gain access to a trading chatroom, stock watchlist, email, SMS, and push trade alerts. This type of service is best for someone who can respond immediately since the market is constantly fluctuating. If you work a 9 to 5 and can’t act on Tim’s advice in real-time, you may find this service a waste of your money.
The PennyStocking Silver package offers all of the above plus a library of educational resources with thousands of videos to help you better understand Tim's stock decisions. This service costs $149.95 monthly (with a discount for signing up for a year).
If you’re really interested in Tim’s strategy, you can also sign up for Tim’s Millionaire Challenge, which costs approximately $5,000. This gives you more advice and one-on-one consulting but requires an application process.
You can learn more about Timothy Sykes's products here.
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
Swing Trader
IBD Swing Trader is a stock picker service designed for anyone interested in getting started in swing trading. This platform offers similar services to competitors, though the results have been mixed.
First, you should know that Swing Trader focuses on seven key factors when analyzing stocks: current quarterly earnings, annual earnings, new products/management leading to growth, supply of stock diminishing, laggard stocks overperforming, investors with strong positions in the stock, and overall bullish market direction. That said, Swing Trader underperformed against the S&P 500 during the first half of 2021, compared to similar services that overperformed.
With Swing Trader, you can expect to hold stocks for a few days to a little over a week. The design of the software is rather simple and easy to understand, with a current trades list and a quick indicator showing stocks within your price range. Alerts are also available within Swing Trader. It’s beginner-friendly and armed with a catalog of research and resources.
Swing Trader costs $69 monthly and has a curated list of swing stock picks. Before committing, you can try the service out for just $50 for five weeks.
Learn more about Swing Trader here.
The Motley Fool is offering its top stock-picking service at 50% off for new members.*
*$99 is an introductory price for new members only. 50% discount based on current list price of Stock Advisor of $199/year. Membership will renew annually at the then-current list price.
Morningstar Premium
Morningstar is well known for its in-depth analysis of stocks, ETFs, and other investments. It focuses on fundamental analysis (looking at a company’s standings, growth potential, backing, etc.) rather than technical analysis.
This investment picker service is best for those looking for long-term investment strategies that are less risky than day trading. It is similar to Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor, though it also offers fund screening. On the downside, it’s more expensive than Motley Fool’s services.
You might consider Morningstar Premium if you’d like your portfolio analyzed. Its X-ray technology will examine your current portfolio offer advice on how it’s weighted, and notify you if you’re overexposed. In addition, Morningstar Premium offers a stock screener, though it’s not quite as customizable as other competitors.
There are two membership tiers — basic and premium. Morningstar Basic offers access to analyst reports, top investment picks, part of the portfolio manager, some X-ray services, partial screener usage, and archived articles. Morningstar Premium offers full portfolio, X-Ray, and screen access (plus everything in Basic).
Morningstar Basic is free, while Premium costs $34.95 a month and $249 a year. Promotions are often available.
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
FAQs
What does a stock picker service do?
A stock picker service uses analysis (either fundamental or technical) to help curate a list of stocks it determines you may be interested in investing in. Some services provide you with this list of picks, while others offer detailed analysis on thousands of stocks so you can make the right decision for your financial portfolio.
Are there free stock picker platforms?
You’ll generally get the most value out of a stock picker service when you enroll in a paid plan. However, some websites offer some free data, like Motley Fool and Morningstar. Zacks offers the most robust free resources of any of the stock picker services.
Do stock pickers analyze your portfolio?
Some stock picker services will connect to your portfolio and offer analysis on whether it's well-balanced or not. Others may not offer this service automatically but can provide you with resources to conduct this analysis on your own.
Who should use a stock picker?
Stock pickers work best for individuals and investors interested in actively trading in the stock market. Some stock pickers are designed for those looking to grow their portfolio long-term, while others are set up for swing trading and other short-term sales.
You could invest in an index fund that follows a proven index, like the S&P 500, but if you have more time to dig into top-performing stocks, many stock pickers promise to overperform against the S&P.
The bottom line
Stock pickers use algorithms and artificial intelligence functionalities to read and analyze company metrics to decide which stocks are safer bets than others. A stock picking service isn’t for everyone — but it can help beginner and seasoned investors and day traders make better judgments when deciding which stocks to act on — and when.
Many stock pickers offer robust educational libraries that allow you to learn more about analyzing stock market trends and better predicting up-and-coming companies before they take off.
Some free services are available from stock pickers, but you’ll get the most value when you sign up for a paid plan.
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
*$99 promotional price for new members. $100 discount based on the $199 current list price of Stock Advisor. Membership will renew annually at the then-current list price.
Joy Wallet is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor, financial advisor, loan broker, insurance producer, or insurance broker. Its articles, interactive tools and other content are provided to you for free, as self-help tools and for informational purposes only. They are not intended to provide investment advice. Joy Wallet does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information in regard to your individual circumstances. We encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific investment issues. Featured estimates are based on past market performance, and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.
Our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market. We are compensated by our partners, which may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on our site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice. Our editorials are grounded on independent research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.
We value your privacy. We work with trusted partners to provide relevant advertising based on information about your use of Joy Wallet’s and third-party websites and applications. This includes, but is not limited to, sharing information about your web browsing activities with Meta (Facebook) and Google. All of the web browsing information that is shared is anonymized. To learn more, click on our Privacy Policy link.
Images appearing across JoyWallet are courtesy of shutterstock.com.
Writer
Courtney Johnston is a freelance writer, specializing in finance, travel, and health. She has written for The Chicago Tribune, Benzinga, BestReviews, Mashvisor, Fundera, MoneyGeek, and The Culture Trip. She also teaches writing instruction at the University of Indianapolis. Courtney currently resides in Indianapolis.
Share this article
