9 Best Free Apps & Tools for Real-Time Stock Prices

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Finding the right tools for your investing journey is crucial. Here are some of the best free stock trading apps available today:

1. Yahoo Finance
2. TradingView
3. Webull
4. Google Finance
5. Firstrade
6. TC2000
7. MarketWatch
8. Stocktwits
9. TradeVision

You need accurate data for successful stock investing. We will explore each free app to help you find the perfect fit. This breakdown examines every app for its real time stock price data, key features, and ideal user. Your investing strategy requires the right information, and these free apps can provide it.

One practical way to use “free real-time price tools” more effectively is to build a quick cross-check habit: when an app shows an unusual move, confirm the ticker, compare the price on a second source, and then decide whether you need deeper research or an action plan. This matters even more if you track multiple markets (like U.S. and Hong Kong stocks) or manage budgets across currencies—because the decision cost is often shaped by FX, not just the quote.

In that workflow, BiyaPay can act as a handy verification layer alongside these apps. You can use the built-in stock lookup to quickly pull up the name/ticker referenced and review market information in one place; if you’re comparing costs across currencies, the official FX converter helps you check conversions in real time; and if you want to connect monitoring to execution, you can jump to the unified trading entry to review the related market and price behavior. If you need an account first, start from registration, or access the main tools directly via the official site to keep “quote → verify → decide” in one path.

Key Takeaways

• Choose a stock tracking app based on your needs, like data speed and features.
• Real-time data is important for active traders, but less so for long-term investors.
• Look for apps with good charts, watchlists, and alerts to help you analyze stocks.
• Some apps are truly free, while others offer more features if you pay.
• Yahoo Finance is good for beginners, TradingView for charts, and Webull for active trading.

Key Criteria for the Best Stock Tracking App

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Choosing the best stock tracking app depends on your specific needs. You should evaluate each platform based on a few key factors. This framework will help you select the right tools for your investing goals and find the best free app for your strategy.

Data Accuracy and Speed

The speed of your data is crucial when you invest. Some apps provide true real-time data, which updates instantly. Other apps offer delayed data, which can lag by 15 to 20 minutes. For long-term investors, a slight delay may not matter. However, if you are an active trader, you need the fastest price information available to make timely decisions. The quality of a stock tracking app often comes down to how quickly it delivers an accurate stock price.

Core Features: Charts, Watchlists, Alerts

A great stock tracking app offers more than just a price ticker. You need powerful tools to analyze investment options.

Pro Tip: Look for apps that provide candlestick charts. They give you a clear visual snapshot of a stock’s open, high, low, and close price for a specific period, revealing market sentiment.

Essential features also include customizable watchlists to monitor your favorite stocks and real-time alerts that notify you of significant price movements. Moving averages are another vital tool for identifying trends in your investing journey.

User Interface (UI) and Experience (UX)

The most powerful platform is ineffective if you cannot navigate it. The best stock tracking app combines robust features with a simple, clean design. You should be able to find information quickly without getting lost in confusing menus. A focus on ease of use ensures that both new and experienced investors can use the app efficiently. A clutter-free interface helps you focus on the data that matters, making your investing experience smoother. This ease of use is a hallmark of a top-tier app.

Cost: Truly Free vs. Freemium

Many apps advertise themselves as free, but you need to understand their cost structure. A truly free platform offers its core services without charge. More commonly, apps operate on a “freemium” model. The basic app is free, but advanced features require a paid subscription.

These locked features often include:

• In-depth portfolio analytics
• Advanced charting tools
• Real-time data from all exchanges

These low-cost investment options can be valuable, but you should first determine if the free version of the app meets your investing needs. Many free investment options provide enough functionality for most investors to invest successfully.

9 Best Free Stock Trading Apps for Real Time Stock Price Data

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Now you know what to look for in a stock tracking app. Let’s dive into the reviews of the top platforms. Each of these apps offers a unique set of tools to help you invest successfully. We will examine their data speed, features, and ideal user to find the best stock tracking app for your investing style.

Yahoo Finance: Comprehensive News and Data

Yahoo Finance is a long-standing giant in the financial world. It provides a robust platform that combines market data with extensive news coverage, making it a fantastic all-in-one resource.

• Real-Time Data Quality: The platform delivers free, real-time market data for many exchanges. While not ‘tick-by-tick,’ tests show its API can deliver quotes with an average latency of just 50 milliseconds, which is more than sufficient for most investors. You get a reliable real time stock price without a paid subscription.
• Key Features:
  • Extensive Financials: You can access up to five years of a company’s financial statements for free.
  • Integrated News: The app aggregates financial news from hundreds of sources, linking relevant stories directly to stock tickers.
  • Portfolio & Watchlists: You can create multiple watchlists to monitor stocks and link your brokerage account to use the platform as an investment tracker.
• Best For: Long-term investors and beginners who want a blend of portfolio tracking, data, and breaking market news in one place.
• Price: The core service is completely free. A paid subscription, Yahoo Finance Plus, unlocks advanced charting, in-depth portfolio analytics, and more detailed research reports.

TradingView: Advanced Charting and Community

TradingView is the undisputed leader for technical analysis and charting. Its platform is powerful, intuitive, and built around a social network where traders share ideas and strategies.

• Real-Time Data Quality: Data for many US stocks is real-time and sourced directly from the Cboe BZX exchange. Data from major exchanges like NYSE and NASDAQ is slightly delayed on the free plan, but you can purchase real-time data packs for a monthly fee.
• Key Features:
  • World-Class Charts: The charting tools are second to none, offering hundreds of pre-built studies, drawing tools, and customization options.
  • Social Trading Community: You can follow other traders, view their analyses, and publish your own charts and ideas.
  • Powerful Stock Screener: The screener lets you filter thousands of stocks based on hundreds of technical and fundamental criteria.

    Note: The free Basic plan has limitations. You can only add two indicators per chart and are limited to one saved chart layout. This can be restrictive if you use multiple strategies.

• Best For: Technical analysts, day traders, and anyone who prioritizes charting and community insights.
• Price: Freemium. The free plan is very capable, but ads are present. Paid plans remove ads, increase the number of indicators and alerts, and allow for multiple saved chart layouts.

Webull: In-Depth Analytics for Active Traders

Webull is one of the best free stock trading apps designed for the modern, mobile-first trader. It combines commission-free trades with a suite of surprisingly advanced analytical tools, making it a powerful trading app.

• Real-Time Data Quality: Webull offers complimentary NASDAQ Basic Level 2 quotes, providing a deeper look at bid-ask spreads and order book depth. This gives you a clearer picture of a stock’s short-term supply and demand.
• Key Features:
  • Advanced Charting: The mobile and desktop apps feature robust charting with dozens of technical indicators and drawing tools.
  • Paper Trading: You can practice your strategies with a virtual portfolio without risking real money.
  • In-Depth Analytics: The platform provides analyst ratings, price targets, financial statements, and a news feed for each stock.
• Best For: Active traders and intermediate investors who want advanced data and analytics integrated into their mobile trading platform.
• Price: The platform is free to use. Webull makes money from order flow, margin lending, and subscription fees for premium data. It offers commission-free trades for stocks and ETFs.

Google Finance: Simple Portfolio Tracking

Google Finance excels at simplicity and integration. While not the most feature-rich platform, its seamless connection with the Google ecosystem makes it an excellent choice for straightforward portfolio management and a great investment tracker.

• Real-Time Data Quality: Stock data on Google Finance is generally delayed. Quotes may lag by up to 20 minutes for some exchanges and are intended for informational purposes, not for active trading where every second counts.
• Key Features:
  • Google Sheets Integration: This is the standout feature. You can use the GOOGLEFINANCE function in Google Sheets to pull live and historical stock data directly into a spreadsheet, creating a fully customized portfolio tracker.
  • Customized Dashboard: The platform provides a clean dashboard that shows your portfolio’s performance and aggregates top news stories about the companies you follow.
  • Watchlist and News: You can easily create watchlists to monitor stocks and get a curated feed of news from top sources like Bloomberg and Reuters.
• Best For: Casual and long-term investors who want a simple, no-frills way to monitor stocks and build a custom portfolio spreadsheet.
• Price: Completely free. There are no paid tiers or hidden fees.

Firstrade: A User-Friendly Trading Platform

Firstrade stands out as a user-friendly trading platform that offers truly free investing. It has eliminated nearly all common fees, making it one of the most cost-effective investment options available for trading stocks, ETFs, and options.

• Real-Time Data Quality: As a brokerage, Firstrade provides real-time streaming quotes to its clients, ensuring you have an accurate price when placing trades.
• Key Features:
  • Commission-Free Trades: Firstrade offers ＄0 commissions on stocks, ETFs, options, and mutual funds. Uniquely, it also charges $0 per options contract.
  • Advanced Research Tools: The platform provides a wealth of free research, including analyst reports from Morningstar, AI-powered news analysis from TC Market Buzz®, and an AI research assistant called FirstradeGPT.
  • Powerful Screeners: You can use the Strategy Builder™ to filter for investment options using over 65 different factors.

    Feature	Firstrade Fee
    Stock & ETF Trades	$0.00
    Options Trades (Per Contract)	$0.00
    Mutual Fund Trades	$0.00
    Account Minimum	$0.00

• Best For: Cost-conscious investors and beginners looking for a simple, user-friendly trading platform with zero commissions and robust research tools.
• Price: The platform is free to use with no account maintenance fees. It offers commission-free trades across most asset classes.

TC2000: Powerful Stock Screening

TC2000 is a legendary stock screening and charting platform revered by technical traders. Its desktop application is known for its speed, beautiful charts, and incredibly powerful scanning capabilities that help you find trading opportunities.

• Real-Time Data Quality: Real-time data for US stocks requires a paid subscription. The free end-of-day version is great for practicing and learning the platform, but you will need to upgrade for live trading.
• Key Features:
  • EasyScan® Stock Screener: This is TC2000’s crown jewel. You can build complex scans on the entire market in seconds, filtering by fundamentals, technical indicators, or custom formulas.
  • Condition Alerts: Set highly specific alerts based on technical conditions, trendlines, or indicator values.
  • Organized Watchlists: The platform makes it easy to build and organize watchlists, sorting them by industry, performance, or any other criteria.
• Best For: Serious technical traders and swing traders who need a top-tier stock screening tool.
• Price: Freemium. The free version, “Free Stock Charts by Worden,” offers delayed data. Real-time data and advanced features start at $9.99/month.

MarketWatch: Breaking Market News

MarketWatch, owned by Dow Jones, is a news-first platform. If your investing strategy relies on staying ahead of market-moving headlines, this is the best stock tracking app for you. It provides a constant stream of financial news, analysis, and commentary.

• Real-Time Data Quality: The stock quotes on the site are real-time for NASDAQ stocks but can be delayed for other exchanges. The primary focus is news, not tick-by-tick price data.
• Key Features:
  • Up-to-the-Minute News: Delivers a firehose of financial news, from breaking stories to in-depth opinion pieces.
  • Simple Portfolio Tool: The app includes a basic portfolio tracker and watchlist to help you monitor stocks you own or are interested in.
  • Market Data Center: Provides a quick overview of market indices, top movers, and economic calendars.
• Best For: News-driven investors and anyone who wants to understand the “why” behind market movements.
• Price: The app and website are free to use with ads. A paid subscription offers an ad-free experience and access to exclusive content.

Stocktwits: Social Sentiment and Trends

Stocktwits is the “Twitter for traders.” It’s a social media platform dedicated entirely to conversations about the stock market. It’s the best place to gauge investor sentiment and see which stocks are currently trending.

• Real-Time Data Quality: The platform displays a real time stock price and basic charts, but its main value is not in the data itself but in the conversations surrounding it.
• Key Features:
  • Sentiment Analysis: Users tag their posts as “Bullish" or "Bearish,” creating a real-time sentiment gauge for any stock. The platform uses machine learning to classify all messages and identify sentiment shifts.
  • Trending Tickers: The app shows you which stocks and cryptocurrencies are being discussed the most, helping you discover new investment options.
  • Community and News: Each stock has its own dedicated stream where you can see what other investors are saying, sharing charts, and posting news.
• Best For: Traders who use social sentiment as part of their strategy and investors who want to tap into the pulse of the retail trading community.
• Price: The platform is free to use. It also offers integrated trading through its own brokerage service, which provides commission-free trades.

TradeVision: Mobile-First Stock Analysis

TradeVision markets itself as a powerful, AI-driven mobile trading platform designed for fast execution and comprehensive analysis on the go. This stock monitoring app aims to provide everything you need in the palm of your hand.

• Real-Time Data Quality: The platform promises real-time data and zero-lag trade execution for its users.
• Key Features:
  • AI-Driven Insights: The app uses AI to generate recommendations and analyze market data.
  • Customizable Alerts: You can set up real-time notifications for price changes, news, and other market events.
  • Educational Resources: The app includes built-in tutorials and guides to help you learn as you invest.

    Important Consideration: Our reviews found that TradeVision does not currently offer a free tier. While it is one of the best free stock trading apps in terms of mobile design, its service operates on a subscription model.

• Best For: Mobile-focused traders who are willing to pay for an all-in-one platform with AI features.
• Price: Paid only. There is no free version available. Pricing varies, with basic plans starting around $19.99 to $50 per month.

This concludes our reviews of the best free stock trading apps. Each stock tracking app offers a different strength, whether it’s news, charting, or low-cost investing.

Comparative Table: Features at a Glance

To help you choose the right app, this section directly compares the key features across the top platforms. You can see how each free service stacks up in the areas that matter most for your investing.

Data Speed and Quality

Finding a truly free, unfiltered real time stock price from major exchanges like NYSE or NASDAQ is rare. Most free platforms provide data that is slightly delayed or sourced from alternative exchanges. However, brokerages like Webull and Firstrade give you instant access to real-time market data because it is essential for placing trades. This data includes:

• Real-time stock quotes
• Extended hours trading information
• Dividend history and indexes

For most long-term investing, a slight delay is not a problem. For active trading, you will want the live data offered by a brokerage app.

Charting and Analysis Tools

Your ability to analyze a stock often depends on the platform’s trading tools.

Yahoo Finance gives you a great starting point. You get unlimited access to essential indicators like MACD and RSI on its free platform.

In contrast, a more advanced app like TradingView limits its free plan to just two indicators per chart. While TradingView’s charts are world-class, this limitation can be restrictive. Some platforms even offer hundreds of free indicators, so you should check what each app provides before committing. The right price for you might be a free app with fewer, but more useful, features.

Alerts and Watchlist Customization

A good stock tracking app helps you monitor your favorite investments. Many platforms, including Yahoo Finance, allow you to create unlimited watchlists for free. This lets you organize every stock you are interested in. However, other powerful tools are more limited. TradingView, for example, only gives you one watchlist on its free plan.

Free Plan Limitations

Understanding the limits of a free plan is crucial. The “free” price often comes with trade-offs that can impact your investing workflow. For example, two popular platforms have significant restrictions:

• TradingView: The free plan strictly limits you to two indicators per chart and only one active server-side alert.
• TC2000: The free version of this powerful stock screener does not include its signature EasyScan® module or allow you to draw trendlines.

You must decide if the features offered for free are enough for your strategy or if the price of an upgrade is worthwhile.

Selecting the right free platform is key to your stock investing success. Expert guides help investors choose where to invest. You can find the perfect stock platform for your investing style.

• For Advanced Charting: TradingView is the unmatched free leader for technical stock analysis.
• For Active Trading: Webull is a top contender for active investors who want to invest with zero commission.
• For All-Around Use: Yahoo Finance remains a solid choice for news and general stock research.

These free tools empower investors. Use them to invest confidently and improve your investing.

FAQ

Do I need real-time data for long-term investing?

No, you likely do not need instant data for long-term investing. A delay of 15-20 minutes is acceptable for buy-and-hold strategies. Real-time data is most critical for active day traders who make frequent transactions based on small price movements.

Can I trade directly from all these apps?

You cannot trade from every app. Some platforms are for analysis and news only, while others are full brokerage services.

• Analysis Tools: TradingView, Google Finance, MarketWatch
• Brokerage Apps: Webull, Firstrade

Always check if an app is a brokerage before trying to trade.

What is the best free app for a complete beginner?

Yahoo Finance is an excellent starting point. It offers a great mix of real-time data, news, and simple portfolio tracking. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy for new investors to get started without feeling overwhelmed by complex features.