In this article, we’ll be comparing Seeking Alpha vs Motley Fool to see what each platform offers, where they fall short, and why you should consider using them. Both platforms are well-known and have proven themselves through the test of time, but neither one can offer everything to every investor. Therefore, it’s important to determine which platform is best for you, as the yearly costs can be quite expensive! To help offset this, we’ve even included some limited-time discount links in this article (but you’ll have to read all the way through to find them!). With all of these factors in mind, let’s begin our comparison!

History
Both Motley Fool and Seeking Alpha have been offering their services for a while. However, one platform certainly takes seniority when it comes to historical presence.

Seeking Alpha
This company began its journey in 2004. Founded by David Jackson—a former Wall Street analyst—and centered around creating a community, Seeking Alpha quickly became a go-to resource for investors to read a mixture of professional and non-professional investment opinions.

Motley Fool
Founded in 1998 by David Gardner, Tom Gardner, and Erik Rydholm, Motley Fool was originally dubbed as nothing more than a company of "20-somethings" giving "so-called advice." However, it quickly proved itself to be much more, becoming one of the most well-known and respected resources for stock recommendations.

Target Audience
Each platform is designed to cater to certain types of investors. Which platform is best for you will largely depend on the type of investing you partake in.

Seeking Alpha
This platform caters primarily to informed and educated investors. Providing a plethora of data, opinion articles, and the ability to sync (and trade with) brokerages directly from the platform, Seeking Alpha is ideal for active and long-term investors alike.

Motley Fool
Motley Fool offers a wide variety of subscription services, but they all follow the same layout. Every month, Motley Fool provides subscribers with specific stock recommendations, taking the guesswork out of trading and saving its subscribers a lot of time.

Services
Although there are some similarities between the two platforms, each one brings unique opportunities to the table for investors.

Seeking Alpha
This platform provides a constant stream of data to its subscribers, including both professionally-written and non-professional articles, in-depth market data/analysis, stock alerts, and investment news. Seeking Alpha also allows subscribers to sync their brokerages with the platform, allowing investors to make trades directly from Seeking Alpha.

Motley Fool
Stock Advisor (and Motley Fool’s other subscriptions) provide customers with specific stock recommendations each month. Certain plans also provide new subscribers with a list of portfolio starter picks, which are stocks that the Fool recommends collecting to build up your portfolio. Motley Fool provides both buy and sell recommendations for its clients, in addition to detailed breakdowns for its picks. However, it doesn’t offer live data.

Articles
When comparing the two platforms from a “free” standpoint, both offer plenty of free reading materials to interested investors. However, Motley Fool does offer more to non-paying viewers overall.

Seeking Alpha
With a free membership, SeekingAlpha.com visitors can enjoy plenty of free articles on the website. Both professional and amateur articles are available on the platform, which can help—or hinder—potential investors. This includes a mixture of opinion pieces, in-depth analyses, and educational materials. More advanced features like Seeking Alpha’s “Stock Screener” are only available to paying members.

Motley Fool
Unlike Seeking Alpha, Motley Fool only hosts materials written by professional investors & industry experts. The reading library is quite limited in comparison but is relatively easy to read (as it’s designed with the beginning investor in mind!). It also offers a mixture of opinions, analyses, and educational materials, with a few stock recommendations here and here. However, the best recommendations are reserved for paid members only.

Pricing
You’ll notice significant pricing differences when comparing Seeking Alpha vs Motley Fool, although both subscriptions can easily add up to thousands of dollars per year.

Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha Premium: $29.99 per month ($239 per year)
Seeking Alpha Pro: $299.99 per month ($2399.88 per year)

Motley Fool
Epic Bundle: $499 per year
Stock Advisor: $199 per year
Rule Breakers: $299 per year
Everlasting Stocks: $299 per year
Rule Your Retirement: $149 per year

Seeking Alpha vs Motley Fool: Our Summary
Both platforms offer a similar value for free. However, when it comes time to pick a platform, which one is best for you will ultimately depend on your experience level and the amount of time you have to work with. For complete beginners or those with limited free time, we recommend Motley Fool. The monthly stock picks—as well as their portfolio starter picks—will have your wealth growing with very little effort required. Alternatively, Seeking Alpha is best for hands-on investors who want access to in-depth data, the ability to trade stocks from a single platform, and those who can understand analytical data.

Regardless of which platform you pick, we’ve gathered some great deals for first-time users. Click here to enjoy your first year of Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor for only $89, or here to save 50% on your first year of Seeking Alpha Premium!