The use of a simple picture can tell you the story of a complex topic — and that's especially true when it comes to investing in the stock market.
But for many new investors, it can be hard to find free charts for investing. Many professional investors use expensive charting software and subscriptions to build stock charts. But most traders don't need those.
Instead, there are a lot of free stock charts for investing that you can find online. Here are some of the best free investing charts available today.
Best Free Stock Charts
While most of the major finance websites offer free stock charts for investing, these tend to be basic charts that don't include any technical features. But if you're looking for a charting tool that's free and also comes loaded with advanced studies and indicators, here are five of your best options.
1. StockCharts.com
StockCharts.com is probably my favorite investing chart tool. Maybe I'm biased because this was the first charting program that I learned how to use. But I also find it to be the easiest.
On StockCharts.com, you can build:
I'm an old-school-point-and-figure-chart kind of guy. And StockCharts.com has the best of these charts available for free. You can impose moving averages and custom settings on the chart. And the best part is that it's free!
If you want to actually perform trades on StockCharts.com you can do that too. The website has partnered with Tradier Brokerage to bring unlimited, commission-free trading on equities and options inside its Advanced Charting Platform (StockChartsACP).
2. ThinkorSwim
ThinkorSwim by TD Ameritrade isn't technically a charting program, but rather a trading platform. But if you're looking to do trading, ThinkorSwim might be the best platform for you.
The platform itself is free to use if you open a TD Ameritrade account which has a $0 minimum deposit. Plus, they don't charge any account fees, maintenance fees, or inactivity fees.
So, you can simply set up your account to use their trading platform for the charts if you'd like. However, I use ThinkorSwim, and I'm a fan of their trading platform as well. You can read our full review of ThinkorSwim here.
3. Yahoo Finance
Many people use Yahoo Finance for news and analysis of stocks but haven’t discovered its great charting capabilities. Charts on Yahoo Finance are very simple to use. To see Yahoo Finance charts, type in a symbol at the top of the website, then click Chart on the resulting page.
The chart starts with a daily 6-month view and nothing drawn on it. From here, you can very easily add indicators and even change their colors (i.e., differentiate 50 and 200-day moving averages). Comparison symbols can be done by clicking the Comparison menu item and adding another instrument.
Need more space? Click full screen in the top right of the chart. More space means you can add more details and analysis to the chart. Scrolling along the bottom and sides of the chart will compress and increase time frames and prices, respectively.
Want to view percentages instead of prices on the y-axis? Click Settings in the top right and change to percentage. Once you’re done marking up a chart, you can share it by clicking the Share button in the top right of the chart. Overall, Yahoo Finance is probably the most feature-packed charting website available for free.
Related: Best Stock Tracking Apps To Keep Tabs On Your Investments
4. Finviz
Finviz makes our list of the best free stock charts in large part because it's a concise financial site that isn’t loaded with ads. Its homepage also packs in lots of useful information.
Clicking on any symbol will bring you to a page with a chart and lots of other data on the stock. You can also search for a symbol to see its chart. You’ll find all of the following there:
The free version of Finviz charts is similar to its homepage. Lots of info without a complex presentation. The initial chart goes back nine months, providing enough of a time series to identify trends. This initial view is called the advanced chart. The 20, 50, and 200-day moving averages are also on every chart. As you hover over the chart, you’ll see date and price data for each day.
If you just need a quick glance at a stock without having to set up moving averages or a timeframe, Finviz is probably what you are looking for. Additionally, below each chart is technical info related to the chart. The percentage that price is above or below each moving average is displayed. Average volume, volatility, RSI, and more are also available in the same area.
To get an interactive chart requires an upgrade to the paid version of Finviz. Intraday charts also require a Finviz subscription
5. TradingView
TradingView is simple to use but has features for more advanced charting. Lots of people publish charts on TradingView, so there is always some new technical analysis to view. You can see these various charts right on the homepage. It doesn’t display every instrument. Just what people are publishing at that time.
To see a chart of any instrument, type in a symbol in the top search field. You’ll be presented with a chart on a new page. Unlike Finviz, this chart will be empty. It’s up to you to build the chart however you like. You’ll notice the page is a little busier than a Finviz chart, with menus across the top, bottom, and sides.
If you’ve used charting software before, many of the menu icons will be recognizable. Most of them are available to use for free. The benefits of TradingView are the ability to mark up a chart using its drawing tools then publish it for the public to view.
For example, click Indicators in the top chart menu. From here, you can scroll through several categories of indicators, including custom indicators. Or, type an indicator name into the search field. Try moving average, which will then display in the results. Click it and it will be added to the chart. However, if you try to add more indicators, you’ll get a popup to try the paid version. In this regard, Finviz may again be better.
If you want to develop scripts to display various drawings on charts, especially for other people to see, you’ll have to upgrade to the paid version.
Read our full TradingView review here.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes you don't want to put together your own charts for investing. Instead, you rather see free stock charts that others put together.
I like to follow StockTwits Charts, which posts the best charts from the StockTwits network. Now you can see what other traders are looking at and building without having to do any of the work yourself.
Looking for tips on how to read the stock charts that you'll find on the tools listed above? Check out our guide to technical analysis >>>
Robert Farrington is America’s Millennial Money Expert® and America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him on the About Page or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.
He regularly writes about investing, student loan debt, and general personal finance topics geared toward anyone wanting to earn more, get out of debt, and start building wealth for the future.
He has been quoted in major publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, ABC, NBC, Today, and more. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.
Editor: Clint Proctor