Barchart | Market Data, News, Trading Tools, and Analysis – A No-Nonsense Review
If you’ve ever tried to figure out what the heck is going on in the markets without selling a kidney for a Bloomberg terminal, chances are someone has whispered “Barchart” in your ear. And no, it’s not a place where stocks go to drink – it’s actually one of the most underrated (and surprisingly generous) market data platforms on the internet.
Launched way back in the 1930s as a print publisher (yes, paper charts, imagine that), Barchart.com has evolved into a full-blown digital powerhouse that serves everyone from day traders glued to five monitors to farmers checking soybean futures on a tractor. And the best part? A huge chunk of it is completely free.
Let’s break it down like your buddy at the bar who actually knows what a candlestick is.
1. Market Data That Doesn’t Have to Cost an Arm and a Leg
Most retail traders think real-time data = instant bankruptcy. Not with Barchart.
- Free real-time quotes for stocks, ETFs, futures, forex, and cryptocurrencies (yes, including delayed crypto because even free has limits).
- 15-minute delayed quotes on the free plan – honestly, if you’re trading faster than that on a free account, you probably have bigger problems.
- Barchart Premier (paid) removes the delay and throws in a bunch of extra goodies we’ll talk about later.
They pull data from all the major exchanges – NYSE, Nasdaq, CBOT, CME, COMEX, you name it. And unlike some sketchy free sites that look like they were designed in 1998 and never updated, Barchart actually looks… nice. Clean. Modern. Dare I say – sexy for a data site?
2. Charts That Don’t Make You Want to Cry
Let’s be honest: some charting platforms look like Excel threw up on the screen. Barchart’s interactive charts are legitimately good.
You get:
- Over 40 technical indicators (MACD, RSI, Bollinger Bands, Ichimoku – the whole gang’s here)
- Drawing tools that actually work
- Multiple timeframes from 1-minute to monthly
- Comparison mode – overlay Apple vs. Tesla vs. Bitcoin like it’s no big deal
- Seasonality charts (super useful for commodities – did you know wheat has a personality?)
And here’s the kicker – you can save your layouts, annotations, and indicator settings even on the free account. Try doing that on TradingView without paying.
3. The Screener Game is Strong
Barchart’s stock, ETF, and options screeners are low-key legendary.
Want to find:
- Stocks up more than 10% today with RSI under 30 and volume 3x the average? ETFs with expense ratio under 0.2% and AUM over $1B? Unusual options volume on earnings day?
Done. In like 12 seconds.
The Options Screener is especially juicy if you’re into gamma squeezes and 0DTE chaos. You can filter by implied volatility rank, open interest, delta, even probability of profit. It’s the kind of tool that makes you feel smarter than you actually are.
4. News & Commentary – Actually Readable
Nobody wants to read 47 paragraphs of corporate jargon. Barchart aggregates news from reliable sources (Reuters, Dow Jones, Benzinga, etc.) and serves it up clean.
They also have their own team writing daily market summaries, sector analysis, and commodity reports. The grain and livestock commentary is surprisingly witty for a site that literally tracks hog futures.
Bonus: Barchart Opinions – a proprietary signal that combines 13 technical indicators into one simple “100% Buy” or “0% Sell” rating. It’s not magic, but it’s scarily accurate over time. Think of it as the lazy trader’s cheat code.
5. Tools That Actually Help You Make (or Not Lose) Money
Here’s where Barchart flexes harder than most people realize:
- Flipcharts – flip through hundreds of stocks in seconds like you’re a Wall Street wolf (great for scanning)
- Portfolio tracker – track your wins and (and mostly losses) with gain/loss, dividend yield, etc.
- Watchlists with alerts (email or push)
- Seasonal tendencies – because markets love to rhyme
- Excel Add-in – yes, you can pull live Barchart data straight into spreadsheets. Quants and Python nerds, rejoice.
Free vs. Premier – Is It Worth Paying?
Here’s the honest breakdown:
Free Tier – Shockingly good. Most casual investors and even active traders can live here forever.
Barchart Premier ($29.95/mo or $199/yr) – Removes delays, adds:
- Advanced options chains and Greeks
- Intraday futures data
- Custom screener saves
- No ads (bless)
- Downloadable historical data
If you trade options, futures, or just hate waiting 15 minutes for a quote, Premier is a no-brainer. It’s cheaper than one Postmate order per month.
Who Is This For?
- Day traders who can’t afford TradeStation
- Swing traders who love technicals
- Long-term investors who want clean data without the noise
- Farmers, hedge funds, and everyone in between (yes, really – they all use it)
The One Thing That Drives Me Nuts
The mobile app. It exists… but it’s not great. Functional? Yes. Beautiful? No. If you’re doing serious analysis, you’ll want to be on a laptop or tablet. Just being honest.
Final Verdict – 9.2/10
Barchart isn’t trying to be the flashiest platform (that’s TradingView’s job). It’s not trying to be the most expensive (looking at you, Bloomberg). It’s just quietly excellent at delivering clean, fast, reliable market data and tools without treating you like an ATM.
Whether you’re checking if GameStop is mooning again, hedging corn prices, or just pretending you know what you’re doing – Barchart has your back.
And hey, if you ever meet the guy who decided to make half the site free forever… buy him a beer. He deserves it.
