Stock picking services (also known as stock advisor services) can help you find high-growth stocks for your portfolio based on top picks from high-performing analysts or specialized algorithms. This guide is geared toward helping beginner and intermediate stock traders compare the best stock picking service in Canada.
What is a stock picking service?
A stock picking service helps you pick high-performing stocks based on insight from leading analysts or unique algorithms that anticipate which stocks will beat the average market rates. These services give you stock ideas or stock picks to consider to save you from having to do a ton of research on your own.
Stock picking services are different from the following investment tools:
Stock screeners. Screeners help you filter your results based on specific criteria but don’t provide recommendations for which stocks to pick.
Stock scanners. Scanners are research tools used to consolidate and streamline stock-related data and alerts in real time.
Stock brokers. Brokers are the service providers you use to trade stocks – for example, Wealthsimple, Questrade and Qtrade Direct Investing.
The best stock picking service depends on your individual investment style. Here are some of the top services:
Ticker Nerd: Best for those who prefer to do minimal research
What to expect. Well-researched stock picks for companies with strong potential to grow quickly. Includes 12 reports per year with 2-3 exclusive stock picks per report.
What makes Ticker Nerd unique? Uses advanced software and custom tools to track hundreds of signals and data points to find stocks before they take off.
Cost. Annual fee of $199 or $19.95 per month
Free trial. 30-day free trial
Pros
Cons
Detailed reports on stock picks
Access to stock pick archives when you sign up
Access to crypto insights and picks
Founded less than 2 years ago
Lack of extensive track record makes it difficult to monitor growth
Seeking Alpha: Best for those who prefer to do comprehensive stock research
What to expect. Stock picks from various authors, customized research tools and commentary, and rating tools such as dividend grades and comparative stock ratings.
What makes Seeking Alpha unique? Allows you to take a research-based and comparative approach to investing in stocks, with stock picks attributed to individual analysts so you can pick your favorite.
Cost. Premium is $19.99 per month. There’s also a very basic free version (with no stock picks) and a pro version ($199 per month on an annual plan).
Free trial. 14-day free trial for premium and pro
Pros
Cons
Holistic approach to investing
Offers a basic free version
Built-in research tools
Analyst-specific stock picks
Well established (founded in 2004)
Pro version is more expensive than many other services
Premium still has ads
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor: Best for investing in low-risk, well-known companies
What to expect. Regular newsletters outlining which stocks to buy, and real-time emails indicating when to sell certain stocks.
What makes Stock Advisor unique? Long-standing company with library of educational resources and expert stock recommendations. Glowing reviews from industry experts such as TIME Magazine and The Economist.
Cost. Annual fee of $99 for new members or $199 for existing members
Free trial. Pay upfront, but a 30-day money back guarantee
Pros
Cons
Well-established company
Reasonable price for new investors
High growth (3x the the S&P 500 over the last 20 years)
More expensive for long-term members
The Motley Fool Rule Breakers: Best for investing in risky, new companies
What to expect. Two stock picks each month plus buy now bonuses. You’ll also get starter stock recommendations for new investors.
What makes Rule Breakers unique? Focuses on picking high-growth stocks from newer companies.
Cost. Annual fee of $299
Free trial. Pay upfront, but a 30-day money back guarantee
Pros
Cons
Well-established company
Strong track record
Potential for higher rewards with greater risk (consistently exceeds returns from S&P 500)
Can be bundled with other Motley Fool products
More expensive than Motley Fool Stock Advisor, with smaller growth
Riskier investments
Motley Fool’s Everlasting Stocks: Best for accessing The Motley Fool CEO’s stock picks
What to expect. Access to 15 stock recommendations from Tom Gardner’s personal holdings and quarterly recommendations as long as you’re a member.
What makes Everlasting Stocks unique? You’ll get members-only access to a proprietary model portfolio allocation guidance tool.
Cost. Annual fee of $299
Free trial. Pay upfront, but a 30-day money back guarantee
Pros
Cons
15 stock recommendations instantly
Can be bundled with other Motley Fool products
Access to CEO’s holdings
More expensive than Motley Fool Stock Advisor
Less frequent stock picks (quarterly)
Pilot Trading: Best for aligning your investments with trader sentiment
What to expect. A mobile app that scans the market to find out what other traders are doing and notifies you when prime trading opportunities are taking place for stocks, forex, futures and crypto.
What makes Pilot Trading unique? The service doesn’t depend on news or social sentiment signals to determine stock picks, but instead analyzes how other traders are feeling and behaving in the market to identify high-value stocks.
Cost. USD $19.99 per month, test it out with a free demo version
Free trial. 14 days
Pros
Cons
Psychology-based algorithms
Real-time alerts and stock picks
Demo lets you try the service for free
Mobile app only
Reviews under 4 stars on Google Play and the Apple Store
Monthly fee even though service claims to be free
Elon stocks: Best for investing in stocks mentioned by Elon Musk
What to expect. A very simple service that sends you a text whenever Elon Musk tweets about a stock. This allows you to buy that stock immediately before it gains traction with other investors.
What makes Elon stocks unique? Gives you a head start on the market if you aren’t on Twitter but want to take advantage of market increases which usually occur when Elon Musk tweets about a stock.
Cost. $10 per month
Free trial. No free trial
Pros
Cons
Very easy to use and understand
Gives you a headstart on the market
Only $10 per month
No research or analysis tools
Stock picks strictly related to Elon Musk’s Twitter activity
Financhill Smart Money: Best for following billionaires’ investments
What to expect. Look inside the portfolios of stock trading legends including Warren Buffett, Joel Greenblatt, Steven Cohen and Eddie Lampert to see how they’re investing and which strategy you might like to follow.
What makes Financhill Smart Money unique? Access billionaire portfolios and mix and match stocks or replicate one person’s holdings exactly to build your own portfolio.
Cost. $497 per year
Free trial. No free trial
Pros
Cons
Access to reputable and in-demand portfolios
Mix and match or replicate stocks
Learn from self-made billionaires
No real-time stock picks
Annual fee paid upfront
No research or analysis tools
Zacks Ultimate: Best for diversifying your investments
What to expect. Real-time buy and sell alerts from private portfolios, daily briefings on key developments and portfolio changes, research tools/market insights, and a wide variety of stock picks.
What makes Zacks Ultimate unique? Maintains lists of stock picks based on your area of interest. Some categories include stocks under $10, healthcare innovators, commodity innovators, Zacks top 10 stocks and Zacks short sell list (plus many more).
Cost. $299 per month, basic version with no stock picks is free
Free trial. 30 days for $1, with money-back guarantee for up to 90 days
Pros
Cons
Stock picks by sector or interest
90-day money back guarantee
Diverse research tools
High growth potential
Expensive monthly fee
So many stock picks can be hard to narrow down
The Maley Report: Best for getting stock picks from a seasoned Wall Street veteran
What to expect. Email newsletters, educational resources, blog posts, videos and stock picks based on Matt Maley’s predictions and formed by in-depth macro, fundamental and technical analysis of the market.
What makes The Maley Report unique? Get stock picks and market insights from a long-time Wall Street analyst and market strategist seen as an industry expert by news agencies such as CNBC, Bloomberg, the New York Times and more.
Cost. $49 per month or get two months free on an annual subscription ($490)
Free trial. No free trial
Pros
Cons
Less expensive than other services
Stock picks based on long-term industry expertise
Decent average growth profile
Array of educational resources
No research or analysis tools
Stock picks aren’t vetted by a team of analysts (like with many other services)
No free trial
WallStreetZen: Best for getting Wall Street analyst stock picks for a low monthly fee
What to expect. Top analyst ratings, stock picks from the top 25% of best performing analysts on Wall Street, library of free stock ideas, forecasts and price targets for US stocks, insider buys and stock screening tools.
What makes WallStreetZen unique? Offers stock picks from leading Wall Street analysts for a low annual fee. You can also take advantage of a solid array of stock picks and basic features for free.
Cost. $19 per month or $150 per year – there’s also a basic free version
Free trial. 14-day trial for $1
Pros
Cons
Reliable stock picks
Affordable monthly or yearly fee
30-day money back guarantee
Data-driven
No in-depth research reports
Annual fee must be paid upfront
Stocktrades.ca: Best for accessing lots of stock picks and dedicated customer service
What to expect. Access 9 model portfolios, Canadian and US foundational stock picks, individual growth and dividend stock picks, in-depth stock reports, screening tools and a members-only discord channel.
What makes Stocktrades.ca unique? Highly-rated and low-cost Canada-based service that’s mentioned on prominent publications such as Forbes, MoneySense, Forbes, CBC and the Globe and Mail.
Cost. $30 per month or $300 per year
Free trial. No free trial
Pros
Cons
Affordable monthly and annual fee
30–day money back guarantee
Variety of stock picks
Special discord channel
High ratings on TrustPilot (4.7)
Not as established (only founded in 2016)
No mobile app
Simply Wall St: Best for getting free stock picks
What to expect. Get dozens of lists outlining stock picks by sector or area of interest plus five company reports per month, five analyses of portfolio stocks and five watchlists. You can also pay more to get additional features with premium or unlimited.
What makes Simply Wall St. unique? Maintains lists of free stock picks based on your area of interest. Some categories include tech, oil, energy, airline, dividend, top growth and trending stocks.
Cost. Free for limited service, USD$10 per month for premium or USD$20 per month for unlimited.
Free trial. No free trial
Pros
Cons
Free service for basic access
14-day money back guarantee for pro and unlimited
High ratings on Google Reviews (4.4 out of 300+ reviews)
Lists of stock pics by sector
So many stock picks can be hard to narrow down
Tim Alerts: Best for investing in penny stocks
What to expect. A daily newsletter from penny stock trader and self-made millionaire Timothy Sykes, outlining his stock picks. You’ll also get real-time emails notifying you whenever he executes a trade throughout the day.
What makes Tim Alerts unique? Provides daily emails with high-value penny stock picks to help you increase your profits without spending beyond your means.
Cost. $74.95 per month or $697 per year.
Free trial. No free trial
Pros
Cons
Focuses on penny stock picks
Real-time emails for on-the-spot trades
Many free educational resources
Expensive monthly fee for limited services
No free trial or money back guarantee
Lack of research tools
Super Trades with Paul Scolardi: Best for swing traders
What to expect. Daily market commentary, daily stock watchlists, email and text alerts for trade picks and stocks to watch.
What makes Superman Trades unique? Provides stock picks from a veteran swing trader who focuses on buying stocks with high-growth potential.
Cost. $550 per quarter (or $1,997 per year)
Free trial. No free trial
Pros
Cons
Focused on short to medium term investments with high-growth potential
Dedicated to part-time traders
Real-time emails for instant trades
Expensive quarterly and annual fee
Fee must be paid upfront
No free trial or money back guarantee
Lack of research tools
What to look for in a stock picking service
Look for the following features when selecting the best stock picking service or the best stock advisor service for your needs:
Aligns with your strategy. Some stock picking services are targeted towards day traders or penny stock holders while others are for long-term investors. Pick the service that best fits your needs and investment goals.
Strong track record. Make sure the service you pick has solid reviews and a good eye for picking stocks that beat the market. The longer the track record the better.
Transparent and honest. Pick a service that’s honest about its wins and losses. Avoid signing up without testing the service with a free trial period, and look for money-back guarantees so you can cancel if you’re not satisfied with your results.
Affordable. Some stock picking services are free but most cost money – ranging between $10 and $300 per month. You can mix and match a paid service with a free service to get the best repertoire of stock picks without spending a fortune.
Want to start investing? Open a stock trading account
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Bottom line
The stock picking services outlined in this post are designed for beginner and intermediate investors trading non-professionally. Use this post to compare the best stock picking service for your needs based on features such as best fit, cost, availability of free trial, pros and cons.
It depends on what you're looking for. Each stock picking service has its own unique features which may or may not fit your personal investment style or strategy. This post lists some of the best stock picking services currently available for beginner and intermediate investors in Canada. Read through the descriptions to find the right match for you.
The best stock advisor service for the smallest fee in Canada is WallStreetZen, Simply Wall St or Ticker Nerd. These services provide stock picks and tons of investing resources for $19 per month or less. Simply Wall St also offers a free version with a decent array of features.
It's difficult to say since all of the best stock picking services outlined in this post claim to pick high-growth stocks. That said, our quick picks for best stock advisor service with a strong stock picking record would be Motley Fool and Zach's Ultimate. Your best bet is to choose a service with a free trial and money back guarantee to make sure you're satisfied with your returns.
Yes! You can check out Finder's monthly stock picks here. These stock picks are free to access and are based on Finder's proprietary stock ranking system.
Disclaimer: This information should not be interpreted as an endorsement of futures, stocks, ETFs, options or any specific provider, service or offering. It should not be relied upon as investment advice or construed as providing recommendations of any kind. Futures, stocks, ETFs and options trading involves substantial risk of loss and therefore are not appropriate for all investors. Trading forex on leverage comes with a higher risk of losing money rapidly. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Consider your own circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before making any trades.
Claire Horwood is a writer at Finder, specializing in credit cards, loans and other financial products. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Gender Studies from the University of Victoria, and an Associate’s Degree in Science from Camosun College. Much of Claire’s coursework has focused on writing and statistics, with a healthy dose of social and cultural analysis mixed in for good measure. In her spare time, Claire enjoys rock climbing, travelling and drinking inordinate amounts of coffee.
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