“First, know that you must have a subscription in order to save templates and charts to watch lists. $30/month.”
Pete or Quill,
What can be done at StockCharts (at the mentioned price of $29.95/month) that can’t be done at BarChart for the lower price of $7.47/month (on the two-year plan)?
Thanks in advance.
That is what I would love to know. In BC, I noticed the price labels disappear as you change time periods, but in SC they stay on the chart. If I can figure out how to fix that I would feel better. Maybe only look at a 1 year chart? I think someone mentioned they might even have different algorithms for price labels. Is there a universal standard or does even service make up its own rules"
The best tool to use is the one you know well, have worked with and keep sharp. I “grew-up” with Stockcharts and use them. I tried Barcharts some years ago and just never felt comfortable with them. Plus, they (at least then) had pretty tight limits on their basic account, meaning you could only do like 8-10 scans, alerts or anything more. I tried more recently their option scanners and felt they sucked. Worse than the free TOS recommendations. Got real excited when they started advertising Excel interaction but passed when it turned out to be $90/month. Get free RTD with TOS.
I like SC Candle Glance, Chartlists and the different formats you can scan through them with (not at Barcharts). I for many years heavily used the scanners, including now the automated scanning. Also used the alerts on many charts, not a limit of 10. I use those features less often now, but still like that. I appreciate the SCTR score that is proprietary like the Price Labels. I use the chartlists extensively, again for the price you quoted, that is limited in BCs.
One aspect that is perhaps a bit ridiculous, but is important to me, is that I feel SC charts are crisper and easier to read. Can’t really explain it, but they look “better” to me and I feel I can immediately grasp the price action or what the indicators on the chart are saying to me. Stupid, I know. But feels real to me and that is all that matters. I love TOS and use it extensively, but still love SC charts over TOS also.
As far as price goes, I always buy Black Friday or other special so it’s cheaper than the monthly price you quote. Is it worth it? I’ve had several times alerts and scans have been nice scores for me. I have learned a ton from their Stockcharts TV and Youtube channels (free, but partially because folks like me pay for the Extra) so I think I am comfortable that I have gotten my monies worth. But each to their own. I don’t chase Price Labels, so but still prefer SC.
All indicators have defaults, which each service may or may not have the same, but you can adjust to anything you want. That’s part of the advantage to chart templates, set up individual and go to it with a click.
Happy hunting,
Lakedog
“The best tool to use is the one you know well, have worked with and keep sharp.”
Lake,
I’ll second that sentiment, but cast my vote for BarChart, for hugely preferring the look of the charts I can build there.
I don’t trade options. So what BC, SC, or TOS offers (or doesn’t) doesn’t matter to me. I have my own scanning program (Candle Power Plus), so I don’t make use of whatever BC, SC, or TOS might offer. I never read what the so-called “experts” at either site say about markets or particular stocks. Lastly, for me, TOS is just a way to execute trades. So unless I’m making use of complex order types, any broker’s platform is good enough.
Charlie