1. TradingView
TradingView offers the ultimate clean and flexible experience for looking at stock charts. It’s no wonder many brokers license TradingView charts and widgets for their own sites.

Charts are exquisitely detailed and the service is less expensive than rival StockCharts.com (more on that below) if you feel you need a premium package. There are user delights throughout the site — for example, how the ticker box remembers the symbols you’ve already entered. It’s easier than creating a watch list.

The site hosts an active community passionately sharing ideas and advice on tons of chat channels. Sophisticated traders will appreciate the wide variety of techniques discussed in chats, while novices will be exposed to many traders’ opinions and forecasts. One negative: No one needs ro read the foul language seen on the chats. TradingView moderators need to step it up.

There’s also a killer mobile app. It has the same smooth charts as the website and it’s easy to mark them up, which is quite a feat on a phone. You can find a quick video demo below.
2. TD Ameritrade
TD Ameritrade is a full-service online broker that is best known for its trader technology. It took top honors for Best Platforms and Tools in the 2023 Annual Broker Review on our sister site, midastech35.com Mobile traders, rejoice: TD Ameritrade also took the gold for Best Mobile Trader App for its thinkorswim Mobile.

There is no minimum deposit to open an account and download the trading platform. When you're ready to trade, just fund your account. TD Ameritrade charges $0 for everyday stock and ETF trades. If you’re newer to stock trading, TD Ameritrade is also a winner for beginners. To dive deeper, see the full TD Ameritrade review on out sister site, midastech35.com

Important note: TD Ameritrade is in the process of being acquired by Charles Schwab. We expect TD Ameritrade’s excellent thinkorswim trading platform to continue at Schwab, but broker acquisitions mean changes. We will update this section over time.

Pros: Excellent charts with hundreds of technical indicators. Real-time streaming data included.
Cons: Even though no minimum deposit is required, you must first open an account to download the trading platform.
3. StockCharts.com
StockCharts.com is one of the granddaddies of internet charting, but it can still flex on some of the younger folk. SC continues to offer its long-established SharpCharts suite, but its newer Advanced Charting Platform, or ACP, is where you’ll find best in class ease of customization. Regardless of whether you prefer ACP or SharpCharts, too many features are locked behind a paywall.

Even with a restrictive paywall, there’s still plenty of value in hitting the site. Browsing through the market commentary and education sections feels like strolling on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for technical analysts. Scouting around the site yielded articles and videos from famed technicians Tom McClellan, Larry Williams, Greg Morris and David Keller, among others. Also available – but behind the paywall – are posts from the legendary Martin Pring and John Murphy.

ACP is powerful, intuitive and attractive. Articles and video content comes from the Who’s Who of technical analysis. Premium members can open and link a Tradier Brokerage account to execute trades directly through StockCharts (see a full review of Tradier on our sister site, StockBrokers.com).
Cons: Real-time data, along with many other features, requires a subscription.
4. Yahoo Finance
Yahoo Finance offers clean HTML5 charts that are clear, easy to use, and ideal for everyday investors. Yahoo Finance is also an excellent website for stock quotes, research, and news (other than the annoying ads).

As we were testing out these sites, Yahoo was beta testing a rich charting experience. Don’t settle for the first chart that pops up on the quote screen. Click on the “full chart” link to get the whole shebang experience. Do you want a Guppy Multiple Moving Average on your charts? You got it. There’s also automated pattern recognition, a feature this lazy chartist loves, especially when it’s free. Unfortunately, advanced charting features like key event overlays require a subscription to Yahoo Finance Plus' Essential tier for $35 per month.

Pros: Comprehensive choice of indicators. Great tools and clean, full-screen stock charts that are easy to read and customize.
Cons: Ads; premium pricing is listed monthly but only billed annually; the best features are locked away behind a paywall.
5. Stock Rover
While Stock Rover’s best assets are tied to its subscription accounts, the free registered version has much to recommend it, specifically in how it aligns fundamental data with a traditional price chart.

Overall, the charts are good, though limited in terms of number of indicators (15) and max historical time frame. Chart zoomers and scrollers will be happier on TradingView, StockCharts’ ACP and TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim. Still, Stock Rover packs plenty of features under the hood, especially in the paid versions. Stock Rover also offers market news and information on a wide range of stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds and commodities.

Pros: Analyst ratings, clear charts and solid presentation of fundamental data.
Cons: Stock Rover won’t be a top choice for pure technical analysts. Some of the labeling is odd and there’s no manual annotation on charts.
Where can I chart stocks for free?
The best free stock charts are on TradingView. Other free charting websites include StockCharts.com, FINVIZ, Stock Rover and Yahoo Finance. Traders can also open an account at many U.S. brokers for free and chart stocks, even with a zero balance.

What is the best free stock chart?
TradingView has the best free stock charts. They are crisp, easy to use, highly customizable and update with real-time quotes. TD Ameritrade’s overall offering is also impressive, but be aware that it requires opening a brokerage account. For pure stock charts, Yahoo Finance’s real-time ChartIQ-powered charts are hard to beat.

Is TradingView free?
TradingView has both free and premium options. Most individual investors should be satisfied with the free tier, but active traders will likely crave a premium account. Another option is to trade with a broker that uses TradingView charts, such as TradeStation, Interactive Brokers, Tradier, and Ally Invest.

Is there a free version of StockCharts?
StockCharts.com offers free, limited-features charting on its homepage but does not offer a free account. There is a 30-day free trial available for its premium services, which start at $14.95 per month. You will have to provide payment information to access the 30-day trial.

Best free stock charts features comparison
Website Base Cost Premium Version Best Feature Rating
TradingView.com Free $12.95/mo+ Clean, comprehensive charting 5 Stars
TD Ameritrade $0 minimum deposit N/A Hundreds of indicators 5 Stars
StockCharts.com Free $14.95/mo+ Education and commentary 4.5 Stars
Yahoo Finance Free $249.96/year Powerful advanced charting 4.5 Stars
Stock Rover Free $7.99/mo+ Charting fundamentals 4 Stars
FINVIZ.com Free $24.96/mo Automated analysis 3 Stars-Help me rework this paragraph to keep the same meaning