Updated January 11, 2025 – Written by Ross Cameron
Successful day traders rely on a number of essential tools for effectively employing their trading strategies. One of these essential tools is an accurate and detailed stock screener that allows day traders to identify potential trades by sorting stocks based on selected criteria.
Let’s talk about why it’s so hard to find good free scanners.
The simple reason is that market data is expensive. The exchanges don’t allow market data to be given away for free unless it’s delayed by at least 15-minutes. That means if you’re giving people access to real-time data you have to report how many people consumed that data to the exchanges so they can charge you accordingly. All scanner developers need to purchase market data from the exchanges and pay these monthly per-user rates.
The only way anyone can give this data away for “free” is if their site makes money in another way and can afford to offer scanners at a loss. This is because there is no way around paying the exchanges for the data. Some websites we’ll talk about below have free versions that offer delayed data and paid versions with real-time data, and many of the websites run ads on their site which helps them produce revenue to cover the scanners.
Here at Warrior Trading, we offer our own scanners in our Day Trade Dash subscription, as these scanners utilize real-time data. The scanners are tailored to the strategies taught to Warrior Pro Members, and they are ready to use as soon as you sign up so you don’t have to worry about any setup. You can learn more about Warrior Scanners here.
If you are looking for a free scanner alternative, there are a number of free stock screeners that you can consider. Let’s briefly examine the top 4 free stock screeners to find out which one is right for you.
Honorable Mention: Warrior Trading’s Free Top Gainer Scanner
For traders simply looking for a top gainer scanner, we offer a free one that you can access anytime Free Day Trading Scanner. The only downside aside from that it’s on delayed data, is that we only offer one scanner for free. It’s our Top Gainer scanner which shows the biggest percentage gainers in the market. While it’s a helpful scanner for finding the most active stocks each day, if you want to create custom scans using free delayed data, the options below might be more interesting.
1. StockFetcher
StockFetcher is an ideal free stock screener for day traders who like to narrow their list of potential trades down to a small number of stocks.
StockFetcher has one of the most extensive lists of parameters out of all the available stock screeners, which is perfect for day traders who know precisely what they are looking for in a potential trade. It is one of the only free programs that allows you to code your parameters allowing for much more detailed searches.
The free version of StockFetcher displays only 5 stocks at one time, but this is more than adequate for the focused day trader.
2. Finviz
Finviz is known for its ease-of-use and intuitive interface. This free stock screener has an extensive list of parameters that are sorted according to clearly-defined sub tables, which is helpful for day traders who do not have a small set of preferred parameters.
You can then further refine your list of stocks by adjusting parameters, and you can analyze your selections according to 14 different sets of information (valuation, technical, etc).
The free stock screener version of Finviz offers delayed data, which is fine for day traders who are simply sorting out their potential trading targets for the day before moving on to real-time data on their preferred broker’s platform.
3. ChartMill
ChartMill offers the standard features of a first-tier stock screener, with a wide variety of parameters available and a special focus on technical indicators.
However, ChartMill stands out from its competitors by offering a number of proprietary parameters that lead directly to strong trade suggestions, which is ideal for beginner day traders who have yet to develop their own trading strategies.
ChartMill’s free stock screener version works on a credit system, with a set number of free credits available for use each month. Every time you use ChartMill, you spend some of your free credits. The number of credits should be more than enough for most day trading strategies, but you can also buy more credits when needed.
4. StockRover
StockRover is the perfect free stock screener for day traders who like to use complex analytics to identify potential trades. StockRover’s extensive and detailed list of parameters can be combined into complex formulas that go far beyond simple sorting.
Many users also appreciate StockRover’s unique parameters, such as stocks that certain institutional investors, like hedge funds, are buying or selling.
Those day traders with advanced and complex trading strategies tend to prefer StockRover as their choice of stock screener because it can support their deep analytical needs far better than the other top free stock screeners.