Seeking Alpha: News & Analysis Reviews

by The Ghost Of Mitch Trubisky

SeekingAlpha as well as the website offerings for chat are slow, clunky, and extremely buggy. Also, the subscription service I paid for did not have the best yielding results as far as investment advice was concerned. I originally signed up for a 30 day trial that I decided to extend for a year. I didn’t realize I was set to automatically renew for another year until 3 days after the payment was charged.

I asked if I could get my money back since it had only been a few days and the investment advice lost me quite a bit of money, but I was told I could not get my money back. They wouldn’t prorate the charges, they just offered other services that I had no interest in in lieu of a refund.

Don’t waste your time here. Poor advice, poor tech, poor results. Be careful here.

by US Is New Soviet Union

Bad writers. Seeking alpha approves bad writers in hopes of pushing their subscription service to unwitting investors. Their premium service pays contributors $10 per 1,000 views, this creates a cesspool of writing that aims to generate emotion instead of inform. Although it’s rare to find an analyst that will make you millions of dollars Seeking alpha doubles down on the bad with their aggressive subscription based model, they will bombard your financial news feed with bad articles then tell you you’re out of free articles. None of it is about quality all of it was created to generate clicks, much like the other financial news services. If you can’t do your own research then don’t risk your money because nobody is going to do it for you, no matter how many commercials tell you otherwise.

by CTRAD

Up until 2021, SeekingAlpha worked great. We were able to view a limited number of articles monthly. That was suitable for me who would check out no more than 5 or less articles a week. Starting this year they reduce the monthly free article limit to an undisclosed number which seems like zero. Now you are confronted with a sales pitch to buy a monthly or annual subscription. The cost seems like something that can easily be paid for when you’re a day trader but for someone who is just managing there personal non-day trader account, it is a substantial cost that can’t be justified. Unfortunately, I think this will be the feeling of most and most will learn to do away with Seeking Alpha and SeekingAlpha. Just a word to the wise. It is a shame that some of the authors will lose their followers.

The limit is not identified in the link the developer has provided. Is it something to be ashamed of? I can stay within the limits but they need to be posted and not a trap.

by Joefunk76

“The data could not be read because it isn’t in the correct format” is the pop up error message I get when trying to post comments. Clearly, this is censorship since many other people are still able to post comments. Someone complained about this in the feedback forum three months ago but the post remains unanswered by SA support staff. When I tried replying to that comment, SeekingAlpha prompted me to sign up and sign in, even though I’m already signed in! When entering in my user email address, it prompted me to create a new account. Finally, whenever I try scrolling down my list of portfolio stocks, SeekingAlpha often inexplicably jumps up in the scrolling - something that never happened in previous versions. You would think such a long-standing and widely-used app, especially one used for financial advice, would have better quality control, better feedback forum response habits and be above censoring posts. These practices are shoddy at best and shameful at worst.

by Mortakye

August 2018. Down to (*). In response to my critical feedback at SA, they have removed my ability to comment on postings. No great loss, but censorship as a response to critical feedback merely validates my comments. As of today, SeekingAlpha remains buggy and all three indices are listed in dollars!! Does anyone even audit SeekingAlpha before they publish updates? Disappointing.

May 2018. Back to (**). Another upgrade and another example of inadequate testing and deployment. Required I login with upgrade and then required I add a portfolio as it assumed I was a new user. Once added, I could access my portfolios and delete the new one. I don’t care for this version interface. It could be more compact and deliver more detail. Check out the Stocks Live app for an example of excellent interface design, and boy do they test before deployment.

Previous rating (***). Better than previous rating (**), but I hesitate to score higher until a few update cycles. Lost my portfolio during one of the recent app updates.

by ZacZamora

Was looking for a place to read news about, and reviews about, primarily Cryptocurrencies. I was searching for an app that had a “bulls say vs. bears say” analytical segment. I searched Google for Crypto news app iOS, then I doubled-down my search efforts, directly in SeekingAlpha Store. Both attempts at finding my ideal Crypto news/analysis app, lead me to Seeking Alpha.

That’s where I got infuriated. I felt lied to. I felt mislead. I mean, SeekingAlpha doesn’t even really recognize Crypto-related tickers. It only seems to 99% recognize normal stock tickers. It does have a few, very few, crypto tickers, but none which matter, to me.

Stop digging for downloads with click bait or any other dishonest behaviors. I’m so sick of that junk. It’s everywhere these days. No product integrity, just a bunch of clowns chasing clicks, downloads, likes, dollars, or whatever.

It may not be SeekingAlpha developer’s fault, it could be Google and App Store’s fault, that I was lead to believe through an EXACT PRECISE search query that SeekingAlpha also covered crypto in full. It does not. I do not care whose fault it really is. The bottom line is that it happened.

And what happened next, is I deleted SeekingAlpha! And I will not recommend it to anyone. Because I am honest, and more persons need to be as well!

by Waiting In Birmingham

Don’t waste your time with SeekingAlpha. When I first started using SeekingAlpha , all articles were free. It was a great way to start the day with some investing news that had kind of a folksy tone. Then they started restricting free articles to those published in the prior two weeks. Ok, so it was not as good as before but still useful. Then came the bomb. Beginning Jan. 4, only 5 articles A MONTH are free. I am not kidding. Anytime you attempt to read an article, a pop up appears trying to get your money for an expensive subscription. This is a definite bait and switch tactic. Get you hooked on the investment articles, and then hit you with an expensive subscription demand. The same information is available elsewhere for free. Good bye Seeking Alpha! I have unsubscribed from your email and will read articles for free elsewhere.

by Billy.Ruck

I use this app to read the bull/bear case on stocks I’m considering investing. The free content is pretty good (I’m not a paying subscriber-more on that below), and the average commenter on this platform is well above-average for internet (event financial sites) comments sections.

SeekingAlpha structures all the content around a “Portfolio” you construct when getting started. Not the best idea, but do-able.

Problems:
Comments- Comments do not show up on most articles when I tap through to either read the whole article or tapping directly on the comments-count bubble. Big miss.

Charts- Y-axis on daily/multi-day/year line charts show seemingly random numbers, rendering the charts fairly useless. Also, there’s no YTD chart option.

Embedded images in articles open inadvertently- when scrolling through articles, if you happen to touch an image, it will open into full screen view. Lots of times, I do not intend to click the image but it opens on an errant tap.

App crashes if you post a comment- In those instances where comments DO load in articles and you contribute a comment, SeekingAlpha crashes once you hit post.

The above major glitches are a key driver for why I haven’t signed up for the pay SA service. If I can’t trust you to get comments and charts right in your mobile app, why would I trust that my experience on the paid content platform would be good?

by Cal Barnes

I’ve used SeekingAlpha for about 4 years. It’s been okay for tracking your portfolio and keeping up to date on news regarding your holdings. Recently app performance has suffered, crashes during commenting, comments not loading, doubling and tripling of notifications and articles. It can be very frustrating to use SeekingAlpha at times.

The comments section used to be filled with well informed users who would point out inaccuracies in an article, or bring up otherwise ignored points. I’m sure those helpful users are still there, but of late they have been almost completely drowned out by commenters who only seem to spew right wing talking points and propaganda, this often leads to someone responding that is spewing left wing talking points and propaganda. Wading through the political crap in the comments section became unbearable for me when I can get the same resources in other apps and without the baggage.

by The_Blade

Imagine if stock XYZ valued at $100 has gone up $20 over the past 10 days. SeekingAlpha would send you a notification title of one of its MANY opinion based articles. The article creator will claim that he/she is now bullish on stock XYZ, after it’s already gained. Well no duh!

Another example: you get another notification for another opinion based analysis article on stock ABC and the many ways why it’s a terrible stock and you shouldn’t buy it. Then over the next few days/weeks, stock ABC jumps 20%, 30%, even 50% or more in value.

Yesterday I got a notification from a quality finance app (yahoo finance) advising of a tweet from the president that sent stocks falling. The timing was almost literally 10 minutes before the fall. The other stock/finance apps I have were a little late by as much as 30 min. However, SeekingAlpha sent me an alert at approximately 2330 saying: Breaking News “President tweet sends market crashing.” Wow, a little late there by about 8.5 hours. Ridiculous!

Other apps offer features FOR FREE that SeekingAlpha likely doesn’t offer in its paid version. But I’m just guessing. Why, would I pay for an app that is so lacking in its free version?

by Garymaui

I have used the Seeking Alpha App since the beginning. Lately it is buggy, extraordinarily slow to load, and clearly lacks 2020 level technology, navigation, communication and other basic qualities. The portfolio manager is ok, but clumsy. Having read most relevant articles on the site for years, 2 alarming trends are apparent. A minority of authors are top quality equity/business/ financial analysts. This group is gold, and would thrive anywhere, and be an asset to those seeking investment advice. The majority are not. Many are what I would call “shills”, pushing agendas that are very basic, oft times wrong and could be costly to novice investors. Some of the sites frequent posters are blatantly abusive to those against their obvious positions. All in all, needs much improvement.

by Mike24737

The real draw down is the crazy subscription prices. Sure it’s starts low but I can read other peoples opinions anywhere online. The huge paywall is definitely stopping 10’s of thousands from utilizing your services according to an reddit thread. I guess it helps you if you’re looking to feel better about an investment by reading others opinions but it’s never helped me make up my mind. I like the service don’t get me wrong but, I don’t want a dumbed down trial. Also no options support for portfolio, that would make me come back too. Anyways thanks but I will pass for now as there’s plenty of competitors who offer the same services. I may be back who knows.

by Skilletcpa

SeekingAlpha was good until they locked it up with a high subscription cost. They claim it’s to reward the article writers but this used to be a great place for a healthy discussion amongst the average investor and they shut that down with a paywall. Why would you shut a lot of people out that helped create the content? I’d rather be subjected to advertising than priced out. There aren’t even tiers of pricing! It’s all or nothing and that seems like a money grab. You can mention the free articles you get but it’s limited to five and that’s a ridiculous constellation prize for all the folks that also helped make SeekingAlpha successful. It’s as if they value the long article writers over the discussions.

There isn’t anything in SeekingAlpha that’s really proprietary so lots of us will have to move on. Which Is too bad since it used to be my number 1 app to read. I really wish they’d reconsider the focus of SeekingAlpha and open up a free version that can continue on the spirit of the discussion. But at the very least have tier pricing. Something is better than nothing.

Update: A canned developer response about the limited free articles doesn’t show you even read the review. You put this response on every review talking about the paywall. Why can’t you figure out a way to make money and have more of us too?

by Late-In-Life

I have only recently started investing and I do not have a lot of money to invest, but am trying to grow a portfolio that will help supplement retirement. Through a long series of unfortunate events, I am getting started late in life so every dollar I can put into my portfolio matters. I really enjoyed the articles and information I found on Seeking Alpha. However, with limited funds to invest, and the new article limit without premium, my joy is gone. This service provides great information for those who already have plenty of money to spend, but is now not as useful to me. The help I found here was awesome when I could read more than five articles a month, but I cannot afford to pay for information and then have no money to do anything with said information. I understand the reasons behind the changes, but my $30/month will be more useful to me in my portfolio. It was great while it lasted, though.

by Georgia-Deet-Georgia-Deet...

I have dropped in on Seeking Alpha on a few occasions, and I am grateful that it is so very, very easy to follow, and I would tell anyone who follows the stock market, take a look you might be pleasantly surprised, I was. So you may not agree with how they handle the stocks, or the information that they achieve, but all I can say, give them a chance. I thought that I had let this come to seeking, but I am terrible sorry for my mistake, and this is not a mistake I will make again. I have had such a great year with the help that SeekingAlpha has given me since I start my stocks. My son, and I have become much closer since we have started this new adventures in our lives. He isn’t doing as much as my husband, and I but still a great feeling. I hope that wherever this takes us, I only want our friendship to continue to grow, and maybe make a little money while we do this. Thanks for such an easy way of following the stocks. Everything should be this easy.

by Gary E Miller 1

I am a money manager and get some excellent ideas from seeking Alpha pro. Many of the ad hoc contributors appear to be every bit as informed and conscientious as the buy side analysts available from the various brokerage firms, but without being suspect with regard to where their loyalties lie.
I once submitted an analysis to seeking Alpha but the editors came back and wanted better citations. Frankly I was too lazy to go back and do the extra work so the article never was published,but I must say I respect their thoroughness and editorial integrity demonstrated in my case.

by Metry Guy

Seeking Alpha is a truly invaluable investment resource with reasoned opinions and recommendations by knowledgeable authors. Their ideas are balanced by questioning and commentary by interested readers who challenge those opinions as well as ask for (or offer) clarifications. Within the investment universe it’s about as democratic a debate as you can expect to find anywhere. Although the authors do get paid something for their posts, their real reward comes from the growing number of “followers” who have benefited from their ideas, sometimes extensively documented. Those with the most success attract followers to their newsletters. Most pretty reasonably priced.

by EuclidsClone

And this was by design. Primarily because of the massive percentage of “CLICKBAITY” links to stories that are not accessible without signing up for yet ANOTHER SUBSCRIPTION. This is the same reason I quit clicking on anything to do with The Motley Fool. I would much rather see advertisements.

Paid version might be worth it but too expensive given much of the content is written by skillful shills attempting to advocate for their position even when it is wrong-lots of competition out there and SA being “agnostic” representing a multitude of viewpoints, isnt in this regard always helpful enough to justify the price when you can find similarly misleading and helpful voices on social media.

by DumitruC

Out of few very good stocks apps in the market, I find Seeking Alpha the best. It’s easy to navigate, simple and user friendly interface, in the same time it gives tons of useful information. I like the most to navigate through tabs of the portfolio which shows different information like Dividends, where you can find dividend yield, ex-dividend date, payout date, etc., you can sort by preferred column, ascending/descending. I find it very very useful.
The news and articles also very complete and detailed.
One thing would be great to add under dividends tab: dividend frequency.
Thank you Seeking Alpha for making investor’s life so much easier.
Keep up the good job. 👍

by Geo Cruiser

I have been looking for an app which I can list my stock symbols to monitor and get a fairly decent quote when needed, SeekingAlpha fills that need. Best yet, I get great ideas and points of views by authorized contributors as well as those who provide sector ideas via newsletter subscriptions. Finally, you can contribute comments and opinions with each other on the social aspect of following a stock or ETF. SeekingAlpha is not buggy and provides alerts and pre-market mid-day and close news. A pro-version provides for much more data and full pro articles which I do not subscribe to yet. Enjoy!

by Welcome To The Dunes

SeekingAlpha is worse than Apple’s crappy email app that comes with iOS. It is what holds be me back from signing up for SA’s premium service. Why should I pay a premium for using such crap.

Specifics:
1) on the day the Dow dove over 700 points (today) the portfolio view shows the same 56 point drop for the Dow from yesterday. No changes. Nothing.

2) for most of the day my portfolio tickers didn’t update either. Now they look updated but how am I to know when the market index numbers are clearly wrong?

3) clicking on an emailed article notification opens SeekingAlpha to a blank article page. Only after clicking for a second or third time does the article appear. And yes...I waited to make sure that there was a good cell connection. This is 100% reproducible even when I have full bars and LTE.

4) when reading an article and scrolling down it repaints the whole screen and resets the scroll position when it needs to load a new ad. This is highly disruptive when I have to scroll around in the middle of reading to find where I was.

by AWordWarpPlayer

I have been a reader of seeking alpha for over three years. Like anywhere else, you need to find writers that match your style of investing, and they have some to match any style. Unfortunately, SA has recently begun trying to be all things to all people by offering news, stock prices and stock charts to readers and it has caused their app to perform miserably. SA would have been 4 stars until this happened. I can’t understand why they allow this dismal performance for features that users neither need nor want. I have an app that I bought to give me real time price data as well as charts. Why would I want the delayed data offered by SA, particularly when it causes the rest of SeekingAlpha to perform so badly. They should at least allow users to turn off prices and charts.

by Jwh70_1

The notifications tab on the bottom of SeekingAlpha gives me phantom notifications that do not actually exist. I wish I could just use the web version but the “download our app” banners and automatic link-throughs to SeekingAlpha Store are incessant. I understand seeking alpha is trying to drive the right balance between monetization and broad distribution and relevance via mobile engagement, but SeekingAlpha in its current form makes me unlikely to ever subscribe to your premium offerings. I currently subscribe to other market related products like YCharts and BAMsec that make my life marginally easier, but you are missing out on my business due to development quality.

by Feuerball99

SeekingAlpha has become very u stable recently and often freezes when opening on my iPhone. I have not noticed the same on my iPad app.

SeekingAlpha also has a good chance of crashing g when you post a comment. This has been the case for a while , but is now more common, since they review posts by an editor and added a pop up that tells you just that.

The website has become much less useful, since they paywalls off older articles. I don’t think the quality of the articles warrants a paywall, but that’s just my opinion.

by Sqloffline

Please rollback nine months and try again with a new approach or development leadership. It hurts to complain about free, but this mess keeps getting worse. It’s so obvious, you should not need us to deliver the bad news. Comments fail with Invalid DataFormat. Graphs don’t update. News feed not listed in portfolio. Initial portfolio render half empty. It’s so bad you don’t need us to tell you. Fire whoever slashed the development budget and reload.

by Economic Analyst

Best go to place for all around financial information and discussion. Built by professional investment professionals this continually evolving information sharing platform provides access as well as voice to every level of investment opinion. Hang around Seeking Alpha long enough and your portfolio performance will improve and you will have both more fun as a direct result of a better understanding of market dynamics, the principles of successful investing and the behaviors of the players, that’s you and me!

by SalesMktgMom

I LOVE Seeking Alpha service and content. I review SeekingAlpha 3-5 tines a day and depend on it for important updates and have learned so much from the authors and commenters.
I can barely use this new update. It’s a hot mess. I tried to provide feedback directly to them through their app and THAT doesn’t even work.
Problems:
-The comments all read as ? , that’s all, a single question mark. And as you know one of the best features of SA is reading the comments.
-Linking to the articles from either emails or notifications on SeekingAlpha -train wreck
-Portfolio navigation-locks up

I read comments about uninstalling and reinstalling to fix these bugs which were caused by the new version developed to fix bugs. Portfolio navigation may be better but the other things are still a disaster.

Was a great app-now it’s essentially unusable.

by Can A Dude Get A Nickname?

I like the content, ability to construct watch lists, etc., but SeekingAlpha ranges from buggy to broken. Lately I can’t refresh my notifications at all to get the latest news. I also cannot comment on articles and SeekingAlpha says to check the confirmation email which never arrives, even though I’m registered with my correct email address (and yes, i checked spam). Content is also very slow to load when it does work.

by EArundel

Seeking Alpha provides an excellent source of information for everyone to better understand the art of investment.
When you take the time to read the reviews & comments from other investors, it will allow you to grasp the historical content of the many various companies.
This knowledge gained over the years will become your basis for an investing method of you own selection into the future.

by Inspector Daniel

Great app for the amateur stock trader. I appreciate the articles that are generated and also the premarket and after hours prices on stocks in one place. If you typically use the Apple stock app, this is a much better tool to check prices during the day. Apple’s articles only come from one or two sources and don’t seem to be business oriented and more like fodder. SeekingAlpha seems to be more factual versus ones like Motley Fool where they will write articles hating a stock and then love it two days later. Worth downloading.