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Investment Analytics · head to head

FactSet vs YCharts

FactSet logo

FactSet

Investment Analytics

Financial data workstation, portfolio analytics and data feeds for investment professionals

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
YCharts logo

YCharts

Investment Analytics

Investment research and client proposal platform for financial advisers

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: FactSet no published pricing; FactSet's FAQ says cost depends on the use case and products required, and trials go through sales (checked November 2026).; YCharts no prices on the plans page: it lists four tiers and asks prospects to call for pricing, checked November 2026.
  • They diverge on capability: FactSet covers FactSet Workstation, YCharts covers Fundamental Charts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 12 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FactSet and YCharts actually diverge.

Attributes where FactSet and YCharts differ
AttributeFactSetYCharts
PlatformsWindows, Web, APIWeb, Excel

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Investment Analytics).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in FactSet

  • FactSet Workstation
  • Universal Screening
  • Microsoft Office integration
  • Portfolio Analysis
  • Mercury AI assistant
  • Model Context Protocol servers
  • Data feeds and cloud delivery

Only in YCharts

  • Fundamental Charts
  • Stock and Fund Screeners
  • Report Builder and proposals
  • Quick Extract
  • Portfolio construction
  • Economic data
  • Excel Add-In
  • Ask Y

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

FactSet

  • Equity and credit research with company fundamentals, estimates and screeningnot YCharts
  • Performance attribution and risk reporting on buy-side portfoliosnot YCharts
  • Building refreshable financial models and pitch books in Excel and PowerPointnot YCharts
  • Loading FactSet datasets into Snowflake or Databricks for quant researchnot YCharts
  • Querying portfolio analytics from an internal AI assistant over MCPnot YCharts
  • Deal sourcing and due diligence for private capital teamsnot YCharts

YCharts

  • Building client proposals from a prospect's existing brokerage statementnot FactSet
  • Branded charts and reports for client reviews and marketingnot FactSet
  • Screening stocks and funds for model portfolio constructionnot FactSet
  • Monitoring client and model portfolios for drift and rebalancingnot FactSet
  • Wholesalers and asset managers preparing fund comparisons for advisersnot FactSet

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

FactSet

  • No published pricing; FactSet's FAQ says cost depends on the use case and products required, and trials go through sales (checked November 2026).
  • The Excel add-in is typically part of a broader subscription according to FactSet's FAQ, so Office integration cannot be bought as a lightweight standalone tool.
  • The installed Workstation is Windows only, with 16 GB or more of memory recommended and a base installation upgrade advised every 12 months, per FactSet's installation guide.
  • Portfolio Analytics MCP launched as a limited release in June 2026, so AI access to attribution and risk outputs is not yet a mature, generally available feature for every client.
  • Benchmark DataFeeds on Snowflake are built per client, and FactSet's own developer recipe says designing each workflow takes several days to a week.

YCharts

  • No prices on the plans page: it lists four tiers and asks prospects to call for pricing, checked November 2026.
  • Several features on the plans page are marked as paid extras without amounts, so the cost of a working configuration is not knowable before a sales call.
  • Equity coverage is North American: the platform page describes 20,000+ equities and ADRs on North American exchanges, so it is a poor fit for research on non-US markets.
  • Fund and SMA data is licensed from Morningstar and ESG data from MSCI rather than produced in-house, so coverage and methodology in those areas follow the upstream provider.
  • The Presenter tier carries only basic equity, fund and index data, so staff who prepare proposals on that tier cannot do full research.

Pricing, plan by plan

FactSet

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the FactSet review.

YCharts

On request
  • Analyst$undefined/mo
    • Screeners and tables, dashboard, watchlists and alerts, charting
    • Most data
    • Aimed at research, market monitoring and individual investors
  • Presenter$undefined/mo
    • Customisations and select tools
    • Basic equity, fund and index data
    • Can receive shared items
  • Professional$undefined/mo
    • All tools, with fund, stock and economic data
    • Firm-wide sharing and proposals with talking points
    • Quick Extract included with new licences from September 2025
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Everything in Professional
    • Compliance controls and firm-wide sharing
    • Positioning of proprietary models for broker-dealers and advisor networks

Which should you pick?

Choose FactSet if

  • You need factset workstation.
  • You work on Windows, Web, API.
  • You also want universal screening.
FactSet review

Choose YCharts if

  • You need fundamental charts.
  • You work on Web, Excel.
  • You also want stock and fund screeners.
YCharts review

Questions people ask

Is FactSet or YCharts better?
Neither clearly leads. FactSet starts at On request and YCharts at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FactSet or YCharts?
FactSet starts at On request and YCharts at On request.
Does FactSet or YCharts run on more platforms?
FactSet runs on Windows, Web, API. YCharts runs on Web, Excel.
What is FactSet best used for?
FactSet is most often used for equity and credit research with company fundamentals, estimates and screening, performance attribution and risk reporting on buy-side portfolios, building refreshable financial models and pitch books in excel and powerpoint, loading factset datasets into snowflake or databricks for quant research. Of those, equity and credit research with company fundamentals, estimates and screening and performance attribution and risk reporting on buy-side portfolios are not what YCharts is typically brought in for.
What can FactSet do that YCharts cannot?
FactSet covers FactSet Workstation, Universal Screening, Microsoft Office integration, Portfolio Analysis. YCharts covers Fundamental Charts, Stock and Fund Screeners, Report Builder and proposals, Quick Extract.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FactSet: How much does FactSet cost?

FactSet does not publish prices. Its FAQ says the cost varies with your use case and the specific products and services you need, and quotes and trials are arranged through the sales team.

Source
YCharts: How much does YCharts cost?

YCharts does not publish prices. The plans page lists Analyst, Presenter, Professional and Enterprise tiers and asks prospects to call (866) 965-7552 for pricing. A free trial is available.

Source
FactSet: Does FactSet have an Excel add-in?

Yes. FactSet's Office tools create auditable, refreshable links to FactSet content in Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook. The FAQ notes the Excel add-in is typically part of a broader subscription.

Source
YCharts: Which integrations does YCharts support?

The platform page lists Orion, Black Diamond, Schwab Advisor Center, Redtail, Addepar and Pershing, and the homepage also names Salesforce and eMoney. Holdings imported this way feed portfolios, reports and proposals.

Source
FactSet: What are the system requirements for FactSet Workstation?

The installed Workstation and Office add-ins are a single MSI installer for Windows desktop and server operating systems. FactSet recommends 16 GB or more of memory, Windows 11 64-bit and Office 2016 or Microsoft 365, and upgrading the base installation every 12 months.

Source
YCharts: Where does YCharts get its fund data?

Mutual fund, ETF and separate account data comes from Morningstar, and the 30+ ESG data points for North American companies come from MSCI.

Source
FactSet: Can FactSet data be delivered to Snowflake?

Yes. Standard DataFeed content can be delivered as Snowflake data shares, with each feed appearing as a schema with tables. Benchmark DataFeeds are customised per client and take several days to a week to design.

Source
YCharts: Does YCharts have an Excel add-in?

Yes. The Excel Add-In links workbooks to YCharts data so models refresh in one click, and ships with over 40 pre-built templates. Professional clients get access to YCharts' in-house Excel specialists.

Source
FactSet: What is the FactSet Portfolio Analytics MCP?

A Model Context Protocol server, announced as a limited release on 26 June 2026, that lets buy-side firms query governed performance, attribution and risk outputs from FactSet inside their own AI environments.

Source
YCharts: What is Quick Extract?

A tool that turns a prospect's statement into a portfolio and runs analysis highlighting high-fee holdings and allocation drift. It is included with new Professional licences from September 2025.

Source
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