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Investment Analytics · head to head

Koyfin vs Morningstar Direct

Koyfin logo

Koyfin

Investment Analytics

Market research, portfolio analytics and client reporting for advisers and investors

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Morningstar Direct logo

Morningstar Direct

Investment Analytics

Morningstar's investment analysis platform for fund research, flows and portfolio analytics

From
On request
Free plan
No

The short version

  • Only Koyfin has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Koyfin annual prices are not shown on the pricing page, only a claim of saving up to 30 per cent, checked November 2026.; Morningstar Direct no published pricing on Morningstar's product pages, checked November 2026.
  • They diverge on capability: Koyfin covers Custom dashboards and watchlists, Morningstar Direct covers Investment database and screening.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 12 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Koyfin and Morningstar Direct actually diverge.

Attributes where Koyfin and Morningstar Direct differ
AttributeKoyfinMorningstar Direct
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Web, Excel

Identical on both: 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 Koyfin

  • Custom dashboards and watchlists
  • Advanced graphing
  • Equity screener
  • Market and macro dashboards
  • Model and client portfolios
  • Proposals and client reports
  • Financial analysis and transcripts
  • Mobile apps

Only in Morningstar Direct

  • Investment database and screening
  • Asset Flows
  • Portfolio analysis and attribution
  • Asset Allocation
  • Performance Reporting
  • Presentation Studio
  • Excel Add-In
  • Direct AI agents

What people use each for

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

Koyfin

  • Individual investors researching stocks and ETFs on a free or low-cost plannot Morningstar Direct
  • Advisers building model portfolios and branded client proposalsnot Morningstar Direct
  • Macro and cross-asset monitoring with custom dashboardsnot Morningstar Direct
  • Screening global equities on fundamental and valuation criterianot Morningstar Direct
  • Teaching markets and financial analysis in universitiesnot Morningstar Direct

Morningstar Direct

  • Fund research and manager due diligence using Morningstar ratings and categoriesnot Koyfin
  • Tracking fund flows and market share for product development and distributionnot Koyfin
  • Attribution and performance reporting on fund line-ups and model portfoliosnot Koyfin
  • Producing branded fund factsheets and client presentationsnot Koyfin
  • Capital market assumptions and strategic asset allocation worknot Koyfin

Where each one falls short

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

Koyfin

  • Annual prices are not shown on the pricing page, only a claim of saving up to 30 per cent, checked November 2026.
  • Client proposals and reports are capped at 10 a month on Advisor Core, so a practice running regular reviews for many households needs Advisor Pro at $299 a month.
  • Advisor Core includes only one custodian integration, and the features page names only Schwab and Altruist; firms on other custodians fall back to PDF statement uploads, which are an Advisor Pro feature.
  • The data coverage page does not name its upstream data providers, so users cannot check where fundamentals and estimates come from.
  • No Excel add-in or API is described on the features or pricing pages, which limits use in spreadsheet-based modelling workflows.
  • The mobile app lists filings, screener and custom calculations as features still to come.

Morningstar Direct

  • No published pricing on Morningstar's product pages, checked November 2026.
  • The full application is a Windows desktop install: the August 2026 technical specification lists Windows 11 and several .NET Framework versions as requirements, so it does not run natively on a Mac.
  • Some modules, including Asset Allocation and Portfolio Analysis, open in separate browser sites rather than inside the desktop application, according to Morningstar's own onboarding guide.
  • The product is strongest on managed investments; it is not a real-time trading or deal-data platform, so banks and traders usually need another terminal alongside it.
  • Morningstar's product pages did not return content to automated requests in November 2026, so feature detail has to come from PDFs, help pages and press releases.

Pricing, plan by plan

Koyfin

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2 years of financials and 1 year of estimates
    • Advanced charting and market and macro dashboards
    • 2 watchlists, 2 screens and 2 custom dashboards
  • Plus$39/month
    • 10 years of financials and estimates
    • ETF holdings and stock and ETF screener
    • Unlimited watchlists, screens and custom dashboards
  • Premium$79/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Advanced portfolio analytics
    • Unlimited custom data and custom formulas
  • Advisor Core$209/month
    • Everything in Premium
    • Model and client portfolios
    • 10 client proposals and reports a month

Morningstar Direct

On request
  • Morningstar Direct licence$undefined/mo
    • Priced by quotation through Morningstar sales, no list prices published
    • Desktop application for Windows with a separate Excel Add-In
    • Direct AI browser interface announced October 2026, pricing not stated

Which should you pick?

Choose Koyfin if

  • You need custom dashboards and watchlists.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want advanced graphing.

Choose Morningstar Direct if

  • You need investment database and screening.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Excel.
  • You also want asset flows.

Questions people ask

Is Koyfin or Morningstar Direct better?
Neither clearly leads. Koyfin starts at Free and Morningstar Direct at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Koyfin or Morningstar Direct?
Koyfin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Koyfin and On request for Morningstar Direct.
Does Koyfin or Morningstar Direct run on more platforms?
Koyfin runs on Web, iOS, Android. Morningstar Direct runs on Windows, Web, Excel.
Can I use Koyfin for free?
Yes. Koyfin has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Morningstar Direct starts at On request.
What is Koyfin best used for?
Koyfin is most often used for individual investors researching stocks and etfs on a free or low-cost plan, advisers building model portfolios and branded client proposals, macro and cross-asset monitoring with custom dashboards, screening global equities on fundamental and valuation criteria. Of those, individual investors researching stocks and etfs on a free or low-cost plan and advisers building model portfolios and branded client proposals are not what Morningstar Direct is typically brought in for.
What can Koyfin do that Morningstar Direct cannot?
Koyfin covers Custom dashboards and watchlists, Advanced graphing, Equity screener, Market and macro dashboards. Morningstar Direct covers Investment database and screening, Asset Flows, Portfolio analysis and attribution, Asset Allocation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Koyfin: How much does Koyfin cost?

Free is $0. Plus is $39 a month, Premium $79, Advisor Core $209 and Advisor Pro $299 at monthly billing, and annual plans save up to 30 per cent. Teams is quoted by sales.

Source
Morningstar Direct: What is Morningstar Direct AI?

A rebuilt, agentic version of Morningstar Direct launched on 7 October 2026 with a new browser-based interface and three agents: Product Development, Distribution and Manager Research. Morningstar did not state pricing in the announcement.

Source
Koyfin: What does the Koyfin free plan include?

Two years of financials and one year of estimates, My Portfolios, advanced charting, market and macro dashboards, two watchlists, two screens, two custom dashboards, and limited company snapshots and news.

Source
Morningstar Direct: What are the system requirements for Morningstar Direct?

Windows 11, at least 4 GB of memory (8 GB recommended), Microsoft Office 2016 or Microsoft 365, and .NET Framework 4.6.1, with 4.7 required for the Excel Add-In and 4.8 for Presentation Studio. Logins require multi-factor authentication or single sign-on.

Source
Koyfin: What data does Koyfin cover?

Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, closed-end funds, options, short interest, indices, currencies, commodities, crypto, fixed income, global economics, news and transcripts. Koyfin states coverage of more than 80,000 companies and transcripts going back 50 years.

Source
Morningstar Direct: What does the Asset Flows module cover?

Estimated cash flow and market share data for open-end funds, ETFs, separate accounts and insurance products across several markets. US open-end fund flows are typically published by the eighth business day after month end.

Source
Koyfin: Which custodians does Koyfin integrate with?

The features page names Schwab and Altruist. Advisor Core includes one custodian integration and Advisor Pro allows several, plus PDF brokerage statement uploads and portfolio management system integrations.

Source
Morningstar Direct: How much does Morningstar Direct cost?

Morningstar does not publish prices for Direct. Licences are arranged through its sales team.

Source
Koyfin: Does Koyfin have a mobile app?

Yes, on iOS and Android. It covers market overview, portfolio tracking, news, watchlists, security snapshots and price alerts, and syncs changes with the desktop.

Source
Morningstar Direct: Can Morningstar data be used from AI assistants?

Morningstar states that its investment intelligence is available through Claude, Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT, in addition to the agents inside Direct AI.

Source
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