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Investment Analytics · head to head

Morningstar Sustainalytics vs YCharts

Morningstar Sustainalytics logo

Morningstar Sustainalytics

Investment Analytics

ESG Risk Ratings, controversies and regulatory data for investors

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: Morningstar Sustainalytics no prices are published for any dataset or platform licence; everything goes through a request-details form, 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: Morningstar Sustainalytics covers ESG Risk Ratings, YCharts covers Fundamental Charts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 12 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Morningstar Sustainalytics and YCharts actually diverge.

Attributes where Morningstar Sustainalytics and YCharts differ
AttributeMorningstar SustainalyticsYCharts
PlatformsWeb, 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 Morningstar Sustainalytics

  • ESG Risk Ratings
  • Controversies Research
  • Low Carbon Transition Ratings
  • Regulatory datasets
  • Country Risk Ratings and sanctions screening
  • Global Access platform
  • API and data feeds
  • Corporate licences and second-party opinions

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.

Morningstar Sustainalytics

  • Screening an investment universe on unmanaged ESG risk before portfolio constructionnot YCharts
  • Monitoring holdings for ESG controversies with daily alertsnot YCharts
  • Producing SFDR, EU Taxonomy and EBA Pillar III disclosures from licensed datanot YCharts
  • Measuring portfolio alignment with net zero through implied temperature risenot YCharts
  • Prioritising engagement and proxy voting by material ESG issuenot YCharts
  • Licensing a company's own rating for marketing or a sustainability-linked loannot YCharts

YCharts

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

Where each one falls short

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

Morningstar Sustainalytics

  • No prices are published for any dataset or platform licence; everything goes through a request-details form, checked November 2026.
  • The ESG Risk Ratings measure financial risk to the company from ESG issues, not the company's impact on the world, so a firm with a damaging product can still score low risk. Buyers wanting impact or double materiality need separate datasets.
  • The ratings depend on analyst assessment, which caps coverage: the ESG Risk Ratings page cites more than 16,000 companies, a fraction of the universe that model-driven providers claim.
  • Distribution is uneven by product: the Low Carbon Transition Ratings page lists FactSet, Aladdin and Bloomberg as planned rather than live, so a dataset available in one terminal may not be in another.
  • Since 1 December 2023 the site states its ESG ratings and data are not intended for India-based clients, users or residents.
  • Morningstar sells both these ratings and Morningstar Direct, and corporates can pay to license their own rating; investors relying on it should read the conflict-of-interest disclosures that come with the ESMA application, which was still pending in November 2026.

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

Morningstar Sustainalytics

On request
  • Investor solutions$undefined/mo
    • Priced by quotation through a request-details form
    • Licensed by dataset: ESG Risk Ratings, controversies, climate, regulatory and screening
    • Delivered via Global Access, API, datafeed or partner platforms
  • Corporate solutions$undefined/mo
    • Priced by quotation
    • ESG rating licences, Top-Rated Companies badges and second-party opinions

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 Morningstar Sustainalytics if

  • You need esg risk ratings.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want controversies research.
Morningstar Sustainalytics 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 Morningstar Sustainalytics or YCharts better?
Neither clearly leads. Morningstar Sustainalytics 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, Morningstar Sustainalytics or YCharts?
Morningstar Sustainalytics starts at On request and YCharts at On request.
Does Morningstar Sustainalytics or YCharts run on more platforms?
Morningstar Sustainalytics runs on Web, API. YCharts runs on Web, Excel.
What is Morningstar Sustainalytics best used for?
Morningstar Sustainalytics is most often used for screening an investment universe on unmanaged esg risk before portfolio construction, monitoring holdings for esg controversies with daily alerts, producing sfdr, eu taxonomy and eba pillar iii disclosures from licensed data, measuring portfolio alignment with net zero through implied temperature rise. Of those, screening an investment universe on unmanaged esg risk before portfolio construction and monitoring holdings for esg controversies with daily alerts are not what YCharts is typically brought in for.
What can Morningstar Sustainalytics do that YCharts cannot?
Morningstar Sustainalytics covers ESG Risk Ratings, Controversies Research, Low Carbon Transition Ratings, Regulatory datasets. YCharts covers Fundamental Charts, Stock and Fund Screeners, Report Builder and proposals, Quick Extract.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Morningstar Sustainalytics: What do Sustainalytics ESG Risk Ratings measure?

The amount of material ESG risk a company leaves unmanaged. Exposure is set at sub-industry level, unmanageable risk is separated out, and the remainder is assessed against the company's policies, programmes and controversies. The result falls in one of five bands: negligible, low, medium, high or severe.

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
Morningstar Sustainalytics: How many companies does Sustainalytics rate?

The ESG Risk Ratings page states analyst coverage of more than 16,000 companies across public equity, fixed income and private issuers, using over 200 indicators and 1,800 data points. Controversies Research monitors more than 19,000 entities.

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
Morningstar Sustainalytics: How is Sustainalytics data delivered?

Through the Global Access web platform, an API documented in OpenAPI and Swagger, scheduled datafeeds to SFTP, and partner platforms including Morningstar Direct, Bloomberg, Aladdin, FactSet, RIMES, Markit and Style Analytics.

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
Morningstar Sustainalytics: Who owns Sustainalytics?

Morningstar, Inc. It acquired a 40% stake in 2017 and completed the purchase of the remainder in July 2020.

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
Morningstar Sustainalytics: Is Sustainalytics authorised under the EU ESG Ratings Regulation?

Sustainalytics B.V. has applied to ESMA for authorisation as an ESG rating provider, covering eleven products including ESG Risk Ratings, controversy ratings and low carbon transition ratings. A decision had not been announced as of November 2026.

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
Morningstar Sustainalytics: What does Sustainalytics cost?

Prices are not published. Investor and corporate products are sold by quotation through a request-details or contact form.

Source
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