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Investment Analytics · head to head

MSCI vs YCharts

MSCI logo

MSCI

Investment Analytics

Indexes, Barra factor models, RiskMetrics risk, ESG ratings and private asset data

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: MSCI no prices are published for any index licence, model or platform; every product page routes to a demo request or contact 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: MSCI covers MSCI indexes, YCharts covers Fundamental Charts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 12 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MSCI and YCharts actually diverge.

Attributes where MSCI and YCharts differ
AttributeMSCIYCharts
PlatformsWeb, API, CloudWeb, 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 MSCI

  • MSCI indexes
  • Barra equity factor models
  • RiskMetrics RiskManager
  • BarraOne
  • ESG Ratings and climate data
  • Private asset data (Burgiss)
  • MSCI Connector (MCP)
  • Cloud and API 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.

MSCI

  • Benchmarking equity portfolios against MSCI ACWI, World or Emerging Markets indexesnot YCharts
  • Measuring factor exposures and ex-ante risk with Barra modelsnot YCharts
  • Enterprise VaR, stress testing and regulatory risk reporting with RiskManagernot YCharts
  • Screening and reporting on portfolio ESG and climate characteristicsnot YCharts
  • Benchmarking private equity and private credit funds against peer datanot YCharts
  • Running total portfolio risk across public and private allocationsnot YCharts

YCharts

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

Where each one falls short

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

MSCI

  • No prices are published for any index licence, model or platform; every product page routes to a demo request or contact form (checked November 2026).
  • It is a set of separately licensed products, so indexes, Barra models, RiskManager, BarraOne, ESG Ratings and Private i are each bought and entitled on their own rather than as one subscription.
  • Not a market terminal: MSCI does not offer real-time news, quotes or trade execution, so firms still need Bloomberg, LSEG or FactSet alongside it.
  • ESG Ratings are relative to industry peers on the AAA to CCC scale, so a high rating says a company manages its industry's risks better than peers, not that its absolute impact is low.
  • Coverage figures on product pages carry different and sometimes old as-of dates (ESG coverage as of June 2024, factor model coverage as of March 2024), and the RiskManager page's own 'Which asset classes are covered?' FAQ has no answer.

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

MSCI

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the MSCI 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 MSCI if

  • You need msci indexes.
  • You work on Web, API, Cloud.
  • You also want barra equity factor models.
MSCI 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 MSCI or YCharts better?
Neither clearly leads. MSCI 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, MSCI or YCharts?
MSCI starts at On request and YCharts at On request.
Does MSCI or YCharts run on more platforms?
MSCI runs on Web, API, Cloud. YCharts runs on Web, Excel.
What is MSCI best used for?
MSCI is most often used for benchmarking equity portfolios against msci acwi, world or emerging markets indexes, measuring factor exposures and ex-ante risk with barra models, enterprise var, stress testing and regulatory risk reporting with riskmanager, screening and reporting on portfolio esg and climate characteristics. Of those, benchmarking equity portfolios against msci acwi, world or emerging markets indexes and measuring factor exposures and ex-ante risk with barra models are not what YCharts is typically brought in for.
What can MSCI do that YCharts cannot?
MSCI covers MSCI indexes, Barra equity factor models, RiskMetrics RiskManager, BarraOne. YCharts covers Fundamental Charts, Stock and Fund Screeners, Report Builder and proposals, Quick Extract.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

MSCI: How much does MSCI cost?

MSCI does not publish pricing. Index licences, factor models, risk platforms, ESG data and private asset products are quoted individually through its 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
MSCI: What is the difference between RiskMetrics and RiskManager?

RiskMetrics is the calculation engine; RiskManager is the hosted platform built on it. RiskManager brings VaR, factor, stress testing, liquidity and counterparty credit risk together and supports regulatory reporting, with results deliverable to a data warehouse or third-party systems by API.

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
MSCI: How are MSCI ESG Ratings scored?

Companies are rated from AAA to CCC relative to their industry peers, based on financially relevant, industry-specific environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities. MSCI states coverage of more than 17,000 issuers and 999,000 securities.

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
MSCI: Is Burgiss part of MSCI?

Yes. MSCI completed its acquisition of The Burgiss Group, a provider of private asset data and analytics, on 2 October 2023. MSCI now sells private asset data and analytics through products including MSCI Private i, private asset indexes and private asset factor models.

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
MSCI: Can MSCI data be used inside AI assistants?

Through the MSCI Connector, a Model Context Protocol connection available in Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and MSCI ONE. Responses are entitlement-controlled, and MSCI states client data is not used to train AI models.

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
MSCI: What do the Barra factor models cover?

MSCI lists more than 70 equity factor models covering over 90,000 securities, 49 industries and more than 85 countries, with newer Barra models adding sustainability, crowding and machine learning factors.

Source
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