Barchart is a data service used by retail and institutional traders to access market data, news, trading tools, and analysis. Its standout specialty is futures and commodities markets.
What Is Barchart and Who Is It Built For?
We pulled together this Barchart review to help traders understand exactly what the platform offers across its various tiers and applications. The service is built to accommodate a wide spectrum of market participants. For individual retail traders, Barchart offers web-based charting, screening tools, and highly rated mobile applications designed for tracking markets on the go. For commercial hedgers, agribusinesses, and financial institutions, the company operates B2B data feeds under the Barchart OnDemand umbrella. These enterprise services deliver real-time and historical market data through APIs and direct streaming.
The core value proposition of Barchart is its ability to centralize diverse market data into a single accessible platform. Instead of relying on separate services for stock charts, options chains, and agricultural commodities data, users can view all of these asset classes within one ecosystem. The platform offers both free access with basic features and a paid Premier subscription for traders who require advanced analytics, custom screening, and ad-free browsing.
Which Is Better, Barchart or Finviz?
When evaluating market data platforms, traders often ask which is better, Barchart or Finviz. The research shows that while Finviz is a close traffic competitor for stock screening, Barchart stands out specifically for its institutional-grade data feeds, multi-asset coverage, and dedicated mobile applications. Below are the specific features that make Barchart useful for retail and commercial users.
Why It's Useful
Comprehensive charting and data tools: Barchart functions as a centralized charting tool with broad coverage of stocks, futures, and options. Users can switch the market flag for targeted data from their country of choice and right-click on charts to open interactive menus for technical analysis [1]. While TradingView offers more advanced retail charting with its custom Pine Script language, Barchart provides a solid foundation of built-in technical indicators and drawing tools for everyday analysis [2].
Deep coverage of futures and commodities: Unlike many standard retail platforms, Barchart provides real-time and delayed data for grains, energy, metals, and softs. The platform includes dedicated tools like cash grain bids, basis history, and agriculture dashboards. When compared to developer-focused competitors like Polygon.io, Barchart is materially stronger for any workflow needing agricultural market data and decision-support tools for agribusinesses [3].
High-quality mobile app experience: The Barchart Stocks & Futures app brings the platform's data to iOS and Android devices. The mobile experience includes watchlists, price alerts, and detailed quotes. Users consistently highlight the clean layout and fast updates, making it highly useful for tracking futures and commodities away from a desktop setup [4].
Institutional-grade data services: Through Barchart OnDemand, the company provides enterprise-level delivery options including FTP, streaming, and APIs. This service supplies real-time and historical data across equities, futures, options, FX, indices, and commodities. While competitors like Alpha Vantage offer free tiers with built-in technical indicators for individual developers, Barchart focuses on commercial clients needing reliable SLAs and multi-asset enterprise integration [3].
What Users Actually Say
Trustpilot rates Barchart 3.2 stars across 13 reviews [5], while App Store users give the main mobile app a much higher 4.8 stars across 5,172 ratings [6]. The research points to a clear divide in sentiment between highly satisfied mobile app users and frustrated web subscribers.
What users praise
On the Apple App Store and Google Play, reviewers consistently highlight the Barchart Stocks & Futures app as an easy-to-use interface with reliable quotes. Mobile users frequently praise the application for tracking futures markets and managing watchlists [6].
On Reddit, threads in r/options and r/thetagang frequently mention Barchart as a valuable resource for specialized options chains and unusual options activity. Commenters in these communities often note that the platform offers a lot of data for the price compared to expensive institutional alternatives [7].
Sitejabber reviewers also praise the platform as a very good one-stop charting tool for technical and fundamental analysis [8].
What users complain about
On Trustpilot, reviewers consistently complain about misleading auto-renewal practices. Multiple users report being charged again after attempting to cancel their subscriptions, often describing the customer service interactions regarding refunds as unhelpful or dismissive [5].
Reddit users frequently mention data quality and timeliness concerns, noting that Barchart's options data and greeks can lag behind direct broker feeds like Thinkorswim or Interactive Brokers [9].
On the Google Play store, several mobile users complain about intrusive ads, forced logins, and occasional app crashes following software updates [4].
What Are the Biggest Pros and Cons of Barchart?
Based on our aggregated research across user reviews and competitor analysis, here are the specific advantages and limitations traders report.
Pros
- Highly rated mobile app: Rated 4.8 on the App Store, with reviewers citing fast updates and an easy-to-use interface [6].
- Broad market data coverage: Provides comprehensive real-time market data and a trading platform covering stocks, futures, and options [1].
- Agricultural commodities depth: Offers deep, specialized coverage of agricultural commodities, including cash grain bids and basis history [3].
- Good value for the price: Reddit users note the platform provides good value for the price when used as a secondary research and scanning tool [7].
Cons
- Auto-renewal complaints: Trustpilot reviewers report a clear pattern of complaints regarding deceptive auto-renewal practices and difficulty securing refunds [5].
- Data lag on options: Reddit users frequently note that options pricing and greeks can lag behind direct broker feeds, making it less suitable as a primary execution platform [9].
- Android app issues: Google Play reviewers complain about intrusive ads, forced logins, and occasional sluggish performance on the Android app [4].
- Poor customer service: Trustpilot reviews highlight poor customer service interactions, with users stating support ignored their emails regarding billing issues [10].
Pricing & Our Read
Pricing
Barchart offers a tiered pricing structure for its consumer and enterprise products. The company provides a 30-day free trial for registered users to test the Premier features. If the trial is not canceled before the 30 days expire, it automatically converts to the $29.95 monthly subscription [11]. For institutional clients, Barchart OnDemand offers subscription plans based on data type and request volume, though real-time and multi-asset packages typically require contacting sales for a custom quote [2].
| Plan | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | $0 | Basic charting, delayed data, ads included |
| Premier (Monthly) | $29.95/mo | Advanced analytics, custom screening, ad-free browsing [11] |
| Premier (Annual) | $199.95/yr | Same as monthly Premier, billed annually [12] |
| Premier (2-Year) | $368.00/2yr | Same as monthly Premier, billed every two years [12] |
| Barchart OnDemand (Enterprise) | Custom pricing | Real-time and historical data via APIs, FTP, and streaming. Contact sales for a quote. |
Our Read
Bottom line: Barchart is an excellent secondary research tool for retail traders and a highly capable data provider for commodities professionals. The highly rated iOS and Android apps make it a strong choice for monitoring positions away from the desk, but users on Trustpilot and Reddit report data lag and billing frustrations that are worth weighing [5].
Best for: Traders who need broad multi-asset charting, unusual options activity screeners, and reliable mobile access to futures markets. Also well suited for agribusinesses and commercial hedgers who rely on specialized commodities data.
Skip if: You are an active day trader who requires millisecond-perfect options data for direct execution, or if you are uncomfortable managing auto-renewal settings closely. Users on Reddit and Trustpilot report data lag and frustration with the cancellation process, which may make it less suitable as a primary trading terminal [9].
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- barchart.com — barchart.com
- chartinglens.com — chartinglens.com
- waylandz.com — waylandz.com
- Play Store — play.google.com
- Trustpilot — trustpilot.com
- App Store — apps.apple.com
- Reddit — reddit.com
- Sitejabber — sitejabber.com
- Reddit — reddit.com
- Trustpilot — trustpilot.com
- help.barchart.com — help.barchart.com
- help.barchart.com — help.barchart.com
Key Takeaways
- Barchart's strongest differentiator is its futures and commodities coverage, making it more useful than general-purpose screeners for traders in agricultural or energy markets.
- The platform offers a free tier with basic features and a paid Premier subscription that unlocks advanced screening, custom alerts, and an ad-free experience.
- For institutional and commercial users, Barchart OnDemand provides real-time and historical data via APIs and direct streaming feeds under a separate B2B product line.
- Users on Reddit and Trustpilot flag two recurring complaints: data lag during active market hours and a frustrating cancellation process for the Premier subscription.
- When compared to Finviz, Barchart covers more asset classes in one ecosystem, including stocks, options chains, and agricultural commodities, while Finviz remains a closer competitor for pure equity screening.
DISCLAIMER: Traders Agency does not offer financial advice. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Traders Agency is not responsible for any financial losses or consequences resulting from the use of the information provided. Trading carries inherent risks and may not be suitable for all individuals. You are advised to conduct your own research and seek personalized advice before making any investment decisions, recognizing the potential risks and rewards involved.
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