Free Real-Time Streaming Stock Quotes

One drawback of using FreeTrade for my brokerage is that I don’t get free real-time quotes. I’m not a very active trader, but when I do make a trade it’s nice to have the best information possible, especially if I can still find it for free. Most brokerage offer real-time quotes if you hold an account with them, such as Scottrade, Ameritrade, or Fidelity. But after a bit of research, I found that you can get free quotes and some decent charting software for free.

One website that touts free quotes is FreeRealTime.com. However, they only offer real-time ECN quotes, which according to them:

“A Real-time ECN Quote is a real-time quote from a participating ECN (Island, Instinet) and does not necessarily represent the best bid or ask in the marketplace. ECN’s (Electronic Communications Networks) are electronic marketplaces that match buy and sell orders with each other.”

In my experience the quotes are really off and inaccurate compared to the quotes I’m getting from other real-time sources. I’d stay away.

A better option for free real-time quotes go to Scottrader.com and sign up for their free “demo version”. It gives you 20 quotes at a time. Their own charts and interface are ok in my opinion. However, if you want to have something snazzier, try going to QuoteTracker and downloading their free software. It links up with your existing quote source (Scottrader is an option) and uses the data to create charts for you. You can even trade from the software if you want. It does have ad banners, but no pop-ups or spyware. I usually link it up with Fidelity, since I have a account (with a $100 bonus and no minimums with e-statements) there and they have no limit on the number of quotes. It logs you in automatically as well, so no passwords to remember.

If there are other options, please let me know!