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Investing » Is Benzinga Pro Worth the Money?

Is Benzinga Pro Worth the Money?

Wondering which Benzinga plan fits you? We break down Free, Pro Basic and Essential to help you understand which of them is best fit
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Interest Rates Last Update: April 1, 2025
The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Interest Rates Last Update: April 1, 2025

The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.

We earn a commission from our partner links on this page. It doesn't affect the integrity of our unbiased, independent editorial staff. Transparency is a core value for us, read our advertiser disclosure and how we make money.

The information provided on this website is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. We do not provide personalized investment recommendations or act as financial advisors.

If you’re into markets, memes, and money moves, Benzinga might be your new favorite tab.

The free plan gives you solid news and real-time quotes, but if you’re trying to level up, Pro Basic brings alerts and fast updates, while Essential is built for serious day traders. Prefer curated stock picks and long-term vibes?

Whether you’re trading breakouts or building your portfolio, there’s a Benzinga plan for every type of market player.

Plan
Monthly Subscription
Promotion
Benzinga Pro – Basic
$37 $367 ($30.58 / month) if paid annually
14-day free trial
Benzinga Pro – Streamlined
$147 $1,497 ($124.75 / month) if paid annually
14-day free trial
Benzinga Pro – Essential
$197 $1,997 ($166.42 / month) if paid annually
14-day free trial
Benzinga Edge
$19 $228 if paid annually
$129 $129 for new member’s annual price ($11/month), including 7-day money-back guarantee

What You'll Get On All Benzinga Plans?

Here are the main essential features included across all Benzinga plans, from the Free Plan to Pro:

All Benzinga plans offer access to market news and financial headlines.

Free users can read timely updates on stock movements, analyst ratings, earnings reports, and economic events.

Benzinga free plan news

Every Benzinga plan includes technical charts that support stock price tracking and pattern analysis.

On the Free Plan, you can use up to two technical indicators like momentum or stochastic per chart, which is enough for casual trend following.

Fidelity chart with volume and SMA, Benzinga free plan

All tiers provide visibility into analyst sentiment, including buy, hold, and sell ratings for individual stocks.

Free users can see simple breakdowns of analyst opinions and price target changes, which helps gauge whether professionals are bullish or bearish.

stock analyst ratings and forecast tool, Benzinga free plan

Each plan includes access to Benzinga’s economic and earnings calendar.

Free users can view upcoming events such as Fed rate decisions or major company earnings, which is useful for planning trades.

Benzinga free plan economic calender

Benzinga provides ETF tracking across all plans, allowing users to follow sector trends and basic fund performance.

Free users can see price charts and movements for funds like SPY or QQQ.

Benzinga Pro Basic Plan: What You'll Get If You Upgrade?

Here are five unique features of the Benzinga Pro Basic Plan that are not included in the free plan:

Unlike the Free Plan, which shows delayed quotes, Benzinga Pro Basic delivers real-time Nasdaq stock prices. This allows traders to react instantly to price movements without waiting for data refreshes.

For example, day traders can see a stock hit a key resistance level and act immediately.

Pro Basic users can set personalized alerts for stock price changes, analyst ratings, and major news. This is a big upgrade from the Free Plan, which lacks any alert system.

A swing trader might use alerts to catch breakout signals or earnings-driven momentum plays as they happen.

While the Free Plan offers financial news, updates may be delayed and limited in scope. Pro Basic gives full access to Benzinga’s real-time newsfeed, including earnings reports, analyst commentary, and SEC filings.

This helps investors stay ahead of the market and respond faster to breaking headlines.

Benzinga Pro Basic includes access to premium research articles not available in the free plan These articles provide trade ideas, expert insights, and deeper context on market trends.

For instance, investors can read in-depth coverage of sectors like biotech or AI before positioning their portfolio.

Unlike the free plan, Pro Basic users can apply keyword filters to streamline the newsfeed and set sound alerts for key updates.

This helps traders focus only on relevant news — for example, filtering headlines for “Fed” or “earnings miss” to monitor macro risks.

Benzinga Essential Pro: What You'll Get If You Upgrade?

The Benzinga Pro Essential Plan is significantly more expensive than the Basic Pro plan, and there’s a reason for that.

It’s not just a small step up – it’s a full upgrade designed for serious, active traders who need fast, customizable, and data-rich tools.

The Essential Plan includes a powerful real-time stock screener that filters stocks based on technical and fundamental criteria instantly.

Unlike free plans that lack screening tools, this feature helps traders spot breakouts, volume spikes, or momentum plays in real time — crucial for fast-paced trading.

top gainers in financial sector, Benzinga Pro stock screener

This feature delivers live, audio-based market news as it happens — from earnings reports to economic data. It’s not available in lower tiers plans.

For day traders or scalpers, this hands-free feed is invaluable for catching breaking news without constantly watching the screen.

equity squak, Benzinga Pro

The Signals dashboard alerts traders to high-impact events like price spikes, volatility surges, and block trades.

This tool goes beyond standard price alerts by identifying trade setups based on market behavior, helping short-term traders act faster on sudden opportunities.

signals filters, Benzinga Pro

Benzinga Pro Essential offers real-time alerts on unusual options volume, helping traders follow institutional moves.

This feature is absent in Free and Pro Basic plans. For example, spotting a spike in call options on a stock ahead of news can signal insider confidence.

Essential users can filter news by keyword, ticker, sector, or sentiment. While the Free Plan offers basic headlines, this feature lets users isolate only high-impact news.

A trader could, for example, set filters for “earnings beat” and tech stocks to streamline idea discovery.

real time news feed, Benzinga Pro
Real time news feed, Benzinga Pro

Who May Want To Upgrade To Benzinga Free Plan?

Investors who want basic tools for tracking stocks and financial news without a subscription may find Benzinga's free plan helpful.

  • Beginner Investors: The Free Plan is for new investors who want to learn how to track stock prices, follow analyst sentiment, and read market news.
  • Casual Market Watchers: People who enjoy monitoring markets but don’t trade actively will benefit from features like watchlists, newsfeeds, and economic calendars.
  • Crypto Enthusiasts: The Free Plan includes basic crypto tracking and news — ideal for users interested in digital assets without active trading.
  • ETF and Stock Followers: Investors who track broad indices, ETFs, or trending stocks can use it to stay updated on market movers and basic trends.

Which Investor Types Prefer Benzinga Pro Basic Plan?

This plan suits investors who want real-time news, alerts, and stock analysis without paying for advanced institutional tools.

  • News-Driven Investors: Users who rely on breaking headlines, analyst commentary, and earnings reports will appreciate the full, real-time newsfeed.
  • Active Retail Traders: Those managing their own trades can benefit from customizable watchlist alerts and real-time quotes for quicker reactions.
  • Swing Traders: Traders looking for setups based on news, price movement, or analyst upgrades will find the alert features extremely helpful.
  • Fundamental-Focused Investors: If you use analyst ratings, earnings data, and insider trades to support investment decisions, this plan fits well.
Plan
Monthly Subscription
Promotion
Benzinga Pro – Basic
$37 $367 ($30.58 / month) if paid annually
14-day free trial
Benzinga Pro – Streamlined
$147 $1,497 ($124.75 / month) if paid annually
14-day free trial
Benzinga Pro – Essential
$197 $1,997 ($166.42 / month) if paid annually
14-day free trial
Benzinga Edge
$19 $228 if paid annually
$129 $129 for new member’s annual price ($11/month), including 7-day money-back guarantee

Who May Want To Upgrade To Benzinga Pro Essential Plan?

Essential is built for traders who rely on speed, news, and technical tools to make fast, informed market decisions.

  • Day Traders & Scalpers: Those making rapid trades during market hours benefit from tools like Audio Squawk, real-time signals, and Level 2 data.
  • Momentum & Technical Traders: Traders using chart patterns, volume spikes, and unusual activity rely on the real-time screener and technical indicators.
  • News-First Traders: This plan suits users who act on market-moving news instantly, using tools like customizable alerts and filtered sentiment feeds.
  • Options Traders: With the Unusual Options Activity tracker, options traders can spot large trades that often precede big price movements.

Bottom Line: Is Benzinga Subscription Worth It?

Benzinga delivers solid tools across all tiers, from free real-time news to powerful screeners and signals in Pro Essential.

  • Pro Basic is ideal for active investors who want speed without complexity.
  • If you need alerts, chart setups, and deep research without juggling platforms, Benzinga’s Pro Essential makes sense.

It’s not for everyone — but if fast data or curated picks matter to you, the right Benzinga plan can be a smart investment.

Picture of Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor.  Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more.
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This website is an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear).

This website does not include all card companies or all card offers available in the marketplace. This website may use other proprietary factors to impact card offer listings on the website such as consumer selection or the likelihood of the applicant’s credit approval.

This allows us to maintain a full-time, editorial staff and work with finance experts you know and trust. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impacts any of the editorial content on The Smart Investor.

While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, The Smart Investor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof.

Learn more about how we review products and read our advertiser disclosure for how we make money. All products are presented without warranty.