About ElCheapoInvest
ElCheapoInvest is a hobby project. The idea is simple: give people a way to look up basic stock fundamentals without paying for expensive financial tools. You bring your own free API keys from Finnhub or Alpha Vantage (maybe more in the future), and this site lets you search tickers and view key financial data like P/E, P/B, ROE, profit margins, and more. It is also a place for me to play around with, keep that in mind!
That said: there is no silver bullet here. The free tiers of the APIs this site relies on are limited in both which stocks are available and how many requests you can make. Some markets and data types are locked behind paid plans. This site will not replace a professional trading terminal, and it is not trying to. It is a starting point for people who want to learn the basics of stock analysis without spending money upfront.
If the free tier turns out to be too limited for your needs, there are excellent alternatives and paid services listed further down on this page.
Data Providers & Free Tier Limitations
ElCheapoInvest currently supports two data providers. Both offer free API keys, but the free tiers come with real constraints you should be aware of.
| Finnhub | Alpha Vantage | |
|---|---|---|
| Free request quota | 60 calls/minute | 25 calls/day |
| US stocks | Yes | Yes |
| International stocks | Limited on free tier (primarily US) | Supports global exchanges (London, Toronto, Frankfurt, India, China, etc.) but heavily constrained by the 25/day limit |
| Free data available | Real-time US quotes, basic financials (P/E, P/B, ROE, margins, etc.), company profile | Daily OHLCV (last 100 data points), company overview, balance sheet, earnings, fundamental data |
| Requires paid plan | Many international exchanges, alternative data, advanced analytics | Intraday data, full historical daily adjusted, real-time/15-min delayed quotes, options data |
Finnhub
Free request quota
60 calls/minute
US stocks
Yes
International stocks
Limited on free tier (primarily US)
Free data available
Real-time US quotes, basic financials (P/E, P/B, ROE, margins, etc.), company profile
Requires paid plan
Many international exchanges, alternative data, advanced analytics
Alpha Vantage
Free request quota
25 calls/day
US stocks
Yes
International stocks
Supports global exchanges (London, Toronto, Frankfurt, India, China, etc.) but heavily constrained by the 25/day limit
Free data available
Daily OHLCV (last 100 data points), company overview, balance sheet, earnings, fundamental data
Requires paid plan
Intraday data, full historical daily adjusted, real-time/15-min delayed quotes, options data
For full details on what each provider offers, see the official documentation: Finnhub API Docs and Alpha Vantage API Docs.
Free Alternative Resources
ElCheapoInvest only covers a small slice of what is out there. These websites offer excellent free tiers and are worth bookmarking regardless of whether you use this site.
TradingView
One of the best free charting tools available. Great for technical analysis, screening, and community-driven ideas.
Macrotrends
Long-term fundamental data and historical charts going back decades. Great for spotting trends.
Finviz
A powerful free stock screener with visual heat maps and filtering across hundreds of criteria.
Koyfin
A professional-grade financial data terminal with a generous free tier covering global markets.
Morningstar
Well-known for fund analysis, quality ratings, and in-depth research reports.
Paid Services
If the free tier is not enough, here are some options. Be aware that upgrading your Finnhub or Alpha Vantage plan still means you need to write code (or use a tool like this one) to actually call the APIs. If you want a ready-made platform with no coding required, services like Borsdata are a better fit.
Finnhub Premium Plans
Unlocks international exchanges, alternative data, and higher rate limits. You will still need to write code or use a tool to request data from the API.
Alpha Vantage Premium
Starts at $49.99/month for 75 requests/minute with no daily limit. Unlocks intraday data, real-time quotes, options data, and full historical depth. Same caveat: requires coding to use the API.
Borsdata.se
A Nordic-focused analysis platform with a ready-made UI, no coding needed. Premium covers 1,700+ Nordic stocks for 99 SEK/month. Pro adds 16,000+ global stocks and API access for 249 SEK/month. Includes 20 years of financial history, screening tools, technical analysis, and more.
Recommended Investing Books
No tool can replace understanding how markets work and how your own psychology affects your decisions. These books have shaped how many successful investors think — including me, although "successful" is a stretch. But it is honest work).
The Psychology of Money
by Morgan Housel — A modern take on how behavior and mindset matter more than technical knowledge when it comes to building wealth.
One Up On Wall Street
by Peter Lynch — Peter Lynch explains how everyday investors can find great stocks by paying attention to the world around them. Practical and full of real examples.
Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits
by Philip Fisher — A classic on qualitative analysis on how to evaluate a company beyond the numbers by looking at management, competitive advantages, and growth potential.
The Most Important Thing
by Howard Marks — Howard Marks distills decades of investing wisdom into key principles about risk, market cycles, and second-level thinking.
Fooled by Randomness
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb — Taleb explores how we systematically underestimate the role of luck and randomness in markets and in life. Essential reading for anyone making decisions under uncertainty.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman — Nobel laureate Kahneman explains the two systems that drive how we think and how cognitive biases lead to poor financial decisions.
ElCheapoInvest is a hobby project and does not provide financial advice. The data shown on this site comes from third-party APIs and may be delayed, incomplete, or inaccurate. Always do your own research before making investment decisions. The creator of this site is not a financial professional.