The Assumption You Need to Challenge
You’re researching FastGraphs because you believe better tools lead to better returns. That if you could just see valuation more clearly, you’d make better decisions.
Here’s what FastGraphs will actually do: it will show you, with beautiful clarity, exactly when a stock is undervalued. And then you’ll watch it get more undervalued. Or you’ll see fair value and buy anyway because you’re impatient. Or you’ll find the perfect entry point and still second-guess yourself.
The tool isn’t the bottleneck. You are.
FastGraphs is worth it for value investors who’ve already developed the discipline to act on what they see—not for investors hoping a tool will create that discipline for them. At $191.40/year for Basic, it’s reasonably priced for what it delivers. But the real cost isn’t money. It’s whether you’re ready to trust the analysis it shows you.
Quick Verdict
FastGraphs is worth it if you’re a self-directed value or dividend investor who wants to visualize earnings-based fair value. It won’t tell you what to buy—it shows you what you’re paying relative to historical norms and lets you decide.
| Factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Best For | Value investors, dividend investors, fundamental analysts |
| Not For | Momentum traders, growth-at-any-price investors, anyone wanting stock picks |
| Price | $191.40/year (Basic) or $480/year (Premium) |
| Trial | 7 days free (credit card required) |
| Refund | None—more restrictive than most competitors |
The core thesis—that earnings determine stock prices in the long run—has held up for decades. FastGraphs makes that relationship visible in seconds instead of hours. Whether you act on what you see is a different question entirely.
What FastGraphs Actually Does
Forget the marketing. Here’s the practical reality.
FastGraphs takes a stock’s historical earnings and plots them against its historical price. The result is a visual that shows you, at a glance, whether the current price is above, below, or at the “normal” relationship between earnings and price.
When the price line is below the earnings line, the stock is historically cheap. When it’s above, you’re paying a premium. Simple.
What this means in practice:
You’re looking at Johnson & Johnson. The FastGraph shows price tracking well above the normal P/E line. You can see, visually, that you’d be paying more per dollar of earnings than buyers typically have over the past 15 years. That’s not a recommendation—it’s information.
Or you’re researching a beaten-down dividend stock. The price line has cratered below the earnings line. FastGraphs shows you the historical relationship says this is cheap. But “cheap” and “good buy” aren’t the same thing. Earnings could be about to collapse. The tool shows you valuation; it doesn’t predict the future.
Coverage and Data
- 18,000+ stocks globally—not just U.S. large-caps
- Multiple valuation metrics: P/E ratios, cash flow, free cash flow, price-to-sales (Basic gets 5 metrics, Premium gets 8)
- FUN Graphs: Balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement analysis
- Screening tools: Both preset and custom screens
The data comes from institutional-grade third-party vendors—the same sources professionals use. You’re not getting Yahoo Finance data with a pretty wrapper.
Try FastGraphs — 7-Day Free Trial
The Methodology: Earnings Determine Price
Charles Carnevale built FastGraphs on a thesis he learned in the 1970s: “Earnings determine the market price of a publicly traded company in the long run.”
This isn’t controversial among value investors. It’s essentially what Benjamin Graham taught, what Warren Buffett practices, and what decades of market data support.
The insight isn’t the thesis—it’s the visualization.
Before tools like FastGraphs, seeing this relationship required building your own spreadsheets, pulling historical data, and creating charts manually. Hours of work for a single stock. FastGraphs reduces that to seconds.
The limitation you need to understand:
“In the long run” is doing a lot of work in that thesis. In the short run—which can last years—price and earnings diverge wildly. Growth stocks can trade at 50x, 100x, or infinite multiples of earnings. Value traps can stay cheap for a decade.
FastGraphs shows you the historical relationship. It doesn’t tell you when the market will care about that relationship again.
Pricing: What You’re Actually Paying
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $19.95 | $191.40 | 17% |
| Premium | $49.95 | $480.00 | 17% |
Basic vs. Premium—the real differences:
| Feature | Basic | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Valuation metrics | 5 | 8 |
| Portfolios | 3 | Unlimited |
| Broker connections | No | Yes |
| Advanced portfolios | No | Yes |
For most individual investors, Basic is sufficient. The core visualization—the thing that makes FastGraphs valuable—is the same in both tiers. Premium adds portfolio management features that matter more for advisors or investors managing multiple accounts.
The Value Math
At $191.40/year, you’re paying about $16/month—roughly the cost of two streaming subscriptions. If FastGraphs helps you avoid one bad entry point on a $5,000 position, it’s paid for itself multiple times over.
But that “if” is doing heavy lifting. The tool provides information. Whether that information improves your returns depends entirely on your discipline.
What’s NOT included in either tier:
- Real-time data (there may be delays)
- Investment advice or recommendations
- API access for data extraction
- The ability to share your account
The Trade-Offs: What FastGraphs Does Well and Where It Falls Short
What It Does Well
Instant valuation clarity. The core visualization is genuinely useful. You can assess a stock’s valuation relative to history in seconds instead of hours.
Dividend investor focus. The tool’s emphasis on earnings, cash flow, and historical relationships aligns perfectly with dividend growth investing. If you’re building a portfolio of dividend aristocrats, FastGraphs speaks your language.
Educational value. Using FastGraphs regularly trains your eye to think about valuation. Even if you eventually cancel, the framework stays with you.
Clean, focused interface. Unlike platforms that try to do everything, FastGraphs does one thing well. There’s no social feed, no news aggregation, no AI chatbot. Just fundamental analysis tools.
Where It Falls Short
No refunds. This is more restrictive than most competitors. If you sign up and realize it’s not for you, you’re out the money. The 7-day trial exists, but you need to actually use it—and cancel before it converts.
Single device limitation. Only one device can access your account at a time. If you want to check a stock on your phone while your laptop is logged in, you’ll need to log out first.
No stock picks. If you want someone to tell you what to buy, FastGraphs won’t help. It’s a research tool, not an advisory service.
Growth stocks look perpetually overvalued. The methodology is built for value investing. If you’re analyzing high-growth companies that don’t have stable earnings, the tool’s visualizations can be misleading. A stock trading at 80x earnings might be a screaming buy if earnings are about to triple—but FastGraphs will show it as expensive.
No performance data. Because it’s a tool, not a stock-picking service, there’s no track record to evaluate. You can’t ask “how have FastGraphs recommendations performed?” because there are no recommendations.
Who FastGraphs Is For
The Dividend Investor: You’re building a portfolio of dividend-paying stocks and want to buy at reasonable valuations. FastGraphs shows you when your target stocks are historically cheap.
The Value Investor: You believe in buying dollars for fifty cents. FastGraphs helps you see when the market is offering that deal.
The Self-Directed Analyst: You don’t want stock picks—you want tools. You’re willing to do the work; you just want better instruments.
The Patient Capital Allocator: You understand that “undervalued” can stay undervalued for years. You’re not looking for timing signals; you’re looking for valuation context.
Who FastGraphs Is NOT For
The Growth Investor: If you’re buying companies for their future potential rather than current earnings, FastGraphs will show everything you like as “overvalued.” The tool isn’t wrong—it’s just built for a different philosophy.
The Momentum Trader: Price trends, technical patterns, and market sentiment don’t appear in FastGraphs. If that’s your edge, look elsewhere.
The Passive Investor: If you’re buying index funds and not analyzing individual stocks, you don’t need this. Save your $191.
The Decision-Avoider: If your problem is analysis paralysis, FastGraphs might make it worse. More data doesn’t cure indecision—it feeds it.
If you want stock picks instead of research tools: Consider our Stock Advisor review for growth-focused recommendations or Simply Safe Dividends for dividend safety scores with specific buy/sell guidance.
Best Alternatives to FastGraphs
For Dividend Investors
Simply Safe Dividends ($199/year) — If you want dividend safety scores and cut predictions rather than pure valuation analysis. Simply Safe Dividends tells you which dividends are safe; FastGraphs shows you when to buy them. They complement each other.
For Broader Research
Morningstar Investor review ($249/year) — More expensive but includes fair value estimates, analyst ratings, and broader coverage. Morningstar does the analysis for you; FastGraphs gives you the tools to do it yourself.
Stock Rover review ($179/year) — Better screening capabilities and more metrics, but the valuation visualization isn’t as intuitive. Stock Rover is broader; FastGraphs is deeper on its core use case.
For Value Investors
Koyfin review ($468/year) — More powerful, more expensive, steeper learning curve. If you want Bloomberg-level data without Bloomberg prices, Koyfin delivers. But it’s overkill for most individual investors.
| Alternative | Price | Best For | vs. FastGraphs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simply Safe Dividends | $99/yr | Dividend safety | Complements FastGraphs |
| Morningstar Investor review | $249/yr | Broad research | More hand-holding |
| Stock Rover review | $179/yr | Screening | Broader but less focused |
| Koyfin review | $468/yr | Pro-level data | More power, more complexity |
Try FastGraphs Free for 7 Days
Final Verdict
FastGraphs solves a real problem for a specific type of investor. If you’re a value or dividend investor who wants to visualize the relationship between earnings and price, this tool delivers exactly that—and does it better than most alternatives.
At $191.40/year for Basic, the price is reasonable. The 7-day trial lets you test whether the tool fits your workflow. The no-refund policy means you should actually use that trial rather than signing up and forgetting.
The honest assessment:
FastGraphs won’t make you a better investor. It will make you a better-informed investor. The gap between those two things is discipline—and no tool can provide that.
If you’ve already developed the patience to buy undervalued stocks and hold them, FastGraphs will make your analysis faster and more confident. If you’re hoping a tool will create that patience, save your money. The bottleneck isn’t your charting software.
For disciplined value investors ready to do their own work, FastGraphs is worth the subscription.
Explore all research tools and platforms in our guide to the best stock research websites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FastGraphs worth the money?
Yes, for self-directed value and dividend investors who want to visualize fair value. At $191.40/year for Basic, FastGraphs turns hours of spreadsheet work into seconds of visual analysis. The tool pays for itself if it helps you avoid even one poorly-timed entry on a significant position. However, it’s a research tool, not an advisory service—it shows you valuation but doesn’t tell you what to buy.
What are the best alternatives to FastGraphs?
Simply Safe Dividends ($199/year) for dividend safety scores, our Morningstar Investor review ($249/year) for broader research with analyst ratings, and our Stock Rover review ($179/year) for more powerful screening. Simply Safe Dividends complements FastGraphs well—one shows safety, the other shows valuation. Morningstar does more analysis for you if you want less DIY.
FastGraphs vs. Morningstar Investor?
FastGraphs focuses specifically on earnings-based valuation visualization—it’s deeper but narrower. Our Morningstar Investor review offers broader research including fair value estimates, analyst ratings, and fund analysis, but the valuation visualization isn’t as intuitive. Choose FastGraphs if you want to do your own analysis; choose Morningstar if you want more hand-holding.
How do I cancel FastGraphs?
Go to Profile > Subscriptions > Cancel Subscription within your FastGraphs account. Your access continues through your paid period, but there are no refunds for unused time. If you’re on a free trial, cancel before the 7 days expire to avoid being charged.
Does FastGraphs give stock recommendations?
No. FastGraphs is explicitly a research tool, not an advisory service. The company states they “do not give tax or investment advice or advocate the purchase or sale of any security.” The tool shows you valuation data; you make your own decisions. If you want stock picks, consider our Stock Advisor review or Simply Safe Dividends instead.
Is FastGraphs good for dividend investing?
Yes—this is arguably its sweet spot. The earnings-based valuation methodology aligns perfectly with dividend growth investing, where stable earnings and reasonable valuations matter. Many dividend investors use FastGraphs alongside Simply Safe Dividends to assess both valuation (FastGraphs) and dividend safety (Simply Safe Dividends).