Tools
Momentum screeners compared
You do not need to build a data engine to screen for momentum. Six existing tools already do it well. The question is which one fits the recipe you are running.
| Use case | Suggested tool |
|---|---|
| Best free quick screener | Finviz |
| Best charting plus screening | TradingView |
| Best relative strength ranking | StockCharts (SCTR) |
| Best technical momentum filters | Barchart |
| Best momentum plus fundamentals | Stock Rover |
| Best deeper research terminal | Koyfin |
Some links on this page may be affiliate links. That does not change the rankings — the ordering follows the recipes on this site.
Finviz
Best for: speed. The free screener covers performance, moving averages, relative volume, 52-week high distance and RSI in one grid, which is every field the Classic Momentum Leaders recipe needs.
Limits: free data is delayed, and relative volume behaves differently intraday than it does after the close. Elite adds real-time data and backtesting.
TradingView
Best for: screening and charting in the same window. Strong when your process involves confirming structure — higher highs, base quality, breakout levels — right after the screen returns.
Limits: screener filters are less granular on fundamentals than Stock Rover, and heavy watchlist use pushes you into a paid tier.
Full TradingView setup guide →
StockCharts
Best for: relative strength ranking. SCTR scores stocks against their peer group on a technical composite, which does in one number what the relative strength section of the momentum score does in five checks.
Limits: it is a ranking, not a full filter language. Pair it with another screener for the volume and risk checks.
Barchart
Best for: new highs, unusual volume and technical momentum screens. Its prebuilt lists are a fast path into the Fresh Breakout recipe.
Limits: the interface takes some learning, and useful views sit behind the paid tiers.
Stock Rover
Best for: the Earnings Momentum recipe. It handles EPS and sales growth alongside technical filters better than the chart-first tools.
Limits: less suited to same-day breakout work.
Koyfin
Best for: deeper research and global equity screening once a name is already on your list.
Limits: more of a research terminal than a fast daily scanner.
How to avoid false positives in any of them
- Always add a dollar-volume floor, not just a share-volume floor. A $3 stock trading 600k shares is a different liquidity picture than a $90 stock doing the same.
- Check that a 52-week-high filter is not returning a stock that gapped there this morning with no base.
- Screen after the close when the recipe depends on relative volume.
- Sanity-check the sector. An isolated breakout in a broken group is a different bet.