Finviz's free screener filters 7,000+ US equities using 70+ criteria — valuation ratios, technicals, fundamentals — without registration. You can stack unlimited filters, export the first 100 results as CSV, and bookmark custom screens via URL. No cost. No login wall. Here's how to use it.
Key Takeaways
- Free tier supports full filter access — market cap, P/E, dividend yield, technical indicators, sector — no account required
- Layer filters to narrow 7,000 stocks down to 10-30 candidates; results update live as you refine criteria
- Export up to 100 tickers as CSV; save custom screens by bookmarking the URL (filters encode into the address bar)
Before You Start
This guide covers Finviz's free web screener. No download. No payment. No mandatory registration. You get full filter access — the catch is delayed quotes (15-20 minutes during market hours) and no ability to save screens to an account. The workaround: bookmark URLs. Filters encode into the address bar, so copying the link preserves your setup. The screener covers US-listed equities only — no international stocks, bonds, or crypto.
What You Need
- Web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
- Basic fluency with valuation metrics — if "P/E ratio" or "market cap" sound unfamiliar, review valuation fundamentals first
- Optional: spreadsheet software (Excel, Google Sheets) to analyze exported results
Step 1: Access the Screener
Go to finviz.com/screener.ashx. You land on a table showing every US stock — over 7,000 results by default. The filter bar sits above the table: 11 dropdown categories (Descriptive, Fundamental, Technical). Your job is to narrow the universe. No login prompt. No trial countdown. The free screener is immediately live.
Step 2: Start with Fundamental Filters
Begin with Market Cap to eliminate illiquid micro-caps. Click the dropdown, select Mid ($2B to $10B) or Large (over $10B). The table auto-refreshes. Next: valuation. Open the P/E dropdown, choose Under 15. Then Dividend Yield, set to Over 3%. Each filter multiplies with the others — only stocks meeting all criteria remain visible. Watch the result count at the top. If it drops to zero, you've overconstrained. Loosen one filter and try again.
Step 3: Layer Technical and Sector Filters
Move to Technical filters. Set Relative Volume to Over 1 — that isolates stocks trading above their average volume, a proxy for current interest. Under Descriptive, use the Sector dropdown: Financial for banks and insurers, Healthcare for pharma and biotech. Add Average Volume Over 500K to ensure liquidity. Set Price Over $5 to avoid penny stocks. Aim for 10-30 results — small enough to review manually, large enough to find opportunity.
Step 4: Sort and Review Results
The table displays ticker, company name, sector, market cap, P/E, dividend yield, price, daily change, volume. Click any column header to sort. Click Dividend Yield to rank highest-yielders first. Click Market Cap to surface the largest companies. Hover over a ticker for a mini-chart. Click through to the full Finviz quote page for fundamentals, news, and detailed charts. Sorting matters: it prioritizes which names warrant deeper research.
Step 5: Save or Export Your Screen
Finviz free doesn't let you save named screens to a dashboard. But the filter settings encode into the URL. Copy the address bar, paste it into a bookmark or document. That's your saved screen. To export: scroll below the results table, click Export (bottom-right). A CSV downloads with up to 100 tickers and basic data — ticker, price, volume, market cap. Open it in Excel or Sheets for further analysis. If your screen returns more than 100 results, narrow the filters before exporting.
Step 6: Combine Filters for Multi-Factor Screens
Once comfortable, stack criteria. Example: P/E Under 15 + Debt/Equity Under 0.5 + ROE Over 15% + Price Above 200-day Moving Average. That isolates financially strong value stocks in confirmed uptrends. Finviz allows unlimited filter combinations on the free tier. Experiment. Build screens that match your thesis. Check the result count after each addition — if it hits zero, one filter is too restrictive.
Step 7: Use Presets as Starting Points
At the top of the screener, Finviz offers preset screens: Top Gainers, Most Volatile, New High. Click any preset to load pre-configured filters, then modify. Start with High Dividend Yield (yield > 5%), add P/E Under 20 and Market Cap Over $2B to filter out risky high-yielders. Presets teach you which combinations produce actionable results — and save setup time.
Common Problems
Zero results after adding filters: You've combined incompatible criteria. Remove the last filter, try a less restrictive value — change "P/E Under 10" to "Under 15". Exported CSV missing columns: The free export includes only basic fields. For full fundamental data, copy-paste the on-screen table or upgrade to Finviz Elite. Data seems outdated: Free quotes lag 15-20 minutes during market hours. Use the screener for end-of-day research, not intraday trades.
Best Practices
- Start broad — begin with 200-300 results, add one filter at a time to see how each changes the output
- Always include a minimum market cap filter (e.g., Over $300M) to avoid illiquid micro-caps
- Cross-check high-conviction results on SEC EDGAR — verify financials from primary sources before investing
- Use Relative Volume > 1 as a liquidity proxy — stocks with below-average volume can be hard to exit
- Bookmark 3-5 custom screen URLs for recurring use: "Dividend Aristocrats", "Undervalued Tech", "Breakout Candidates"
When Not to Use This
Finviz free works for US equities. It does not cover international stocks, bonds, options, or crypto. The 15-minute delay makes it unsuitable for intraday trading — if you need real-time data, consider paid tools or Finviz Elite. The screener also lacks fundamental quality scores (Piotroski F-Score) and advanced technical pattern recognition. You'll need to code those yourself or use specialized scanners. Finally: screening finds candidates, not winners. Always read the 10-K, check recent news, understand the business model. Screening is discovery, not due diligence.
FAQ
Can I screen for stocks with insider buying on Finviz?
No insider buying filter exists in the free screener. To track insider transactions, use the SEC's EDGAR Form 4 search. Screen Finviz for fundamentally strong stocks, then cross-reference tickers against recent Form 4 filings to identify names with meaningful insider purchases.
How do I backtest a strategy I built in the Finviz screener?
Finviz shows current snapshots, not historical performance. To backtest: export screener results as CSV, use Python libraries like yfinance and pandas to download historical price data, simulate past returns. For step-by-step instructions, see How to Backtest a Trading Strategy in Python. Alternatively, record screener results weekly, track forward returns manually in a spreadsheet.
What's the difference between Finviz free and Finviz Elite?
Finviz Elite costs $39.50/month or $299.50/year. It adds real-time quotes, premarket/afterhours data, advanced charting, email alerts, unlimited saved screens. Free covers all screening filters but with delayed quotes and no save functionality. For end-of-day research: free is sufficient. For active trading: real-time data justifies the cost.
Can I use Finviz to find undervalued AI or tech stocks?
Yes. Set Sector = Technology, P/E Under 20, PEG Under 1 (growth trading below earnings growth rate), Market Cap Over $1B. Add EPS growth next 5 years > 15% to isolate growth names. Review results for AI-related business models — check company descriptions and recent news. For context on current AI valuation concerns, see AI Investment Market Signals Break Down as Doubts Mount.
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