Why pay

Pay when the workflow earns it

SoloTerminal is worth paying for when the free workflow already improved how you review real U.S. stock positions and you now want deeper checks around thesis quality, factor overlap, catalysts, taxes, and portfolio context. If that process is not useful yet, stay free.

Start free See pricing

Start path

Free plan, no card

Upgrade point

From $15/mo

Best fit

Multi-position U.S. stock portfolios

Still not included

No broker login or advice

Quick answer: when paying may be worth it

Upgrade only after the free workflow is already helping you review real positions with more discipline.
Paid depth matters more when you manage several holdings and need factors, catalysts, tax-aware checks, and portfolio context around the same decision.
Use the first paid month like a portfolio audit, not like a promise of better performance.
Stay free if you mostly need quotes, watchlists, or basic account visibility.
Paying does not remove market risk, automate execution, or outsource judgment.

Paid-plan fact snapshot

These product facts are the fastest way to judge whether paying solves a real bottleneck or just adds another tab.

Free plan

Track holdings, write the thesis, maintain a watchlist, and start without a credit card.

Paid starting point

Paid plans begin at $15 per month and add a deeper research workflow around live positions.

Paid layers

AI personas, bull/bear debate, factor exposure, signal credibility, and tax-aware review.

Portfolio context

Paid tiers add Congress context, 13F flow context, and monthly portfolio statements.

Privacy stance

Manual position entry; no broker or bank credentials required.

Boundary

Research and portfolio-tracking software, not a broker or investment adviser.

These facts describe scope and access. They are not a guarantee of suitability, profitability, or investment results.

How to decide between free and paid

The goal is not to upgrade fast. It is to match cost with the point where your real portfolio review needs more depth.

Decision test	Free plan	Paid plan	Upgrade only if...
Primary job	Build the habit: holdings, thesis, watchlist, and daily brief.	Run deeper review with personas, factor checks, catalyst context, and tax-aware workflow.	You already use the free workflow on real positions and want more accountability.
Best fit	One or a few positions while you prove the process will stick.	Several live positions with more overlap, catalysts, and review load.	Portfolio complexity is already creating blind spots or duplicated work.
Main reason to stay here	You want basic discipline without another subscription.	You want more context around hold, add, and trim decisions in one place.	The deeper checks replace enough spreadsheet or tab switching to matter.
What it still does not do	No broker sync, no order execution, no delegated advice.	Still no broker sync, no order execution, and no delegated advice.	You understand paying does not change those boundaries.
Practical test	Can you maintain the thesis-review habit for a month?	Can you use the deeper workflow to audit every live holding this month?	Upgrade only if the answer is yes and the review is surfacing useful blind spots.

This is a fit framework, not a ranking claim. The right choice depends on whether the next bottleneck in your process is habit-building or deeper portfolio review.

On this page

Stay free until the written workflow becomes real

The free plan is the right starting point if you are still proving that you will keep a written portfolio process. You can add holdings, write the thesis, keep a watchlist, and decide whether that habit changes behavior before you add cost.

Use the free tier to test the workflow on one or two live holdings first.
Write the thesis, invalidation conditions, and next catalyst instead of browsing features abstractly.
Stay free if the main value is still basic accountability rather than deeper review.
Do not upgrade just because the paid feature list sounds more complete.

Pay when the portfolio gets harder to review than to buy

Paid plans start to earn their keep when portfolio complexity is creating avoidable blind spots. Factor overlap, catalyst timing, thesis drift, signal quality, Congress and 13F context, and tax-aware review matter more once they live around the same holding instead of across tabs and spreadsheets.

Multiple positions raise the odds of hidden overlap and stale theses.
Catalyst calendars and risk checks matter more when several holdings compete for attention.
Paid depth is more useful when you are deciding whether to hold, add, or trim real capital now.
This is where a workflow tool can replace scattered notes rather than add another destination.

What paid plans actually add

Paid SoloTerminal is not just a broader feature list. It adds a denser review layer around live positions so the same holding can be challenged through personas, debate, factor checks, catalyst context, tax-aware review, and monthly portfolio reporting.

AI personas and bull/bear debate for adversarial second opinions.
Factor exposure, signal credibility, Congress context, and 13F flow context.
Tax-aware review and monthly portfolio statements on paid tiers.
The same privacy boundary: manual entry and no broker credentials required.

Use the first paid month like a portfolio audit

The best way to evaluate a paid upgrade is not to admire the dashboard. It is to run every live holding through the deeper review once. Refresh each thesis, mark invalidation conditions, check overlap, and note where the product catches blind spots your other tools missed.

Review every live position at least once during the first paid month.
Rewrite weak theses instead of just reading the AI summary.
Check factor overlap and catalyst timing across the whole book.
Downgrade again if the deeper workflow does not materially improve your process.

When paying is probably not worth it yet

If you mainly want idea generation, automatic broker sync, execution, or a chart-first workstation, paid SoloTerminal is probably not the next dollar to spend. The product is strongest when the problem is disciplined review of positions you already own.

Stay with screeners if your main bottleneck is finding new ideas.
Stay with charting tools if timing is the real job.
Stay with broker tools if convenience and aggregation matter most.
Stay free if you are not yet maintaining a real thesis-review habit.

What paying never buys

Paying does not change the product boundary. SoloTerminal still does not ask for brokerage credentials, execute trades, act as your adviser, reduce market risk, or guarantee better returns. You pay for deeper workflow support while keeping decision authority with you.

Questions answered

Who should stay on the free plan first?

Investors who are still proving that they will maintain a written portfolio process should start free. The free plan is enough to track holdings, write the core thesis, and see whether the workflow changes behavior before adding another bill.

When does a paid SoloTerminal plan start to make sense?

Paid plans start to make more sense once you manage multiple live positions and want factor checks, thesis challenge, catalyst review, tax-aware workflow, and broader portfolio context around the same decision.

What if my broker already gives me research, watchlists, and quotes?

That may still be enough if your main need is account access and basic monitoring. Paid SoloTerminal is for the next layer: written thesis review, factor overlap, catalyst timing, tax-aware checks, and second-opinion workflow around positions you already own.

How should I use the first paid month if I upgrade?

Use the first paid month like a portfolio audit. Review every live holding, refresh each thesis, check overlap and catalysts, and decide whether the deeper workflow is catching blind spots that the free tier or your existing tools were missing.

Do I need a credit card before I know whether SoloTerminal fits?

No. The free plan does not require a card. A card is only needed when you choose a paid plan or start a paid trial.

Does paying mean SoloTerminal will manage my account or reduce market risk?

No. You pay for deeper workflow support and research context. SoloTerminal does not connect to your broker, place trades, remove market risk, or guarantee better returns.

Stay free until one real bottleneck appears

Start with one holding, then upgrade only when deeper review solves a concrete problem in a live portfolio.

Start free