What you can chart
FreeCharting draws professional candlestick charts for US stocks and ETFs such as Apple, Nvidia, Tesla, the SPY S&P 500 ETF and the QQQ Nasdaq-100 ETF. With Twelve Data or Marketstack you can also chart stocks listed outside the US.
- Timeframes from 1 minute, 5, 15 and 30 minutes, through 1 and 4 hours, to daily, weekly and monthly (depending on the data provider).
- Chart types: candles, hollow candles, Heikin Ashi, Renko, line break, Point & Figure, Kagi, OHLC bars, line, step line, baseline, HLC area, columns, high-low and area, on linear, log or percent scales.
- 51 technical indicators, including moving averages, Bollinger Bands, MACD, RSI, stochastic (KDJ) and volume. Add as many as you like at the same time.
- Drawing tools for trend lines, channels, Fibonacci retracements, price lines and notes. They're saved for each symbol.
- Snapshots and share links: save the chart as a PNG, or copy a link that shares the chart with your drawings.
Popular charts to start with:
AAPL NVDA TSLA MSFT AMZN SPY QQQ
Without a key, Twelve Data's shared demo key only covers AAPL. Add your own free key to chart everything else.
How to chart a stock in three steps
- Get a free data key. We recommend Twelve Data: its free plan covers US stocks and ETFs, including intraday charts, plus forex and crypto. Sign-up takes about a minute.
- Paste it into FreeCharting. Open the chart, click API keys, paste your key and save. It's stored only in your browser.
- Type a ticker. Search for a company or ticker, pick a timeframe, and add indicators from the Indicators menu.
Which free data source is best for stocks?
| Provider | Best for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Twelve Data | Free intraday, plus forex and crypto | 800 requests/day |
| Financial Modeling Prep | US stocks: daily free, intraday on paid plans | 250 requests/day, daily bars |
| Alpaca | Years of intraday history | 200 requests/min, live IEX prices |
| Massive (Polygon.io) | Clean US data, two years of history | 5 requests/min, end of day |
| Alpha Vantage | Quick daily and weekly checks | 25 requests/day |
| Marketstack | Stocks on non-US exchanges | 100 requests/month |
Limits are from each provider's pricing page at the time of writing. If you already pay for a data plan, paste that key instead and you'll get its higher limits.
Reading a stock chart
Each candlestick shows one period: the body spans the open and close, and the thin wicks reach the high and low. Green candles closed higher than they opened; red ones closed lower. Volume bars underneath show how many shares traded, which helps confirm whether a move had conviction.
Traders often combine a trend indicator (like a moving average) with a momentum indicator (like RSI or MACD). Our guide to technical indicators explains what each one measures.
Frequently asked questions
Are FreeCharting stock charts really free?
Yes. FreeCharting itself costs nothing, and several data providers have free plans that are enough for charting. You only pay if you choose a paid data plan for real-time data or higher limits.
Are the stock prices real-time?
It depends on your data provider and plan. Free plans are often delayed or end of day; with Alpaca’s free plan, the latest 15 minutes come from the IEX exchange’s live feed. Paid plans are often real-time. Charts refresh on their own; click the live status at the bottom of the chart to choose how often.
Can I chart ETFs and indices?
ETFs such as SPY, QQQ and IWM work like any stock. Index values themselves (like the S&P 500 index) often need a paid plan, so many people chart the matching ETF instead.
Why do I need an API key?
FreeCharting doesn’t resell market data. Your browser fetches prices directly from the provider using your own key, so you get the full free quota to yourself and the data is licensed to you.
Can I chart stocks outside the US?
Yes, with Twelve Data or Marketstack. Search for the company and pick the listing on the exchange you want.