Fintel is a specialist tool built around US institutional 13F filings and short interest data — a narrow, deep niche that a broad fundamental screener isn't trying to replicate. The honest framing for this comparison: Fintel and ScreenerHero solve different problems, and for the specific data Fintel specialises in, it remains a strong choice. This is a comparison about scope, not a claim of feature-for-feature parity.
Last updated: July 2026.
What Fintel specialises in
Fintel's core product is built around two specific, US-centric data sources:
13F institutional holdings. US institutional investment managers above a certain asset threshold are required to disclose their equity holdings quarterly via SEC Form 13F. Fintel aggregates and presents this data — tracking which funds hold which positions, and how those positions change quarter over quarter.
Short interest data. US exchanges report short interest on a standardised, regularly updated schedule, and Fintel builds detailed short interest tracking, including short squeeze scoring, around this data.
This is a genuinely deep, well-built specialty, and for a US-focused investor whose process depends on tracking institutional positioning or short interest dynamics in detail, Fintel remains a strong, purpose-built choice.
Where the specialty doesn't extend to Europe
13F-equivalent disclosure doesn't exist in the same form outside the US. European regulatory regimes require disclosure of significant shareholdings above certain thresholds (see insider ownership screening for the country-by-country detail), but there is no pan-European equivalent to the standardised, quarterly, asset-manager-level 13F filing system. Institutional holdings tracking of the depth Fintel provides for US stocks isn't something any tool — including ScreenerHero — currently replicates for the European small- and mid-cap universe, because the underlying disclosure regime doesn't produce that data in a comparable form.
Short interest reporting is less standardised across Europe. As covered in the short interest screener guide, EU Short Selling Regulation requires disclosure of significant net short positions above a threshold, but reporting cadence and completeness vary by national regulator — it doesn't match the consistency of the US bi-monthly FINRA-mandated reporting cycle that Fintel's short interest product is built around.
Fundamental screening isn't Fintel's core focus. Fintel's product is oriented around ownership and positioning data rather than a broad set of valuation, profitability, and leverage filters across a large multi-market universe.
Fintel vs. ScreenerHero: comparison table
| Feature | Fintel | ScreenerHero (free) | ScreenerHero ($29/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| US institutional 13F tracking | ✓ (core feature) | ✗ | ✗ |
| US short interest detail | ✓ (core feature) | Basic short float/ratio | Basic short float/ratio |
| EU institutional holdings tracking | ✗ (no equivalent disclosure regime) | ✗ | ✗ |
| EU insider ownership % | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| EU insider transaction tracking | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Broad fundamental screener (30+ filters) | Limited | ✓ | ✓ |
| EU small cap / alt markets | Limited | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price | Subscription tiers | Free | $29/mo |
The honest gap to flag: neither tool provides deep institutional 13F-style tracking for European stocks, because the regulatory disclosure that would make it possible doesn't exist in the same form. This isn't a case where ScreenerHero closes a gap Fintel has — it's a data availability limit that applies broadly to European small-cap screening.
Who should still use Fintel
US-focused investors tracking institutional positioning. If your process depends on knowing which funds are building or reducing specific US positions quarter over quarter, Fintel's 13F aggregation is a purpose-built tool for exactly that.
Short interest and squeeze-focused traders on US stocks. Fintel's detailed short interest tooling, built on the standardised US disclosure cycle, is a stronger fit than a general screener's basic short float/ratio filters for that specific, detail-oriented use case.
Who should look elsewhere
European and multi-market fundamental investors. If your screening process is centred on valuation, profitability, and leverage filters — Debt/EBITDA, operating margin, ROIC — across US, Canadian, and European markets simultaneously, a broad fundamental screener is a better fit than a positioning-and-ownership specialist tool.
Investors who want insider transaction data for European small caps. ScreenerHero's insider buying screening tracks recent insider transaction activity for European names — a different, and for this specific segment more available, data source than the institutional 13F tracking Fintel specialises in for the US.
Bottom line
Fintel is a well-built specialist tool for US institutional and short interest tracking, and it remains the stronger choice for investors whose process depends specifically on that data. It isn't designed for — and doesn't claim to replace — broad fundamental screening across European and multi-market universes, and no tool currently offers 13F-equivalent institutional tracking for European stocks, because the disclosure regime that would enable it doesn't exist in the same form there. For fundamental screening across US, Canadian, and European markets, a broader tool is the better fit; for deep US institutional positioning detail, Fintel remains a reasonable specialist choice.
Frequently asked questions
Does Fintel cover European stocks?
Fintel's core specialty — 13F institutional holdings tracking — is built around a US-specific SEC disclosure regime that doesn't have a direct European equivalent, so its depth of coverage for European institutional positioning is inherently limited, independent of the platform itself.
Is there a European equivalent to 13F institutional holdings data?
Not in the same standardised, asset-manager-level form. European regulators require disclosure of significant individual shareholdings above certain thresholds, but there's no pan-European equivalent to the US's quarterly, fund-level 13F filing system, which limits how deeply any tool — including specialist platforms like Fintel — can track European institutional positioning.
What's a good alternative to Fintel for European fundamental screening?
ScreenerHero covers European fundamental screening — valuation, profitability, leverage, and insider ownership/transaction data — across all European markets including small- and micro-caps, though it doesn't attempt to replicate Fintel's specific US institutional 13F tracking, since the underlying data source for that doesn't extend to Europe in the same way.
Should I use Fintel or ScreenerHero?
They serve different purposes. Use Fintel if your process centres on US institutional positioning and short interest detail. Use a broader fundamental screener if your process centres on valuation, profitability, and leverage filters across US, Canadian, and European markets. Many investors focused on both US positioning dynamics and broader multi-market fundamentals reasonably use both tools for their respective strengths.
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