Zacks Research Wizard
zacksrw.com
Zacks' downloadable stock screening and backtesting program, with 650+ fundamental and estimate data items on 10,000+ stocks and 50+ built-in strategies.
What it is
Research Wizard is Zacks Investment Research's screening and backtesting software. It is a desktop program for Windows and Mac rather than a website, and it cannot be installed on phones or tablets. You screen more than 10,000 US-listed stocks on over 650 fundamental data items, including many valuation ratios, earnings estimate revisions and the Zacks Rank, and you can write your own calculated items.
The distinguishing part is the backtester. Any screen can be tested over holding periods of 1, 2, 4, 12 or 24 weeks against the S&P 500, Dow or Nasdaq, with win ratios, equity curves, maximum drawdown and robustness checks across favourable and unfavourable start dates, and several strategies can be combined into one backtest. Zacks says the data goes back 17 to 20 years depending on the page. More than 50 prebuilt strategies ship with it, and results export to Excel.
Zacks does not publish the price on the Research Wizard site: you start with a two-week free trial, no credit card needed, and subscription terms are presented from there. The strategy returns quoted on the site are Zacks' own backtests, not audited live results.
Key features
- Fundamental screening
- 650+ data items on 10,000+ stocks, including several P/E variants, PEG, price to book, cash flow and sales, plus user-defined calculations.
- Earnings estimates and Zacks Rank
- Screens can use consensus estimate data and the Zacks Rank, which is built on estimate revisions.
- Backtesting
- Tests screens over 1 to 24 week holding periods against major indexes, with equity curves, win ratio, drawdown and robustness testing.
- Prebuilt strategies
- More than 50 ready-made value, growth, momentum and Zacks Rank strategies you can run or modify.
- Combo and optimization tests
- Backtest several strategies together and test a parameter across a range of values.
- Export
- Screen results export to Excel; saved screens run with one click.
Pricing
We could not confirm current prices on Zacks Research Wizard's own site, so none are shown here.
Prices are not published on zacksrw.com. Access starts with a two-week free trial with no credit card, after which Zacks presents subscription options.
Free option: A two-week free trial with no credit card, including the screens, prebuilt strategies, backtesting and live picks from the built-in strategies.
Checked September 25, 2026 on zacksrw.com. Prices change; confirm on the provider's site before you subscribe.
Strengths
- Backtesting of screens built in, not a separate product
- Deep earnings estimate data and the Zacks Rank as screening inputs
- Over 50 prebuilt strategies to start from
- Full trial without entering a card
Limitations
- Desktop software only (Windows and Mac); no web or mobile version
- Pricing is not published on the product site
- Covers stocks only; no options, futures or ETFs-as-a-focus screening
- Backtest holding periods are fixed at 1 to 24 weeks
- Performance figures on the site are Zacks' own hypothetical backtests
Good fit for
- Fundamental and earnings-revision investors who want to test screens before using them
- Swing and position traders rebalancing stock lists weekly or monthly
- Existing Zacks Rank users who want to build their own strategies around it
Look elsewhere if
- Traders who want a browser or phone screener
- Technical or intraday traders who screen on price action
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Zacks Research Wizard questions
How much does Zacks Research Wizard cost?
Zacks does not list the price on the Research Wizard site. You start with a free two-week trial and see subscription options from there.
Is Zacks Research Wizard web-based?
No. It is a downloadable program for Windows and Mac and cannot be installed on mobile devices.
How far back can Research Wizard backtest?
Zacks cites 17 years of backtest history on its homepage and 20 years of historical data on its features page.
Does the free trial need a credit card?
No. The two-week trial requires no card.
Written from Zacks Research Wizard's own website and documentation. All Trading Tools lists and compares tools; it does not recommend trades or give financial advice. Sources: zacksrw.com, zacksrw.com/features.html, zacksrw.com/download.html.