MarketXLS is a QuickFS alternative for analysts who want financial statement data in Excel plus prices, options, and technical indicators in the same workbook. Like the QuickFS add-in, it works through formulas: =hf_revenue("AAPL", 2024, 2) returns a historical quarter of revenue and =Revenue("AAPL") the latest annual figure. MarketXLS adds 1,000+ functions for quotes (15-minute delayed on the Standard plan, real-time streaming on Advanced and Business), option chains, and indicators. QuickFS covers more international stocks (it lists 40,000+), so global coverage is the main reason to stay with it. US plans start at $70/month billed annually.
This guide compares the two feature by feature and shows how to map QuickFS-style pulls to MarketXLS formulas.
At a Glance: QuickFS vs MarketXLS
| Feature | QuickFS | MarketXLS |
|---|---|---|
| Excel Integration | Excel add-in | Excel add-in with 1,000+ formulas |
| Historical Financials | Up to 20 years | Quarterly and annual history via hf_ functions |
| Income Statement | ✅ | ✅ Revenue, net income, EPS, and more |
| Balance Sheet | ✅ | ✅ Total assets, debt, equity, and more |
| Cash Flow Statement | ✅ | ✅ Operating, investing, financing |
| International Coverage | 40,000+ stocks | US, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia (India via marketxls.in) |
| Real-Time Data | ❌ | ✅ Streaming on Advanced and Business plans (Standard: 15-min delayed) |
| Options Analytics | ❌ | ✅ Full chain, Greeks, scanner |
| Technical Indicators | ❌ | ✅ RSI, SMA, and 100+ indicators |
| API Access | ✅ | ✅ via Excel formulas |
| Data Export | CSV, Excel | Direct in Excel — no export needed |
The main trade-off: QuickFS is broader for international financial statements, while MarketXLS adds prices, options, technical indicators, and screening in the same Excel workbook.
What QuickFS Does Well
QuickFS has earned a loyal following for good reasons, and it's worth understanding what makes the platform valuable:
Clean Financial Statement Data: QuickFS specializes in presenting income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements in a clean, standardized format. You can quickly pull up 20 years of revenue, net income, free cash flow, and dozens of other line items for any company. The data is well-organized and consistent across companies, making it ideal for building financial models.
Excel Add-In for Financial Modeling: The QuickFS Excel add-in is a key feature for power users. Instead of manually copying data from a website, you can pull financial statements directly into Excel using custom functions. This lets financial modelers build DCF models, valuation templates, and screening sheets that automatically update with the latest data.
Broad International Coverage: With over 40,000 stocks across multiple countries, QuickFS gives investors access to international financial data that many platforms don't cover. Whether you're analyzing US blue chips, European industrials, or emerging market companies, the data is available.
Simple API: For developers and quant-oriented users, QuickFS offers a straightforward API to programmatically pull financial data into custom applications, databases, or analysis scripts.
These are genuine strengths. QuickFS is clean, focused, and reliable — which is why it's a popular choice among financial analysts.
Why Consider MarketXLS as a QuickFS Alternative
If you're looking for more capabilities beyond what QuickFS offers, MarketXLS was designed from the ground up as an Excel-native financial data platform. The core workflow — pulling financial data into Excel via formulas — is similar, but MarketXLS extends it significantly.
1. Historical Financial Statements in Excel
The most important feature for QuickFS users considering an alternative is historical financial statement data accessible from Excel. MarketXLS delivers this through its hf_ (historical fundamentals) function family.
Want quarterly revenue for Apple going back years? It's one formula:
=hf_revenue("AAPL", 2024, 2)
Formula documentation: hf_revenue
This returns Apple's revenue for Q2 2024. Change the year and quarter parameters to pull any historical period. You can build a complete revenue time series across your spreadsheet in seconds:
| Cell | Formula | Description |
|---|---|---|
| B2 | =hf_revenue("AAPL", 2022, 1) | Q1 2022 Revenue |
| B3 | =hf_revenue("AAPL", 2022, 2) | Q2 2022 Revenue |
| B4 | =hf_revenue("AAPL", 2022, 3) | Q3 2022 Revenue |
| B5 | =hf_revenue("AAPL", 2022, 4) | Q4 2022 Revenue |
| B6 | =hf_revenue("AAPL", 2023, 1) | Q1 2023 Revenue |
| B7 | =hf_revenue("AAPL", 2023, 2) | Q2 2023 Revenue |
This is the same formula workflow QuickFS add-in users rely on.
For the latest annual figures, you can also use simpler formulas:
=Revenue("AAPL")
Formula documentation: Revenue
This gives you the most recent annual revenue figure for Apple. Similar functions exist for virtually every financial metric you'd find on a financial statement.
2. Far More Than Financial Statements
Here's where the comparison gets interesting. QuickFS is focused narrowly on financial statement data. That's a strength in terms of simplicity, but it means you need other tools for everything else — real-time prices, valuation ratios, options data, technical analysis.
MarketXLS eliminates the need for multiple platforms. In addition to historical fundamentals, you get:
Current Valuation Metrics:
=PERatio("AAPL")
=MarketCapitalization("AAPL")
=DividendYield("AAPL")
=DividendPerShare("AAPL")
Formula documentation: PERatio, MarketCapitalization, DividendYield, DividendPerShare
Real-Time and Historical Prices:
=Last("AAPL")
=QM_Stream_Last("AAPL")
=GetHistory("AAPL", "2024-01-01", "2024-12-31", "daily")
=QM_GetHistory("AAPL")
Formula documentation: Last, QM_Stream_Last, GetHistory, QM_GetHistory
Technical Indicators:
=RSI("AAPL")
=SimpleMovingAverage("AAPL", 50)
Formula documentation: RSI, SimpleMovingAverage
Options Analytics:
=QM_GetOptionChain("AAPL")
=OptionSymbol("AAPL", "2026-03-21", "C", 200)
=QM_Last("@AAPL 260321C00200000")
Formula documentation: QM_GetOptionChain, OptionSymbol, QM_Last
This is data that QuickFS users typically source from separate platforms. With MarketXLS, everything lives in the same Excel workbook, connected by the same add-in.
3. Real-Time Streaming Data
One category where MarketXLS significantly surpasses QuickFS is real-time data. QuickFS provides financial statements (which update quarterly) but has no real-time price feeds. For analysts who need current market data alongside their fundamental analysis, this is a gap.
MarketXLS includes streaming prices (real-time on the Advanced and Business plans):
=QM_Stream_Last("AAPL")
Formula documentation: QM_Stream_Last
This formula updates continuously in your spreadsheet, giving you live price data alongside your historical fundamentals. For portfolio tracking, intraday analysis, or model sensitivity testing against current prices, this is invaluable.
4. The Excel-Native Philosophy
Both QuickFS and MarketXLS share the philosophy that Excel is where serious financial analysis happens. MarketXLS takes this further by offering over 1,000 custom Excel functions — not just financial statements, but an entire ecosystem of financial data, analytics, and screening tools that work as native Excel formulas.
This means:
- No context switching — all your data, models, and analysis in one environment
- Full Excel power — combine MarketXLS functions with Excel's built-in capabilities (pivot tables, charts, conditional formatting, VBA)
- Portability — your models are Excel files, not locked inside a proprietary platform
- Custom workflows — build exactly the analysis you need, not what a platform designer decided you need
Building a Financial Model: QuickFS Workflow vs MarketXLS
Let's walk through a practical example that QuickFS users will recognize — building a basic company analysis dashboard.
Company Overview Dashboard
In QuickFS, you might pull revenue, net income, and key ratios from the website or add-in. Here's how the same dashboard looks in MarketXLS:
| Metric | Formula | What It Returns |
|---|---|---|
| Current Price | =Last("MSFT") | Latest stock price |
| Market Cap | =MarketCapitalization("MSFT") | Current market capitalization |
| P/E Ratio | =PERatio("MSFT") | Price-to-earnings ratio |
| Dividend Yield | =DividendYield("MSFT") | Annual dividend yield |
| Annual Revenue | =Revenue("MSFT") | Latest annual revenue |
| Q2 2024 Revenue | =hf_revenue("MSFT", 2024, 2) | Quarterly revenue |
| 50-Day SMA | =SimpleMovingAverage("MSFT", 50) | Moving average |
| RSI | =RSI("MSFT") | Relative strength index |
Every cell is a live formula. Change the ticker symbol, and the entire dashboard updates instantly for any company. This is the power of formula-driven analysis — something QuickFS users already understand and appreciate.
Historical Revenue Trend Analysis
One of the most common QuickFS use cases is pulling multi-year revenue data to analyze growth trends. Here's how to do that in MarketXLS:
=hf_revenue("AAPL", 2020, 1) → Q1 2020 Revenue
=hf_revenue("AAPL", 2020, 2) → Q2 2020 Revenue
=hf_revenue("AAPL", 2020, 3) → Q3 2020 Revenue
=hf_revenue("AAPL", 2020, 4) → Q4 2020 Revenue
=hf_revenue("AAPL", 2021, 1) → Q1 2021 Revenue
...and so on for as many quarters as you need
Formula documentation: hf_revenue
Combine this with Excel's GROWTH or TREND functions, and you have a revenue forecasting model built entirely from live data. No manual data entry, no CSV downloads, no copy-paste from websites.
Price History for Valuation Models
For DCF models and valuation analysis, you often need historical price data alongside fundamentals. MarketXLS provides this seamlessly:
=GetHistory("AAPL", "2020-01-01", "2025-12-31", "monthly")
Formula documentation: GetHistory
This pulls monthly historical price data directly into your spreadsheet, which you can then combine with your fundamental data to calculate historical valuation multiples, analyze price-to-earnings trends over time, or backtest investment theses.
Options and Technical Analysis: What QuickFS Doesn't Offer
If you're a QuickFS user who also works with options or technical analysis, you've been using separate tools for those workflows. MarketXLS consolidates everything.
Options Analytics
MarketXLS includes a complete options data and analytics suite:
- Full Option Chains:
=QM_GetOptionChain("AAPL")pulls the entire options chain with strikes, expiries, bids, asks, and volumes - Option Symbol Construction:
=OptionSymbol("AAPL", "2026-03-21", "C", 200)returns the standardized option symbol - Option Pricing:
=QM_Last("@AAPL 260321C00200000")gets the current price of any specific option contract - Greeks and Analytics:
=QM_GetOptionQuotesAndGreeks("^SPX")returns full Greeks data for options analysis
For value investors who sell covered calls or cash-secured puts as part of their income strategy, having options data in the same workbook as your fundamental analysis is a game-changer. You can analyze a company's fundamentals, check the current stock price, and evaluate option premiums — all without leaving Excel.
Learn more about MarketXLS options capabilities on the Options Profit Calculator page.
Technical Indicators
MarketXLS includes over 100 technical indicators as Excel functions:
=RSI("AAPL") → Relative Strength Index
=SimpleMovingAverage("AAPL", 50) → 50-day Simple Moving Average
=SimpleMovingAverage("AAPL", 200) → 200-day Simple Moving Average
Formula documentation: RSI, SimpleMovingAverage
For investors who combine fundamental and technical analysis — checking whether a fundamentally strong stock is also at a technically attractive entry point — this integration eliminates the need for a separate charting platform.
Data Coverage and International Stocks
QuickFS is known for its broad international coverage, spanning over 40,000 stocks across multiple countries. This is a key differentiator for global investors.
MarketXLS covers US, Canadian, UK, German, and Australian markets (ASX live data needs an additional Barchart subscription), and India through marketxls.in with broker connections. If your research depends on many other countries, QuickFS's wider international list may matter more than the extra MarketXLS features.
The key advantage with MarketXLS is that international coverage comes with the same formula-driven approach. The same =Revenue("ticker") or =PERatio("ticker") function works regardless of the exchange — you don't need different tools or different workflows for international stocks.
Switching from QuickFS to MarketXLS
If you've been using QuickFS and want to try a more comprehensive platform, here's a practical guide:
Step 1: Install MarketXLS
MarketXLS installs as a Windows desktop Excel add-in or as a Microsoft 365 add-in for Excel on Mac and the web (from Microsoft AppSource; formulas use the mxls. prefix there). See choose your version.
Step 2: Replace Financial Statement Formulas
Map your existing QuickFS financial statement pulls to MarketXLS equivalents:
| QuickFS Data Point | MarketXLS Formula |
|---|---|
| Annual Revenue | =Revenue("AAPL") |
| Quarterly Revenue | =hf_revenue("AAPL", 2024, 2) |
| Current Price | =Last("AAPL") |
| P/E Ratio | =PERatio("AAPL") |
| Market Cap | =MarketCapitalization("AAPL") |
| Dividend Yield | =DividendYield("AAPL") |
| Historical Prices | =GetHistory("AAPL", startDate, endDate, "daily") |
Step 3: Enhance Your Models
Once your basic data is set up, take advantage of capabilities QuickFS doesn't offer:
- Add
=QM_Stream_Last("AAPL")for real-time price monitoring - Add
=RSI("AAPL")and=SimpleMovingAverage("AAPL", 50)for technical context - Add
=QM_GetOptionChain("AAPL")if you work with options - Explore the full list of 1,000+ MarketXLS functions to discover new analytical capabilities
Step 4: Expand Your Analysis
With MarketXLS, you can build analysis workflows that aren't possible with QuickFS alone:
- Valuation dashboards combining historical revenue trends (
hf_revenue) with current multiples (PERatio) and live prices (Last) - Income strategy sheets pairing dividend data (
DividendYield,DividendPerShare) with covered call analysis (QM_GetOptionChain) - Portfolio monitoring using streaming prices (
QM_Stream_Last) alongside fundamental metrics - Screening models using MarketXLS's AI-powered stock screener to find stocks matching your criteria
Explore a more advanced workflow in the stock analysis in Excel guide.
Who Should Consider MarketXLS?
MarketXLS is an ideal QuickFS alternative if you are:
Financial Analysts and Modelers
You build DCF models, comparable company analyses, and financial projections in Excel. You need reliable historical financial statement data accessible via formulas. MarketXLS's hf_ functions give you what QuickFS provides, plus real-time data and valuation metrics in the same workbook.
Value Investors
You analyze companies based on fundamentals — revenue growth, profitability, valuation multiples. You use QuickFS to pull 10-20 years of financial data to identify long-term trends. MarketXLS provides the same depth with additional tools for dividend analysis and screening.
Income-Focused Investors
You combine fundamental analysis with options strategies (covered calls, cash-secured puts) for income generation. QuickFS gives you the fundamentals; MarketXLS gives you fundamentals AND options data in one place.
Portfolio Managers
You track multiple positions and need both fundamental and real-time price data. MarketXLS's streaming capabilities and comprehensive formula library let you build complete portfolio monitoring dashboards.
Quantitative Analysts
You use the QuickFS API to feed data into models. MarketXLS's 1,000+ Excel functions provide a formula-driven approach that's often more flexible than API calls for spreadsheet-based analysis.
Pricing
MarketXLS US plans (non-professional, including data and exchange fees): Standard $70/month billed annually (15-minute delayed quotes, end-of-day options), Advanced $125/month annually (real-time streaming stocks and options), and Business $200/month annually (adds real-time forex and indices).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why look for a QuickFS alternative?
While QuickFS is a solid platform for financial statement data, many Excel-based analysts find they need more comprehensive capabilities — real-time streaming prices, options analytics, technical indicators, and a larger library of Excel functions. If you're using QuickFS alongside multiple other tools to get complete market data coverage, a single platform like MarketXLS can streamline your workflow significantly.
What is the best QuickFS alternative for Excel users?
MarketXLS is a strong QuickFS alternative for Excel users because it shares the same core philosophy — financial data accessible directly in Excel via formulas. MarketXLS offers over 1,000 custom Excel functions covering financial statements, real-time prices, options data, technical indicators, and more. It matches QuickFS's financial statement data while adding categories of functionality that QuickFS doesn't offer.
Can MarketXLS pull historical financial statements like QuickFS?
Yes. MarketXLS provides historical financial statement data through its hf_ function family. For example, =hf_revenue("AAPL", 2024, 2) returns Apple's Q2 2024 revenue. You can pull quarterly data going back many years, just as you can with QuickFS. Additional functions like =Revenue("AAPL"), =PERatio("AAPL"), and =MarketCapitalization("AAPL") provide current fundamental data.
How do I switch my QuickFS Excel models to MarketXLS?
The transition is straightforward because both platforms use the same Excel add-in approach. Install MarketXLS, then replace your QuickFS formulas with MarketXLS equivalents. For financial statement data, use the hf_ functions (e.g., =hf_revenue("AAPL", 2024, 2) for quarterly revenue). For current metrics, use functions like =Last("AAPL"), =PERatio("AAPL"), and =Revenue("AAPL"). Your model structure stays the same — only the formula syntax changes.
Does MarketXLS offer real-time data? QuickFS doesn't have that.
Yes, MarketXLS offers streaming prices via =QM_Stream_Last("AAPL"), which QuickFS does not provide. This means you can monitor live prices alongside your fundamental analysis, combining historical financial statement trends with current market data in the same spreadsheet. Real-time streaming is available on Advanced and Business plans.
Does MarketXLS have an API like QuickFS?
MarketXLS takes a formula-driven approach rather than a traditional REST API. With over 1,000 Excel functions, you can pull any data point directly into your spreadsheet without writing code. For users who need programmatic access, MarketXLS's Excel functions can be called via VBA macros, giving you API-like flexibility within the Excel environment. For pricing and plan details, visit MarketXLS pricing.
The Bottom Line
QuickFS serves the financial analysis community well. It provides clean, reliable financial statement data in a straightforward format, and its Excel add-in makes it easy to build models powered by fundamental data. But for analysts who need more than just financial statements, there's room for a more comprehensive solution.
MarketXLS provides historical financial statements through Excel formulas, plus streaming prices (Advanced and Business plans), options data, technical indicators, and screening in the same workbook. It suits analysts who work mostly in US and major developed markets and want one add-in instead of several tools.
Explore the complete function library to see all 1,000+ available formulas, or check out pricing plans to find the right fit for your needs.
