Real-time stock prices in a spreadsheet: your options compared
If you searched this, you probably found that GOOGLEFINANCE is delayed 15–20 minutes. Here's every real way to get live prices in a spreadsheet — the paid add-ons, the free-tier catches, and where Stealth Quotes fits (real-time, free, no formulas, crypto included).
Free · no sign-up needed · real-time on every plan.
Can GOOGLEFINANCE show real-time prices?
No. The built-in GOOGLEFINANCEfunction is exchange-delayed by about 15–20 minutes for US stocks, and it only recalculates while the sheet is open. It's free and fine for a rough check — but it is not the current price.
It's not a bug — it's the free, exchange-delayed feed. Real-time market data is licensed and costs money, so free tools use the standard 15–20 minute delayed version. To get the current price you need a source that pays for a real-time feed.
So how do you get real-time prices in a spreadsheet?
Two realistic paths, and they trade off differently:
- A paid Google Sheets add-on — Finsheet, Wisesheets, Market Data, MarketXLS. You install the add-on, grant it access to your sheets, and write its formulas. Real-time is a paid tier; the free tiers are delayed or tightly capped.
- Stealth Quotes — a spreadsheet-style app where live prices are already built in. No add-on, no formulas, no install: open it, type a ticker, and the price streams into the cell. Free, and crypto is included.
| GOOGLEFINANCE | Paid add-ons | Market Data (free) | Stealth Quotes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time (not delayed) | 15–20 min | midpoint only | ||
| Free | capped | |||
| No formulas to write | ||||
| No add-on / install | ||||
| Live crypto included | ||||
| Usable free real-time watchlist | 100/day | |||
| Portfolio + dividends built in |
GOOGLEFINANCE — free, but delayed and formula-based
The default. It's free and lives right inside Google Sheets, and for many people it's enough. But it's 15–20 minutes behind, it needs you to write formulas, it covers only a handful of top crypto coins (and errors on the rest), and it freezes the moment you close the tab.
Finsheet, Wisesheets & MarketXLS — real-time, but paid and analyst-first
These are genuinely powerful. Wisesheets (~163k installs) and Finsheet give you decades of historical financials and fundamentals for tens of thousands of companies — great if you're building valuation models in a real Google Sheet. The catch for a live watchlist: real-time streaming is a paid tier (Finsheet's starts around $70/month), you still install an add-on and write formulas, and crypto is limited. They're data engines for analysts, not a glanceable live board.
Market Data (free tier) — real-time-ish, but capped and no crypto
The closest thing to a free real-time add-on. Its free “forever” tier does stream a real-time midpointprice — but it's capped at 100 lookups a day (a refreshing watchlist burns through that fast), its actual stock quotes are 24-hour delayed on the free tier, crypto is “coming soon,” and it still needs an add-on and formulas. Fine for a few manual lookups; not a live board.
Stealth Quotes — real-time and free, no formulas, but a separate app
Stealth Quotes streams real-time stock andcrypto prices with no formulas, no add-on, and no install — free on every plan. It also tracks your whole portfolio (cost basis, P&L, XIRR, versus the S&P 500, dividends) with no setup. The honest trade-off: it isn't inside Google Sheets — it's a separate spreadsheet-style app at sqdesk.com. It looks and behaves like a spreadsheet, but real-time is built in and free.
Which should you actually use?
Building models with deep historical fundamentals in a real Google Sheet? A paid add-on like Wisesheets or Finsheet is the better tool.
Just want to watch live prices and track a portfolio — free, no formulas, crypto included, and without broadcasting it at work? That's what Stealth Quotes is built for. Open it and you'll see a live price in about five seconds.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you get real-time stock prices in Google Sheets?
Not with the built-in GOOGLEFINANCE function — it's exchange-delayed by about 15–20 minutes. To get real-time prices you need a paid Google Sheets add-on (Finsheet, Wisesheets, Market Data, and similar), or a spreadsheet-style app where live prices are built in, like Stealth Quotes.
Is there a free way to get real-time prices in a spreadsheet?
Sort of. GOOGLEFINANCE is free but 15–20 minutes delayed. Market Data's free tier streams a real-time midpoint but is capped at 100 lookups a day, has no crypto, and still needs formulas. Stealth Quotes is free, real-time, with no daily lookup limit, and includes crypto — with no formulas — but it's a separate spreadsheet-style app, not a Google Sheets add-on.
Which tools show real-time prices, and which are delayed?
GOOGLEFINANCE is delayed 15–20 minutes. The paid add-ons (Finsheet, MarketXLS, Wisesheets) are real-time on their paid tiers. Market Data's free tier is a real-time midpoint but capped and crypto-less. Stealth Quotes streams real-time stock and crypto prices for free, with no formulas or add-on.
How much do the real-time Google Sheets add-ons cost?
Their free tiers are delayed or capped; real-time is a paid upgrade. Finsheet's free tier is end-of-day, and streaming real-time starts around $70/month. Market Data's real-time stock quotes in Sheets start around $12/month (its free tier is 24-hour delayed apart from a capped midpoint). Wisesheets is subscription-based and analyst-focused. All of them still require an add-on install and formulas.
Does Stealth Quotes work inside Google Sheets?
No — it's a separate spreadsheet-style web app at sqdesk.com, so there's no add-on to install, no Google permissions to grant, and no formulas to write. It looks and behaves like a spreadsheet (a grid, tabs, a toolbar), but real-time prices are built into the cells and free. From across the room it just looks like a spreadsheet, which makes it discreet to check at work.
Which option is best for me?
If you're an analyst building valuation models and need decades of historical fundamentals inside a real Google Sheet, a paid add-on like Wisesheets or Finsheet is the better fit. If you mostly want to watch live prices and track a portfolio — free, with no formulas, crypto included, and discreetly — Stealth Quotes is built for that.
Real-time in a spreadsheet, free — see it in five seconds.
Open the sheet, type a ticker, watch it stream. No add-on, no formulas, no sign-up.