CNBC Pro Review – Should You Buy This Premium Subscription?

About CNBC Pro

CNBC Pro is a premium subscription service from the popular business network CNBC. With Pro, you gain access to a live stream of CNBC’s television programming, exclusive news stories and market analysis, and a daily newsletter.

The service comes with a substantial price tag, though, and it’s not clear that the content is necessarily that much more actionable than what you get by using CNBC’s free service. That’s particularly true if you already have access to CNBC’s live programming through a streaming service or your cable subscription.

Our CNBC Pro review will examine this premium service more closely to help you decide if it’s worthwhile for you.

CNBC Pro Pricing Options

CNBC Pro costs $34.99 per month or $299.99 per year. At the time of writing, CNBC is offering $100 off your first year when you sign up for an annual subscription. You can sign up for a seven-day free trial to test the service.

CNBC Pro Features

CNBC Live TV

One of the key features that you receive as a CNBC Pro subscriber is access to a stream of the network’s live television programming. You get access to the same stream that US broadcast television viewers see, plus the option to view CNBC news coverage in Europe and Asia.

Notably, you can also stream CNBC online without a Pro subscription. You just need a cable subscription that includes this channel. You won’t get Europe or Asia programming, but that’s not a major issue unless you’re focused on overseas markets. CNBC is also included with a number of streaming services, such as Hulu, fuboTV, and SlingTV. 

Pro Stories And Videos

Another major selling point of CNBC Pro is that it comes with access to premium news stories and videos. Many of the videos are exclusive interviews with fund managers and analysts, and they range from around 5 to 10 minutes in length. The videos aren’t explicitly designed to offer a deep dive into particular stocks, but many cover stocks that analysts like. Therefore, they can be really useful for generating investment ideas.

There are several different verticals for Pro news stories, including Pro Stock Picks, Pro Analysis, and Macro Insights for Investing. The Pro Stock Picks stories offer insight into particular stocks, similar to what you’d get from a service like Seeking Alpha.

CNBC has increasingly differentiated the stories and videos available to Pro subscribers from those available for free on CNBC.com. Pro subscribers get more actionable content that focuses on specific stocks or macro trends to watch. Still, you could get a lot of the same macroeconomic analysis for free, and CNBC Pro’s stock-specific analysis isn’t as comprehensive as what you get with Seeking Alpha or Morningstar Premium.

Daily Newsletter

CNBC Pro includes a daily market forecast newsletter, which essentially rounds up the top Pro news stories of the day and provides some reminders about macroeconomic trends to watch. The newsletter takes just a minute to browse through, so it’s a useful tool for getting a handle on the market at the start of each trading day.

Customization and Layout

For better or worse, CNBC Pro doesn’t offer any options for customizing your service. You cannot select market sectors or use a watchlist to tailor your financial news feed, nor can you set up alerts for stories about specific companies. CNBC.com offers a watchlist tool, but it’s available for free without a Pro subscription.

CNBC Pro Platform Differentiators

CNBC Pro is solid and the analysis is sufficiently different from what you get with the free version of CNBC.com. However, it’s hard to argue that CNBC Pro is worth paying for over competing market analysis services like Seeking Alpha or Morningstar. With CNBC Pro, you simply have to wait for an article about a stock you’re interested in. There are no stock screener or research tools, and you don’t get competing opinions about a particular stock.

CNBC Pro’s stories and videos do offer interviews with CEOs, hedge fund managers, and other top investors. That sets it apart from Seeking Alpha and Morningstar, although these interviews arguably aren’t actionable enough to justify the cost of CNBC Pro.

One significant factor that differentiates CNBC Pro is that you get access to a live stream of CNBC programming. However, this is only a benefit if you don’t already have access to CNBC’s stream through your cable provider or a streaming service like Hulu.

What Type Of Trader Is CNBC Pro Best For?

CNBC Pro is best for medium-term and long-term investors who don’t already have access to a CNBC live stream through another source. The exclusive news stories, videos, and daily newsletter are nice, but they aren’t enough on their own to justify the $300 per year price tag if you already have CNBC’s television programming. In any case, most of CNBC’s content focuses on medium-term market trends, so it’s best suited for active investors who are willing to conduct their own research.

If you already have CNBC’s television service, there are other similar but distinct services that could be good alternatives to CNBC Pro. Day traders can get access to breaking news more quickly using a service like Benzinga or TradeTheNews. Medium and long-term investors could supplement CNBC’s broad-strokes analysis using a market news and analysis service like Seeking Alpha or MarketBeat or a stock picking service like Motley Fool Stock Advisor.

Pros

Includes live stream of CNBC broadcast programming

Live stream of CNBC coverage in Europe and Asia

Exclusive news stories

Interviews with fund managers and analysts

Daily newsletter provides a market forecast

Cons

Expensive annual subscription

Little value if you already have a CNBC stream