TheStreet is one of the oldest names in online financial media, co-founded by Jim Cramer in 1996. But the platform has changed hands multiple times since then — now owned by The Arena Group — and its premium product, TheStreet Pro, is a far cry from the original Action Alerts Plus.
Is it worth the $600/year price tag in 2026? We dug into the performance data, user reviews, and feature set to find out.
What Is TheStreet Pro?
TheStreet Pro is the platform's flagship subscription, replacing the old Action Alerts Plus branding. It bundles a managed model portfolio, analyst commentary, live video events, and a subscriber community forum into one package.
The portfolio is currently managed by Chris Versace, who took over from Jim Cramer (Cramer stepped back from active portfolio management when he joined CNBC full-time).
TheStreet Pro Pricing
- Monthly: $69.99/month ($5 intro for the first month)
- Annual: $599.99/year
They also offer Quant Ratings as a separate product — a quantitative stock screening tool that generates daily buy/sell signals based on algorithmic analysis.
What You Get as a Subscriber
- Model portfolio with specific buy/sell trade alerts
- Daily and weekly analysis from the editorial team
- Live video calls and Q&A sessions with Chris Versace, Doug Kass, and Helene Meisler
- Investor community forum for discussion
- Quant Ratings access (may require separate purchase)
Performance Track Record
This is where it gets uncomfortable. TheStreet actually publishes their own performance comparison — and it's not flattering:
- TheStreet Pro Portfolio (since Aug 2001): +374%
- S&P 500 (same period): +794%
That's less than half the return of a simple index fund over 24 years. External analyses confirm this — multiple reviews note the portfolio has only beaten the S&P 500 in one recent calendar year (2020).
The Quant Ratings product fares even worse in independent testing, with TipRanks analysis showing significantly negative historical performance.
Pros
- Long operating history — TheStreet has been around since 1996
- Direct access to named analysts via live video calls
- Editorial policy explicitly prohibits AI-generated content
- Transparent about performance data (even when unflattering)
Cons
- Significant underperformance vs. the S&P 500 over the long term
- Aggressive renewal pricing — long-term members report being charged more than new subscribers
- Cancellation difficulties — common complaint across Trustpilot and Sitejabber
- Multiple ownership changes — from Cramer to Maven to The Arena Group, creating identity instability
- Not BBB accredited
TheStreet Pro vs. Motley Fool Stock Advisor
Motley Fool Stock Advisor costs roughly the same ($199/year on promo, $499 regular) but has a dramatically better track record — Stock Advisor claims 900%+ returns since 2002 vs. TheStreet's 374%. Motley Fool also provides a more structured recommendation format (2 picks per month) while TheStreet is more of a full-portfolio management approach.
TheStreet Pro vs. Seeking Alpha Premium
Seeking Alpha Premium ($239/year) takes a fundamentally different approach — crowdsourced analysis from thousands of contributors rather than a single managed portfolio. For self-directed investors who want research tools and diverse opinions, Seeking Alpha is generally the better value. TheStreet is better if you want to follow a specific portfolio manager's trades.
Our Verdict
TheStreet Pro is hard to recommend at $600/year when a basic S&P 500 index fund has delivered more than double the returns over the same period. The live analyst access and community features are genuine differentiators, but the core value proposition — stock picks that beat the market — hasn't delivered.
If you're looking for actionable stock picks, Motley Fool Stock Advisor has a significantly stronger track record. If you want deep research tools, Seeking Alpha Premium offers better value. TheStreet's strength is its editorial journalism and analyst personalities — but you can get most of that from the free content.
Rating: 2.5/5 — Decent financial news platform, but the premium subscription underdelivers on returns relative to the price.
