Old School Value has been the canonical value-investing tool since 2007, but it costs $240–$360/year and the trial lasts only 7 days. SafetyMargin.io is a free Old School Value alternative that covers most of OSV's core toolkit — DCF, Reverse DCF, Beneish M-Score, Altman Z-Score, insider tracking — and adds several Buffett-specific metrics OSV doesn't include.
The short answer:
- Want OSV's canonical DCF + forensic-quality workflow, but free? → SafetyMargin.io.
- Need the Piotroski F-Score, proprietary Action Score, multi-model valuations, or a custom screener / portfolio tracker? → Old School Value is still the more complete platform.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | SafetyMargin.io | Old School Value |
|---|---|---|
| DCF Intrinsic Value | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-Scenario DCF (Bear/Base/Bull) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reverse DCF (Market-Implied Growth) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Margin of Safety Gauge | ✓ | ✓ |
| Beneish M-Score | ✓ | ✓ |
| Altman Z-Score | ✓ | ✓ |
| Piotroski F-Score | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sloan Ratio (Accrual Quality) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ben Graham Formula | ✗ | ✓ |
| EBIT Multiples / EPV | ✗ | ✓ |
| Proprietary Action Score | ✗ | ✓ |
| Owner Earnings (Buffett FCF) | ✓ | ✗ |
| SBC-Adjusted Free Cash Flow | ✓ | ✗ |
| ROIIC (Incremental Capital Returns) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Retained Earnings $1 Test | ✓ | ✗ |
| Buyback Effectiveness Score | ✓ | ✗ |
| Economic Moat Score | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mr. Market Sentiment Gauge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Buffett Signal (Buy/Hold/Sell) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Insider Transaction Tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom Stock Screener | ✗ | ✓ |
| Magic Formula Screener | ✗ | ✓ |
| Portfolio Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Excel Analyzer Download | ✗ | ✓ |
| US + ADRs + OTC | S&P 500 only | ✓ |
| Free tier | Full access, forever | 7-day trial |
Why SafetyMargin Is a Worthy Old School Value Alternative
1. The core forensic + DCF workflow is free
The pair of analyses most value investors run first — DCF intrinsic value and forensic quality checks — are available on every S&P 500 stock for free. Specifically:
- DCF + Reverse DCF with Bear / Base / Bull scenarios, adjustable discount rates and growth assumptions, and a margin-of-safety gauge
- Beneish M-Score with 8-component breakdown and year-over-year trend
- Altman Z-Score with Safe / Grey / Distress zones
- Sloan Ratio with a "Zone of Danger" overlay when net income exceeds operating cash flow
OSV offers the same forensic duo (Beneish + Altman, plus Piotroski F-Score which we don't have) and the same DCF/Reverse DCF — but behind a $240+/year paywall.
2. Buffett-specific extensions OSV doesn't include
OSV is built around classic value investing (Graham, Greenblatt, Piotroski). SafetyMargin adds Buffett-specific analyses OSV doesn't offer:
- Owner Earnings — Net Income + D&A − Maintenance CapEx, the cash flow Buffett actually cares about
- SBC-Adjusted FCF — true shareholder cash yield after stock-based compensation dilution
- ROIIC — return on the next dollar of invested capital (not just historical returns)
- Retained Earnings $1 Test — Buffett's management-quality check: for every $1 retained, has the company created $1+ of market value?
- Buyback Effectiveness Score — graded buyback timing against historical P/E averages
- Economic Moat Score — composite quality assessment across multiple dimensions
You can toggle the DCF to value a stock using owner earnings instead of standard FCF, which can meaningfully change intrinsic value for capital-intensive businesses.
3. Modern UI, pre-built views
OSV was founded in 2007 and its UI reflects that vintage. SafetyMargin's stock dashboard is organized around tabbed historical charts, color-coded Key Metrics, and composite signals — designed so you can form a valuation read on a new ticker in under two minutes.
4. Free — not a trial
OSV's cheapest annual plan is $240/year (Standard, 20% off monthly). Pro is $360/year. After the 7-day trial ends, everything is behind a paywall. SafetyMargin is free to use with no subscription, no expiration, no upgrade pressure.
When Old School Value Is Still the Right Choice
OSV genuinely beats SafetyMargin in four areas. If any of these matter to you, OSV is the more complete tool:
- Piotroski F-Score — a 9-point accounting-quality score SafetyMargin doesn't compute. If you screen stocks by Piotroski, OSV is your tool.
- Multi-model valuation — Ben Graham formula, EBIT multiples, Earnings Power Value, and Absolute PE are all native in OSV. SafetyMargin is DCF-first and doesn't expose these separately.
- Proprietary Action Score — OSV's composite ranking across quality, value, and growth. No direct equivalent in SafetyMargin.
- Screener + portfolio + Magic Formula — OSV lets you screen thousands of tickers by custom criteria, maintain watchlists, and run Greenblatt's Magic Formula. SafetyMargin analyses one ticker at a time and has only a basic watchlist.
OSV is also the right choice if you need OTC and ADR coverage (SafetyMargin is S&P 500–focused) or you prefer working inside an Excel spreadsheet analyzer (OSV includes a Windows-only Excel download in the Pro tier).
Pricing Side by Side
| SafetyMargin.io | Old School Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Full access, forever | 7-day trial only |
| Standard | — | $20/month annual ($240/yr) or $39/month monthly |
| Pro | — | $30/month annual ($360/yr) or $59/month monthly |
| Platforms | Web (any browser) | Web + Windows Excel analyzer |
Who Should Use Which?
Choose SafetyMargin.io if you want:
- Free DCF, Reverse DCF, Beneish M-Score, Altman Z-Score, and Sloan Ratio on S&P 500 stocks
- Buffett-specific metrics (owner earnings, ROIIC, retained-earnings test, moat score)
- A modern, ready-to-read dashboard with no setup or subscription
- To avoid committing $240+/year before you know you'll use a tool regularly
Choose Old School Value if you need:
- Piotroski F-Score, the proprietary Action Score, or Ben Graham / EPV / EBIT-multiple valuations
- A custom stock screener with Magic Formula screening
- Portfolio tracking inside the same tool
- OTC, ADR, or broader small-cap coverage beyond the S&P 500
- A Windows-based Excel analyzer for offline use
Try SafetyMargin on a Stock You Know
The fastest way to judge whether SafetyMargin covers your workflow is to open a ticker you've already researched — AAPL, BRK-B, KO, or JNJ — and compare the DCF verdict, forensic signals, and Buffett extensions against your existing thesis. It takes under a minute and costs nothing.