If you stack precious metals, you need to know what your holdings are worth at any given moment. The challenge is that melt values change every time spot prices move — which is every few seconds during market hours. A tracker that doesn't update automatically is already wrong by the time you look at it.
We tested 6 approaches ranging from free apps to manual methods. Here's how they compare on the things that actually matter: live price accuracy, melt value calculations, cost basis tracking, and ease of use.
- Strengths
- Live spot prices every 60 seconds from COMEX/LBMA
- Auto-calculates melt value by coin type (Morgan, Eagle, etc.)
- Tracks cost basis, premium paid, and real P&L per item
- Supports 6 metals including Goldbacks with denomination pricing
- Free tier is genuinely usable (15 items, no paywall on core features)
- AI smart paste — photograph a receipt, auto-imports items
- ChatGPT and Claude AI integrations (MCP + GPT Store)
- Limitations
- Newer platform — smaller community than established players
- Free tier limited to 15 items (Pro unlocks 50, Elite unlimited)
- Strengths
- Real-time streaming charts (tick-by-tick)
- Extensive news coverage and market commentary
- Large, established community and brand recognition
- Native iOS and Android apps
- Limitations
- Portfolio feature is basic — no melt value by coin type
- No cost basis or premium tracking per item
- Heavy advertising throughout the experience
- No CSV import/export for portfolio data
- No Goldback support
- Strengths
- Automatic tracking — you buy through them, they track it
- Insured, allocated storage in major vaults worldwide
- Tight bid-ask spreads on gold and silver
- 20+ years in business, publicly audited
- Limitations
- Only tracks metal stored in their vaults — not your physical stack
- Storage fees (0.01%/month on gold, 0.04%/month on silver)
- No melt value calculations for coins or jewelry
- No support for Goldbacks, copper, or palladium
- Can't track items purchased elsewhere
- Strengths
- Completely free with unlimited items
- Total customization — track anything, any way
- GOOGLEFINANCE() can pull some live prices
- Easy sharing and collaboration
- Limitations
- Significant setup time (2-4 hours for a good tracker)
- GOOGLEFINANCE() unreliable — breaks periodically, delayed data
- You must build and maintain all melt value formulas manually
- No ASW/AGW database — you have to look up every coin's specs
- No mobile-friendly experience
- No premium analysis, P&L, or deal grading
- Strengths
- Native mobile app with clean design
- Live spot prices
- Can track items purchased on APMEX easily
- Price alerts for spot metals
- Limitations
- Portfolio tracker is minimal — primarily a shopping app
- No melt value calculations for specific coin types
- No cost basis or P&L tracking
- Shopping-first experience with upsell pressure
- No CSV import/export
- Strengths
- Zero digital footprint — maximum privacy
- No accounts, passwords, or technology required
- Works during power outages and internet failures
- Can't be hacked, scraped, or data-breached
- Limitations
- No live valuations — you'd need to manually calculate every time
- No melt value formulas built in
- Can be lost, damaged, or stolen
- No P&L, no premium analysis, no cost basis calculations
- Time-consuming for large collections
Feature Comparison
| Feature | MetalMetric | Kitco | BullionVault | Sheets | APMEX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live spot prices | ✓ 60s | ✓ real-time | ✓ real-time | ~ unreliable | ✓ |
| Melt value by coin type | ✓ 25+ coins | ✗ | ✗ | ~ manual | ✗ |
| Cost basis tracking | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ (their purchases) | ~ manual | ✗ |
| P&L per item | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ~ manual | ✗ |
| Premium analysis | ✓ A+ to D grade | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CSV import/export | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Goldback support | ✓ 8 denoms | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Metals supported | 6 | 4 | 3 | ~2 | 4 |
| AI integrations | ✓ MCP + ChatGPT | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free tier | 15 items | ✓ (ad-supported) | ✓ (fees on trades) | ✓ unlimited | ✓ |
| Native mobile app | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ browser | ✓ |
The Verdict
If you want a dedicated tracker that automatically calculates melt values from live spot prices and tracks your real cost basis, MetalMetric is the most complete free option as of March 2026. It's the only tracker with Goldback support, AI integrations, and a built-in premium analyzer.
Kitco is better if your priority is real-time streaming charts and market news. BullionVault is the right choice if you want insured vault storage, not home stacking. Google Sheets is unbeatable on flexibility if you don't mind the setup work. And pen and paper still wins on privacy — no digital footprint at all.
There's no single "best" — it depends on what you value. But for most stackers who want to know what their holdings are worth right now, with zero setup effort, the free tools at MetalMetric are the fastest way to get there.
Try MetalMetric Free →Frequently Asked Questions
MetalMetric is the most full-featured free option as of 2026, offering live spot prices for 6 metals, melt value calculations, cost basis tracking, and vault management with no credit card required. The free tier supports 15 items. Google Sheets is also free but requires manual price updates and formula setup.
Yes. MetalMetric (metalmetric.com) is a web and mobile app that tracks gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, and Goldback holdings with live spot prices. Kitco also offers a portfolio feature within their app, though it's primarily a news platform. BullionVault tracks holdings but only for metal stored in their vaults.
The most accurate way is to use a dedicated tracker that calculates melt value from live spot prices. Enter each item's weight, purity, and purchase price. MetalMetric does this automatically for 25+ known coin types (like Morgan dollars and Silver Eagles) and updates values every 60 seconds from COMEX/LBMA data.
Dedicated precious metals trackers like MetalMetric replace spreadsheets by providing automatic spot price updates, built-in melt value formulas, cost basis tracking, and P&L calculations. The main advantage over spreadsheets is that you don't need to manually update prices or build formulas — the calculations happen automatically.