Real-time or delayed price — what is the difference?
A real-time price is the price on the exchange right now, this second. A delayed price is the same price shown typically 15 minutes later. Free price sources are usually delayed because exchanges sell real-time data as a licence. For judging a stock, a quarter of an hour means nothing — only day traders need seconds.
Why prices are delayed
The exchanges — Nasdaq, the New York Stock Exchange and the rest — own the price data and charge for showing it live. Your bank pays the licence and shows you real time in the order window. Free apps and websites typically do not pay and must therefore show prices with a 15-minute delay. It is not a bug in the app; it is the exchange's business model.
When it matters — and when not
- You are judging whether a stock is worth owning this year: 15 minutes is irrelevant. What you look at — accounts, key figures, the trend over months — does not change in a quarter of an hour.
- You are about to place an order: Use your bank's order window. There you see real time and the current spread.
- You are day trading: Then 15 minutes is an eternity. But then you are also somewhere quite different from most beginners — and you pay for real time.
Always read how old the figure is
A price without a timestamp is a price whose age you do not know. Look for "delayed approx. 15 min" or a time. If there is nothing, assume it is delayed — and check in the order window before you trade.
The typical beginner's mistake
Placing an order based on a delayed price and being surprised that the trade goes through at a different price. The price was not wrong — it was a quarter of an hour old. Look in the order window before you press.
How you see it in Kiggo
Kiggo shows delayed prices and says so every time: "delayed approx. 15 min" next to the price, and the figures are stamped with trading day and time so the heat map and the stock page never show different days. Kiggo is made for understanding the stock — not for trading on the second. The trade happens at your bank or broker.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Can I get real-time prices for free?
At most banks and brokers you see real time in the order window once logged in — it is included. Free apps and websites without login almost always show delayed prices.
Is a delayed price wrong?
No — it was right a quarter of an hour ago. On a calm day the difference is typically under half a percent. On a turbulent day it can be larger, and that is when you look in the order window.
Kiggo explains — Kiggo does not advise. We never tell you what to buy or sell, and key figures can only be compared between companies in the same industry. The decision is yours. Last updated 2026-09-07.
Written by Claus Frisch, founder of Kiggo. Not an adviser, not a bank — Kiggo explains, you decide.
