10 Best Backtesting Software for Traders Tested 2024

Our testing shows the best backtesting software is TrendSpider for code-free strategy development, Trade Ideas for AI-powered algorithms, and TradingView for international traders.

TrendSpider has powerful pattern recognition, code-free backtesting, and auto-trading. Trade Ideas is the best AI stock backtesting and integrated auto-trading software. TradingView offers flexible, free pine-code backtesting for stocks, Forex, and crypto globally.

With over two decades of investing and trading experience, I have personally developed backtested systems and strategies on all the platforms in this article.

Backtesting Software Comparison Table

Review & Test Methodology: Rating points were awarded for features, benefits, ease of use, backtest reporting, and the ability to execute trades. The use of AI to support the trader has also been awarded extra points.

Stock Backtesting & Auto Trade Software Summary

Our research shows the best stock backtesting and auto-trade software are TrendSpider, Trade Ideas, and Tradingview.

Our testing process selected TrendSpider as the overall winner because it offers the most flexible, code-free, multilayer backtesting. Plus, the most indicators and patterns recognized, and trading bot integration.

Trade Ideas was also highly rated due to its fully automated AI system, which performs the backtesting for you, and its fully integrated auto-trading.

Tradingview offers a free, intelligent, robust stock backtesting solution, including auto trading using webhooks. MetaStock is the most powerful stock backtesting and forecasting platform for broker-agnostic traders but does not offer automated trading.

Stock Rover and Portfolio123 enable ten years of fundamental financial backtesting for investors but do not have auto-trade functionality.

Top 10 Best Stock Backtesting Software

Try TrendSpider

✂ TrendSpider Presidents Day Sale is Live Now ✂
☆ 67% Off Yearly Plans ☆
☆42% Off Monthly Plans ☆
It’s their biggest sale of the year.

Trend Spider Backtesting

I have researched and backtested hundreds of candlestick patterns, chart patterns, and indicators using TrendSpider; its features are uniquely powerful in the industry.

TrendSpider is built from the ground up to automatically detect trendlines, chart patterns, candlesticks, and Fibonacci patterns. This means it already has backtesting built into the heart of the code.

Its most recent features are scanning for and backtesting news events, analyst estimates, financial data, splits, dividends, and earnings. All of this is possible without needing to code.

TrendSpider has implemented a strategy tester that allows you to type what you want to test freely, and it will do the coding for you. This is a smooth, simple, and incredibly user-friendly implementation.

You can also adjust your backtest conditions on the fly, and the “Price Behaviour Explorer” and “System Performance Chart” automatically update with trade statistics like win rate, profitability, and drawdown.

You can jump into coding if you want to, but the key here is that you do not have to.

With TrendSpider’s broker integration, you can turn a successful backtested strategy into an automated trading bot in just a few clicks.

The screenshot below shows one of my backtests for the Weighted Moving Average indicator.

In the screenshot below, you can see the detailed reporting from my backtesting of the Ichimoku Cloud indicator.

Its automation does a better job than a human can; using algorithms, the system can detect thousands of trendlines and patterns and flag the most important ones with the highest backtested probability of success. To find out more, read the full TrendSpider review.

If you are a serious trader TrendSpider will help you analyze quicker, with better quality, and help you not to miss an opportunity.

The system runs on all platforms, from smartphones to PCs. Finally, I have tested the customer support and confirmed it is excellent. you have a human to chat with, and you can have free 1-on-1 training to get you up-to-speed quickly.

---

partners to negotiate discounts for you and may earn a small fee through our links.

Pros

• 3 AI High-Performing Trading Algorithms
• Fully Automated Backtesting
• Exceptional Stock Scanning
• Specific Audited Trade Signals
• Auto-trading With AI Signals
• Live Daily Trading Room

Cons

• No Mobile App
• Black Box Backtesting – You Cannot Develop Detailed Strategies

At first, access to the Holly AI system might seem pricey. You will need to go for Trade Ideas Premium, which costs $228 per month, or you can save $468 by going for an annual subscription, which costs $2268. You can access robust backtesting and the Holly Artificial Intelligence System for this investment.

Trade Ideas has three AI algorithms that automatically backtest stock chart patterns and volume conditions to find high-probability trades for day traders. Holly, Holly 2.0, and Holly Neo are trading algorithms that constantly backtest millions of real-time conditions to find trading opportunities. Each recommended trade has a win probability and a full set of backtested data for you to review.

• AI Virtual Trading Analyst Holly: 3 different constantly evolving AI algorithms
• Chart-Based AI Trade Assistance & Entry and Exit Signals
• Risk Assessment: Detailed information on the backtested performance of the recommended trade.
• Build and Backtest any Trade Idea: Compelling point & click backtesting system.
• Autotrade w/ Brokerage Plus and AI – Advanced auto trading commission-free with Etrade.

Trade Ideas Backtesting

Trade Ideas is a powerful backtesting software that is easy to use and requires no programming knowledge. A point-and-click backtesting system is rare in this industry; the only software with this capability is TrendSpider.

I have run many backtests with Trade Ideas, but the one I wanted to focus on was a backtest of the “Unusual Social Mentions Scan.” This is a good test of the wisdom of crowds.

I wanted to focus on was a backtest of the “Unusual Social Mentions Scan”.  This is a good test of the wisdom of crowds.

As you can see in the backtest result above, the crowds are not very wise, as the backtest shows that the system loses 70% per year.

Trade Ideas Pro AI

The AI algorithms developed by Trade Ideas are the main reason you want to sign up. I had a lengthy Zoom session with Sean Mclaughlin, Senior Strategist over at Trade Ideas, to delve into how the algorithms work, and I was very impressed. This company is laser-focused on providing traders with the best data-supported trading opportunities. There are currently four AI systems in operation.

Holly is 3 AI Systems Applying Over 70 Black Box Strategies.

Holly AI

Holly AI is the original incarnation of the Trade Ideas algorithm. Holly applies 70 strategies to all US & Canadian stock exchanges, including pink sheets and OTC markets. 70 strategies multiplied by 10,000+ stocks means millions of backtests every day. Only the strategies with the highest backtested win rate of over 60% and an estimated risk-reward ratio of 2:1 will be suggested as potential trades the following day.

Holly 2.0

Holly 2.0 is a version of Holly AI that presents more aggressive day trading scenarios. Trade Ideas operates three key trading styles with each AI engine: conservative, Moderate, and Aggressive. Holly 2.0 is an aggressive strategy with higher risk but ultimately higher rewards.

Holly Neo

Holly NEO is a newer AI that seeks to trade real-time chart patterns. It utilizes a mix of four strategies. The Pullback Long strategy seeks to identify trades where the stock price is down and is seeking to start moving up on higher volume. The Breakout Long strategy discovers where stock price breaks out through a key resistance or new highs. The Pullback Short strategy identifies a short pullback opportunity in price. Finally, the Breakdown Short backtest finds a shorting opportunity where upward momentum breaks down.

Trade Ideas Buy & Sell Signals

Trade Ideas shows you every signal buy and sell signal visually on a chart. I have highlighted a trade Holly AI (Holly Grail) recommended in the chart below. Thchartade for Cleveland Biolabs (Ticker: CBLI) made a 25% profit within 4 hours. Not how the buy and sell signals are depicted on the chart.

Get 40% Off Trade Ideas Code “LIBERATED”

---

Launch TradingView Now

TradingView’s Free Backtesting Software

The best free backtesting software is TradingView, which allows users of their free plan to backtest Stocks, Crypto & Forex. TradingView’s pine script engine enables powerful and flexible chart backtesting for up to 100 years of market data.

TradingView has an active community of people developing and sharing stock analysis systems. With the premium-level service, you can create and sell your own. The community also offers many indicators and systems for free.

They have implemented backtesting intuitively. In the image below, I have implemented an in-built strategy called “Slow Stochastics,” which initiates a trade when the stochastics indicators are oversold and sells when stochastics are overbought.

I like that you have results in a few clicks [Strategy Tester -> Add Strategy]. You can also tweak the strategy parameters, as you can see below, and observe the results.

The TradingView backtesting results reporting is good. The system shows the strategy’s profit performance, including net profit, drawdown, buy-and-hold return, percentage profitable trades, and the number of trades. All the trades are plotted on a chart for valuable visual reference.

I have even implemented my MOSES strategy into TradingView; I am no developer, but the Pine Script language is so natural anyone can do it.

Auto-Trade with TradingView

It is possible to set up auto trading in Tradingview using the webhooks URL option in your alerts menu. Signal Stack makes this process more robust using its specialized webhook engine.

TradingView Market Replay

TradingView also has a market replay functionality that lets you play through the timeline. This shows you the chart scrolling and the trades executed; it is simple yet powerful. All buy and sell orders are drawn on the chart and highlighted. All in all, this is a great package that is included in the free version.

The only thing you cannot do is forecast and implement Robotic Trading Automation, but that is typically what broker-integrated backtesting tools perform.

TradingView Platform Analysis

Trade Management. With TradingView, you get full broker integration, you can place trades on charts, and it will take care of profit & loss reporting and analysis. The only thing it does not cover is Stock Options trading.

Fundamental Scanning & Screening. It is a perfect 10 for TradingView as they hit the mark on real-time scanning, filtering, and fundamental watchlists. The list of fundamentals you can scan & filter on is genuinely huge. Any idea you have based on fundamentals will be covered.

News & Social Community. As soon as you connect to TradingView, you realize this is also developed for the community. You can look at community ideas, post your charts and ideas, and join countless groups covering everything from bonds to Cryptocurrency. You can connect with other traders, read their ideas, be inspired, and chat. It is simply the best socially integrated trading platform on the planet. The news feeds are fully integrated, including Kiplinger, DailyFX, Futures Magazine, FXStreet, and StockTwits.  Add that to the social network, and you have a great solution.

---

Chart, Scan, Trade & Join Me On TradingView for Free

Join me and 20 million traders on TradingView for free. TradingView is a great place to meet other investors, share ideas, chart, screen, and chat.

Join Me On TradingView

---

With over 160 different indicators and unique specialty charts, such as LineBreak, Kagi, Heikin Ashi, Point & Figure, and Renko, you have everything you need as an advanced trader. With the Premium membership, you also get fully integrated Level II insight.

TradingView is a great way to kick off your life as a backtesting system developer. There is a vast selection of free and premium strategies to test and the biggest and most active community of traders on the planet. TradingView has it all. I recommend going for the Pro or Pro Plus subscription as they enable more charts, indicators, and views, including intraday market data, which you might need for your backtesting.

Get TradingView

---

Beat the Market growth stock system using Stock Rover’s backtesting capability and excellent 10-year financial database.

Stock Rover Pros

• 650+ Financial Screening Metrics
• Potent Stock Scoring Systems
• Unique 10-Year Historical Data for Backtesting
• Warren Buffett Value Screeners & Portfolios
• Real-time Research Reports

Stock Rover Cons

• No Social Community
• Not Recommended for Traders

Stock Rover Backtesting

Stock Rover provides ten years of backdated financial information and scanning possibilities, better than nearly every other stock screening package. What is unique is that you can backtest screening results.

Below, I share the “Beat the Market Screener Backtest,” which focuses on growth and financial stability. I could backtest the strategy for the previous seven years using Stock Rover.

The Liberated Stock Trader Beat the Market Screener seeks to select stocks with a significant chance of beating the S&P500 returns. The screener uses growth in free cash flow and explosive EPS growth. Combining this with Joel Greenblatt’s ROC and Earnings Yield formulas, “the Magic Formula,” we have a selection of stocks that have beat the market for 7 of the last 8 years.

This work has been made possible due to the team’s fabulous work at our partner, Stock Rover, who created a stock research and screening platform that won our in-depth Best Stock Screener Review.

Why is Stock Rover so special in creating superior stock screeners? Because Stock Rover maintains a clean 10-year historical database of hundreds of vital ratios, calculations, and metrics. This means you can travel back in time to test if your stock selection criteria have worked in the past.

This Liberated Stock Trader Beat the Market Screener (LST BTM) is built into the Stock Rover library and is available to all Stock Rover Premium Plus Subscribers.

Get Stock Rover Now + 25% Discount

---

Try MetaStock With a 3 Months for 1 Month Deal

MetaStock is one of the few vendors that take forecasting exceptionally seriously. The system backtesting is excellent because it allows you to test if a theory, idea, or set of analyses has worked in the past. Forecasting takes it to a whole new level by playing forward the backtesting to see how successful you might be with a strategy under certain circumstances. The configurable nature of the reporting for both backtesting and forecasting results is powerful.

Technical Analysis & Forex Forecasting

Forex forecasting based on sentiment is an exceptional feature. Never mind the broadest selection of technical analysis indicators on the market today. MetaStock is the king of technical analysis, warranting a perfect rating.

MetaStock covers all the core chart types and includes Point & Figure, Equivolume, and Market Profile charts. Regarding indicators, MetaStock has 300+ different types, including Darvas Box and Ichimoku Cloud. MetaStock will also help you develop your indicators based on their coding system.

MetaStock Backtesting & Forecasting Summary

MetaStock is very good for backtesting and forecasting. The depth of fundamental research and news in MetaStock R/T is staggering, and the in-depth analysis, backtesting, and forecasting in MetaStock are industry-leading.

---

Tickeron is worth buying if you are a short-term trader because it provides high probability AI-backtested trade signals. I recommend a trading account value of over $25K for active pattern day trading.

Get 50% Off Tickeron

---

Get 21 Days of  Portfolio123 for $9

---

Quantitative Analysts who develop powerful automated systems and value a huge selection of shared user-generated ideas, but you need to be able to code.

Pros

• For Quants Wanting To Automate Backtesting
• Super Cheap
• Active Community
• Very Good Backtesting

Cons

• Programming Knowledge Required
• Poor Interface
• Challenging to Use

QuantShare was new to me, and I was surprised by the feature set. Do you backtest, forecast, and program algorithms to get an edge in the market? Are you a hardcore programmer and mathematician? Then QuantShare is for you?

Stock Systems and Backtesting

QuantShare specializes, as the name suggests, in allowing Quantitative Analysts to Share stock systems. They have a huge systems marketplace with a lot of accessible content that you can test and use. You can implement and test endless possibilities if you have a programmatic mind. They also have powerful prediction models using neural networks. This is an advanced software for those with programming skills.

QuantShare is difficult to use, and the interface requires serious development effort. The learning curve will take a time investment on your part.

---

Summary: Stock Backtesting Software Review

TrendSpider is our winner for incredible innovation, AI pattern recognition, backtesting, and auto-trading, and broker integration.

Trade Ideas deploys black box AI backtesting software and auto-trading to give you a profitable edge in the stock market and is well worth the subscription.

TradingView offers global market access, backtesting, auto-trading, and the biggest trading community globally.

FAQ

Which platform is best for backtesting?

Having tested many backtesting solutions, I rate TrendSpider the best. It’s no-code backtesting of indicators, patterns, price, financial, and news is simply the best available.

Is there any free backtesting software?

From my testing, the best free backtesting software is TradingView,  which allows users of their free basic plan to utilize the powerful Pine script strategy testing environment.

How reliable is TradingView’s backtesting?

Based on my backtesting and system development for the MOSES system, TradingView’s backtesting is extremely reliable and accurate. TradingView also provides on-chart entry and exit signals so you can prove the backtesting reliability.

What is Stock Backtesting?

Stock backtesting is a process used to test if a set of technical or fundamental criteria for stock selection has resulted in profitable trades in the past. A good backtesting system will report executed trades, the trade duration, the win/loss ratio, and the drawdown and compounded return.

For example, if your hypothesis is a stock with a positive RSI number and an increase in earnings will increase the stock price, then a stock backtest will prove if the strategy has worked in the past. The logic here is that if the strategy worked in the past, it might work in the future.

How to backtest a stock?

To begin backtesting a stock, you should follow these steps:

1. Select the right software (TrendSpider or TradingView for traders, Trade Ideas for day traders, or Portfolio 123 for investors)
2. Plot a chart and overlay the indicators you want to use in the backtest.
3. Select the timeframe and chart data frequency (minutes, days, or weeks).
4. Observe how the indicators interact with the stock price.
5. Tune the indicator and timeframes that work well with stock price pivots.
6. Input the indicators and timeframes into the backtesting software.
7. Run the backtest and evaluate the results.

Does backtesting work for stocks?

Yes, backtesting works well for stocks, and the longer the timeframe you use to more predictable backtesting becomes. If you have a minute-by-minute backtesting strategy, there will be lots of false signals because the market is erratic in the short term. Backtesting provides a good way to formulate an investing strategy for medium to long-term trades.

How many years back to backtest stock strategy?

If your trading strategy is medium to long-term (weeks to months), you must select 5 to 10 years of data to backtest. Also, include a stock market crash in your data, for example, 2020 or 2008, so you can see how your strategy performs under extreme market conditions.

How to perform stock backtesting with no coding skills?

Two services allow you to perform powerful backtesting with no programming knowledge. TrendSpider has point-and-click backtesting with built-in AI pattern recognition for traders. For long-term investors, Portfolio 123 has an incredible 10-year financial database and an intuitive backtesting interface.

How to backtest stock screens?

What does backtesting stocks tell me?

Backtesting stocks tells you what indicators and chart patterns work on which timeframes. You would be surprised to learn that simple indicators like moving averages work much better than complicated indicators like Ichimoku Cloud.