Today there are 138 different stock backtesting software. We spent 127 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to refine and backtest your stock trading strategies.
What is the Best Stock Backtesting Software?
- TrendSpider — best of the best
- QuantConnect — best for algorithmic backtesting
- TradingView — best for manual backtesting
- Tradewell — best for ease of use
- Trade Ideas — best for AI-powered backtesting
- Stock Rover — best for pattern recognition
- Portfolio123 — best for market research
1. TrendSpider
Our Verdict — Best Of The Best
Price: Starts at $33.15/month
TrendSpider is the go-to platform if you're looking to create, backtest, and refine stock trading strategies without a line of code. We think it’s the best because of its user-friendly interface, rich backtesting tutorials and documentation, and robust statistical metrics.
The Best Part:
Plenty of educational resources. TrendSpider provides tons of backtesting tutorials and documentation, making it easy for you to learn the ropes to running smooth, reliable backtests.
The Worst Part:
Steep learning curve. TrendSpider's features might seem complex at first, especially to those new to stock trading software.
Get it if you want an efficient way to backtest various stock trading strategies without needing coding skills.
I recommend you get started with TrendSpider’s 7-day free trial, then upgrade to the Elite plan for $51.35/month.
(7-day free trial)
Best For
TrendSpider is best for traders who want to quickly test stock trading strategies without learning complex programming languages or spending ages manually testing strategies on demo accounts.
Top Features
Real-time backtesting. Forget about the waiting game; backtest your stock trading tactics directly on the price chart, with instant results.
Custom bots. Found a stock trading strategy that hits the bullseye? Convert it into an automated trading bot with just one click.
In-depth metrics. TrendSpider offers robust statistical data like net profit, win/loss ratio, expectancy, and more for refining your strategy.
Price alerts. No need to constantly watch the charts — TrendSpider will alert you when prices move during backtesting.
Decades-old data. Want to see how your strategy would have performed on Apple, IBM, or Microsoft stocks in the 80s? TrendSpider's rich database of over 40 years of market data can help you do just that.
Pricing
TrendSpider offers three pricing plans:
- Essential: $33.15/month for beginners who need basic access to most data, tools, and capabilities including traditional charting features, unlimited watch lists, and robust drawing tools to backtest stock trading strategies.
- Elite: $51.35/month for seasoned traders who require full access to all data, tools, and features including advanced ones like multi-symbol view or real-time scanning.
- Elite Plus: $89.50/month for trading pros who want an edge in the market with added benefits such as more alerts, bots capacity along with alternative data sources like Dark Pool Volume or Crypto Fear & Greed tracking.
Annual subscriptions provide up to a 25% discount.
Try TrendSpider today with a free 7-day trial.
2. QuantConnect
Our Verdict — Best For Algorithmic Backtesting
Price: Starts at $10/month
QuantConnect lets you put your stock trading strategies to the test using algorithmic backtesting. We think it’s the best for algorithmic backtesting because of its institutional-grade datasets, open-source backtesting software, and complete algorithmic trading courses.
The Best Part:
Open-source backtest engine. QuantConnect isn't just any old backtesting software — Its open-source infrastructure allows it to continuously improve and adapt to changing technology trends over time.
The Worst Part:
The pricing is a little weird. QuantConnect's pricing structure can be a bit of a head-scratcher. Apart from the Researcher plan, all other plans require at least two users, making it costly if you're a solo-trader looking to get the advanced features.
Get it if you want a robust platform for backtesting and refining your algorithmic trading strategies with high-quality data.
I recommend you get started with the free plan, then upgrade to the Researcher plan ($96/year).
(free plan)
Best For
QuantConnect is best for technical traders and engineers who want to rigorously backtest their stock trading algorithms against extensive historical datasets.
Top Features
User-friendly interface. Although QuantConnect is packed with advanced features, its intuitive design makes navigating the platform and running backtests a breeze.
Beginner-friendly documentation. QuantConnect provides straightforward documentation and beginner courses to help you learn more about algorithmic backtesting and how to use the platform.
Large clean datasets. QuantConnect gives you access to cleaned-up, high-quality datasets to efficiently backtest your stock trading strategies and get accurate results.
Flexible language support. Whether you prefer Python or C#, QuantConnect has got your back, making algorithm design and backtesting easy in any programming language.
Affordable pricing. Starting at just $10 per month, you get access to QuantConnect’s advanced algorithmic stock backtesting features.
Pricing
QuantConnect offers five pricing plans:
- Free: Free forever, for beginners in stock backtesting who want to explore algorithmic trading with access to community support and unlimited backtests.
- Researcher: $10/month for individuals diving into quantitative finance who need local coding via QuantConnect’s LEAN CLI and up to two compute nodes for more extensive backtesting.
- Team: $48/month for small teams who aim to conduct comprehensive stock strategy backtests on the platform and benefit from increased log limits and collaboration options for up to 10 members.
- Trading Firm: $1,152/year for larger firms and teams that want to scale their execution of multiple simultaneous stock strategy backtests across unlimited compute nodes.
- Institution: $5,760/year for institutions and businesses that require custom solutions and unrestricted feature limits that allow complex multi-strategy stock market simulations.
Annual subscriptions provide up to a 20% discount.
Try QuantConnect today with the free plan.
3. TradingView
Our Verdict — Best For Manual Backtesting
Price: Starts at $14.95/month
TradingView is a stock trading platform tailored for investors who prefer hands-on control in backtesting stock strategies. We think it’s the best for manual backtesting because of its easy-to-use bar replay function, quality historical data, and active price alert system.
The Best Part:
It’s very flexible. With TradingView, you get manual backtesting which means you can tweak and twist your testing strategy to fit with your needs — no matter how complex or simple they are. You can adjust the timeframes for testing, choose specific historical data points to analyze, and even set up custom price alerts during your backtesting process.
The Worst Part:
No reports. TradingView doesn't offer a feature to generate reports after conducting manual backtests, which could make it tricky for some to efficiently review and analyze results.
Get it if you want to conduct in-depth manual backtests using comprehensive historical data.
I recommend you get started with the 30-day free trial, then get the Premium plan for $599.40/year.
(30-day free trial)
Best For
TradingView is best for hands-on traders who want a comprehensive and customizable platform to manually backtest their stock strategies.
Top Features
Price alerts. Set up active price alerts to keep track of market movements during your backtesting process — never miss a big shift!
Proprietary programming language. Use Pine Script, TradingView’s proprietary scripting language, to code and test custom stock trading strategies.
Quality historical data. TradingView gives you access to years' worth of accurate and comprehensive stock data for thorough backtesting. You can sleep easy knowing your strategies are being tested against reliable, extensive market trends and patterns.
Lengthy free trial. Each paid plan comes with a 30-day free trial, giving you plenty of time to explore and evaluate all the features for stock backtesting.
User-friendly interface. TradingView's modern interface is very intuitive, making it easy for anyone to start stock backtesting almost right away.
Pricing
TradingView offers five pricing plans:
- Free: Free forever, for beginners who want to dip their toes into stock backtesting.
- Pro: $14.95/month for regular traders who want more in-depth analysis with additional charts and increased limits on alerts.
- Pro+: $29.95/month for day traders who want access to advanced tools for intraday charting and the creation of custom formulas.
- Premium: $59.95/month for professional traders who want access to comprehensive backtesting capabilities along with highly accurate data sets.
- Ultimate: $499.95/month for seasoned traders who want complete access to all of TradingView's top-tier features and data.
Annual subscriptions provide up to a 16% discount.
Try TradingView today with a free 30-day trial.
Our Top Three Picks
Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:
- TrendSpider — best of the best
- QuantConnect — best for algorithmic backtesting
- TradingView — best for manual backtesting
Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:
Tool | Entry Offer | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
TrendSpider | 7-day free trial | Starts at $33.15/mo |
QuantConnect | Free plan | Starts at $10/mo |
TradingView | 30-day free trial | Starts at $14.95/mo |
Tradewell | Free plan | Starts at $30/mo |
Trade Ideas | Free demo | Starts at $118/mo |
Stock Rover | Free plan | Starts at $7.99/mo |
Portfolio123 | 21-day trial for $19 | Starts at $299/yr |
Here are the top 50 best stock backtesting software we considered in this review:
- TrendSpider
- QuantConnect
- TradingView
- Tradewell
- Trade Ideas
- Stock Rover
- Portfolio123
- NinjaTrader
- FinViz
- MetaStock
- TD Ameritrade
- Tickeron
- TradeStation
- Interactive Brokers
- Quantshare
- TC2000
- AmiBroker
- Thinkorswim
- Zipline
- Backtrader
- Quantler
- Backtesting.py
- Quantra
- MultiCharts
- NeuroShell
- bt
- Optuma
- VectorVest
- Composer
- Portfolio Visualizer
- Wealth-Lab Pro
- Trading Blox
- Investopedia Simulator
- Equis MetaStock
- Amibroker
- FastTrack
- Investfly
- eSignal
- Upstox Pro
- EquityFeed
- Scanz
- RightEdge
- VantagePoint Software
- CQG QTrader
- AlgoSeek
- Algomi ALFA
- Blue Trading Systems
- Capitalise.ai
- QuantLib
- Screenulator
Is there free software to backtest a trading strategy?
Yes, there are free software options available for backtesting trading strategies. TradingView, for instance, offers a free version that provides basic backtesting features. Additionally, TrendSpider and QuantConnect offer trial versions or limited-feature free plans. It's essential, however, to ensure that the platform you use offers quality historical market data, technical analysis tools, and reliable backtesting results reporting to get accurate results for stock trading.
What is the best way to backtest a trading strategy?
The best way to backtest a trading strategy involves using dedicated backtesting platforms that can simulate trades on charts using past data. For a detailed analysis, combining both technical analysis and fundamental analysis is crucial. Platforms like TrendSpider offer real-time data backtesting and cater to traders who want to test without programming skills. For those with programming skills, QuantConnect is an excellent choice, providing algorithmic backtesting capabilities using a wide variety of financial markets data.
How to do backtesting of stocks?
To backtest stocks, one must first decide on specific criteria for stock selection, such as growth stocks, small-cap stocks, or technology stocks. Once the criteria are set, platforms like TrendSpider or QuantConnect can be used to simulate trades on charts based on historical market data. These platforms provide various analytical tools, allowing traders to assess how their investment strategies would have performed in different market conditions, including major stock market crashes.
Is TradingView backtesting accurate?
TradingView is renowned for its accuracy in backtesting, primarily due to its vast historical database of financial data. The platform employs both technical indicators and chart indicator backtesting strategies to ensure that the backtesting results mirror real-world scenarios. It's also integrated with real-time data, making its backtesting results more reliable.
Is backtesting free on TradingView?
TradingView offers a free version that allows users to perform basic backtesting. However, for advanced backtesting tools, including profit performance metrics, exit signals, and a wide range of technical analysis platforms, you'd need one of their paid plans.
Furthermore, when using the free version of TradingView for backtesting, it's essential to remember that while it provides a glimpse into how a strategy might perform, the premium plans offer more reliable tools and data. This can be especially crucial for traders who want to perform complex analyses and get detailed insights into their strategies.
The Bottom Line
To recap, here are the best stock backtesting software to try this year:
- TrendSpider — best of the best
- QuantConnect — best for algorithmic backtesting
- TradingView — best for manual backtesting
- Tradewell — best for ease of use
- Trade Ideas — best for AI-powered backtesting
- Stock Rover — best for pattern recognition
- Portfolio123 — best for market research
