7 Best Backtesting Softwares – Definitive Guide

Reviews

Backtesting (equity curve)
TradingView

In a hurry? We summarized the article for you.
The #1 tool from our best backtesting softwares selection is TradingView!
You’ll find all the feature, chart and data you need for free or very affordable price.
If you want to know more, go down on our more detailled analysis or click here and hop to TradingView’s website to get started now.

Software Features Pros & Cons
TradingView
  • Backtesting results are exceptionally good
  • Huge variety of indicators and systems for free
  • Charting features are phenomenal
  • Easily accessed through a web-based platform
Go to TradingView website now!
Our review
Trendspider
  • Offers automatic trendline detection
  • Multi-timeframe backtesting
  • Exchange data in real-time
  • Doesn’t offer auto trading
Go to TrendSpider website now!
Our review
Trade-Ideas
  • Impressive and smart insights
  • Easy and straightforward backtesting platform
  • Backtesting performance is exceptional
  • Difficult user interface
Go to Trade-Ideas website now!
Our review

But you’ll also discover MetaTrader 5, MetaStock, NinjaTrader 8 & Interactive Brokers below.

  • Before to trade with your hard earned money you should check your strategy is profitable.
  • Backtesting is a great way to determine the estimated results if you traded if a certain way in the past.
  • Moreover it requires proper methodology and to use the best backtesting softwares.

What to consider when choosing from the best backtesting softwares? 

Backtesting is an integral component of forex trading. After all, even the most effective trading system is incomplete without backtesting. It then offers statistical results that help to measure the effectiveness of the strategy. Therefore, it is imperative for you to look for the best backtesting software. The best backtesting tool has the following key features. In conclusion, the best backtesting softwares are of great help to extensively check your trading strategies.

  • Firstly, it helps to develop an effective trading system by reconstructing trades, through utilizing past data, that would have occurred in the past. 
  • Secondly, it helps to identify the best trading strategy for forex trading. 
  • Provides a wide variety of other key indicators such as Total Return on Equity (ROE), Total Profit and Loss, Total Gain Loss Ratio, Annualized ROE, Volatility, and Risk-Adjusted Returns.

Many tools let you backtest your strategy but they aren’t all good.
Find our shortlist of the best backtesting softwares below.

Steve Burns from NewTraderU

Backtesting shouldn’t be taken lightly. It has very strict requirements to be truly reliable.
Before to go into details about the best backtesting tools, maybe you’d interested in checking this must watch online course : Backtest 101 from NewTraderU. It will teach you what is backtesting and how to do it properly.
You surely already noticed Steve Burns on Twitter as he has more than 380k followers (yes you read well, 380 000 followers). He created a course in the New Trader University to explain in detail how to efficiently backtest your trading strategy and avoid the common pitfalls.
Click here to check all his course and signup for the best backtesting course!

What are the best backtesting softwares? 

A huge variety of free and paid backtesting software is available on the internet. Though only a few of them have satisfactory capabilities for backtesting. As a result, we have prepared a list of the 7 best backtesting softwares that has the potential to cover the needs of every type of trader.

TradingView 

TradingView

Launched in 2011, TradingView is five stars rated and among the best backtesting tools. After all, TradingView implements backtesting in an easy, straightforward, and intuitive way. Your results are just a few clicks away. Also, real-time data and usually accurate price charts are the most captivating features of the TradingView. 

Features 

The playback feature is the trademark of the TradingView. It helps to see how charts looked like before applying any strategy. In conclusion, it is a simple yet powerful tool to play through the timeline, see chart strolling, and executed trades.

Pros

  • Backtesting results are exceptionally good.
  • Huge variety of indicators and systems for free.
  • Charting features are phenomenal and make it easy to mark your position and observe how each position is performing. 
  • Traders can analyze various financial instruments.
  • One-stop platform to see quotes from every market.
  • Easily accessed through a web-based platform. 
  • TradingView backtesting tool has control over backtesting speed that gives a sense of actual trading. 

Cons

  • Some chart options have limited access to historical data. 
  • Fundamental analysis is not available. 
  • Limited timeframes are available.

Price

TradingView backtesting tool is available in both versions, free and paid. Free versions have certain limitations. Paid packages include PRO+ and the Premium at $19 and $39 respectively. Paid versions come with huge benefits including exceptional customer support and unlimited everything. 

MetaTrader 5

MetaTrader logo

Features

The trademark feature of the MetaTrader 5 is the “Forex Simulator”. It allows traders to visit the past on their charts and as a result rerun the market on any day of their choice. So, traders can easily test their strategy using historical data. Moreover, the free MetaTrader Supreme Edition plugin is yet another quality feature that has the potential to enhance your overall trading experience. 

Pros

  • Detailed testing reports are exceptionally good and useful. 
  • Facilitates testing of automated robot performance.
  • Helps to detect the best input parameters before the implementation of your strategy. 
  • Displays results in a most engaging manner.

Cons

  • The option of fundamental analysis isn’t available. 

MetaStock

Metastock

MetaStock is among the best backtesting software for beginners and intermediate traders. After all, it offers a wide variety of inbuilt systems and Expert Advisors to understand and gain from advanced systems and technical analysis patterns. Also, if you have basic scripting and programming skills, you can achieve this with MetaStock. Otherwise, you can also seek help from the MetaStock or MetaStock Partners to help you in your cause.

Features

Power Console is the most exceptional MetaStock feature. It enables traders to quickly backtest. After all, you can gain access to 58 different systems to backtest through this feature. 

Pros

  • Fundamental scanning and screening capabilities. 
  • Good forecasting capabilities.
  • Straightforward backtesting at the distance of just one click.
  • Huge amounts of available indicators and real-time data.

Cons

  • It suits traders having scripting and programming skills.
  • The option of automated trade execution isn’t available. 

Price

The following three MetaStock backtesting packages are available:

  • The basic package, MetaStock with Datalink is available at $69 per month. 
  • MetaStock R/T with Reuters real-time data is available at $99 per month. 
  • A complete package, MetaStock R/T Subscription with Refinitiv XENITH is available at $199 per month. Click here to go directly to the XENITH offer! 

NinjaTrader 8

NinjaTrader

NinjaTrader 8 is also among the best backtesting tools. It is also known as the “Profit Finder” backtesting tool as it helps you to identify profit and loss attributes of your trading strategy. 

Pros

  • A versatile and flexible tool that can work on any technical indicator, strategy, and instrument.
  • Automatically reads entries and exits of trades.
  • Provides a detailed report on the effectiveness of your trading strategy. 
  • Provides profit and loss levels of every position.

Cons

  • Ignores news events and price action
  • Also ignores open and close timing

Interactive Brokers 

Interactive Brokers

Features

Above all, the most distinctive feature of the Interactive Brokers backtesting tool is that it enables you to choose a portfolio for backtesting based on fundamental factors like P/E ratio, Acid test, EPS growth, etc. 

Pros

  • Offers the most fundamental backtesting in the market. 
  • Grants direct access to the market. 
  • Almost all major instruments are available. 

Cons

Offers limited backtesting on supply & demand and chart indicators. 

Price

Interactive Brokers backtesting tool is free for clients. 

TrendSpider

TrendSpider

TrendSpider trading is also among the best backtesting tools that enable backtesting on timeframes ranging from 1 minute to months charts. Moreover, this facility is available in almost all financial markets and assets. 

Features

Strategy tester is the most interesting feature of the TradeSpider backtesting. It then enables you to type what you want to code and test. 

Pros

Cons

  • Doesn’t offer auto trading. 

Price

The price of the TrendSpider backtesting software starts from $27 per month.

One Time Offer: Signup now to TrendSpider and get 10% off ANY TrendSpider plan for 12 months by using the coupon 10TS at checkout.
Click here to get started now and sign-up to TrendSpider!

Trade-Ideas

Trade Ideas

Trade-Ideas backtesting tool is among the best backtesting software currently available in the market. It is an easy to use and straightforward backtesting platform. Also, Trade-Ideas is among the rarest point and clicks backtesting software in the market. 

Pros

  • Trade-Ideas backtesting provides an impressive as well as smart insight into the stock market and sentiment of the crowd.
  • Also provides an easy and straightforward backtesting platform.
  • Trade-Ideas AI backtesting performance is exceptional.

Cons

  • Unfortunately, user interface isn’t satisfactory.

Still not sure exactly about how to perform a proper backtesting and then how to use it?
You should check our other article about backtesting and this course Backtest 101 from Steven Burns of NewTraderU.

Russell Crane

Russell Crane

Russell is an Algorithmic & Technical Analyst Trader @ PatternsWizard.
His passion is to share his knowledge about TA, patterns & more. Why hope for your trading to work when you can precisely know the performance stat of every pattern?

Are Candlestick Patterns Reliable

candlesticksWe loved Marwood Research’s course “Candlestick Analysis For Professional Traders“. Do you want to follow a great video course and deep dive into 26 candlestick patterns (and compare their success rates)? Then make sure to check this course!

Want to know which markets just printed a pattern?

Market Timeframe Printed on

Get “Every Candlestick Patterns Statistics”, The Last Trading Book You’ll Ever Need! 📖

PatternsWizard book - Every Candlestick Patterns Statistics

"Every Candlestick Patterns Statistics", the last trading book you'll ever need!

Pre-register now and receive the candlestick patterns statistics ultimate ebook for free before anyone else!

"All you need is one pattern to make a living."
- Linda Raschke

Awesome move! We are giving the last touch to the "Every Candlestick Patterns Statistics" book. We are very excited to send it to you right when it's ready. In the meantime, we'd like to gift you our trading roadmap and its best 55 resources. You'll shortly receive an email with the link. Don't miss it ;) Stay tuned 📈