{
 "title": "The best backtesting software in 2026",
 "url": "https://quanttoolsreview.com/best-backtesting-software/",
 "updated": "2026-11-02",
 "checked": "2026-11-01",
 "publisher": "Quant Tools Review is published by an affiliate of QuantGPT.",
 "picks": [
  {
   "name": "QuantGPT",
   "url": "https://quanttoolsreview.com/best-backtesting-software/#quantgpt"
  },
  {
   "name": "QuantConnect",
   "url": "https://quanttoolsreview.com/best-backtesting-software/#quantconnect"
  },
  {
   "name": "Portfolio123",
   "url": "https://quanttoolsreview.com/best-backtesting-software/#portfolio123"
  },
  {
   "name": "TradingView",
   "url": "https://quanttoolsreview.com/best-backtesting-software/#tradingview"
  },
  {
   "name": "Composer",
   "url": "https://quanttoolsreview.com/best-backtesting-software/#composer"
  },
  {
   "name": "NinjaTrader",
   "url": "https://quanttoolsreview.com/best-backtesting-software/#ninjatrader"
  },
  {
   "name": "Option Alpha",
   "url": "https://quanttoolsreview.com/best-backtesting-software/#option-alpha"
  },
  {
   "name": "TrendSpider",
   "url": "https://quanttoolsreview.com/best-backtesting-software/#trendspider"
  }
 ],
 "tables": [
  {
   "columns": [
    "Tool",
    "Data built in",
    "Cheapest paid plan with backtesting",
    "Free backtesting",
    "How you build a test",
    "History the vendor states",
    "Delisted stocks included"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "QuantGPT",
     "Yes: prices, fundamentals, factors, macro",
     "$49 a month, $490 a year",
     "3 day trial",
     "Plain English through Claude or ChatGPT",
     "S&P 500 from 1928, stocks thin before 1980",
     "Partly, from 1998, measured per test"
    ],
    [
     "QuantConnect",
     "Yes",
     "$84 a month (Researcher setup)",
     "Yes, unlimited",
     "Python or C#",
     "US stocks from January 1998",
     "Yes, stated"
    ],
    [
     "Portfolio123",
     "Yes",
     "$35 a month, $25 billed yearly",
     "30 day trial",
     "Formulas, no code",
     "5 to 20 years by plan",
     "Yes, stated"
    ],
    [
     "TradingView",
     "Yes",
     "$14.95 a month, $12.95 billed yearly",
     "Yes, Basic plan",
     "Pine Script",
     "5K to 40K bars by plan",
     "Not stated"
    ],
    [
     "Composer",
     "Yes",
     "$10 a month",
     "Yes, unlimited",
     "No code, or chat with AI",
     "Date picker goes back 30 years",
     "Not stated"
    ],
    [
     "TrendSpider",
     "Yes",
     "$89 a month, $54 billed yearly",
     "$19 for a 14 day trial",
     "No code, or the Sidekick AI agent",
     "More than 50 years where data allows",
     "Not stated"
    ],
    [
     "NinjaTrader",
     "With a data subscription",
     "Backtesting is free on every plan",
     "Yes",
     "NinjaScript (C# syntax)",
     "Not stated",
     "Not stated"
    ],
    [
     "Option Alpha",
     "Yes, index options",
     "$149 a month, $99 billed yearly",
     "30 day trial",
     "No code",
     "1 minute options data, no start date",
     "Not stated"
    ],
    [
     "Trade Ideas",
     "Yes",
     "$254 a month, $178 billed yearly (Premium)",
     "No",
     "No code (OddsMaker)",
     "\"Recent market events\"",
     "Not stated"
    ],
    [
     "AmiBroker",
     "No, bring your own",
     "$299 one time (Standard)",
     "30 day trial",
     "AFL",
     "Depends on the data you buy",
     "Only with paid Norgate data"
    ],
    [
     "MetaTrader 5",
     "From your broker",
     "Free from MetaQuotes; costs come from your broker",
     "Yes",
     "MQL5",
     "Depends on your broker",
     "Not stated"
    ],
    [
     "Backtrader",
     "No, bring your own",
     "Free, open source",
     "Yes",
     "Python",
     "You supply the data",
     "Depends on your data"
    ],
    [
     "Tickeron",
     "Ready-made signals",
     "$30 a month (AI Pattern Search Engine)",
     "14 day trial",
     "No code, AI tools",
     "Not stated",
     "Not stated"
    ]
   ]
  }
 ],
 "faq": [
  {
   "q": "What is the best backtesting software in 2026?",
   "a": "For most people who do not write code, QuantGPT: the data, the backtest engine and the AI come together, so you describe a test to Claude or ChatGPT in plain English and get the full result with no setup. Coders who want every asset class should pick QuantConnect, fundamental investors Portfolio123, and chart traders TradingView."
  },
  {
   "q": "Which backtesting software has the data built in?",
   "a": "QuantGPT, QuantConnect, Portfolio123, TradingView, Composer and TrendSpider come with their own data. QuantGPT's covers prices back to 1928 for the S&P 500, fundamentals by filing date, factors, crypto, commodities and macro series in one warehouse. AmiBroker and Backtrader make you bring your own data, and MetaTrader 5 uses your broker's."
  },
  {
   "q": "Is there free backtesting software?",
   "a": "Yes. QuantConnect's free plan includes unlimited backtesting, TradingView's free Basic plan includes strategy backtesting, Composer's free Starter plan backtests without limit, NinjaTrader's backtesting is free on every plan, MetaTrader 5 is free from MetaQuotes, and Backtrader is a free open source Python library."
  },
  {
   "q": "Which backtesting software includes delisted stocks?",
   "a": "QuantConnect and Portfolio123 state that their US stock data includes companies that later delisted. QuantGPT includes them partly from 1998 and reports the share it measured on each test. AmiBroker gets them only with paid Norgate data. The other tools' pages do not say."
  },
  {
   "q": "Can I backtest a strategy with ChatGPT or Claude?",
   "a": "Yes. QuantGPT connects Claude or ChatGPT over MCP to its own market data warehouse and backtest engine, so you can describe a test in plain English and get the full result. QuantConnect also has an MCP server, which needs a paid node and works on code. TradingView's MCP server, on Essential and above, covers data, screeners and alerts, but its docs do not mention backtesting."
  },
  {
   "q": "Which backtesting tools can trade live?",
   "a": "QuantConnect, Composer (in its own brokerage), Portfolio123, TrendSpider, NinjaTrader, Option Alpha, Trade Ideas, AmiBroker, MetaTrader 5 and Backtrader can send orders through a broker. On QuantGPT Pro, your own code can run on QuantGPT Cloud against your brokerage account. TradingView strategies cannot trade on their own."
  },
  {
   "q": "What is the cheapest paid backtesting software?",
   "a": "Among the paid plans here, Composer Advanced is $10 a month and TradingView Essential is $14.95 a month ($12.95 billed yearly). Several tools backtest for free, listed above."
  }
 ],
 "sources": [
  "https://github.com/QuantConnect/Lean",
  "https://github.com/mementum/backtrader",
  "https://help.composer.trade/article/184-can-i-connect-my-composer-account-to-other-apps",
  "https://help.composer.trade/article/29-what-data-sources-does-composer-use",
  "https://ninjatrader.com/pricing/",
  "https://optionalpha.com/backtester-start",
  "https://optionalpha.com/pricing",
  "https://quantgpt.co/",
  "https://quantgpt.co/data-warehouse",
  "https://quantgpt.co/execution",
  "https://quantgpt.co/pricing",
  "https://trendspider.com/pricing/",
  "https://trendspider.com/product/strategy-development-and-backtesting-tools/",
  "https://www.amibroker.com/guide/h_quotes.html",
  "https://www.composer.trade/pricing",
  "https://www.metatrader5.com/en/news/2476",
  "https://www.portfolio123.com/research",
  "https://www.portfolio123.com/sv/register/retail",
  "https://www.quantconnect.com/",
  "https://www.quantconnect.com/data/algoseek-us-equities",
  "https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/key-concepts",
  "https://www.quantconnect.com/pricing/",
  "https://www.trade-ideas.com/pricing/",
  "https://www.tradingview.com/mcp/docs",
  "https://www.tradingview.com/pricing/",
  "https://www.tradingview.com/support/solutions/43000481026-how-to-autotrade-using-pine-script-strategies/"
 ]
}