At a glance
The short version
Short answer: if you test by hand and want to start cheaply in a browser, use CRTLAB ($14.99 a month, free 10,000-candle sample). If you already pay for charts, use TradingView Bar Replay. If you want a journal and AI tools in one subscription, use TradeZella. If your rules are code, use MetaTrader's Strategy Tester or Python. Disclosure: we build CRTLAB, so we say below where the others beat it.
The six tools compared
Prices are the vendors' own, read from their pricing pages on 3 November 2026. Most offer a lower monthly rate if you pay yearly, so both are listed where the vendor shows both.
| Tool | Best for | Price | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRTLAB | Manual replay in the browser on a budget, with footprint charts, volume profile and prop firm rules included. | Free sample of 10,000 candles, then $14.99 a month. One plan. | No Expert Advisors, no optimiser, no importing your own data, no tick-level spread modelling. Built for desktop. A younger product than the others here. |
| FX Replay | Browser replay with checklists and trade review, from an established vendor. | Free plan. Intermediate $17.99 a month ($180 a year). Pro $35 a month ($350 a year). | The free plan stops at 2 sessions, 50 trades per session and 1 week of data retention. It also leaves out multichart and seconds data, and futures and CME data are Pro only. Full comparison. |
| TradeZella | A trade journal and manual backtesting in one account, with AI tools on the higher plans. | Essential $35 a month ($315 a year). Pro $59 a month ($531 a year). Ultra $99 a month ($891 a year). | The highest entry price here if backtesting is all you want. Trade replay and automated runs start at Pro, not Essential. |
| TradingView Bar Replay | Traders who already chart on TradingView and want replay in the same place. | Paid plans from £12.95 a month billed yearly, as shown to a UK visitor; prices vary by country. | Minute-level replay history varies by plan, and seconds and tick replay are not on every plan. Tier by tier. |
| Forex Tester | Deep manual simulation for traders who want long history and fine-grained forex data. | Paid. We could not confirm the current price, so check their pricing page. | The desktop app is Windows-first, and it is more to learn than a browser tool. Full comparison. |
| MetaTrader Strategy Tester | Automated testing of Expert Advisors on your broker's data. | Free with the platform. | It tests code, not your judgement. Replaying by hand needs a third-party add-on. Details. |
Prices and limits checked against each vendor's own page on 3 November 2026, except Forex Tester's. Vendors change plans often, so confirm before you buy.
How to choose in 30 seconds
Could a stranger follow your rules without seeing the chart? If yes, your strategy is mechanical, so use a coded backtester such as MetaTrader or Python. If no, you need manual replay, and most of this list is for you.
Do you already pay for TradingView? Try its Bar Replay first, because it costs you nothing extra to find out whether it is enough. Do you want your journal and your backtests in one place? Look at TradeZella. Do you want the lowest cost to test by hand, with order flow included? That is where CRTLAB fits, at $14.99 a month with no yearly commitment.
Do you need tick-level forex data or Expert Advisors? CRTLAB is the wrong tool. Use Forex Tester or MetaTrader.
What CRTLAB does differently
Three things are included in the one plan rather than sold as tiers: footprint charts, volume profile on real exchange volume, and a prop firm challenge simulator with firm rules loaded. It runs on 38 markets with no download.
CRTLAB also publishes what it measures on its own data, including results that argue against popular setups. For example, the ICT Judas swing across 26,125 days and 221,004 fair value gaps. You can check the rules on each page and replay any of it yourself.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best backtesting software?
It depends on how you trade. For manual replay in a browser at low cost, CRTLAB at $14.99 a month. If you already use TradingView, its Bar Replay. For a journal and backtesting together, TradeZella. For code, MetaTrader's Strategy Tester or Python. We build CRTLAB, so weigh that accordingly.
What is the best free backtesting software?
MetaTrader's Strategy Tester is free if your strategy is code. For manual replay, the free options are limited trials: FX Replay's free plan allows 2 sessions and 50 trades per session, and CRTLAB gives a one-time sample of 10,000 candles. See our <a href="/backtesting-software">free backtesting software comparison</a>.
Is FX Replay or TradeZella better?
FX Replay is the more focused replay tool and starts cheaper, at $17.99 a month for Intermediate. TradeZella starts at $35 a month but combines backtesting with a full trade journal. Choose by whether you want the journal.
Is CRTLAB better than TradingView Bar Replay?
For charting and social features, no: TradingView is the bigger platform. CRTLAB is built only for replay, with trades scored automatically and footprint charts included in one plan. If you already pay for TradingView, try its replay first.
Do I need backtesting software at all?
If you trade a repeatable setup, yes, because a few hundred tested trades tell you more than a few weeks of live results and cost nothing in lost capital. Replay results are still practice: there is no real money or real pressure, so treat them as a filter and not a promise.