How we rate trading software
Every tool on this site is scored the same way: bought or trialed by us, tested on live markets, and rated against six weighted pillars. The composite score is a weighted average, rounded to one decimal. Here's exactly how it works.
The six pillars
| Pillar | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Performance & reliability | 20% | Speed, uptime, data accuracy, how it holds up at the open. Tested live. |
| Pricing & value | 20% | Cost vs. what you get, tiers, trial/refund policy, hidden costs. |
| Features & capability | 20% | Depth and breadth of the toolset relative to category and price. |
| Ease of use | 15% | Learning curve, UI clarity, onboarding, time-to-first-value. |
| Data quality & coverage | 15% | Accuracy, asset coverage, real-time vs. delayed, historical depth. |
| Support & trust | 10% | Support responsiveness, transparency, community, billing fairness. |
Testing tiers
We state the tier on every review, because a rating only means something if you know how the tool was tested.
- ● Tested live — ran on real instruments for a meaningful session. Full score eligible, with a provenance line.
- ◐ Trial-tested — evaluated via free trial or demo. Labeled as provisional.
- ○ Data-verified — not yet run live. Scored on verified specs plus aggregated user sentiment, clearly labeled.
Our independence pledge
- We buy or trial every tool ourselves. Vendors never see scores before publication.
- Affiliate relationships never influence scores. Affiliate links are disclosed on every page.
- Every rating shows who tested it, on what, and when.
- We never run vendor-submitted, paid, or incentivized reviews — and we never fake or buy user sentiment.
- Tools are re-reviewed every 6 months, or sooner on a major change.
- We always publish the cons.