10 Top Technical Analysis Tools for Traders [Tested & Rated]

Pros

✓ 10-Year Financial Data
✓ Best Screening Criteria
✓ Stock Scoring & Ratings
✓ Value, Dividend & Growth Screeners
✓ Excellent Portfolio Management
✓ Dividend Forecasting

Cons

✘ No Social Community
✘ No Real-time Charts

It is awe-inspiring that Stock Rover is the outright winner in our Best Stock Screener Review. I actively use Stock Rover daily to find the undiscovered gems that form the foundations of my long-term investments. I created the Liberated Stock Trader Beat the Market Stock System using Stock Rover.

I do not say this lightly. If you are a long-term US Investor, Stock Rover is the best & only software you ever need.

Pricing

Stock Rover is available for free, but the real power is unleashed with the Premium Plus service, which is superior to competing stock screeners and less expensive. Stock Rover Premium Plus costs $27.99 per month and includes unlimited stock ratings, scores, analyst ratings, margin of safety scoring, a 10-year historical database, and investor warnings.

Stock Rover has the best implementation of stock screening, research and portfolio management on the market today.

Portfolio Management

Stock Rover integrates with every major broker, including our review-winning broker, Firstrade, and Interactive Brokers. You cannot place trades from charts, but it will cover profit and loss reporting on your portfolio and provide portfolio rebalancing recommendations. Stock Rover uniquely includes current dividend earnings and future income prediction reporting, making it a unique portfolio analysis platform.

Fundamental Screening

Stock Rover is best at screening for stocks to build professional growth, dividend, and value stock portfolios. Stock Rover provides detailed research reports, historical screening, portfolio management reporting, rebalancing, and correlation.

Stock Rover has over 600 data points and historical data stretching back ten years, enabling you to backtest fundamental strategies. Stock Rover also has unique Margin of Safety, Fair Value, and Discounted Cash Flow data to help you invest like Warren Buffett.

Watchlists have fundamentals broken into Analyst Estimates, Valuation, Dividends, Margin, Profitability, Overall Score, and Stock Rover Ratings.  You can even set the watchlist and filters to refresh every single minute if you wish.

Powerful Pre-Built Screeners

Stock Rover has over 150 pre-built and tested screeners you can import and use. To take advantage of this, you need the Premium Plus service. I have analyzed most of the screeners, which are very thoughtfully built. One of my favorites is the Buffettology screener.

Research & Stock Ratings

The team at Stock Rover has implemented some great functionality; I particularly like the roll-up view for all the scores and ratings. I have imported the Warren Buffett portfolio, including his top 25 holdings. I have also selected the “Stock Rover Ratings” tab. This tab rolls up all analysis into a simple-to-view ranking system, saving a vast amount of time and effort while providing a wealth of insight.

Stock Rover provides investors with financial growth, valuation, efficiency, and profitability ratings to help them select the right stocks; this makes it the best stock-picking software available today. If you are a long-term investor, this is the software for you.

Why Stock Rover is Best for Investors: Review & Test Video

Get Stock Rover Now + 25% Discount

5. Benzinga Pro: Best for Real-time News Analysis

Benzinga Pro is a unique analysis software for trading real-time stock news. It is designed for day traders and delivers real-time market-moving news to give you a trading edge. The service is complete with a news squawk box, direct access to the news desk, and real-time charting and scanning.

Benzinga Pro Rating	4.5/5.0
⚡ Features	Real-time News, Calendar, Charts, Screening
🏆 Unique Features	Stock & Options Squawk Box, News Sentiment, News Rating, Options Alerts
🎯 Best for	US Stock, Fx, Commodity & Bond Traders
🆓 Free Version	❌
🎮 Premium Trial	14 Day Free
💰 Price	$197/m or $166/m annually
🌎 Markets Covered	North America

Benzinga Pro is the best for scanning and screening the news, but it can also screen for technical and fundamental data. Benzinga Pro has 32 fundamental screening criteria, including P/E, PEG, Profitability, Margins, and Insider Ownership. There are also 23 market scanning criteria, including volume change, relative volume, and short interest.

Pros

✓ Best Real-time Stock Market News
✓ Squawk Box Live Feed
✓ Real-time Alerts & Signals
✓ Good Charts & Screening

Cons

✘ North America Only
✘ No Broker Integration

Benzinga PRO costs $79 monthly for the Basic Plan, which gives you real-time newsfeeds and watchlist alerts. Benzinga Pro Essential costs $117 monthly, adding the Squawk Box, Calendars, Sentiment Indicators, and the Chat with Newsdesk functionality.

Scanning

Another example of how Benzinga is continually innovating is Signals. Signals is a feed with block trade or price spike news that directly impacts a stock’s supply and demand balance at a foundational level.

Let’s take a look at a block trade. A block trade is a huge, market-moving amount of stock, either bought or sold. Block trades impact price, and you can take part in that price move or not, depending on the direction of the trade.

Signals could be a trading strategy in itself. Watch the block trades roll in, observe the direction, and make your trade. See a colossal block trade sell, buy Put Options, see a block trade buy, buy calls.

Real-Time News – BZWire

Core to the Benzinga Pro service is access to the real-time newsfeed, which updates quickly and effectively. The only news excluded in the basic package is the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) announcements and Public Relations (PR) newsfeeds.

Please do not underestimate the newsfeed; it is truly enormous. But despite the depth of financial content being released every minute, the Benzinga Pro web-based applications are high-speed, responsive, and configurable. The configurable nature of the newsfeed is what makes the service so great. For the full test of Benzinga, see the Benzinga Pro Review.

You can also choose to be alerted to specific categories in your newsfeed. Any category can be flagged for alerts, so you do not need to watch the newsfeed continually; you can be trading and hear the alarm as a call to action.

Squawk Box & Newsdesk

Benzinga’s Squawk Box frees you from staring at the on-screen newsfeed by having the newsroom reporters read the latest high-impact news live as it hits the feed. Squawk is one of the biggest benefits of the Benzinga Pro Essentials service.

I have Squawk Box open while watching the markets, so I do not need to watch the screen constantly. Every two minutes, a real-time audio feed announces the latest big news via my PC speakers; this service alone is worth the upgrade to Benzinga PRO Essential.

Benzinga Pro has an active user community, with eight live chat channels and a Benzinga TV channel featuring Benzinga studio’s live broadcasts. Additionally, a special live chat stream for Benzinga’s Options Signals service enables clients to pounce on Options pricing opportunities.

Is Benzinga Pro Worth It?

Yes, Benzinga Pro is worth it for day traders and investors who want an actionable real-time news service, sentiment indicators, market scanning, and financial reporting to get a profitable edge in the market.

After using Benzinga Pro for five years, I can say that the exclusive features, such as the audio squawk box, chat with the newsdesk, and the powerful calendar suite, make It worth it.

6. MetaStock: Best for Backtesting & Forecasting

MetaStock is best for stock traders who need real-time news, access to a huge stock systems marketplace, and the best technical stock chart analysis, backtesting, and forecasting. All international exchanges are covered & backed up with excellent customer service.

MetaStock Rating	4.4/5.0
⚡ Features	Charts, Watchlists, Scanning, Backtesting
🏆 Unique Features	Forecasting, Real-time Global Trading News (Multi-language)
🎯 Best for	Stock, Fx & Commodity Traders
🆓 Free Version	No
🎮 Premium Trial	❌
✂ Premium Discount	3 Months for 1
💰 Price	MetaStock R/T $100/m, Xenith $265/m
🌎 Markets Covered	Global

The latest release of Metastock is a big hit with improvements across the board. Considerable advances in scanning, backtesting, and forecasting make this one of the best offerings on the market.

Pros

✓ Best Stock Backtesting
✓ Largest Selection of Charts & Indicators
✓ Real-time Global News
✓ Stock Forecasting
✓ All International Stock Exchanges

Cons

✘ PC Only/No Mobile App
✘ No Broker Integration
✘ Poor Interface

MetaStock is designed as a broker-agnostic technical analysis platform. It does provide limited broker integration, but the execution of trades from charts and live integrated profit and loss analysis of your live portfolio is limited.

Using MetaStock R/T, you can see an incredibly in-depth analysis of company fundamentals, from debt structure to the top ten investors, including level II. Excellent watchlists featuring company financials and powerful market scanning make MetaStock unique.

Real-time News

MetaStock R/T Refinitiv integration means you get institutional quality real-time news, analysis, research, and economic outlooks. Refinitiv is the fastest global news service available in the industry. For international investors, MetaStock is unique because the news is also translated into all major languages.

Technical Chart Analysis

MetaStock has over 350 stock tools for charting, annotation, and drawing trendlines and indicators, the broadest selection of technical analysis tools on the market today. MetaStock is the clear leader in pure technical analysis of stock charts; it includes Point and Figure and Market Profile Charts, meaning it has the best stock trading charts.

Systems & Backtesting

MetaStock has over 100 computerized stock market systems called Expert Advisors. These programs scan stock charts for a system’s targeted conditions. The Expert Advisor systems, either in-built or as 3rd part add-ons, will help you understand and profit from technical analysis patterns in price and volume. This is a unique differentiator from the competition.

Forecaster Capability

The most significant MetaStock innovation is the forecasting functionality, which does not exist with any other software. By selecting Forecaster from the power console, you can choose one or more stocks, ETFs, or Forex pairs. You are then presented with an interactive report that enables you to scan through the many predictive recognizers, which help you understand the basis for the prediction and the methodology.

---

7. Tickeron: Broad Selection of AI Bots & Signals

Tickeron has impressive AI-powered chart pattern recognition and prediction algorithms for stocks, ETFs, Forex, and Cryptocurrencies. Tickeron excels at providing thematic model portfolios, specific pattern-based trading signals, and success probability and AI confidence levels.

Tickeron Rating	4.4/5.0
⚡ Features	Portfolios, Watchlists, Screening
🏆 Unique Features	AI Trade Signals, AI Portfolios & AI Pattern Recognition
🎯 Best for	Traders & Investors Using AI Trading
🆓 Free Version	Yes
🎮 Premium Trial	14-Day Free Trial
✂ Premium Discount	50% Off All Annual Plans
💰 Price	Free or $250/m or $125/m annually
🌎 Markets Covered	USA

Tickeron’s trading platform is unique and innovative. It combines artificial intelligence and human intelligence based on the community of traders, so you can compare what humans think versus machines. Tickeron targets day traders, swing traders, and investors with intricate features and benefits specific to your investing style.

Pros

✓ 45 Streams of Trade Ideas
✓ 40 Chart Patterns Recognized
✓ AI Trend Prediction Algorithms
✓ Audited Performance Track Records
✓ Build AI Portfolios

Cons

✘ Custom Charting Limited
✘ Cannot Plot Indicators

Tickeron uses AI rules to generate trading ideas based on pattern recognition. Firstly, they use a database of technical analysis patterns to search the stock market for stocks that match those price patterns using their pattern search engine.

Of course, each detected pattern has a backtested track record of success, and this pattern’s success is factored into the prediction using their Trend Prediction Engine.

Pattern Recognition

At the heart of Tickeron is its AI algorithms’ ability to spot 40 different stock chart patterns in real-time. You can select which pattern you want to trade, and it will filter stocks, Forex, or cryptocurrencies that currently show it. Patterns are split into bullish patterns for long trades or bearish patterns for those who wish to go short.

Tickeron’s real-time pattern recognition is particularly useful for swing or day traders, where market timing is the top priority. Tickeron can also scan the entire market and suggest which patterns work best on a particular day. In the screenshot above, you can see “Today’s Top Ranked Patterns,” which rates the potential success of the patterns based on the market’s current trading activity.

Trading Signals & Prediction

Tickeron has implemented a powerful feature called AI Confidence Level. Based on the stock’s history, the success rate of a particular pattern, and the market’s current direction, Tickeron can assign a confidence level to a trade prediction.

The screenshot below shows that the Tickeron AI predicts that ABUS has an 88% chance of declining in value and ACET has an 81% chance of increasing in value.

Is Tickeron Worth The Money?

Tickeron is worth buying if you are a short-term trader because it provides high-probability AI-backed trade signals.

---

8. TC2000: Best Stock Trading from Charts USA

TC2000 is best for US and Canadian traders seeking rapid entire market scanning and screening, with excellent charts and indicators. TC2000 has an integrated brokerage, meaning you can trade stocks and options directly from charts.

TC2000 Rating	4.3/5.0
⚡ Features	Charts, Custom Indicators, Real-time Screening
🏆 Unique Features	TC2000 Brokerage, EasyScan, Options Strategies
🎯 Best for	Stock & Options Traders
🆓 Free Version	Yes
🎮 Premium Trial	Free 30-Day
✂ Premium Discount	-25% for Bi-Annual Subscription
💰 Price	Free or $60/m or $50/m annually
🌎 Markets Covered	USA

TC2000 has long been one of my favorite tools; I have been a subscriber for over 20 years and find the latest release another step forward. The platform offers nearly everything a trader will need and is endlessly customizable and scalable.

Pros

✓ Fantastic Charts & Indicators Selection
✓ Good Technical & Fundamental Stock Scanning
✓ Trade Directly From Charts
✓ Real-time Exchange Data
✓ Very Good Margin Rates

Cons

✘ No Social Community
✘ No Backtesting
✘ No News

TC2000 is a slick and powerful technical analysis platform. It enables scanning and screening the entire US market for fundamentals and technical analysis. You can use the huge library of available indicators and create custom indicators and conditions without coding.

Trade Management

The TC2000 Brokerage offers stock trades at $1 per trade, which means TC2000 has a tight integration for trading stocks from the chart and has good stock options trading visualization. TC2000 is one of the best Stock Options analysis software programs, allowing you to scan and build options strategies seamlessly. You can scan on gamma, delta, expiration, options spread, and even short interest.

Scanning, Screening & Charting

If you want fundamentals screened in real-time layered with technical screens integrated into live watch lists connected to your charts, TC2000 is a power player. TC2000 Easyscan can be set up with a few clicks, and you do not need coding experience.

TC2000 has an excellent array of technical indicators and drawing tools; all the big ones are there, from OBV, RSI, and Bollinger Bands to Fibonacci Fans and Andrews Pitchfork. With over 70 different indicators, you will have plenty to play with.

---

9. Portfolio 123: Screening & Backtesting for Investors

My testing of Portfolio123 shows impressive stock screening, software with a robust financial database, and integrated commission-free trading with Tradier. Portfolio123 can be used by income, value, and growth investors but is also advantageous for swing traders.

Portfolio 123 Rating	4.3/5.0
⚡ Features	Screening, Research, Powerful Backtesting
🏆 Unique Features	Free $0 Integrated Trading, 10-Year Financial Database
🎯 Best for	Stock & Options Traders
🆓 Free Version	No
🎮 Premium Trial	21 Days for $9
✂ Premium Discount	None
💰 Price	Free or $83/m annually
🌎 Markets Covered	USA/Canada

Portfolio123 covers stocks, fixed income, and ETFs on US and Canadian exchanges, so it is unsuitable for international stock investors. However, you can design a fully automated real-time trading strategy with a broker that will hold the stocks that pass your screen and sell those that don’t.

Pros

✓ 470+ Screening Metrics
✓ 10-Year Backtesting Engine
✓ Pre-built Model Screeners
✓ 260 Financial Ratios
✓ Integrated Free Trading

Cons

✘ No Integrated News
✘ No App for Android or iPhone

The Screener and Pro service unleashes Portfolio123’s real power. Their pricing is competitive, considering the benefits.

When you register with Portfolio123 and log in, you are greeted with the dashboard, which gives you an instant market performance breakdown but, more importantly, shows you your portfolio performance.

With Portfolio123, you get tight broker integration with Tradier and Interactive Brokers. You cannot place trades from charts, but you can automate trading based on rules or issue bulk trades; plus, Portfolio123 will take care of profit & loss reporting.

The Portfolio123 screener allows you to filter 10,000+ stocks and 44,000 ETFs to help you find the investments or trades that match your exact criteria. Portfolio123 also has ranked screening, which enables you to rank the stocks that best match your criteria, filtering a list from hundreds of stocks to a handful.

Over 225 data points will cover most ideas based on fundamentals. Portfolio123 has 460 criteria, including analyst revisions, estimates, and technical data.

Building your Portfolio123 screener is theoretically easy; select Research -> Screens, and you can start to play. No programming skills are required, but basic coding will certainly help. You must study the coding logic and understand the names of the proprietary criteria to create more powerful screening rules.

Portfolio123 is an excellent screening and backtesting platform for swing traders and medium-term growth investors. Its incredible selection of fundamental criteria, 20-year financial database, and powerful financial backtesting engine make it a great choice for experienced stock system developers.

---

10. VectorVest: Scanning & Market Timing Software

VectorVest helps simplify market timing by providing buy and sell ratings on US, Australian, and European stocks. VectorVest is software designed to assist in market timing through precise stock strength calculations and reliable buy and sell trade signals. 

VectorVest Rating	4.0/5.0
⚡ Features	Charts, Watchlists, Screening
🏆 Unique Features	Market Timing Gauge, Auto-trading
🎯 Best for	Beginner Investors
🆓 Free Version	No
🎮 Premium Trial	1st Month $0.99
✂ Premium Discount	None
💰 Price	$149/m
🌎 Markets Covered	USA

Vectorvest offers various features to help novice investors find stocks. Its market timing gauge and auto-trading capabilities make it a top choice for beginner investors looking to get started in the stock market.

Pros

✓ Simple to Follow System
✓ Specific Buy & Sell Signals
✓ Market Timing Signals
✓ US, Canada, Australia, & Euro Stocks

Cons

✘ Limited Chart Indicators
✘ Expensive, Especially With Add-ons
✘ Complaints About Data Integrity

What sets VectorVest apart is its commitment to transparency, as it now openly publishes its track record. With such credibility, it is worth considering as a valuable tool for investors.

VectorVest software is straightforward to use because it is designed to promote the Value, Safety, and Timing system. This means they have a minimal variety of stock market indicators; they provide only what is needed to trade within their VST system parameters.

VectorVest has 20 technical indicators and drawing tools, including trendlines, Gann, Fibonacci, moving averages, momentum, RSI, and Stochastics. However, compared to other stock analysis software, VectorVest’s chart analysis selection is very poor.

If you are an experienced technical analyst who wants to perform detailed charting analysis, you may want to consider MetaStock, which has 300+ indicators, or TradingView, which has 160+ indicators.

---

Summary

The best stock software and app for traders is TradingView, which has excellent chart analysis, backtesting, and screening. Trade Ideas and TrendSpider excels at AI stock prediction and charting. Stock Rover is the best stock analysis and research software for investors. Finally, Benzinga Pro and MetaStock provide excellent real-time trading news platforms.

FAQ

What is the best trading software?

The best trading software for US short-term day trading is Trade Ideas, with pinpoint trading signals up to 65 percent accuracy. TradingView is the best trading software for swing trading across international markets, with robust broker integration and a 13 million active user community.

What is the best free stock analysis software?

Our testing shows the best free stock analysis software is TradingView, offering 14 stock chart formats and 250+ filterable indicators and financial criteria for professional stock technical analysis across the global markets.

What charts do professional traders use?

Most professional traders use Candlestick charts, but Heikin Ashi, Renko, and Point & Figure charts are also used. For trading stocks, professionals use proprietary L2 direct market access brokers and AI-powered software like Trade Ideas. For retail investors globally TradingView is a good alternative.

Which stock app trading platform is best for beginners?

The best stock app for beginners is TradingView, as it provides a vibrant trading community to help you learn and easy-to-use free tools for trading, charting, and screening for all global markets.

What is the best trading platform in Europe?

The best trading platforms in Europe based on trustworthiness, reliability, and price are TradingView, Interactive Brokers, and TD Ameritrade. Contrary to many website recommendations, we do not recommend eToro, or any broker offering CFD or Forex trading.

Where can I practice stock trading for free?

Most brokers allow you to practice stock trading for free using paper trading, but they are usually restricted to one country. If you want to practice trading stocks, Forex or Cryptocurrency for free across the global markets, then we recommend TradingView’s free paper trading system.

What is the best desktop stock trading software for PC?

The leading downloadable desktop stock trading software for the PC is MetaStock, TradingView, and Trade Ideas. MetaTrader and Ninja Trader are also popular for Forex and Futures trading.

What is the Best Computer for Stock Trading?

You do not need a powerful computer to trade stocks as modern stock software runs in the cloud, relieving the burden of processing from your PC. However, you will need the latest generation of processors if you run trading software on your PC and process a lot of data locally with software like MetaStock or Optuma. I do, however, recommend multiple monitor screens for all stock trading.