Explainer
Best futures backtesting tools in 2026
The right futures backtesting tool depends on the job: build it yourself, step through history by hand, or hand the rules to someone who runs them for you.
Updated
The short answer
There is no single best tool. The tools below do four different jobs, and the right one depends on which job you have. We sell one of them, so we describe it the same way as the others: what it does, and where it stops.
Prices and limits come from each vendor’s own page, read in October 2026. Where a page did not say, the table says “Not stated” and you should check the vendor.
- DIY platform
- Charting software where you build and run the test yourself.
- Code
- A programming library. You write the strategy and supply the data.
- Replay and journal
- Tools that show history bar by bar so you trade it by hand and log the result.
- Done-for-you
- You describe the rules and the test is run for you.
Pick the tool by the job: build the test, trade the history by hand, or hand the rules over.
The comparison
Figures are as of October 2026, from the vendors’ own pages. “Check the vendor” means the page did not show it.
| Tool | Type | Futures data included | 1-minute history depth | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TradingView | DIY platform | Not in the base plans; CME data is added separately for a fee | 180 days of intraday on Basic, 365 days on Essential; check the vendor for higher plans | Basic is free; paid plans from $12.95 a month billed annually | Charting and quick visual tests |
| NinjaTrader | DIY platform | Check the vendor | Check the vendor | Free plan, $99 a month or $1,499 once; commissions are separate | Traders who want a futures platform and broker in one place |
| TradeStation | DIY platform | Check the vendor | Futures minute data for 10 years back or more, per its help pages | Check the vendor | Traders who already have a TradeStation account |
| MultiCharts | DIY platform | Sample futures history in the free plan; live data is a $49 a month add-on | Check the vendor | Free plan; paid plan prices are not shown on the page | Traders who want to write strategies in code or its own language |
| Backtrader | Code | Not stated; you supply data feeds | Depends on your data | Open source; price not stated | Programmers who want full control |
| FX Replay | Replay and journal | Futures and CME data on its Pro plan | Check the vendor | Free plan with limits; paid plans from $15 a month | Practising by hand on history |
| Tradezella | Replay and journal | Futures listed; “11+ years of historical data” | Check the vendor; 1-second charts are listed | Plans from $35 a month; no free plan shown | Journaling and reviewing trades |
| Trade Ideas | Scanner with backtesting | Not stated | Check the vendor | From $127 a month billed monthly; backtesting is on the Premium plan | Stock scanning and signals |
| CE Market Solutions | Done-for-you, plus a free replay Lab | Yes: ES, NQ, GC and their micros | Every run uses 1-minute bars; NQ and ES from June 2, 2016, GC from September 29, 2016 | $19 a version | Testing exact rules without coding |
Tool by tool
TradingView is a charting platform with a strategy tester. It is good for looking at a chart and trying an idea fast. Its help says strategy orders are filled using the chart’s OHLC values, so check how a stop and a target inside one bar are handled. Futures data from CME costs extra.
NinjaTrader is a futures platform that says backtesting is always free to use. It is good if you want to test and trade in the same place. It asks you to build the test yourself, and its pricing page ties Market Replay to funding a live account.
TradeStation is a broker platform with a strategy tester, and its help pages describe futures minute data going back ten years or more. It suits someone who already has an account there and is ready to learn the platform. Check the vendor for what it costs.
MultiCharts is a desktop platform. Its free plan includes backtesting and sample history, but no market data. It suits people who write their own strategies. It does not do it for you.
Backtrader is a Python framework. It is open source and gives you complete control. You write the code and bring the data, so it is not for anyone who does not program.
FX Replay lets you step through history and practise by hand. It is good for building feel for a setup. Its free plan is limited, and it is not a way to run fixed rules over ten years.
Tradezella is a journal with manual bar-by-bar backtesting and replay. It is good for reviewing your own trades. Replay is on its Pro and Ultra plans, and it does not run fixed rules for you.
Trade Ideas is built around stock scanning and signals. Its pricing page lists backtesting on the Premium plan and says nothing about futures. It is a different job from futures backtesting.
CE Market Solutions is done-for-you. You describe your rules in plain language and get every trade back with the assumptions written out. It is $19 a version, and the replay Lab is free with an account. It tests CME futures only, takes two to three business days, and is not for someone who wants to code or watch it run live.
How to choose
If your rules are exact and you want a count of trades without building anything, a done-for-you run fits. If you want to build and rerun tests yourself, a platform or a code library fits. If your rules are still vague, replay first and write them down after.
Whichever you use, check the fill assumptions, the costs and the data span before you read any result.
Questions and answers
What is the best futures backtesting software?
There is no single answer. A DIY platform suits someone who will build the test, a code library suits a programmer, a replay tool suits practice by hand, and a done-for-you service suits exact rules with no coding.
Can I backtest futures for free?
Partly. TradingView has a free Basic plan, NinjaTrader says backtesting is free to use, MultiCharts has a free plan with sample data, and FX Replay has a limited free plan. With us, a version is $19 and the replay Lab is free with an account.
Do I need to code to backtest futures?
Not always. Backtrader is Python, and MultiCharts supports C#, VB .NET and Python in its free plan. With our service you describe the rules in plain language.
How are fills handled in different tools?
It differs, so read each tool’s own documentation. TradingView says strategy orders fill using the chart’s OHLC values. In ours, a target fills on touch at the exact price, a stop fills at the stop plus slippage, and a stop wins a tie.