Explainer
Is there a free alternative to FX Replay for futures?
Yes: the Trade Lab replays NQ, ES and GC bar by bar for free with a verified email, while FX Replay lists futures data only on its paid Pro plan.
Updated
The short answer
Yes. The Trade Lab on this site is a free bar-by-bar replay with paper trading for NQ (E-mini Nasdaq-100), ES (E-mini S&P 500) and GC (COMEX gold). We run it, so we describe it plainly and list what it lacks below.
As of October 2026, FX Replay’s pricing page (fxreplay.com/pricing) shows a free Beginner plan, and shows futures and CME data on its Pro plan only. So a free FX Replay account is not a way to replay futures.
FX Replay and the Trade Lab side by side
FX Replay facts are from fxreplay.com and fxreplay.com/pricing, read in October 2026. Our facts are from the Lab itself.
| Item | FX Replay | CE Market Solutions Trade Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Beginner plan free; Intermediate $15 a month and Pro $29.16 a month, billed annually | Free |
| Futures data | Futures and CME data listed on the Pro plan | NQ, ES and GC, on the free plan |
| Free-plan limits | 2 backtesting sessions, 1 indicator, 50 trades per session, sessions kept 1 week | 40 distinct 1-minute sessions and 5 new runs per UTC day |
| Data span for futures | Its FAQ says as far as 2012 for major futures contracts | NQ and ES from June 2, 2016; GC from September 29, 2016 |
| Moving backward | Rewind price is listed on Intermediate and Pro | Forward only |
| Markets | Futures, forex, stocks, indices and crypto, per its FAQ | NQ, ES and GC only |
| Journal | Listed on every plan | Yes: decision, tags and a note on each entry |
What FX Replay says about itself
Its FAQ calls it a browser-based backtesting and trading practice platform that steps through real historical data one candle at a time and covers futures, forex, stocks, indices and crypto. The free plan, it says, requires no credit card and never expires.
Its pricing page lists 2 backtesting sessions, 1 indicator and 50 trades per session on Beginner, with sessions kept for one week. The page gives two sets of monthly prices that disagree with each other, so check the vendor for the current ones.
What the Trade Lab gives you
You pick NQ, ES or GC and a start date, then step forward one candle at a time or jump to the next 09:30 or the next session. The server never sends a bar later than the current one. You can draw with a horizontal ray, a trend line, a box with levels and a Fibonacci tool, keep a journal, and place paper market, limit and stop orders in the market’s own contract.
Prices are raw, not back-adjusted, and the first bar of a new contract is marked on a roll.
What the Trade Lab does not have
The Lab replays history only. It has no live data, no real order is ever placed, and it covers three markets: NQ, ES and GC. Data is 1-minute bars, so there is no tick, seconds or order-flow data, and paper fills are modelled on those 1-minute bars and approximate real fills. A replay cannot be moved backward, and the Lab has no built-in indicators.
Each account can read 40 distinct 1-minute sessions and start 5 new runs per UTC day, and it needs a verified email. The Lab itself is free.
Which one fits
Three questions settle it.
- Do you trade only NQ, ES or gold? The Lab covers them for free. Other markets need another tool.
- Do you need indicators, seconds data or rewind? FX Replay lists those on paid plans. The Lab has none of them.
- Is a daily cap acceptable? The Lab limits each account to 40 sessions and 5 new runs a UTC day.
Check the market and the plan first: a free replay is only useful if it holds the market you trade.
Questions and answers
Is there a free alternative to FX Replay for futures?
Yes. The Trade Lab is free with an account and a verified email, and replays NQ, ES and GC bar by bar. It has no live data and no other markets.
Does FX Replay have a free plan?
Its pricing page shows a free Beginner plan with 2 backtesting sessions, 1 indicator and 50 trades per session. Futures and CME data is listed on its Pro plan.
Can I replay ES or NQ futures on FX Replay for free?
The pricing page lists futures and CME data on the Pro plan only, so not on the free plan. Check the vendor for the current plan contents.
Can I move backward in the Trade Lab like a rewind button?
No. A replay in the Lab only moves forward. FX Replay’s pricing page lists rewind price on its Intermediate and Pro plans.
What data does the Trade Lab use?
1-minute bars of NQ, ES and GC futures, raw and not back-adjusted, with the first bar of a new contract marked.