Best Charting Software for Stocks

TradingView Key Features

• An extensive library of technical indicators
• Customizable charts and drawing tools
• Real-time data and alerts
• Community-made custom indicators
• Seamlessly draw on charts
• Screeners for all assets
• Heatmaps
• Supports stocks, crypto, forex, futures

TradingView Pros

• Supports all assets: Track all assets, including stocks, futures, crypto, forex, and more
• Support advanced chart types: Use advanced features like Footprint, market profile, and volume profile
• Automated analysis tools: Offers automated trendlines and pattern recognition
• Tools beyond charting: Use additional features like heatmaps, screeners, custom indicators, and economic calendars

TradingView Cons

• Limited charts per layout: Non-professional plans limit charts per layout to 8
• Advanced features are expensive: Advanced features like footprint charts require the highest non-professional subscription plan

TrendSpider Pros

• AI chatbot: Easily perform any action using the AI assistant
• Excellent screeners: Screen for assets based on technical or fundamental criteria
• Included real-time data: Real-time data is included with the premium price

TrendSpider Cons

• Pricey subscription plans: A bit expensive when not on sale
• Performance issues: The platform can be a bit laggy at times

thinkorswim is the OG charting software for stocks, founded by Tom Sosnoff in the late 90s, then sold to TD Ameritrade in 2009. While the platform may look old, it provides tons of advanced features like volume profiles, money bar charts (similar to market profiles), the ability to code custom indicators with thinkscript, and much more. The platform also offers a solid screener for stocks and options.

thinkorswim is a free charting software available to Schwab account holders. You can access thinkorswim for free, including real-time data, as long as you have a funded Schwab account. This makes it the best free option and is a great platform if you don’t want to spend money on more modern charting software.

thinkorswim Pros

• Free real-time data: Free for Schwab account holders
• thinkscript coding language: Ability to use and code custom indicators
• Advanced indicators: Offers advanced indicators like the volume profile
• Charting and broker capabilities: Trade directly from the platform via your Schwab accounts

thinkorswim Cons

• Limited asset support: Doesn’t support crypto like most charting platforms
• Limited access: Only available to Schwab account holders
• Dated design and UX: The platform was made in the 90s, and it shows

Trade Ideas offers a sophisticated stock scanning and charting platform with real-time quotes, indicators, and heatmaps. Although the dashboard may appear complex initially, it can be easily tailored to focus on specific tools, such as charting, screeners, or heatmaps. This platform continuously monitors the stock market and highlights trending stocks, making it particularly useful for day traders.

Trade Ideas is ideal for day and swing traders who require a premium platform to track the day’s most active stocks. Users can quickly filter stocks based on metrics such as daily volume percentage, gap percentage, percentage change from the open, and more.

Trade Ideas Pros

• Excellent screeners: Provides real-time scanning with customizable filters to spot trading opportunities quickly
• AI-powered insights: Uses AI (Holly) to generate trade ideas based on historical data and current market trends
• Customizable dashboard: Users can tailor the interface to focus on the tools and data they prefer, reducing the complexity of the platform
• Real-time market data: Offers real-time data included in the subscription price

Trade Ideas Cons

• Tough learning curve: The platform can be overwhelming for beginners due to its advanced features and layout
• Expensive subscription plans: Trade Ideas is more expensive compared to other stock screening platforms, which might not be ideal for traders on a budget
• Mediocre charting tools: While Trade Ideas excels in scanning and stock screening, its charting capabilities are not as user-friendly

Finviz is a versatile platform that specializes in stock charting and fundamental analysis, though it also supports limited features for cryptocurrencies, futures, and forex. It allows users to quickly access charts, view analyst price targets, and retrieve key fundamental data for most stock tickers, making it a valuable tool for both traders and investors.

Finviz is particularly well-suited for swing traders looking for a free platform to easily access essential charting tools, fundamental data, and analyst forecasts. The platform’s features, such as auto-generated trendlines and indicators, simplify the process of identifying potential trading and investment opportunities.

For those who need more advanced functionality, Finviz Elite provides intraday data and real-time updates, making it a better option for day traders. However, it’s important to note that platforms like TradingView offer nearly real-time intraday data for free on most stock tickers.

Finviz Pros

• Free access to essential tools: The basic version offers great value for swing traders, providing a wide range of charting tools, stock screeners, and fundamental data without the need for a subscription.
• Stock screener capabilities: Finviz’s stock screener is highly customizable, allowing users to filter stocks based on various criteria like market cap, P/E ratio, and performance metrics.
• Heat maps and visualization tools: Offers heat maps and sector analysis, making it easy to identify market trends and visualize which sectors are leading or lagging.
• Auto-generated chart features: Finviz automatically plots trendlines and technical indicators like moving averages, simplifying technical analysis for beginners and experienced traders alike.
• Finviz Elite: The premium plan provides real-time data, advanced charting, backtesting features, and faster updates for serious traders.

Finviz Cons

• Delayed data for free users: The free version provides delayed data, making it less useful for day traders who need real-time updates.
• Limited customization in free version: While Finviz offers great features for free, the customization options for charts and data are more restricted compared to premium platforms.
• Basic interface: While functional, the platform’s design may feel outdated compared to more modern charting tools like TradingView or thinkorswim.

TC2000 is a comprehensive platform that offers stock and options trading, along with advanced charting and screening tools. It is best for traders looking to chart and place trades on one platform. It also includes unique features like options charting. However, while TC2000 offers great charting, it still charges high commissions for trading. Many other brokers provide commission-free stock trading and lower options trading fees, such as thinkorswim and tastytrade.

TC2000 is most beneficial for traders willing to pay a premium for advanced features like IB SmartRoutingSM, which ensures the best possible order fills by routing trades through the most favorable market centers. Although this is a valuable feature, other brokerages, such as tastytrade, also provide excellent order execution but at significantly lower commission rates. For those who are primarily in search of a charting platform, TradingView may be a better alternative, as it offers most of its features for free and provides highly customizable charting tools.