What's the best software to start with for algorithmic trading? I'm looking for something beginner-friendly that allows for running multiple backtests and deploying strategies to live trading. My coding skills are quite limited, so an intuitive, easy-to-use platform would be ideal. Any recommendations? TradingView? QuantBe? QuantConnect?
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i suggest you use MT4 or MT5 for algorithmic trading. personally speaking the EAs work the best with these.
If you want easy to use and multi strategy portfolio level backtests then RealTest is the one. But you need to code your live trading algo separately. TradingView pine script is also very easy but does not execute trades (however you can code alerts that will send to another system to trigger trades). Ideal method to backtest AND have an execution algo is to read this book and learn to code https://amzn.asia/d/02ntBS3F AmiBroker or Sierra chart are also software that can do both testing and execution, but have their own limitations and learning curves.
For backtesting, Amibroker has been an excellent software based method for me. I also use open sourced python for additional data collection and data analysis. For actual algo futures execution (post model development), NinjaTrader has been able to do everything I've needed. Unfortunately, there's no easy way around the coding learning curve though...
Started with TradingView since the interface made sense right away—super easy for backtesting simple strategies. Eventually tried QuantConnect, but the coding part was a bit much at first. A friend swears by quantum ai for automation, says it helps refine trades without overcomplicating things. If coding isn’t your thing, maybe start with a no-code or low-code option and ease into more advanced tools once you're comfortable tweaking strategies.