About TradeTestr

TradeTestr is a free CFD backtesting platform built on a simple principle: traders should know whether their strategy works before they risk real capital.

The platform was created after weeks of automated CFD trading on a demo account. The result? A net loss of $323.45 across 99 trades with a 35% win rate. The strategies weren't random — they were based on established technical indicators (EMA crossovers, RSI momentum, Donchian breakouts). But without backtesting first, there was no way to know they wouldn't hold up in live markets.

That experience became TradeTestr. Instead of selling trading signals or promising returns, we built a tool that shows you the raw data. Run your strategy against years of historical prices. See the win rate, the drawdown, the Sharpe ratio, every trade. If the strategy loses money in backtesting, it'll probably lose money in live trading. If it wins in backtesting, it still might lose in live trading — but at least you're starting with evidence, not hope.

Most backtesting tools fall into two categories: expensive platforms that cost $50-$200/month, or free tools that show fake results to push you toward a broker. TradeTestr is neither.

TradeTestr earns commission through affiliate agreements with some brokers listed in our directory. When a user opens an account through a link on our platform, the broker pays us a referral fee.

This never affects backtesting results. The backtester runs on historical market data — broker affiliate relationships have zero influence on win rates, P/L, or any other statistic. The broker directory uses factual data (regulation status, platform types, minimum deposits) — not affiliate-driven rankings.

TradeTestr was built by a team that spent weeks running automated CFD trading strategies and discovered what most traders eventually learn: without backtesting, you're gambling. The strategy engine is based on real trading code tested on a live demo account — not theoretical models from a textbook.

The platform is continuously improved. New strategies, instruments, and features are added regularly. If you have feedback or a feature request, we'd like to hear from you.

Most retail CFD traders walk into the market without ever testing a strategy on real historical data. They rely on gut feelings, single-day charts, or the latest hype from YouTube "gurus" who sell signals for a fee. Those signals are rarely validated, and the tools that actually let you back-test are typically locked behind expensive subscriptions.

Industry disclosures consistently show that 70-80% of retail CFD accounts end in loss. The missing piece is a free, reliable way to see how a strategy would have performed before risking real capital. TradeTestr bridges that gap by giving every trader access to professional-grade backtesting without the paywall.

TradeTestr pulls clean, adjusted price series from Yahoo Finance and runs them through five pre-built strategies: EMA + RSI, Donchian Breakout, Bollinger Bounce, MACD Crossover, and RSI Reversal. Each strategy is evaluated on more than 50 instruments — including major indices, forex pairs, and commodities — across three timeframes (1H, 4H, Daily).

Risk controls are fully configurable: stop-loss, take-profit, trailing stops, and a user-defined risk % per trade. Every night the Strategy Lab fires off roughly 1,200 backtests, each paired with a Monte Carlo simulation that randomises trade orderings 500 times per setup. This gives a statistically robust view of how a strategy behaves under different market sequences.

Win Rate — the percentage of trades that end in profit. A higher win rate often means a more reliable edge, but it must be paired with good risk-reward to matter.

Sharpe Ratio — measures risk-adjusted return. It tells you how much excess profit you earn per unit of volatility; a value above 1.0 is generally considered acceptable for retail strategies.

Profit Factor — total gross profit divided by total gross loss. Values above 1.5 suggest the strategy generates more profit than it loses.

Max Drawdown — the deepest equity trough during the test period. It shows the worst-case capital dip you might have to endure, crucial for capital preservation.

Monte Carlo Survival Rate — the proportion of simulated trade orders that stay profitable after randomising execution order. A high survival rate indicates the strategy isn't overly dependent on a lucky sequence of trades.

Custom Strategy Builder — Planned. Drag-and-drop rule editor so users can design and test their own algorithms.

More Instruments — In Progress. Adding cryptocurrencies, additional global equities, and futures contracts.

API Access for Developers — Planned. Programmatic submission of strategies and retrieval of backtest results.

Community-Submitted Strategies — Planned. A marketplace where users can share, rate, and import community-vetted setups.