Trade Ideas Review (2026)
Trade Ideas is a real-time scanner for active US stock traders, built around a Windows desktop app that fires alerts as trades happen. The one thing to know: all sales are final, there is no free trial of the paid plans, and the AI signals and backtesting are only on Premium. Standard costs $127 a month or $1,068 a year; a free account gets the browser Web Dashboard only.
By Wealthy Pot Editorial · Facts checked October 19, 2026
Facts checked October 19, 2026 against Trade Ideas's own pricing, help and policy pages (12 sources, listed below). We re-check prices about once a month. We do not earn a commission from Trade Ideas.
Trade Ideas at a glance
| Standard (shown as Standard (Core)) | $127 a month or $1,068 a year [1] |
|---|---|
| Premium (shown as Premium (Apex)) | $254 a month or $2,136 a year [1] |
| Free account | Web Dashboard in the browser: Top Lists, Races, TreeMaps, Market Pulse, charts, news, unusual options channel. No Streaming Alerts, backtesting or Holly AI [2] |
| Free trial | None for the paid plans; occasional paid "Test Drive" events at announced times, with a non-refundable fee [3] |
| Refunds | "All sales are final. No refund is payable on a paid invoice." Annual plans are not prorated [3] |
| Market data | Real-time US stocks and ETFs; Trade Ideas pays exchange fees for non-professional users (professionals pay extra) [3] |
| Alerts and filters (Trade Ideas' count) | 310 alerts and 249 filters, marketed as "500+ data points" [5] |
| AI signals and backtesting | Holly AI Signals and OddsMaker backtesting on Premium only [1] |
| Automated trading | Money Machine (Premium) sends orders through Brokerage Plus to IBKR, TradeStation, E*TRADE, Alpaca, CenterPoint or Cobra [10] |
| Platforms | TI Pro desktop app for Windows (Mac only through Parallels or AWS); Web Dashboard in a browser; no mobile app on its pages [4] |
| API | "Trade Ideas does not offer a public API." [2] |
| Company | Trade Ideas, LLC, Encinitas, California; founded 2002 [6] |
What Trade Ideas costs
| Plan | Paying monthly, 1 year | Annual plan, 1 year | 3 years (cheapest way) | Annual plan saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free (Web Dashboard) | $0 | - | $0 | - |
| Standard | $1,524 | $1,068 | $3,204 | $456 (30%) |
| Premium | $3,048 | $2,136 | $6,408 | $912 (30%) |
Our arithmetic from the listed prices, before sales tax, assuming today's prices hold; subscriptions can renew at a different rate. Both plans auto-renew until cancelled; cancelling stops the next renewal and takes effect at the end of the billing period. Discount codes apply to the first invoice only (the first month or the first year) and renew at the standard price; promo purchases are non-refundable. A 25%-off sale banner was showing on October 19, 2026 with no end date in the page text. Billing errors reported within 60 days are corrected.
How Trade Ideas works
Trade Ideas watches every US stock and ETF in real time and runs your criteria against each trade. Streaming Alerts fire the moment something matches (Trade Ideas says alerts can fire on every trade, several times a second), and Top Lists show a ranked lineup that refreshes every 15 seconds. Both paid plans include the TI Pro desktop app, paper trading, up to 10 charts on screen and the Holly AI Assistant, which turns a plain-English request into a matching scan window.
Premium adds the parts the brand is known for. Holly AI Signals come from a library of strategies that Trade Ideas backtests and optimizes every night; only strategies that pass produce next-day signals with an entry, stop and target. OddsMaker backtests your own scans, and Money Machine can place the trades automatically through a linked broker. The homepage lists "Holly's Most Recent Profitable Trades", which shows winners only. Trade Ideas' own disclaimer on the AI Signals page reads: "Selected examples, not all signals. Past results, including backtests, don't guarantee future results." Its FAQ adds: "Many signals won't work out." Past performance does not predict future results; see common investing mistakes before trading on any signal.
A hypothetical cost case for Standard. Paying monthly for a year: $127 x 12 = $1,524. Paying yearly: $1,068, which saves $456. But all sales are final and annual plans are not prorated, so a trader who pays $1,068 and stops after two months has spent $1,068, against $127 x 2 = $254 on monthly billing. Without a free trial, a month or two of monthly billing is the cheapest way to find out.
Pros
- Scans every US stock and ETF in real time, with exchange fees paid for non-professional users
- Paper trading and the Holly AI Assistant come with both paid plans
- Premium bundles AI signals, OddsMaker backtesting and broker-linked automation
- Free Web Dashboard and Trading Room to see the product before paying
Cons
- All sales final, with no free trial of the paid plans
- The full scanner is a Windows desktop app; Mac users need Parallels or AWS
- AI signals and backtesting cost $254 a month or $2,136 a year
- No public API and no mobile app on its pages
Who Trade Ideas fits, and who should skip it
A good fit if
- You day trade US stocks and want scans that update in real time, not a delayed screener.
- You run Windows (or are willing to run Windows on a Mac) and trade at a desk.
- You want to backtest and automate scan-based strategies through a supported broker, and can pay $254 a month for Premium.
Look elsewhere if
- You mainly read charts: TradingView runs in any browser and has a free plan.
- You want a quick, cheap screener for swing trades or investing: Finviz is free with delayed data.
- You buy and hold funds: a real-time scanner is the wrong tool; compare brokers or robo-advisors instead.
Limitations to know
- The free Web Dashboard does not include Streaming Alerts, OddsMaker, Holly AI Signals, the AI Assistant or Money Machine. [2]
- The homepage list of Holly's recent trades shows profitable trades only. The AI Signals page labels its own examples "Selected examples, not all signals." [7]
- TI Pro is designed for Windows; on a Mac it needs Parallels or an AWS virtual machine. [4]
- Professional users pay extra exchange fees; the plan prices cover non-professional users. [3]
- Trade Ideas calls itself a publisher, not an adviser, and says model-portfolio results exclude costs such as commissions. [8]
Trade Ideas compared with alternatives
| Tool | Price | Free tier | Type | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade Ideas | Free web dashboard; Standard $127/mo or $1,068/yr, Premium $254/mo or $2,136/yr | Free: web dashboard; no trial | AI scanner | Web, Desktop |
| TradingView | Free (ads); billed yearly: Essential $12.95/mo, Plus $29.95/mo, Premium $59.95/mo, Ultimate $199.95/mo; billed monthly: $14.95, $34.95, $69.95, $239.95 | Free: ads, 1 chart, 2 indicators | Charting | Web, iOS, Android, Desktop |
| Finviz | Free (delayed data); Elite $39.50/mo or $299.50/yr | Free: delayed quotes, basic filters | Screener | Web |
| Benzinga Pro | Free (delayed); Basic $37/mo or $367/yr, Streamlined $147/mo or $1,497/yr, Essential $197/mo or $1,997/yr; 14-day trial | Free: 15-min delayed quotes, BZ Wire | News | Web |
- Pick TradingView if you trade from charts and want a browser app with a free plan.
- Pick Finviz if you want a fast, cheap screener and can live with delayed data on the free plan.
- Pick Benzinga Pro if you trade news catalysts and want a real-time newsfeed and audio squawk.
Security and privacy
- The privacy policy says Trade Ideas will not share your personal data, including your email address or symbol lists, with third parties without your explicit consent. [9]
- Linking a broker through Brokerage Plus is not read-only: it sends orders, and Money Machine can place trades automatically. A Simulated Mode lets you run it without real orders. [10]
- We found no description of two-factor login on the Trade Ideas pages we read.
Recent changes
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2026 | New Billing and Cancellation Policy took effect: all sales final, no refunds on paid invoices, discount codes on the first invoice only. It replaced the July 8, 2021 policy. [3] |
| Jul 20, 2026 | The pricing page carried a profit claim by the CEO and add-ons (AVWAP, GoNoGo, Weekly Swing Picks); both were gone from the page by October 5, 2026. [12] |
| Apr 8, 2024 | First capture with today's prices ($127 / $1,068 and $254 / $2,136). On March 4, 2024 they were Standard $118 a month or $999 a year, Premium $228 or $1,999. [11] |
Trade Ideas FAQ
Is Trade Ideas worth it?
For an active day trader on Windows who acts on real-time scans, it is purpose-built. For long-term investors it is the wrong tool and an expensive one. Because all sales are final and there is no free trial of the paid plans, start with the free Web Dashboard or one month of monthly billing.
Is Trade Ideas free?
A free account gets the browser Web Dashboard (Top Lists, Races, TreeMaps, charts and news) and a free Trading Room. Streaming Alerts, Holly AI and backtesting need a paid plan.
How much does Trade Ideas cost?
Standard is $127 a month or $1,068 a year. Premium, with Holly AI Signals, OddsMaker backtesting and Money Machine, is $254 a month or $2,136 a year. These were the prices on October 19, 2026.
Does Trade Ideas give refunds?
No. Under the policy effective September 14, 2026, all sales are final and no refund is paid on a paid invoice. Cancelling stops the next renewal; annual plans are not prorated. Billing errors reported within 60 days are corrected.
Does Holly AI make money?
Trade Ideas shows selected winning trades, but its own disclaimer says they are "Selected examples, not all signals" and that "Many signals won't work out." No signal service can promise returns, and past results, including backtests, do not predict future results.
How we researched this review
We did not get paid or receive a free account for this page. We read Trade Ideas's own pricing page, help center, security and privacy pages and app-store listing on October 19, 2026, quoted each fact from those pages, and link every one below. We did not run a long-term hands-on test, so we do not score the app; where a point rests on what the company says rather than something we can check, we attribute it to Trade Ideas. Cost figures are our own arithmetic. We re-check prices and plans about once a month and log changes in the table above.
Sources
- Trade Ideas, Pricing, checked October 19, 2026.
- Trade Ideas, Features and FAQ, checked October 19, 2026.
- Trade Ideas, Billing and Cancellation Policy (effective September 14, 2026), checked October 19, 2026.
- Trade Ideas, Download, checked October 19, 2026.
- Trade Ideas, The data difference, checked October 19, 2026.
- Trade Ideas, About, checked October 19, 2026.
- Trade Ideas, AI Signals feature page, checked October 19, 2026.
- Trade Ideas, Disclosure, checked October 19, 2026.
- Trade Ideas, Privacy policy, checked October 19, 2026.
- Trade Ideas, Money Machine, checked October 19, 2026.
- Trade Ideas, Pricing (Wayback Machine capture of March 4, 2024, before the increase), checked October 19, 2026.
- Trade Ideas, Pricing (Wayback Machine capture of July 20, 2026), checked October 19, 2026.
This review is for general information, not investment advice. Ratings, scores and screens from any tool are not a recommendation to buy or sell a security. Prices change; check the vendor's site before you subscribe.