SignalDeck is the only trading journal with live MT5 balance sync, a pre-trade risk gate, and multi-broker import covering IBKR, cTrader (250+ brokers), SnapTrade (30+ brokers), and CSV. Compare to TraderSync, Edgewonk, TradeZella, Tradervue, and TradesViz.
Several journals ship their own AI chat, but it only runs inside their app, on their model, often with a daily question cap. SignalDeck runs an MCP server instead. The assistant you already use can read your trades, R stats and backtests, check a new trade against your prop firm rules, and, with your permission, log, edit and close trades and write post-mortems. It's the only journal in this comparison with an official MCP connector (as of September 2026).
Connect any major broker directly. IBKR via Flex Web Service with FIFO round-trip reconstruction. cTrader via OAuth — works with any cTrader broker: IC Markets, Pepperstone, FP Markets, FxPro, and 250+ more. SnapTrade covers 30+ brokers including Robinhood, Webull, Schwab, Fidelity, Questrade, Trading 212, and DEGIRO. CSV import in 8 formats. All free on all plans. MT4/MT5 via MetaApi (Elite) is the only integration with real-time live balance sync — Kelly Criterion sizing and prop firm drawdown headroom always use your actual equity.
Other journals have basic backtesters. SignalDeck is the only one with Walk-Forward Analysis (overfit detection), 1,000-path Monte Carlo simulation, and grid-search parameter optimization — all inside the same platform where you log your trades. Test on up to 5 years of historical data, then link the backtest directly to your live journal strategy to compare theory against actual execution.
Futures are now first-class instruments. SignalDeck uses tick-aligned P&L math (contracts × ticks × tick value) — not share-based or pip-based calculations. CME Globex session monitoring runs Sun 6PM–Fri 5PM ET with DST-aware Chicago timezone. Front-month contract search resolves ESU6, NQU6, CLN6, GCQ6 automatically. No other trading journal offers this combination natively.
Other journals are post-trade analytics with no news layer — you keep a separate news tab open and lose the context the moment the feed rolls over. SignalDeck pulls sentiment-tagged headlines for the exact symbol on each trade, inside the journal, and archives the news from around your entry time so your post-mortem starts with what the tape was reacting to. Live coverage spans stocks, CFD indices, metals and crypto; forex and futures are coming soon.
| Feature | SignalDeck | TraderSync | Edgewonk | TradeZella | Tradervue | TradesViz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⚡ AI Assistant Connector (MCP) — New v1.0.114 · Every plan · How it works → | ||||||
| Official MCP Connector (Claude / ChatGPT) | ✅ 54 tools | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Claude / ChatGPT Can Log, Edit & Close Trades | ✅ With your permission | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Built-in AI Features | ✅ AI Post Mortems · Weekly Review | ✅ Cypher | ⚠️ Edge Finder | ✅ Zella AI | ❌ | ✅ AI Coach / Chat |
| ⚡ Market News (in-journal) — Since v1.0.70 · Elite | ||||||
| Per-Symbol News In Journal | ✅ Per-Trade News Tab | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| News at Trade Entry Time | ✅ Archived ±24h–7d | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Sentiment-Tagged Headlines | ✅ +/=/− per headline | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| ⚡ Multi-Broker Import — Since v1.0.74 · All supported brokers → | ||||||
| MT4/MT5 Trade Import (Elite) | ✅ via MetaApi | ⚠️ Fills only (900+ brokers) | ❌ | ⚠️ Fills only | ❌ | ⚠️ Fills only |
| Live Account Balance Sync (Elite) | ✅ Real-Time Equity | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| IBKR Direct Import | ✅ Flex Web Service | ⚠️ Via broker list | ⚠️ CSV only | ⚠️ CSV only | ⚠️ Via broker list | ⚠️ CSV only |
| cTrader Import (IC Markets, Pepperstone, FP Markets, 250+ brokers) | ✅ OAuth — any cTrader broker | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Broad Broker Aggregator (Robinhood, Schwab, Questrade, Trading 212…) | ✅ SnapTrade — 30+ brokers | ✅ 900+ brokers | ❌ | ⚠️ 500+ via aggregator | ⚠️ 80+ legacy brokers | ❌ |
| ⚡ Futures Trading (ES/NQ/CL/GC) — Since v1.0.59 | ||||||
| Native Futures Support (ES/NQ/CL/GC) | ✅ Tick Math + Globex | ⚠️ Via broker import | ❌ | ⚠️ Manual entry | ⚠️ Via broker import | ⚠️ Manual entry |
| Tick-Aligned P&L Math | ✅ Auto Contract Spec | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| CME Globex Session Monitoring | ✅ DST-Aware | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| ⚡ Strategy Backtester — Since v1.0.30 | ||||||
| Strategy Backtester | ✅ Full Engine | ⚠️ Rule-Based | ⚠️ Manual R-entry | ⚠️ Manual Replay | ❌ | ⚠️ Rule-Based |
| Walk-Forward Analysis | ✅ Overfit Detection | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Parameter Optimization | ✅ Grid Search | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Backtest ↔ Journal Equity Overlay | ✅ Strategy Link | ⚠️ Export Only | ❌ | ⚠️ Same Journal | ❌ | ❌ |
| SPY/QQQ Benchmark Overlay | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ⚠️ Same-Symbol B&H |
| Save Backtests (Notebooks) | ✅ Save & Compare Runs | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| R-Value Native | ✅ Core Design | ⚠️ Partial | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| SQN Score | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Kelly Criterion | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Monte Carlo Drawdown | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Structured Post Mortem | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Execution Quality (MAE/MFE) | ✅ | ⚠️ Basic | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ⚠️ Basic |
| Entry Slippage Tracking | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Forward Testing (Live Data) | ✅ Automated Scanner | ❌ Backtest Only | ❌ Simulator Only | ❌ Backtest Only | ❌ | ❌ Simulator Only |
| Accountability Calendar | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Public Profile | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ⚠️ Limited | ❌ |
| Social Trading (Borg) | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Trade Journal (Per-Trade) | ✅ Threaded & Timestamped | ✅ Notes + Daily Journal | ✅ Diary + Mental Journal | ✅ Notes | ✅ Notes | ✅ Notes |
| Monthly Price | Free (Beta) | $30–$80 | ~$16.42/mo ($197/yr) | $30–$50 | Free (30 tr/mo) → $30–$50 auto-sync = Silver or Gold |
$14.99–$29.99 |
| Chart Screenshots | ✅ Unlimited (Entry + Exit) | ✅ | ✅ (Gallery) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Native Forex Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Native Crypto Support | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Behavioral Tags | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ⚠️ Basic |
| CSV Import/Export | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Trade Replay | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Every competitor treats R-multiple as one metric in a sea of 600. We built the entire system around it — equity curves, cumulative R-curves, expectancy momentum, SQN scoring, and Kelly Criterion all flow from a single coherent risk-normalized framework.
No competitor offers a structured self-review workflow. Our 5-step protocol (Setup Diagnosis → Management Diagnosis → Verdict → Training Gap → Mentor Feedback) turns every closed trade into a training session.
IBKR via Flex Web Service. cTrader OAuth — any cTrader broker (IC Markets, Pepperstone, FP Markets, 250+ total). SnapTrade aggregator (30+ brokers: Robinhood, Schwab, Questrade, Trading 212, and more). CSV in 8 formats. MT4/MT5 via MetaApi (Elite) with real-time live balance sync — the only integration where Kelly Criterion sizing and prop firm drawdown headroom update the moment your equity changes. All brokers →
Test a strategy on 5 years of historical data, then immediately compare its equity curve to your real journal trades on the same strategy. Walk-Forward Analysis flags overfitting before you risk real capital. The only journal that combines WFA, Monte Carlo, grid optimization, and an SPY/QQQ benchmark overlay.
Open any trade and see sentiment-tagged headlines for that exact symbol — then review the news from around the time you entered. No other journal ties market news to your specific positions and your post-mortem. Live for stocks, CFD indices, metals and crypto; forex and futures coming soon. Market News →
We don't just give you a login. We onboard you into our Discord, help migrate your first trades, and ship features you request — often within 48 hours. Try getting that from a company with 200,000 users.
With SignalDeck, yes. As of September 2026 it's the only journal in this comparison with an official MCP connector. TraderSync (Cypher), TradeZella (Zella AI) and TradesViz (AI Coach) each have their own built-in AI. Edgewonk has automated Edge Finder analysis, and Tradervue has no AI. None of them let you bring the assistant you already use. SignalDeck's AI assistant connector gives Claude or ChatGPT 54 tools over your journal: trades, R stats, backtests, pre-trade compliance checks and, with your permission, logging, editing and closing trades. It's on every plan, including Free.
Yes — and it's the most complete backtester available inside any trading journal. A handful of competitors (TraderSync, TradesViz, TradeZella) offer basic backtesting, but SignalDeck is the only one with Walk-Forward Analysis for overfitting detection, 1,000-path Monte Carlo simulation for drawdown risk modeling, grid-search parameter optimization across up to 500 combinations, and an SPY/QQQ benchmark overlay — all in the same workflow. Run any of 16 built-in strategies (SMA Crossover, RSI Mean Reversion, EMA, Bollinger Bands, MACD, and more) over up to 5 years of historical data with configurable stop types, position sizing (Kelly, fixed-risk, equal-weight), and commission/slippage modeling. And the truly unique feature: link any backtest directly to a live journal strategy and overlay your real equity curve against the backtest result to see exactly where your live execution diverges from theory.
Yes — and almost no other journal does. Most trading journals (TraderSync, Tradervue, Edgewonk) are post-trade analytics with no news layer, so you keep a separate news tab or terminal open. SignalDeck's Market News pulls sentiment-tagged headlines for the exact symbol on each trade, inside the journal, and archives the headlines from around your entry time so your post-mortem starts with the context — not just the price action. Live coverage spans stocks, CFD indices, metals and crypto; forex and futures coverage is coming soon. Market News is an Elite plan feature, free for everyone during beta.
SignalDeck is built around R-value as its core organizing principle — every metric, from expectancy to SQN scoring, flows from risk-normalized returns. TraderSync offers R-multiple as one metric among hundreds in a feature-heavy interface. SignalDeck also includes a structured Post Mortem protocol that TraderSync lacks, and is currently free during beta vs TraderSync's $30–$80/month pricing.
SignalDeck offers real-time analytics and a modern web-based UX compared to Edgewonk's desktop-first, spreadsheet-inspired interface. SignalDeck also includes native forex pip math, SQN scoring, and a structured post mortem workflow that Edgewonk does not offer. During beta, SignalDeck is free versus Edgewonk's ~$16.42/month (billed $197/yr).
The main remaining gap versus TraderSync is raw broker breadth — TraderSync covers 900+ platforms while SignalDeck covers the major brokers traders actually use (IBKR, cTrader, SnapTrade aggregator for Robinhood/Schwab/Questrade/Trading 212 and 30+ more, CSV in 8 formats, MT4/MT5). Trade replay is not currently available. The backtesting engine supports stocks and ETFs; forex backtesting support is planned.
Yes. Tradervue has a free tier that supports up to 30 trades per month. For most active traders that limit hits quickly. Important caveat: automatic broker sync (the feature most people want) requires Silver ($29.95/mo) or Gold ($49.95/mo) — it is not available on the free tier. If auto-sync is your goal, factor in at least the Silver plan price rather than the advertised free entry.
They solve different halves of the problem. Myfxbook verifies and publishes a track record of what your MT4/MT5 account already did, reported in pips and percentage gain. SignalDeck applies your prop firm's rules to a live MT5 balance and shows the drawdown headroom you have left before the next entry, normalizes every trade to R so gold, majors and crypto are comparable, and tests whether the edge is statistically real with SQN, Walk-Forward Analysis and Monte Carlo. Plenty of funded traders run both. Full SignalDeck vs Myfxbook comparison →
Yes — SignalDeck supports multi-broker import across five methods: IBKR via Flex Web Service (guided wizard, auto-sync, FIFO reconstruction), cTrader via OAuth (IC Markets, Pepperstone, FP Markets, FxPro, and 250+ cTrader brokers), SnapTrade aggregator (Robinhood, Webull, Schwab, Fidelity, Questrade, Trading 212, and 30+ brokers), CSV in 8 formats (Schwab, TD Ameritrade, Tradovate, NinjaTrader, MetaTrader, and more), and MT4/MT5 via MetaApi (Elite — the only integration with real-time live balance sync for Kelly sizing and prop firm drawdown headroom). All methods except MT4/MT5 are free on all plans. See all supported brokers →