TradingView Bar Replay vs. TradeZella: Which is Most Accurate for Backtesting?

TradingView has become an indispensable tool for traders worldwide, offering a comprehensive charting platform with a wide array of technical analysis tools. One of its popular features is the Bar Replay, which allows users to step through historical price data, simulating market movement. This can be a valuable tool for visualizing and testing trading ideas.

While many traders start with Tradingview's Bar Relay free version, those who are serious about their trading might wonder, "Is the Bar Replay enough for real backtesting?" Especially when you want to put your strategies through their paces.

So, here's the deal: we're going to compare TradingView's mid-tier plan (Plus Plan) with TradeZella's starter plan (Basic Plan), which offers comprehensive backtesting as one of its core functionalities.

Now, you might wonder why these two? It wouldn't be quite right to compare TradingView's Bar Replay, which is a single feature, against a platform solely dedicated to backtesting. Instead, we're looking at two platforms that offer a range of trading tools, with backtesting being a significant component. Plus, they're pretty much in the same ballpark price-wise, so it's a fair fight. We're gonna look at what each one brings to the table, and see which one's gonna be your best bet for backtesting.

We'll examine what each platform brings to the table, focusing on their backtesting capabilities, to help you decide which one best suits your trading needs. We're not here to say one's perfect and the other's not. It's all about finding what clicks with your style, right? Let's dive in and see what's what!

‍

Comparing Tradingview Bar Replay and TradeZella Backtesting

Alright, let's get down to brass tacks. We know both TradingView's Bar Replay and TradeZella offer backtesting tools, but how do they really compare when you dig into the specifics?

TL;DR: here’s a quick summary of what each backtesting platform offers:

‍

‍

How to Use Tradingview Bar Replay & TradeZella Backtesting?

Okay, now, we've seen the features, but what's it really like to use these platforms? Let's ditch the tech talk for a minute and imagine we're sitting down to do some serious backtesting. We're going to walk through the actual experience, seeing how each platform stacks up when it comes to the nitty-gritty of testing our strategies.

We're not just comparing checkmarks on a list. We're talking about how these tools feel in your hands, how easy they are to use, and whether they give you the insights you really need.

Buckle up, and let's dive into the backtesting experience with TradingView and TradeZella!

Replay or Playback

TradingView: Offers a fundamental bar-by-bar playback, allowing users to visually track price movement. TradingView displays each candle at candle close, or bar-by-bar.

‍

TradeZella: Similarly allows you to visually track price movement, but with tick-by-tick data. This means you can observe the formation of each candle in real-time, providing a more granular understanding of price action.

‍

‍

Starting Your Backtesting / Bar Replay:

TradingView:

• How do you initiate a bar replay session on Tradingview? First, you click the Replay button at the top of the chart, and then select a specific point on the chart or choose a date to begin.
• It's important to note that the TradingView Plus Plan has limitations on how far back you can access historical data. Specifically, with the plus plan there is a 6-month limitation.

TradeZella:

• In TradeZella, you begin by creating a dedicated backtesting session.
• This allows you to attach a specific trading strategy to the session, ensuring that you’re adhering to your strategy.
• You then select the desired symbol/s, set a strating balance, and define the start and end times for your backtesting period. Depending on the symbol, you can go as far back as 2014.

Why does the amount of market data matter? Well, for backtesting, having a good chunk of data is really helpful. It lets traders see how their strategies would've handled different market situations. This way, they can get a better idea of how their strategies might perform over time, and make more confident trading decisions.

‍

Integration with TradingView Charts

TradingView: As expected, TradingView's Bar Replay is deeply integrated within its own charting platform. This provides users with a seamless experience, especially for those already familiar with TradingView's interface. A significant advantage here is access to TradingView's vast library of community-created and built-in custom indicators, giving users virtually infinite options for technical tools.

TradeZella: Also leverages TradingView charts, ensuring users work within a familiar and robust charting environment, complete with essential indicators and a growing list of TradeZella-created custom indicators. This means traders don't have to learn a new charting system.

However, TradeZella takes it a step further and enhances this familiar environment with its own set of integrated backtesting tools. These tools are designed to streamline the backtesting workflow, providing features like:

• Quick order execution
• Go-To feature which allows users to quickly skip to their desired session
• Automatic Position Sizing
• Auto-breakeven on order
• Integrated journal that allows you to jot down notes on your session and each individual position, tag trades, and attach playbooks

‍

Executing Trades in Backtesting

TradingView: TradingView's Bar Replay offers a simplified approach to trade execution, allowing you to take market orders at the current chart price. As of writing, there is no option to take a limit order on TradingView. Closing positions is done with a single "Flatten" button.

TradeZella: Provides a more comprehensive and realistic trade execution environment. Users can place a variety of order types, including market, limit, and stop orders. Additionally, automatic position sizing based on defined risk allows for more accurate simulation of real-world trading scenarios.

While Tradingview’s simplicity might suit those focused on basic visual analysis, it can feel restrictive for traders aiming for more detailed strategy testing. For traders looking for a backtesting experience that’s closer to live trading, TradeZella allows for a more robust and accurate workflow.

‍

Backtesting Trade Statistics & Analytics

TradingView: Provides a straightforward overview of backtesting results through its Replay Trading panel. You'll see summaries, performance details, and a list of your trades. You can download some of that info if you want to dig deeper. And after each session, you get a little pop-up with your overall results. This provides a basic, post-session look at trade performance.

TradeZella: Provides an integrated tracking and journaling system, offering a more comprehensive backtesting analysis. You get a dashboard with all your key stats, a list of every trade, and places to jot down notes for each trade and session. Plus, it has tools that help you really dig into your strategy and see what's working. This gives you a much clearer picture of your trading.

If you're primarily interested in a quick, visual review of your trades, TradingView's Bar Replay could be a good fit. However, for those who prefer to track and analyze their trading in more detail, you'll need to set up a separate tracking system, perhaps with a notebook or spreadsheet.

TradeZella, on the other hand, offers integrated tracking and journaling, which can streamline the process and keep everything conveniently in one place. This can make keeping tabs on your trades and analyzing your performance more efficient.

‍

Summary

So, we've taken a peek at TradingView's Plus Plan and TradeZella's Basic Plan, both playing in the same price ballpark. Looking at the chart, you'll see they share many core features: multichart, the ability to drag SL/TP, jump to a specific candle, and more.

TradingView offers a straightforward visual replay of market movements, providing a quick overview. It's great if you just want to see how price moved. Sometimes, all you need is a quick glance, right? TradingView excels with its vast library of indicators and a user-friendly interface.

TradeZella, on the other hand, presents a more comprehensive backtesting environment. It offers tick-by-tick data, structured backtesting sessions, and in-depth analysis tools like performance analytics and journaling. Its integrated journaling eliminates manual record-keeping—something that you may have to do should you decide on TradingView's Bar Replay.

So, trader, what do you say? Who's it going to be?

Ultimately, the choice depends on your trading needs. For traders seeking a more rigorous and detailed analysis of their strategies, TradeZella offers a more comprehensive solution. If a quick visual review of price action is sufficient, TradingView's Bar Replay may be enough.

The decision rests on whether you require a surface-level overview or a deeper, more analytical approach to backtesting.

Just remember, whatever you choose, focus on the real goal of backtesting: to prove the viability of your strategy and learn it inside out, building the confidence and experience necessary for successful trading.

‍