What is Trade Ideas?
Trade Ideas is stock market software that scans US equities in real time and flags possible trades as they form. It pairs scanners, charts and alerts with an AI assistant called Holly, and adds a backtester, a simulator and broker links for order routing.
The workflow centres on alert windows. You choose or build scans, and matching stocks stream into lists during the session. On Premium, Holly adds its own setups with entry and exit levels, chosen from strategies it retests after each market close. Reviews say the company has operated since 2003, and its homepage reports that subscribers completed 63 million share trades in one June. The company also says it appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of fast-growing firms four years running, from 2017 to 2020.
Pricing and sign-up pages loaded normally in early October 2026. The homepage highlights individual winning trades with gains of up to 297%, which are selected examples rather than typical results, and the pricing page warns that there is no chance of profit without the risk of loss. This review rates the software only and is not investment advice; trading carries real risk of loss, and no scanner or AI signal removes it.
Key Features
Holly and the OddsMaker backtester carry most of the value, because one suggests setups and the other shows whether a scan has worked before.
- Real-time scanners: Streaming alert windows flag stocks that match your filters as price, volume and patterns change. Reviews report coverage of more than 8,000 US-listed stocks, with dozens of ready-made scan types for momentum, gaps and unusual volume.
- Holly AI: Holly is the AI assistant that posts buy or sell setups with entry, stop and exit levels during the session. Reviews describe three variants, Holly Grail, Holly 2.0 and Holly Neo, each using a different approach to strategy selection.
- Money Machine: Money Machine is a Premium view that narrows the market to the three strongest momentum trades, according to the official homepage. It suits traders who want a short list instead of watching dozens of alert windows at once.
- OddsMaker backtesting: OddsMaker tests any scan you build against historical data without writing code. It reports win rates, average gains and similar statistics, so you can see whether an idea has held up before risking money on it.
- Simulated trading: Paper trading runs on live market data, so practice orders fill against current quotes rather than a replay. Subscribers can rehearse a new strategy for weeks before committing any real capital to it.
- Brokerage Plus: Brokerage Plus sends orders from the desktop app to a linked broker, including automated entries based on Holly or your own alerts. It is a Premium feature, and reviews note that the web version does not offer it.
Pros
Live scanning breadth justifies the subscription for active traders, since few retail tools combine real-time alerts, AI setups and code-free backtesting in one place.
- Real-time speed: Scans refresh as the market moves, which matters for intraday momentum work. Day traders can catch gaps and volume spikes within seconds instead of rerunning a static screener between trades.
- Filter depth: The filter and alert library goes far beyond most free screeners. Experienced users can combine price, volume, volatility and pattern conditions into narrow scans that match a personal trading plan.
- Two-stage testing: Premium lets you test an idea twice before using real money. You can check a scan on history with OddsMaker, then follow it on live data with paper trades in the simulator.
- Live trading room: A live trading room shows staff and members using the scans during market hours. Newcomers see how experienced traders read the alert windows, which shortens the early learning period.
- Broker choice: The homepage names TradeStation, Interactive Brokers, E*TRADE, Alpaca, CenterPoint Securities and Cobra Trading among its partners. Most traders can therefore keep their existing broker rather than moving an account.
Cons
Cost hurts most, with Premium at $2,268 a year and all sales final once you have paid.
- High price: Premium costs $2,268 a year on annual billing, and reviews quote around $228 or more on monthly billing. Casual traders may struggle to earn that back, so the free account is the sensible first step.
- Steep learning curve: The desktop layout is dense, with many windows, settings and colour codes to learn. Reviewers commonly say it takes several weeks of regular use before the scans and Holly signals feel natural.
- No refunds: The official pricing page has stated that all sales are final, offering store credit or exchanges instead. A mistaken annual purchase cannot be reversed, which raises the cost of choosing the wrong plan.
- US stocks only: Coverage is limited to US-listed equities, with no forex, crypto or international markets reported. Traders who work across asset classes will need a second platform alongside it.
- Simulated statistics: Published Holly figures are simulated and assume fills at the signal price. Reviews warn that slippage in fast markets can cut real results noticeably, so treat any figures as a guide rather than a forecast.
Who is Using Trade Ideas?
Active US stock traders form the core audience, especially people who trade during market hours and want alerts delivered as setups appear.
- Day traders: Intraday traders run momentum and gap scans from the opening bell. They use Holly setups and Money Machine shortlists to decide which few stocks deserve attention each morning.
- Swing traders: Traders holding positions for several days build custom scans for breakouts and pullbacks. Alerts tell them when a watched stock reaches a level, so they need not stare at charts.
- Strategy builders: Systematic traders design rules and test them with OddsMaker before committing money. Brokerage Plus then lets some of them automate entries through a linked broker account.
- Trading educators: Coaches and mentors use the scans and live trading room to illustrate setups for students. The simulator gives learners a place to practise those lessons without financial risk.
Pricing
Trade Ideas is freemium, with paid plans billed yearly (official prices, October 2026).
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free account | $0 | Basic dashboards and scans |
| Standard | $1,068 a year | Trading room, simulator, streaming ideas, price alerts, 10 charts |
| Premium | $2,268 a year | Adds Holly AI, entry and exit signals, risk assessment, backtesting, 20 charts, Brokerage Plus |
| TI Strength Alerts | $17 a month | Separate alert newsletter |
The pricing page equates the annual plans to about $89 and $189 a month and describes Premium as costing under $8 a day. Reviews quote monthly billing of $118 to $127 for Standard and $228 to $254 for Premium, and the free account runs on 15-minute delayed data.
Disclaimer: Trading can lose you capital, and past signals or backtests do not guarantee future results, so confirm plan terms on the official site before paying.
What Makes Trade Ideas Unique?
Overnight retesting is the core difference: Holly reruns its strategy library after each close, reportedly around 70 strategies, and keeps only recent performers for the next session. Most screeners simply wait for your rules, so the shortlist here shifts with market conditions without any extra work from you.
Visual tools add to that. Stock Races presents momentum as a race between tickers, and TI Wave gives timed signals through visual cues, according to the homepage, which also lists picture-in-picture charts and a formula editor. Strategies that tested well can still fail in live markets, so treat every suggestion as a starting point for your own judgement.
Compatibilities and Integrations
Broker reach is wide, with more than 20 partner platforms listed, but the complete feature set still depends on the Windows desktop app.
- Platforms: The full Windows desktop app carries every feature, while a browser version works on Mac and other systems. Reviews mention Mac users running the desktop app through Parallels or a cloud machine, and no mobile app is reported.
- Brokers: TradeStation, Interactive Brokers, E*TRADE, Alpaca, CenterPoint Securities and Cobra Trading appear on the homepage, alongside more than 20 other partner platforms, and Futurepedia also reports TradeZero.
- Web limits: Brokerage Plus order automation is absent from the web version, so automated trading requires Windows.
- Data: Paid plans stream real-time US market data, while the free account uses quotes delayed by 15 minutes, according to the homepage.
Trade Ideas Tutorials
Paper trading for two or three weeks is the safest start, so these first steps keep real money out of the picture.
- Open a free account and explore the default scans on delayed data.
- Watch the live trading room for a few sessions to see how alert windows are read.
- Pick Standard or Premium only once you know which features you need.
- Build one simple scan and test it with OddsMaker if you are on Premium.
- Paper trade Holly ideas or your own scan in the simulator for several weeks.
- Review the results, including missed fills, before deciding whether to trade live.
How We Rated It
Trade Ideas scores 3.8 out of 5 because strong scanning and AI features are offset by high cost, a dense interface and limited platform reach.
| Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy and Reliability | 3.6/5 | Signals vary, no guarantees |
| Ease of Use | 2.9/5 | Dense, dated desktop interface |
| Functionality and Features | 4.6/5 | Scanners, Holly, backtesting, simulator |
| Performance and Speed | 4.2/5 | Fast real-time streaming scans |
| Customization and Flexibility | 4.4/5 | Hundreds of filters and alerts |
| Data Privacy and Security | 3.7/5 | Standard practice, little published detail |
| Support and Resources | 4.0/5 | Live room and training videos |
| Cost-Efficiency | 2.8/5 | Costly, all sales final |
| Integration Capabilities | 3.6/5 | Few brokers, desktop only |
| Overall Score | 3.8/5 | Average of the nine criteria |
Summary
Trade Ideas suits experienced US stock traders who want fast scans, AI-tested setups and code-free backtesting in one package. Day traders gain the most, since the alert windows and Money Machine are built for the opening hours. Its main limitation is price, made harder by the no-refund policy and a learning curve measured in weeks. Beginners may find cheaper charting tools enough while they learn. Use the free account and the simulator first, and only consider an annual plan once your paper results hold up.
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