MultiCharts
multicharts.com
Windows platform for charting, coding, backtesting, optimizing and automating strategies in EasyLanguage, C# or Python, with a free simulator edition.
What it is
MultiCharts is a desktop trading platform for people who build their own indicators and strategies. It comes in two flavours with the same core: MultiCharts, which uses PowerLanguage (compatible with TradeStation's EasyLanguage) and suits non-programmers, and MultiCharts x .NET for C# and VB.NET, with Python support in beta. Both include charting, a market scanner, depth-of-market trading, volume profile, backtesting, optimization and automated order execution through a range of supported brokers and data feeds.
The Free license is genuinely useful for development: you get the trading simulator with sample historical data for popular futures, crypto, stocks, indices and forex, plus strategy development, backtesting and exhaustive and genetic optimization. What it lacks is real-time data, live broker connections and multiple desktops. Standard unlocks all supported brokers and data feeds, live manual and algorithmic trading, the real-time scanner, Time and Sales, and alerts to Slack and Telegram. Advanced adds Portfolio Trader, walk-forward and matrix optimization, a scheduled historical data downloader and faster automated execution.
Paid licenses are sold as subscriptions (monthly, or billed annually) or as a one-time lifetime license. A 30-day free trial covers the full feature set, and the purchase page states that all sales are final with no refunds, so use the trial properly. MultiCharts' own market data costs $49 a month on top, unless you bring data from a connected broker or feed. It is a Windows application with no mobile version; Mac users need virtualization software.
Key features
- Two coding routes
- PowerLanguage/EasyLanguage in MultiCharts, or C# and VB.NET (Python in beta) in MultiCharts x .NET; switching editions later costs a one-time $200.
- Backtesting and optimization
- Tick-level backtesting with exhaustive and genetic optimization on every license; walk-forward and matrix optimization on Advanced.
- Portfolio Trader
- Backtest, optimize and trade a strategy across a portfolio of instruments at once (Advanced only).
- Market scanner
- Scans a universe of symbols at a set frequency while monitoring hundreds in real time; simulation-only on the Free license.
- Automated trading
- Sends strategy orders to supported brokers, with drag-and-drop entry and exit strategies and an order and position tracker across brokers.
- Data replay simulator
- Replays historical data synchronised across charts, quote windows and DOM to practise as if it were live.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Simulator with sample data, charting, backtesting, exhaustive and genetic optimization; no real-time data or live trading |
| Lifetime license | $1,497 | One-time payment for MultiCharts or MultiCharts x .NET; no installments |
Standard and Advanced are also sold as monthly or annually billed subscriptions, but their prices are loaded dynamically and could not be read from the purchase page. MultiCharts market data is $49 a month extra. A 30-day free trial covers all features; all sales are final with no refunds. A Backtesting Edition license is available for a second PC, and a PRO package with Bloomberg is priced on request.
Free option: A free license with the trading simulator, sample historical data, charting, strategy coding, backtesting and optimization. No real-time data, live broker connections or multiple desktops. Separately, a 30-day trial of the full paid features.
Checked September 25, 2026 on multicharts.com. Prices change; confirm on the provider's site before you subscribe.
Strengths
- Runs EasyLanguage-style code, so TradeStation strategies can often be carried over
- Choice of PowerLanguage or C#/VB.NET, with Python in beta
- A free license that covers backtesting and optimization, not just charting
- Connects to multiple brokers and data feeds instead of locking you to one
- A lifetime license option for traders who prefer not to subscribe
Limitations
- Windows only; no Mac version and no mobile app
- No refunds; all sales are final after the 30-day trial
- Portfolio Trader and walk-forward optimization need the Advanced license
- Market data is extra ($49 a month from MultiCharts) unless supplied by your broker or feed
- One license runs on one computer at a time
Good fit for
- System traders who code and backtest their own strategies
- TradeStation users who want EasyLanguage on a broker-neutral platform
- Futures and forex traders who automate execution
- C# developers who want a charting front end for their strategies
Look elsewhere if
- Traders on Mac or mobile
- Discretionary chartists who never code (a browser charting tool is simpler)
- Options traders who need chain and Greeks analytics
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MultiCharts questions
Is MultiCharts free?
There is a free license with the simulator, sample data, charting, backtesting and optimization. Real-time data and live trading need a paid Standard or Advanced license.
How much is a MultiCharts lifetime license?
MultiCharts' comparison page lists $1,497 for a lifetime license of either MultiCharts or MultiCharts x .NET, paid in one payment.
Does MultiCharts work on Mac?
Not natively. It is a Windows application; MultiCharts says Mac users can run it through virtualization software such as Parallels or VMware.
What is the difference between MultiCharts and MultiCharts .NET?
They share the same core features. MultiCharts uses PowerLanguage/EasyLanguage; MultiCharts x .NET uses C# and VB.NET and is aimed at programmers.
Can I get a refund on MultiCharts?
No. MultiCharts states that all sales are final and offers a 30-day free trial instead.
Written from MultiCharts's own website and documentation. All Trading Tools lists and compares tools; it does not recommend trades or give financial advice. Sources: multicharts.com, multicharts.com/purchase, multicharts.com/compare, multicharts.com/download, multicharts.com/support.