Trade Ideas Review · 2026

Trade Ideas Review 2026: Is It Worth It?

Trade Ideas covers US stocks and also monitors unusual options activity. It is worth buying if you trade US stocks and will put in the time to learn it.

Free account, just an email. No card. Live access for a limited time.

Named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies six years in a row (2017–2022).

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Investopedia: Best Short Term Stock Screener, 2024

Holly AI signals firing live in the Channel Bar.

The verdict

Is Trade Ideas worth it?

It depends on how you trade. If you trade US stocks, can act while the market is open and will test a setup before you put money on it, Trade Ideas is very likely worth it.

  • Streaming Alerts (Scanner) and Holly AI Signals fire during the session, as setups happen
  • OddsMaker tests a setup before you risk money (Premium)
  • Not a fit for crypto, forex, futures, or static data that doesn't refresh
Read more

It's for traders and investors who want to see setups across the whole market as they happen, test them before risking money, and act on them in the same place.

Keep in mind

Holly AI Signals fire during the trading day, when stocks have normal intraday movement. You choose whether to exit that day or stay in based on your risk, so a signal can become a long-term position. It is not worth it if you mainly trade crypto, forex or futures, want a ready-made pick list you never have to learn, or are fine working from static data that doesn't refresh.

Trade Ideas is continuous and real-time. Trade Ideas works in four steps: it finds events across the market as they happen, OddsMaker tests them, Holly turns them into signals and Brokerage Plus places the trades. TI Standard covers the real-time events, charts and trading. TI Premium adds Holly AI Signals, OddsMaker and Money Machine. If you won't use those two, buy Standard or skip Trade Ideas.

It depends on how you trade. Ask yourself four questions:

  1. Can you act while the market is open? Streaming Alerts (Scanner) and Holly AI Signals fire during the session, as setups happen. After the entry, whether you exit that day or hold the position is your call.
  2. Do you trade US stocks or options? Trade Ideas covers US stocks. For options, it monitors unusual options activity, with a dedicated channel in TI Pro and the Web Dashboard.
  3. Will you test before you trade? OddsMaker is where most of the edge-finding happens, and it takes setup time.
  4. Is the subscription small relative to the account you trade? If it isn't, start with a lower tier, the free account, or a cheaper tool.
Key point

Four yeses: Trade Ideas is very likely worth it, and Premium is the plan that includes Holly, OddsMaker and Money Machine. One or more noes: read who it is not for first.

Trade Ideas Pro on the desktop.
Trade Ideas Pro on the desktop.

Pricing

How much does Trade Ideas cost?

Two plans, billed monthly or yearly. These are the prices on the live pricing page, checked October 2026, and annual billing saves a good chunk.

  • TI Standard: $127/month or $1,068/year
  • TI Premium: $254/month or $2,136/year
  • Monthly billing, cancel anytime
Read more

Prices from the live pricing page, checked October 2026:

Plan Monthly billing Annual billing What it adds
TI Standard $127/month, cancel anytime $1,068/year (equal to $89/month; the pricing page says this saves $456/year) Real-time data, Streaming Alerts and Top Lists (Screeners) you can customize (308 alerts and 249 filters), 10 charts on screen, custom layouts, multi-strategy windows, unlimited watchlists, TI Wave, price alerts, real-time paper trading, in-app trading, AI Assistant
TI Premium $254/month, cancel anytime $2,136/year (equal to $178/month; the pricing page says this saves $912/year) Everything in Standard, plus Holly AI Signals, OddsMaker backtesting and Money Machine (listed as Auto Trading), along with Smart Risk Levels and RBI/GBI windows

Older reviews quote Trade Ideas at $118 and $228 a month. Those figures are out of date, so check the pricing page.

Limits

What Trade Ideas does not do

This is the part most review pages skip. Trade Ideas has real depth, it is not cheap, and it sticks to US stocks plus unusual options activity.

  • Building and testing your own scans takes hours, not minutes
  • The full TI Pro app runs on Windows; Mac users get the web Dashboard
  • OddsMaker uses one-minute bars and recent regular sessions only
Read more
  • TI Pro has a lot of depth. You don't need to configure anything to start. The Channel Bar's ready-made channels come with every plan. Building and testing your own windows takes hours, not minutes, and that is where the extra power is.
  • It is not cheap. See the plan table above. If you trade a small account, the subscription is a real cost, and you should weigh it before buying.
  • The full desktop app runs on Windows. TI Pro is built for Windows. Mac users can open the browser-based web Dashboard with no download (Top Lists (Screeners), Races, TreeMaps, Market Pulse, an Unusual Options Activity channel, charting with Picture in Picture, and stock details and news), or run TI Pro through Parallels Desktop or a cloud Windows machine.
  • It covers US stocks and also monitors unusual options activity. If you mainly trade crypto, forex, futures or international markets, look elsewhere.
  • It is not a research or fundamentals tool. You can filter on things like float and market cap, but there are no analyst reports, Congress-trade or 13F tracking, or valuation models.
  • OddsMaker has known limits. Per the User Guide, it uses one-minute bars, not ticks. It does not account for the bid-ask spread. It covers recent regular-session days only, never the current day and never pre-market or after-hours. Use it to find an edge, and size trades knowing it is a simulation.
  • Past results, including backtests, don't guarantee future results.

Who it fits

Who is Trade Ideas for, and who is it not for?

Trade Ideas is built for day traders and investors in US stocks who want market-wide setups as they happen, and for beginners who want ready-made channels from day one.

  • Day traders: take the entry, manage it with Smart Risk Levels, exit the same session
  • Investors: take the same Holly entry and hold while the risk fits
  • Not for daily pick lists, or for crypto, forex and futures
Read more

Is Trade Ideas for day traders or long-term investors?

Both. Holly AI Signals and Streaming Alerts fire during the trading day, when stocks have normal intraday movement, and the same signal serves either style.

  • Day traders take the entry, manage it with Smart Risk Levels and the exit levels, and close out in the same session. OddsMaker shows which alerts, holding times and times of day have held up before you risk money.
  • Investors take the same entry and hold the position as long as the risk still fits. Holly AI Signals are designed to find stocks with large long-term upside, and the Holly signals highlighted on the Trade Ideas homepage are examples that became large long-term winners.
Key point

How long you hold is your risk choice, not a limit of the software. Getting in when the signal fires, instead of after the move shows up on a daily chart, matters for both.

Trade Ideas is for:

  • Beginners who want the premium experience, with ready-made channels on the Channel Bar in every plan, the free Trading Room with Barrie Einarson and the AI Assistant (see Trade Ideas for beginners)
  • Day traders in US stocks who want market-wide setups as they happen, test results from OddsMaker, and an exit in the same session
  • Investors in US stocks who want to get into Holly AI Signals' potential long-term winners at the moment they fire, and hold them as long as the risk fits
  • Traders who want to build and test their own scans, not just follow a list
  • Traders who watch unusual options activity alongside stock setups
  • Traders who want Holly AI Signals and backtesting in the same workflow as their charts and broker
  • Traders on Windows, or on a Mac who are happy with the no-download web Dashboard or with running TI Pro in Parallels

Trade Ideas is not for:

  • Anyone who only wants a short daily pick list with levels. A low-cost daily-signal tool will suit you better (see our guide to Trade Ideas alternatives)
  • If you are okay with static non-refreshing data, Trade Ideas is probably not your best choice.
  • Traders whose main market is crypto, forex or futures
  • Anyone who wants to be told what to buy without learning the tool
  • Anyone for whom the subscription would be a large share of their trading account
Key point

Comparing Trade Ideas with a specific tool? See all Trade Ideas comparisons.

Web Dashboard replay, narrated by Daniel Mirkin · press play for sound

Free account

Can I try Trade Ideas for free?

Yes. Open a free account with just an email, no card, and try the web dashboards on live data for a limited time before you pay.

  • Just an email, no card
  • Try the web dashboards on live market data
  • Holly AI Signals, OddsMaker and TI Pro need a paid plan
Read more
Trader tip

Yes. Open a free account with just an email, no card. Access is time-limited. As of October 2026, the pricing page shows paid plans only. You open the free account from the Free Account link (also in the Free Trade Ideas menu) at /AccountManagement/FreeAccountSignup.html. It lets you try the Trade Ideas web dashboards, so you can see how the market data and scanning work before you pay. It is not a free version of TI Standard or TI Premium. Holly AI Signals, OddsMaker backtesting and the full TI Pro desktop app require a paid plan.

Strengths

What Trade Ideas does well

Trade Ideas watches the whole US market as trades print, tells you the moment a setup happens, and lets you test it and trade it without leaving the window.

  • 308 alerts and 249 filters, plus the Formula Editor for your own
  • Holly AI Signals with entry and exit levels (Premium)
  • Connects to E*Trade, Interactive Brokers, TradeStation and Alpaca for live and simulated trades
Read more

Streaming Alerts across the whole market

An alert is an event that just happened, like a new high on a given timeframe, a jump in relative volume adjusted for time of day, or a cross of an opening range. A filter is a condition a stock must already meet, like price, float, volume or distance from the open.

Key point

You combine events with filters, and Trade Ideas pushes every match to your window as it fires, across the market, all session. The Top List (Screener) uses the same filters to rank which stocks qualify right now. Under both is Trade Ideas’ real-time data engine: tick-level state for thousands of symbols, not a chart refreshed on bar close.

There are 308 alerts and 249 filters, and the Formula Editor lets you build your own.

Unusual options activity

Trader tip

It has a dedicated channel for this in TI Pro and the Web Dashboard. You can see where options traders are putting money right next to the stock alerts you already run.

Holly AI Signals

Trader tip

Holly AI Signals come from a bank of strategies that is backtested and reselected every day, so the strategies trading on a given day are the ones that held up in recent conditions. Signals fire during the trading day with entry and exit levels. You decide whether to exit during the day or hold the position based on your risk. The Holly signals highlighted on the Trade Ideas homepage are examples that became large long-term winners. The AI Assistant takes plain English, like "stocks up from the open on heavy relative volume", and builds a live Alert or Top List window on the same real-time data. Holly AI Signals are part of TI Premium.

Backtesting with OddsMaker

Trader tip

OddsMaker is event-based. Right-click an Alert window and run Backtest Strategy. It replays every time that alert fired over recent regular sessions, with your entry window, timed exit and stops. Then it breaks the results down by time of day, price, symbol and every Trade Ideas filter as it stood at each alert. You keep the slice that held up, add it to the scan, and run the test again. You can also flip an alert from long to short and test both sides.

Entry and exit signals, then execution

Key point

Holly AI Signals give entry and exit, and Smart Risk Levels on charts (Premium) show where the risk sits. When you're ready to trade, TI Standard includes in-app trading and real-time paper trading. Brokerage Plus connects your broker accounts, or TI simulated trading, inside Trade Ideas, and TI Premium adds Auto Trading. Trade Ideas connects to E*Trade, Interactive Brokers, TradeStation and Alpaca for live and simulated trades. Supported brokers are on the brokers page.

Learning and support

Key point

Trade Ideas runs a Trading Room, a Learning Center and a full User Guide. Many of the testimonials below mention the support team by name.

Real Streaming Alerts: 30-minute highs and lows.
TI Pro desktop layout with Channel Bar, stock race, Top List, chart and news
One screen, several windows, all on the same live data.
Trade Ideas Stock Race ranking ten AI buy signal stocks by change from the open
The bars grow as each stock gains from the open.

Proof

What customers say

Traders write in about the scans, the backtests and the support team. Trade Ideas has been in business for 24 years and made the Inc. 5000 six years in a row.

  • Inc. 5000 six years in a row (2017–2022)
  • Support team called out by name in customer notes
  • Software 100% made in the USA by our own team
Read more
  • "I would've never learned if I didn't have the scans showing the range setups each day. Appreciate what you and your software do 100%." — Taylor, 07/2024

  • "I LOVE the fact I can program my own alerts and greatly appreciate everyone's help at TI. I have a very specific strategy I go by so building scans focused around this has been huge time saver. The fact I can backtest scans along the way helps with conviction." — Bullish_bob, 04/2023

  • "It's quick on the draw, scanning the market in real-time and tossing alerts my way when it sniffs out potential trades." — teddbe

  • "Stocks that I may not even know exists could be presented as a possible trade that w/o TI I would miss out." — Ricky G.

  • "I just want to say thank you for everything you guys do at Trade Ideas. Your software is helping me tremendously as a beginner in the stock market." — Fausto M., 09/2022

  • "TI support is seriously some of the best software support I have ever encountered. I may have said this before but it bears repeating." — Mark

  • "I can't say enough good things about your service. Stefanie provided a timely, thorough, and easy to understand response to my question. Your team is awesome - thank you!" — Mike

  • "Been with TI for 3+ years - Awesome team and great service. Continuing my subscription for year another year !!!" — Stocktrade, 12/2022

Key point

Are you a Trade Ideas customer? Share your testimonial.

Traders on X

“Absolute legend for the NBIS position alone.”
@Spiralout_one, Oct 12, 2026 on X
“I manage my own 401K with Trade Ideas software.”
Dan Mirkin, CEO · @TradeIdeas, Oct 9, 2026 on X

Outside recognition

  • Inc. 5000: Named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies six years in a row (2017–2022).
  • StockBrokers.com: Trade Ideas review.

Next step

Key point

Start with the plan that matches how you trade. Choose TI Standard for real-time Streaming Alerts, charts and trading, or TI Premium to add Holly AI Signals, OddsMaker and Money Machine. If you're not ready to pay, open a free account and try the web dashboards first.

Keep in mind

Trade Ideas publishes this review of its own product, and we've tried to say plainly what it does not do. Prices were checked on the publish date and can change; the pricing page is current. Trading involves risk. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a promise of results.

Quick answers

Trade Ideas review: quick answers

Straight answers to what traders ask most, from cost and Mac support to whether Trade Ideas is legit and whether Holly works.

Is Trade Ideas worth it?

Trade Ideas covers US stocks and also monitors unusual options activity. It is worth it if you trade US stocks or watch options activity and will use real-time Streaming Alerts, Holly AI Signals and OddsMaker testing. Holly AI Signals fire during the trading day, when stocks have normal intraday movement. You choose whether to exit that day or stay in based on your risk, so a signal can become a long-term position. It is not worth it if your main market is crypto, forex or futures, if you want a pick list you never have to learn, or if you are fine with static data that does not refresh.

How much does Trade Ideas cost?

Full breakdown: how much Trade Ideas costs. As of October 2026: TI Standard is $127/month or $1,068/year, and TI Premium is $254/month or $2,136/year. Premium adds Holly AI Signals, OddsMaker backtesting and Money Machine auto trading. See https://www.trade-ideas.com/pricing/ for current prices.

Can I try Trade Ideas for free?

Yes. Open a free account with just an email, no card. Access is time-limited. Holly AI Signals, OddsMaker and the full TI Pro desktop app require a paid plan.

Is Trade Ideas legit?

Yes. Trade Ideas has been in business for 24 years and is one of the few companies to make the Inc. 5000 six years in a row. Our software is 100% made in the USA by our own in-house US development team.

Does Trade Ideas work on Mac?

Yes. The Web Dashboard runs in any browser, Mac included. TI Pro, the full desktop app, runs on Windows and on a Mac through Parallels. See what each one has in Web Dashboard vs TI Pro.

Why does Holly allow up to 3% risk?

Surfer riding inside a big breaking waveHolly allows up to about 3% risk because big movers swing hard, and a tight stop gets shaken out before the move happens. You have to give a trade room to get the reward. Think of big-wave surfing in Hawaii. Some waves are so big and fast that nobody can paddle into them. Surfers get towed in behind a jet ski, or they don't ride them at all. Holly is your jet ski. It gets you into the big movers with a set plan for the risk.

Does Holly AI work?

Holly works by finding big movers and managing risk on every trade, not by being right on every signal. No system can do that. Each signal comes with a stop, usually set about 3% from entry. Gaps can make a loss bigger. If a stock stops out and then turns back up (or down, for a short), Holly can give a re-entry point. What Holly looks for is the big movers. Holly AI Signals are part of TI Premium, and you can try them in a SIM account first. Past results don't guarantee future results.

How fast is Trade Ideas?

Streaming Alerts fire on every qualifying trade, and Top Lists (Screeners) update every 15 seconds. The TI Pro toolbar shows a live latency reading: the round trip from your computer to our servers. It varies with your connection and location, and you can check it on screen. More on how fast Trade Ideas is.

Does Trade Ideas track options activity?

Yes. Trade Ideas monitors unusual options activity across all stocks and has a dedicated channel for it in TI Pro and the Web Dashboard, built on the Unusual Options Volume % filter.

Is Trade Ideas for day traders or long-term investors?

Both. Holly AI Signals and Streaming Alerts fire during the trading day, when stocks have normal intraday movement, and the same signal serves either style. Day traders take the entry, manage it with Smart Risk Levels and the exit levels, and close out in the same session. Investors take the same entry and hold the position when the risk still fits, because Holly AI Signals are designed to find stocks with large long-term upside. How long you hold is your risk choice, not a limit of the software.

Who is Trade Ideas for, and who is it not for?

Trade Ideas is for two kinds of people in US stocks. Day traders who want market-wide setups as they happen, test results from OddsMaker, and an exit in the same session. Investors who want to get into Holly AI Signals' potential long-term winners at the moment they fire and hold them as long as the risk fits.

It also suits beginners who want the premium experience, with ready-made channels in every plan and the free Trading Room. It also suits traders who watch unusual options activity, which Trade Ideas tracks across all stocks in a dedicated channel. It is not for traders who only want a daily pick list, or traders whose main market is crypto, forex or futures.

If you are okay with static non-refreshing data, Trade Ideas is probably not your best choice.

Is Trade Ideas good for beginners?

Yes, for beginners who want the premium experience. There is no need to configure anything. Think of the Channel Bar like Netflix for stocks: click a themed channel and you're watching live Streaming Alerts and Top Lists for that style right away, with zero setup. The Channel Bar and AI Assistant are included in TI Pro on every Trade Ideas plan.

Its ready-made channels are built around themes, such as big momentum movers or S&P 500 stocks moving up fast. Stock Races show stocks racing each other in real time. The free Trade Ideas Trading Room is led by Barrie Einarson, with a whole community of traders. You can practice with paper trading before you risk money.

When you are ready, 308 alerts and 249 filters, OddsMaker, Money Machine and Holly AI Signals give you room to grow. See our guide for beginners.

Is there a free Trade Ideas account?

Yes. The free account takes just an email, no card, and gives live access for a limited time.

Does Trade Ideas scan options or crypto?

Trade Ideas scans US stocks, including premarket and after-hours, and has an unusual options activity scanner. It has no crypto or futures scanner.

Where does Trade Ideas get its data?

Real-time data from every US exchange, plus all off-exchange trades and the NBBO. It is not a Nasdaq Basic feed.

Results are not typical. Trading involves risk; most day traders lose money. Past and simulated results don’t guarantee future results.

Ready when the next move starts.

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