VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Monday, October 13, 2025

Head-to-head

AmiBroker vs MarketWatch comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

AmiBroker adds Quant, Backtesting, Monte Carlo, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Correlation, APIs & SDKs, and Auto-Trading & Bots coverage that MarketWatch skips.

MarketWatch includes News, Alerts, Calendar, Watchlist, Paper Trading, Financials, Options, ETF Overview, ETF Holdings, Analyst Price Targets, Insider Data, Short Interest, Interest Rates, Yield Curves, IPO, and Newsletters categories that AmiBroker omits.

AmiBroker highlights: Portfolio‑level backtesting with dynamic position sizing and bar‑by‑bar ranking/PositionScore., Walk‑forward testing integrated with optimization; in/out‑of‑sample stats., and Monte Carlo simulation (custom metrics can drive optimization/WF objective)..

MarketWatch is known for: Market data hub with stock and market screeners, mutual fund research, fund comparison, and multi-quote lookup tools., Personal watchlists available free with an account; syncs across web and mobile apps with customizable price and news alerts., and Comprehensive event calendars, including U.S. economic releases, corporate earnings, IPO schedules, and options-expiration dates..

MarketWatch keeps a free entry point that AmiBroker lacks.

MarketWatch offers mobile access, which AmiBroker skips.

AmiBroker logo

AmiBroker

amibroker.com

Windows desktop platform for technical/system research with a fast AFL scripting language, portfolio‑level backtester, walk‑forward testing, Monte Carlo, and extensive optimization. Real‑time capability and instrument coverage depend on the data plug‑ins you use (e.g., IQFeed, eSignal, Interactive Brokers, Norgate Data). Auto‑trading to IB is available via the official interface. Licenses are perpetual with 24 months of updates.

Platforms

Desktop

Pricing

One-time

Quick highlights

  • Portfolio‑level backtesting with dynamic position sizing and bar‑by‑bar ranking/PositionScore.
  • Walk‑forward testing integrated with optimization; in/out‑of‑sample stats.
  • Monte Carlo simulation (custom metrics can drive optimization/WF objective).
  • Very fast multi‑threaded optimization with 3D optimization surface visualization.
  • Exploration/Scanner to build custom screeners and reports via AFL.

Community votes (overall)

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MarketWatch logo

MarketWatch

marketwatch.com

Hands-on review

A global financial-news portal from Dow Jones that combines market data, news, analysis, and investor tools. Real-time Nasdaq last-sale quotes are included, while most other intraday prices run on a standard 15-minute delay. Premium newsletters and in-depth articles are gated behind a subscription. Mobile apps extend the experience with push alerts and watchlist syncing.

Platforms

Web
Mobile

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • Market data hub with stock and market screeners, mutual fund research, fund comparison, and multi-quote lookup tools.
  • Personal watchlists available free with an account; syncs across web and mobile apps with customizable price and news alerts.
  • Comprehensive event calendars, including U.S. economic releases, corporate earnings, IPO schedules, and options-expiration dates.
  • BigCharts advanced charting platform with multiple timeframes (intraday to monthly) and technical overlays; intraday data typically delayed 15 minutes.
  • Options coverage with full chains per symbol and an expiration calendar.

Community votes (overall)

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

2 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Data Visualizations, and Screeners.

Where they differ

AmiBroker

Distinct strengths include:

  • Portfolio‑level backtesting with dynamic position sizing and bar‑by‑bar ranking/PositionScore.
  • Walk‑forward testing integrated with optimization; in/out‑of‑sample stats.
  • Monte Carlo simulation (custom metrics can drive optimization/WF objective).
  • Very fast multi‑threaded optimization with 3D optimization surface visualization.

MarketWatch

Distinct strengths include:

  • Market data hub with stock and market screeners, mutual fund research, fund comparison, and multi-quote lookup tools.
  • Personal watchlists available free with an account; syncs across web and mobile apps with customizable price and news alerts.
  • Comprehensive event calendars, including U.S. economic releases, corporate earnings, IPO schedules, and options-expiration dates.
  • BigCharts advanced charting platform with multiple timeframes (intraday to monthly) and technical overlays; intraday data typically delayed 15 minutes.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeAmiBrokerMarketWatch
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Data Visualizations, Screeners

Unique: Quant, Backtesting, Monte Carlo, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Correlation, APIs & SDKs, Auto-Trading & Bots

Shared: Data Visualizations, Screeners

Unique: News, Alerts, Calendar, Watchlist, Paper Trading, Financials, Options, ETF Overview, ETF Holdings, Analyst Price Targets, Insider Data, Short Interest, Interest Rates, Yield Curves, IPO, Newsletters

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Futures, Currencies

Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Options, Futures, Commodities, Currencies, Cryptos, Bonds

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Desktop

Web, Mobile

Pricing

High-level pricing models

One-time

Free, Subscription

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • Portfolio‑level backtesting with dynamic position sizing and bar‑by‑bar ranking/PositionScore.
  • Walk‑forward testing integrated with optimization; in/out‑of‑sample stats.
  • Monte Carlo simulation (custom metrics can drive optimization/WF objective).
  • Very fast multi‑threaded optimization with 3D optimization surface visualization.
  • Exploration/Scanner to build custom screeners and reports via AFL.
  • Rich AFL scripting language for indicators, scans, backtests, and custom metrics; visual debugger.

Unique

  • Market data hub with stock and market screeners, mutual fund research, fund comparison, and multi-quote lookup tools.
  • Personal watchlists available free with an account; syncs across web and mobile apps with customizable price and news alerts.
  • Comprehensive event calendars, including U.S. economic releases, corporate earnings, IPO schedules, and options-expiration dates.
  • BigCharts advanced charting platform with multiple timeframes (intraday to monthly) and technical overlays; intraday data typically delayed 15 minutes.
  • Options coverage with full chains per symbol and an expiration calendar.
  • ETF and mutual fund research, including top holdings for flagship funds like SPY and a comparison tool for side-by-side analysis.
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Not yet

Yes

Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do AmiBroker and MarketWatch both support?

Both platforms cover Data Visualizations, and Screeners workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Which tool offers a free plan?

MarketWatch offers a free entry point, while AmiBroker requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.

Which tool has mobile access?

MarketWatch ships a dedicated mobile experience, while AmiBroker focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

AmiBroker differentiates itself with Portfolio‑level backtesting with dynamic position sizing and bar‑by‑bar ranking/PositionScore., Walk‑forward testing integrated with optimization; in/out‑of‑sample stats., and Monte Carlo simulation (custom metrics can drive optimization/WF objective)., whereas MarketWatch stands out for Market data hub with stock and market screeners, mutual fund research, fund comparison, and multi-quote lookup tools., Personal watchlists available free with an account; syncs across web and mobile apps with customizable price and news alerts., and Comprehensive event calendars, including U.S. economic releases, corporate earnings, IPO schedules, and options-expiration dates..

Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.