VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 19, 2025

Head-to-head

AmiBroker vs ORTEX comparison

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

Quick takeaways

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

ORTEX includes Short Interest, Insider Data, Index Rebalancing, Money Flow, Options & Derivatives, Options, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, News, Calendar, Data APIs, US Government Trades, and Blogs 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)..

ORTEX is known for: Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers., Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates., and Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms..

ORTEX keeps a free entry point that AmiBroker lacks.

ORTEX 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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ORTEX logo

ORTEX

public.ortex.com

Hands-on review

Analytics platform focused on short interest and securities lending, with additional coverage of options flow, insider trades, analyst views, and index rebalances. Offers a free tier with limited features, plus paid plans (Basic $39/mo, Advanced $129/mo). Options data is sourced from OPRA and requires agreeing to OPRA terms. API access is available with key-based authentication, and an Excel Add-in (beta) supports short interest data.

Platforms

Web
Mobile
API

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers.
  • Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates.
  • Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms.
  • Alpha trading signals across themes like Short Squeeze, EPS, RSI, MACD, and Company Events, each with back-tested stats and intraday updates.
  • Configurable stock screener including short-interest columns; results can be exported.

Community votes (overall)

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

3 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Quant, 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.

ORTEX

Distinct strengths include:

  • Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers.
  • Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates.
  • Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms.
  • Alpha trading signals across themes like Short Squeeze, EPS, RSI, MACD, and Company Events, each with back-tested stats and intraday updates.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeAmiBrokerORTEX
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Quant, Data Visualizations, Screeners

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

Shared: Quant, Data Visualizations, Screeners

Unique: Short Interest, Insider Data, Index Rebalancing, Money Flow, Options & Derivatives, Options, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, News, Calendar, Data APIs, US Government Trades, Blogs

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Futures, Currencies

Stocks, ETFs, Options

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Desktop

Web, Mobile, API

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

  • Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers.
  • Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates.
  • Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms.
  • Alpha trading signals across themes like Short Squeeze, EPS, RSI, MACD, and Company Events, each with back-tested stats and intraday updates.
  • Configurable stock screener including short-interest columns; results can be exported.
  • Live intraday charts with last price and bid/ask displayed.
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 ORTEX both support?

Both platforms cover Quant, 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?

ORTEX 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?

ORTEX 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 ORTEX stands out for Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers., Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates., and Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms..

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.