Stratest turns a plain-English description into a Python strategy and tests it on 103 assets with statistical checks; a Pine strategy gets in through a converter that rebuilds it, on paid plans. Alpha Charts writes Pine v6 with AI and runs that Pine itself on US stocks, charging costs and checking every run on held-out data by default. Here is how to choose.
Stratest's column is what stratest.ai says, checked on 24 October 2026.
| ALPHA CHARTS | STRATEST | |
|---|---|---|
| What runs your script | The Strategy Tester runs the Pine v6 script you paste, on its own Pine runtime, on real market data | Your plain-English description becomes typed, validated Python; a Pine v5 strategy is read, rebuilt as a structured spec and regenerated by an LLM-driven converter, a re-implementation in which nothing tries to run Pine Script |
| AI that writes strategies | The Pine Copilot writes Pine v6 from plain words, checks it and backtests it | Describe a strategy in plain English and it becomes a Python strategy you can edit; custom indicator logic in plain language too |
| Pine Script | Pine v6, as TradingView has it; the script stays Pine, so it runs on TradingView too | Import of Pine v5 strategies on Pro and Max, one way into Stratest; multi-timeframe requests are not reproduced, arrays and maps are simplified, libraries approximated |
| Markets | US stocks and ETFs; NQ, MNQ, ES and MES futures for signed-in accounts | 103 assets across crypto, stocks, forex and commodities, 7 timeframes, up to 10 years of history |
| Trading costs in a backtest | 5 bps commission and 2.5 bps slippage per side on every run, by default; a commission the script declares wins | Commission and slippage modelled; its example run uses 0.1% commission and 0.05% slippage |
| Every backtest | Split into in-sample and out-of-sample with a verdict, drawdown analytics, the full trade list and every trade on the chart | A buy-and-hold benchmark over the same window, significance testing, walk-forward re-optimisation, a block-bootstrap Monte Carlo, parameter-stability checks, a regime breakdown and a deflated Sharpe ratio; the free plan shows total return and Sharpe only |
| Held-out test | Every run: about the last third of the history is kept apart and judged on its own, with its dates and a verdict | Walk-forward re-optimisation among its checks; a full trade list and metrics on the paid plans |
| Optimiser | Fits a script's inputs on the past, judges them on data it never saw, and compares the winner against the best of the same number of random tries (Pro and Max) | An Optimization Lab on Pro and Max, metered in credits |
| Paper trading and alerts | Not part of the tester | Paper trading and strategy alerts on every plan |
| Free start | Unlimited free backtests on a free account, no card; free tools with no account | Free forever, no card: 10 backtests a month on every asset and timeframe, 25 AI credits once |
| Plans | $49.99, $99.99 or $129.99 a month, less on the yearly plan; every plan comes with 30 days money back | Pro $24.95 a month or $239 a year (500 AI credits a month), Max $39 a month or $374 a year (1,000 credits); non-refundable |
The Strategy Tester runs the Pine script itself on real data, not a rewrite of it. Orders fill at the next bar's open, the script never sees future data, and every fill pays 5 bps commission and 2.5 bps slippage per side by default.
Each run is split into an in-sample and an out-of-sample period, stated as dates. The held-out part gets a verdict: survived, decayed, did not survive, or too few trades to judge. Drawdown analytics and the full list of trades come with every run.
The optimiser fits a script's inputs on the past, judges them on data it never saw, and compares the winner against the best of the same number of random tries.
The data and its adjustments, the universe and its survivorship bias, the fill rules and the verdict's thresholds are written out in Data and methodology.
For traders whose strategy must stay Pine Script, run as written on US stocks with costs and a held-out verdict on every run, yes. Stratest fits traders who would rather describe an idea and get a Python strategy, on more markets, with Monte Carlo and walk-forward statistics.
Yes. Alpha Charts' Pine Copilot writes Pine v6 that runs on Alpha Charts and on TradingView. Stratest writes typed, validated Python that runs on Stratest.
No. Its converter rebuilds a Pine v5 strategy as a Stratest strategy; its page says nothing tries to run Pine Script, multi-timeframe logic is not reproduced and the result is not guaranteed to match. Alpha Charts runs the Pine v6 script itself.
Stratest, on its paid plans: significance tests, Monte Carlo, walk-forward, regime breakdown and a deflated Sharpe. Alpha Charts gives every run, free ones included, a held-out verdict, drawdown analytics and the full trade list.
Stratest. Alpha Charts backtests US stocks and ETFs, plus NQ, MNQ, ES and MES futures for signed-in accounts.
Alpha Charts plans start at $49.99 a month, with 30 days money back, and a free account backtests without limit. Stratest has a free plan with 10 backtests a month, Pro at $24.95 a month and Max at $39 a month, less on yearly billing.
Sources for Stratest: stratest.ai (home page and FAQ), stratest.ai/pricing and stratest.ai/pine-script-converter, read on 24 October 2026. If anything here has changed, tell us and we will correct it. Stratest is a trademark of its owner; Alpha Charts is not affiliated with or endorsed by Stratest. Every tool side by side: AI Pine Script tools compared.