TradeBench is a web-based trading journal that has been running since 2011 and costs nothing. Not a free tier with locked features, not a freemium bait-and-switch. The entire platform is available at no charge, funded instead by sponsor links that users click once or twice a month. For traders who want structured journaling, trade planning, and position sizing without paying $29 to $49 per month, it is the most straightforward answer in this category.
That said, “free” is not the same as “best.” Whether TradeBench belongs in a trader’s workflow depends heavily on what they actually need from a journal.
What TradeBench Is
TradeBench covers stocks, futures, CFDs, crypto, and forex. Options are not mentioned anywhere on the platform. It is web-only; there is no native iOS or Android app.
The platform organizes a trade across 5 stages: Plan, Enter, Manage, Exit, and Review. This isn’t cosmetic. The workflow is built around the idea that journaling starts before a trade is placed, not after. Trade plans include automatic calculation of reward/risk ratio and potential P&L at the planning stage. That’s a meaningful design choice that most journals skip entirely, treating journaling as a purely retrospective activity.
Trade Planning and Position Sizing
This is where TradeBench is most differentiated from basic journaling tools. The position sizing calculator takes a trader’s account balance across all connected broker accounts, applies two personal risk parameters (maximum percentage to risk per trade based on entry-to-stop distance, and maximum percentage of total account value to risk), and returns the number of shares, contracts, lots, or units to trade. The system uses whichever constraint is more restrictive. The result: position size is calculated automatically, without manual math, on every trade.
This is genuinely useful for newer traders and for anyone who has ever blown past a risk limit because the math was inconvenient in the moment.
The trade plan also supports multiple entry points (scaling in) and multiple exits (scaling out). Long and short positions are both supported. These aren’t edge-case features; they’re standard practice for active traders, and TradeBench handles them without workarounds.
For traders building out their process from scratch, the how to keep a trading journal guide on this site is worth reading alongside TradeBench’s own workflow structure, since the two approaches to pre-trade planning align closely.
Journaling and Chart Integration
TradeBench supports drag-and-drop or paste-in of chart screenshots directly into journal entries, at any stage: planning, managing, or reviewing. No file uploads, no separate image hosting. A trader working in TradingView can take a screenshot, copy it, and paste it straight into TradeBench’s editor.
This matters more than it sounds. Most traders do not journal consistently because the friction of doing so is too high. When chart annotation is two keystrokes away rather than a separate upload workflow, the habit sticks better. Whether that’s a sufficient answer to the consistency problem depends on the trader, but TradeBench has clearly thought about it.
The journal entries support full text write-ups alongside images. Traders can document reasoning at entry, notes during the trade, and a post-trade review once the position is closed. TradeBench specifically recommends reviewing closed trades a few weeks after exit, when emotional attachment to the outcome has faded. That’s sound advice baked into the product’s own guidance.
Custom Labels, Strategies, and Reporting
Every trade can be tagged with custom labels: trade idea source, exit method, strategy used, instrument type, direction (long/short). These tags feed directly into the reporting engine.
When a report is run, TradeBench filters closed trades by any combination of labels, strategies, and idea sources, and returns: profit factor, average P&L, commission costs, and average hold time. Traders can see whether they’re more profitable on the long side or short side, by instrument, or by strategy, without building a spreadsheet to do it.
That’s a reasonable analytics set. It is not the deepest available. R-multiples, MAE/MFE, expectancy by setup, and equity curve analysis by session are not metrics TradeBench surfaces. For traders focused on those specific outputs, platforms like Edgewonk or TraderSync offer more granular breakdowns. TradeBench’s reporting answers the most useful questions for traders who are still building consistency; it does not serve the needs of a systematic trader mining their journal for edge refinement.
Traders who are newer to the concept of performance metrics will find the what is a trading journal explainer useful context before diving into TradeBench’s reporting.
Import Methods and Data Entry
TradeBench does not support broker auto-import. Trades are entered manually or imported via CSV. There is no list of supported brokers because there is no broker connectivity. Closed trade data can be exported to CSV for local backup or external analysis.
This is the platform’s most significant practical limitation for active traders. Someone placing 20 to 30 trades per week faces a meaningful manual data entry burden. That’s not a dealbreaker for a swing trader logging 4 or 5 positions, but for a day trader, it is a real friction point that compounds over time.
Paper trading is supported, allowing traders to simulate or informally backtest strategies without mixing paper results into their live account data.
Sharing and Social Features
Trades, trade plans, and performance metrics can be shared via private link, published to a blog, or posted to Twitter/X, Facebook, and Stocktwits. This isn’t a core feature for most traders, but it’s useful for anyone working with a trading coach or in a community where sharing setups is part of the process.
Pricing
TradeBench has no paid plans. There is no free tier with locked features, no trial period, and no place to enter credit card details. The platform is fully free in exchange for clicking 1 to 2 sponsor or partner links per month, delivered either at login or via a single monthly email. Users can opt out by deleting their account at any time.
For context: most competing journals charge $29 to $49 per month, or $200 to $400 per year. The cost difference over 12 months is meaningful. Whether the sponsor-link model is an acceptable tradeoff is a personal call, but the model is transparent and the terms are simple.
| Plan | Price | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Full access | Free | 1-2 sponsor link clicks/month |
| Paid tier | None | N/A |
Limitations
No broker auto-import is the biggest gap. Active traders logging high trade volume will feel this immediately.
No options support. The platform covers stocks, futures, CFDs, crypto, and forex. Options traders need to look elsewhere.
Web-only. No native mobile app. Traders who want to log trades from a phone between sessions are limited to the browser experience.
Analytics depth is moderate. The reporting covers the fundamentals but stops short of the metrics that systematic traders rely on. R-multiples and MAE/MFE are not part of the current feature set.
The user base is reported at 50,000+ traders, which is a relatively modest number for a platform that has been running since 2011. That’s not necessarily a quality signal, but it is worth noting compared to platforms with significantly higher adoption.
Bottom Line
Pros:
- Completely free, with no features locked behind a paywall
- Pre-trade planning is built into the workflow, not bolted on
- Position sizing calculator is genuinely useful and automatic
- Chart screenshot integration is fast and frictionless
- Paper trading supported alongside live accounts
- Supports stocks, futures, CFDs, crypto, and forex
Cons:
- No broker auto-import; all trade entry is manual or CSV
- No options support
- Analytics stop short of R-multiples, MAE/MFE, and expectancy by setup
- No native mobile app
- Web-only interface
TradeBench is the right choice for a specific type of trader: someone who journals relatively few trades, values the planning workflow as much as the post-trade review, and is not prepared to spend $29 to $49 per month on a journal. For a swing trader or part-time trader who is building journaling habits for the first time, it is difficult to argue against using it given the price.
Day traders and options traders should look elsewhere. The manual entry burden at high volume is a real operational cost, and the absence of options support is a hard stop.
For traders comparing the broader landscape before committing, the best trading journals comparison covers how TradeBench stacks up against paid alternatives across several categories.
FAQ
Does TradeBench support broker auto-import?
No. Trade data is entered manually or via CSV. There is no broker connectivity or automatic import from any brokerage platform.
What asset classes does TradeBench support?
Stocks, futures, CFDs, crypto, and forex. Options are not supported.
Is TradeBench really free?
Yes, fully. There are no paid plans. Access to all features costs nothing; the platform is funded by sponsor and partner links that users click 1 to 2 times per month, either at login or via a monthly email.
Does TradeBench have a mobile app?
No. TradeBench is web-based. There is no native iOS or Android app.
What analytics and performance metrics does TradeBench provide?
Reports return profit factor, average P&L, commission costs, and average hold time, filterable by custom label, strategy, and instrument. R-multiples, MAE/MFE, and expectancy by setup are not currently available.
Can TradeBench handle multiple entries and exits on a single trade?
Yes. Scaling in and scaling out are both supported. Both long and short positions are handled.
How does TradeBench’s position sizing work?
The system uses the trader’s total account balance and two personal risk parameters (maximum percentage to risk based on entry-to-stop distance, and maximum percentage of total account value) to calculate the exact number of shares, contracts, lots, or units per trade. Whichever constraint is more restrictive takes precedence.
Who is TradeBench best suited for?
Swing traders and part-time traders logging a moderate number of trades who want structured pre-trade planning alongside their journal, and who are not willing to pay for a monthly journal subscription. It is less suited to day traders because of the manual entry burden, and not suitable for options traders at all.