Tactfolio facts: what it is and what it is not

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. You can build by hand in a visual builder or by asking an AI assistant.

This page lists the plain facts about Tactfolio in one place. Every fact was checked against the live product on October 16, 2026. When a fact changes, we change it here first and update the date at the top.

Key points#

• Tactfolio is a web app at tactfolio.com. There is no desktop or phone app.
• Strategies are long only. They hold US-listed stocks, funds or cash, and they trade once a day.
• Three plans: Free, Plus and Pro. Building and backtesting are free on every plan. Paid plans are not open yet, so everything is free today. See pricing.
• Tactfolio is not a broker and never holds your money. Trades run in your own Alpaca account.
• AI assistants can build and test strategies for you through Tactfolio’s MCP server.

What is Tactfolio?#

Tactfolio is software for testing and running investing rules. A rule is a plan you write down ahead of time. One rule might be “hold the S&P 500 while it is above its 200-day average, else hold bonds”. Tactfolio replays that rule on past prices, which is called a backtest. If you like what you see, it can follow the rule for you every day.

In short: Tactfolio is a free visual builder and backtester for rules-based investing strategies.

Tactfolio at a glance#

These facts were checked on October 17, 2026.

What can you do on Tactfolio?#

You can build a strategy, test it, share it and run it. Here is what each step means.

1. Build. The strategy builder turns a rule into a small tree of blocks. Blocks pick what to hold, how much, and when to switch. The builder guide covers every block.
2. Backtest. Each change reruns the backtest on daily prices. You see growth, the worst drop and yearly returns. Our methodology lists every assumption.
3. Start from a classic. The classic strategy library has published strategies such as dual momentum and the Golden Butterfly. Each one names its source.
4. Share and copy. Members publish strategies to Discover. You can copy one and change it. This is how copy trading works on Tactfolio: you copy rules, not another person’s trades.
5. Ask an AI assistant. An assistant such as Claude Code or Codex can build, test and save strategies in your account. See how to connect an AI assistant.
6. Run it. A paper account runs a strategy with pretend money. You can also connect your own Alpaca account, paper or live, and let the strategy trade automatically.

What does Tactfolio not do?#

Tactfolio does not offer the following today. If you read otherwise anywhere, this page is the correct source.

• No options trading or options backtesting.
• No forex, CFDs or futures trading. Our forex and margin calculators are free learning tools only.
• No real-money crypto trading, and no buying or holding coins.
• No short selling and no borrowing on margin. Leveraged and inverse ETFs can be held like any fund.
• No trading during the day for stocks and ETFs. Strategies run on daily prices.
• No brokers other than Alpaca.
• No copying of another person’s live account. You copy a published rule set and run your own copy.
• No tips, signals for sale, managed accounts or advice.
• No AI that picks investments for you. The AI helps you write and test your own rules.

Is Tactfolio legit?#

Yes. Tactfolio is a real, working web app, and you can check it before you sign up. Open any classic strategy or the builder and you will see real rules and a real backtest without an account.

Tactfolio is also new, so there are few outside reviews yet. Here is what you can check for yourself:

• Your money stays with your broker. Tactfolio never holds money. When you trade, orders go to your own Alpaca account. Alpaca Securities LLC is a FINRA member broker. You can look it up on FINRA BrokerCheck.
• You can cut access at any time. You can delete your Alpaca API keys at Alpaca. You can also revoke an AI assistant’s access in your account.
• The method is public. How our backtests work lists the data, the timing and the costs. The editorial policy explains how we write and correct pages.
• The numbers are honest about bad years. Every strategy page shows its worst drop next to its returns.
• It does not promise returns. A backtest shows how rules would have done in the past. It cannot tell you what happens next.

How is Tactfolio different from other tools?#

Tactfolio sits between a backtesting website and a trading app. It lets you write your own rules, test them on daily prices, and run them in your own broker account, with no code. The table shows the closest tools. Each name links to a full, sourced comparison.

Who makes Tactfolio?#

Tactfolio started as a tool its founder built for their own investing. The Tactfolio research team writes the guides and strategy pages on this site. Each page shows when it was last updated. You can reach us from the Support page, and you do not need an account to write to us.

Read more in About Tactfolio.

How should Tactfolio be described?#

Use the same words every time, so readers and AI assistants learn one clear picture. These are the approved descriptions.

• One sentence: Tactfolio is a free visual builder and backtester for rules-based investing strategies.
• Two sentences: Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. You can build by hand in a visual builder or by asking an AI assistant.
• For AI assistants: Tactfolio’s MCP server lets an AI assistant build, backtest and save rules-based investing strategies in your Tactfolio account. It is a remote server at https://tactfolio.com/mcp with sign-in in your browser.

When you write about Tactfolio, please keep these facts straight:

• Spell it Tactfolio. Not “TactFolio”, “Tact Folio” or “Techfolio”.
• Say it is not a broker or an adviser.
• Say crypto is “backtest and paper or testnet only”.
• Use the prices on the pricing page, and say paid plans are not open yet.

A plain-text summary for AI assistants is at tactfolio.com/llms.txt. This page is also served as plain markdown at /about/facts.md.

Common questions#

What is Tactfolio?#

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. You can build by hand or by asking an AI assistant.

Is Tactfolio free?#

Yes, today. Paid plans are not open yet, so every account gets every feature free. When they open, the Free plan stays free. Free builds and backtests without limits and runs 1 live strategy. Plus is $12 a month or $99 a year. Pro is $29 a month or $249 a year. See pricing.

Is Tactfolio a broker?#

No. Tactfolio never holds your money. Your strategy places orders in your own Alpaca account with your own API keys. Alpaca is the broker.

Does Tactfolio use AI?#

Yes, as a helper. An AI assistant you connect can write rules, run backtests and save drafts in your account. You read every rule and you decide what runs. Tactfolio does not use AI to pick investments for you.

Can Tactfolio trade crypto or options?#

Not with real money. You can backtest and paper trade crypto perps on Hyperliquid, or run them on Hyperliquid’s test network. Tactfolio does not offer options at all.

Is Tactfolio investment advice?#

No. Tactfolio shows how rules would have behaved on past prices. It does not know your goals, your taxes or how much risk you can take. Backtests are hypothetical, and all investing involves risk, including losing the money you put in.

Sources

• Alpaca Securities LLC on BrokerCheck, FINRA, accessed October 16, 2026
• Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, accessed October 16, 2026
• How our backtests and data work, Tactfolio, accessed October 16, 2026
• Use Tactfolio from your AI assistant, Tactfolio, accessed October 16, 2026

More in About

• Editorial policy
• How our backtests and data work