Tactfolio vs QuantMage: features, pricing, and fit

Written by the Tactfolio research teamPublished Updated 7 min read

QuantMage and Tactfolio are close cousins. Both let you build rules-based stock and ETF strategies from blocks, backtest them on daily prices, and trade them once a day in your own Alpaca account. The biggest difference is the price of automation. QuantMage charges $400 to $500 a month for it. Tactfolio’s Free plan automates 1 strategy, and Plus automates 10 for $12 a month.

Key points#

  • Both use no-code blocks, daily closing prices, and Alpaca. Neither one is a broker.
  • QuantMage automates trading only on its Mage plan, at $500 a month or $400 a month billed yearly. Tactfolio’s Free plan automates 1 strategy, and Plus automates 10 for $12 a month ($99 a year).
  • Both can read economic data from FRED. Tactfolio counts each figure only from the day it was published. QuantMage adds market series like MOVE and the dollar index.
  • Tactfolio works with your AI assistant through MCP. We found no AI features at QuantMage.
  • Tactfolio charges 0.05% on every backtest trade and adds a next-day-open line. QuantMage’s docs describe no trading cost in backtests.
  • You can bring a QuantMage spell into Tactfolio by uploading its exported JSON file.

Tactfolio vs QuantMage at a glance#

QuantMage facts were checked on its own website and docs on October 16, 2026. Links are in the sources at the end.

TactfolioQuantMage
What it isResearch and automation softwareResearch and automation software
How you buildVisual blocks, or your own AI assistantVisual blocks, called incantations
MarketsUS-listed stocks and ETFs, plus crypto perps on Hyperliquid, long onlyUS stocks and ETFs
Backtest dataDaily prices, plus labeled simulated historyDaily closing prices, all the history its data source has
Trading cost in backtests0.05% per trade, plus a next-day-open lineNone described
Market and economic data in rulesVIX and FRED series, each dated by its release dayVIX, MOVE, DXY, breadth, and FRED series
BrokerAlpaca, with your own API keysAlpaca, linked by sign-in
When trades happenOnce a day, near the closeOnce a day, near the close
AI assistantMCP server, free with your accountNone found
Price for automationFree for 1 strategy. Plus $12 a month ($99 a year) for 10. Pro $29 a month ($249 a year). Everything is free until billing opens. See pricing$500 a month, or $400 a month billed yearly

What is QuantMage?#

QuantMage is a no-code platform for building and backtesting investing strategies. It calls a strategy a “spell” and its editor “Grimoire.” Its blocks include weights, if/else, filters, switches, and enter/exit rules. Its homepage claims more than 10,000 strategies written and more than $15 million invested in them, as of October 16, 2026.

QuantMage LLC runs it from the US. Its FAQ says it is not a broker-dealer or an investment adviser. It names no founder on its site. Its changelog starts in October 2023.

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 in a visual builder or by asking an AI assistant.

Tactfolio is not a broker. Your money stays in your Alpaca account. A Tactfolio strategy trades only the starting balance you give it. It never touches the other things you hold there.

How you build a strategy#

The two builders work in much the same way. Both use blocks for tickers, weights, if/else conditions, and picking the top few funds by a score. QuantMage calls that last block “Filtered.” Tactfolio calls it “rank.” The builder guide lists every Tactfolio block.

Both can read the VIX and economic data from the Federal Reserve’s FRED database, such as Treasury yields and their spreads. Tactfolio is strict about dates. A figure counts only from the day it was published, so a backtest never uses news before it came out. QuantMage reads more market series, such as the MOVE bond index, the dollar index, and market breadth. It also has Mixed blocks and a tool to edit matching blocks all at once.

Tactfolio has no built-in chat, and neither does QuantMage. But Tactfolio lets you connect an assistant you already use, such as Claude Code or Codex, through MCP. MCP is a standard way for AI assistants to use other apps. Your assistant can build a strategy, run backtests, and save a draft for you to check. See Use Tactfolio from your AI assistant.

Backtests#

Both tools test rules on daily closing prices, with dividends reinvested. A backtest is a test of rules on past prices. QuantMage says its backtests run in under 300 milliseconds and assume fractional shares. Its docs do not describe any trading cost or slippage.

Tactfolio charges 0.05% on every trade in every backtest. It also draws a second line that trades at the next day’s open, and it adds “reality checks” at higher costs. These show how much a result depends on perfect timing and cheap trades. What a backtest simulates lists every assumption.

QuantMage has one feature worth copying. Since June 2025, it records when you last changed a spell’s logic. So you can see how a spell has done since then, on data it never saw.

Read why past results mislead before you trust any backtest, on either site.

Live trading#

Both tools trade through Alpaca, once a day, near the close. Both work with Alpaca paper accounts. QuantMage links your Alpaca account by signing in, and it supports taxable and IRA accounts there. Tactfolio uses your own Alpaca API keys, paper or live. You can also run a strategy in a Tactfolio paper account with pretend money.

Pricing#

QuantMage has two plans, as of October 16, 2026:

PlanMonthlyBilled yearlyWhat you get
Apprentice$10 a month$8 a monthBuilding, backtesting, and analytics
Mage$500 a month$400 a monthAdds automated and paper trading, a dashboard, and founder sessions

QuantMage has a 14-day free trial with no credit card, but no free plan.

Tactfolio has three plans. Free costs $0. It includes unlimited building and backtests and 1 live strategy in your own Alpaca account. Plus costs $12 a month or $99 a year and runs 10 live strategies. Pro costs $29 a month or $249 a year and runs up to 100 at once. Paid plans are not open yet, so every feature is free until billing opens. See Tactfolio pricing.

Automated trading on QuantMage starts at $400 a month, billed yearly. On Tactfolio it starts at $0 for 1 strategy.

Moving from QuantMage to Tactfolio#

You can bring a spell with you. In QuantMage’s Grimoire, choose Export to save a JSON file. In the Tactfolio builder, upload or paste it under Import a strategy. It opens as a private draft with its backtest ready.

An import either reads the same as the original or tells you what is different. Some QuantMage parts can’t be imported yet, such as Mixed blocks and the MACD indicator. In that case, nothing is saved, and every such part is listed. Import and export strategies has the full list.

Where QuantMage is the better pick#

  • You want market series like MOVE, the dollar index, or breadth in your rules.
  • You want Mixed blocks or MACD, which Tactfolio lacks.
  • You only need cheap backtesting, at $8 to $10 a month, and will trade by hand.
  • You want monthly sessions with its founder and a private community.

Where Tactfolio is the better pick#

  • You want to automate trading in Alpaca without paying $400 to $500 a month.
  • You want backtests that charge a trading cost on every trade.
  • You want your own AI assistant to build and test strategies for you.
  • You want to start from 60+ classic strategies with sources, such as dual momentum.
  • You want to test a QuantMage spell somewhere else before you trust it.

Who should pick which#

If you need QuantMage’s extra indicators and market series, and the price fits your account size, QuantMage is a strong tool. If you want the same kind of builder with automation on a free plan, Tactfolio fits better. Since Tactfolio imports QuantMage spells, you can test one against the other at no cost. For more options, see our list of QuantMage alternatives.

Try it on Tactfolio#

Open the builder and look at the starter patterns. You can see their backtests without an account. If you use QuantMage today, export one of your spells, import it, and compare the two backtests.

Common questions#

How much does QuantMage cost?#

As of October 16, 2026, QuantMage’s Apprentice plan costs $10 a month, or $8 a month billed yearly. It covers building and backtesting. Automated trading needs the Mage plan, at $500 a month or $400 a month billed yearly.

Is QuantMage free?#

No. QuantMage has a 14-day free trial, but no free plan. Tactfolio has a Free plan, and it includes 1 automated strategy.

Can I import my QuantMage spells into Tactfolio?#

Yes. Export the spell from QuantMage’s Grimoire as a JSON file, then upload it in Tactfolio’s builder. It opens as a private draft. Any part Tactfolio can’t express yet is listed, and nothing is saved in that case.

Does QuantMage support crypto or options?#

No. QuantMage’s FAQ says it supports neither. Tactfolio has no options either. It can backtest crypto perpetual futures on Hyperliquid, but those don’t trade real money yet.

Is there a QuantMage alternative with free automated trading?#

Yes. Tactfolio is one. It runs your strategy in your own Alpaca account, the same broker QuantMage uses. Its Free plan automates 1 strategy, and Plus automates 10 for $12 a month.

Sources