# Tactfolio vs TrendSpider: portfolios vs chart trading

> TrendSpider is a charting and trading platform for active traders. Tactfolio runs rules-based stock and ETF portfolios. Compare features and pricing.

Written by [Tactfolio research team](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy.md), published 2026-10-16, updated 2026-10-17.

TrendSpider is a charting and trading platform for active traders. It draws trendlines for you, finds chart patterns, scans the market, and can send trades from bots during the day. Tactfolio is a builder for rules-based portfolios of stocks and ETFs that [rebalance](https://tactfolio.com/learn/portfolio-rebalancing.md) once a day. Pick TrendSpider if you trade single stocks off charts. Pick Tactfolio if you want a portfolio rule that runs on its own.

## Key points

- TrendSpider is built around charts and single symbols. Tactfolio is built around portfolios that hold several funds at once.
- TrendSpider bots can act on 5-minute bars. Tactfolio's stock and ETF strategies decide once a day, near the close.
- TrendSpider covers stocks, ETFs, options, futures, forex, and crypto. Tactfolio covers US-listed stocks and ETFs, plus crypto perps on Hyperliquid.
- TrendSpider sends bot orders through webhooks, mainly SignalStack, to about 30 brokers. Tactfolio trades your own Alpaca account directly.
- TrendSpider has no free plan. Paid plans start at $82 a month. Tactfolio has a Free plan, and its paid plans start at $12 a month.

## Tactfolio vs TrendSpider at a glance

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

| | Tactfolio | TrendSpider |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Main job | Build, test, and run portfolio rules | Chart, scan, and trade single symbols |
| How you build | Visual blocks, or your own AI assistant | Menus, plain English, JavaScript, or its Sidekick AI |
| Markets | US-listed stocks and ETFs, plus crypto perps on Hyperliquid | Stocks, ETFs, options, futures, forex, crypto |
| Smallest bar | Daily for stocks and ETFs, hourly for crypto perps | 1 minute for charts and backtests, 5 minutes for bots |
| Trading | Your own Alpaca account, or a paper account | About 30 brokers, through SignalStack or other webhook tools |
| Automated orders | Included | 5 a month included, more with a paid SignalStack plan |
| AI assistant | MCP server, free with your account | Sidekick, 25 free messages a month, paid tiers from $49 a month |
| Price | Free, Plus $12 a month ($99 a year), Pro $29 a month ($249 a year). Everything is free until billing opens. [See pricing](https://tactfolio.com/pricing.md) | From $82 a month, no free plan |

## What is TrendSpider?

TrendSpider is a cloud platform for technical traders. It draws trendlines and Fibonacci levels for you and spots chart patterns as they form. It also has scanners, alerts, a no-code strategy tester, machine learning models, and trading bots. TrendSpider LLC was founded in 2016 and is based in Illinois.

TrendSpider says it is not a broker. Its pricing page claims more than 20,000 customers, as of October 16, 2026. Its own guide for AI tools says it is not for passive buy-and-hold investors or complete beginners.

## What is Tactfolio?

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, [backtest](https://tactfolio.com/learn/backtesting-explained.md) them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own [Alpaca account](https://tactfolio.com/alpaca-trading.md). You can build by hand in a visual builder or by asking an [AI assistant](https://tactfolio.com/ai-trading.md).

A Tactfolio strategy decides what mix of funds to hold. Here is one: "Hold the [S&P 500](https://tactfolio.com/learn/sp500-index.md) while it is above its [10-month average](https://tactfolio.com/learn/moving-average.md). Else, hold Treasury bills." It is [Faber's timing model](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/faber-10-month-moving-average.md), one of the classics you can open and copy.

## Different jobs

The two tools answer different questions. TrendSpider asks "should I trade this symbol now?" Its strategies watch one symbol on one timeframe and fire buy and sell [signals](https://tactfolio.com/learn/trading-signals.md). You can test a strategy on up to 510 symbols at once, but each bot trades one symbol.

Tactfolio asks "what should my whole portfolio hold?" A strategy can compare many funds, [rank them by momentum](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/dual-momentum.md), and split the money between the winners. It then rebalances the whole mix.

## How you build a strategy

TrendSpider gives you many ways in. You can pick conditions from menus, type them in plain English, or write indicators in JavaScript. Its Sidekick AI can also build and test strategies for you. TrendSpider says Sidekick runs on models from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI.

On Tactfolio, you click blocks together: tickers, weights, if/else conditions, and rank. The backtest runs again each time you change a rule. You can also connect an AI assistant you already use, such as Claude Code or Codex, through MCP. MCP is a standard way for AI assistants to use other apps. See [Use Tactfolio from your AI assistant](https://tactfolio.com/docs/mcp.md).

## Backtests

TrendSpider's Strategy Tester runs on bars from 1 minute to yearly. Its site says it stores up to 50 years of history for symbols that have it. Each test is capped by bar count, so a 1-minute test covers far less time than a daily one. Lower plans have tighter caps. You set your own trading cost.

Tactfolio tests whole portfolios on daily prices, with dividends reinvested. Crypto perps can also use hourly bars. Every trade pays 0.05%. A second line trades at the next day's open, so you see how much timing matters. [What a backtest simulates](https://tactfolio.com/docs/backtests.md) lists every assumption.

## Trading and brokers

TrendSpider is not a broker. Its bots send a webhook when a bar closes, 40 to 60 seconds later. SignalStack, a TrendSpider company, turns that into an order at your broker. Its directory lists about 30 brokers and exchanges, including Interactive Brokers, Schwab, Alpaca, Tradier, and Coinbase. Every plan includes 5 automated orders a month through SignalStack. More need a paid SignalStack plan.

Tactfolio connects straight to Alpaca, paper or live, with your own API keys. Each strategy trades only the starting balance you give it. You can also run a strategy in a Tactfolio [paper account](https://tactfolio.com/paper-trading.md) with pretend money.

## Pricing

TrendSpider has four plans for individuals, as of October 16, 2026. All plans have the same features, with different limits.

| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Bots |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Standard | $82 | $648 | 5 |
| Premium | $137 | $1,092 | 10 |
| Enhanced | $183 | $1,464 | 50 |
| Advanced | $321 | $2,568 | 100 |

These are the prices when you pay up front. A 14-day trial costs $19 to $49, and the plan then renews at a slightly higher price. Real-time futures and options data cost extra. A Business plan starts at $399 a month.

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](https://tactfolio.com/pricing.md).

Price is not the main reason to pick one over the other. TrendSpider is built around charts and scanners, and Tactfolio is built around rules-based portfolios.

## Where TrendSpider is the better pick

- You trade single stocks or other assets off charts and patterns.
- You want intraday bars, scanners, and alerts in one place.
- You trade options, futures, or forex, or want live crypto trading.
- You use a broker other than Alpaca.
- You want to write custom indicators in JavaScript.

## Where Tactfolio is the better pick

- You want a portfolio rule, like [trend following](https://tactfolio.com/learn/trend-following.md) or [momentum](https://tactfolio.com/learn/momentum-strategy.md) across several funds.
- You want the strategy to rebalance once a day without watching charts.
- You want to start from published research, with 60+ [classic strategies](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/classics.md).
- You want an AI assistant to build and test strategies at no cost.
- You want to start on a free plan.

## Who should pick which

If you are an active trader who lives in charts, pick TrendSpider. If you are a long-term investor who wants a rules-based portfolio that runs itself, pick Tactfolio. Some people use both: TrendSpider for short-term trades, Tactfolio for the core portfolio.

## Try it on Tactfolio

Open the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder) and look at the starter patterns and their backtests. No account is needed to look. New to this? Start with [what rules-based asset allocation is](https://tactfolio.com/docs/concepts/rules-based-allocation.md).

## Common questions

### Is TrendSpider free?

No. TrendSpider has no free plan. Plans start at $82 a month, or $648 a year, paid up front. A 14-day trial costs $19 or more. These prices were checked on October 16, 2026.

### Can TrendSpider trade automatically?

Yes, through webhooks. A bot sends a signal when a bar closes, and SignalStack or a similar tool places the order at your broker. Five automated orders a month are included. Bots run on 5-minute to daily bars.

### Does TrendSpider work with Alpaca?

Alpaca is in TrendSpider's broker directory, so you can route bot orders there through SignalStack. Tactfolio connects to Alpaca directly, with your own API keys.

### Can Tactfolio trade intraday like TrendSpider?

Not for stocks. Tactfolio's stock and ETF strategies decide once a day, near the close. Crypto perp strategies on Hyperliquid can use hourly bars, but they don't trade real money yet. For intraday stock trading, TrendSpider is the better fit.

### Is there a TrendSpider alternative for long-term investors?

Yes. Tactfolio is built for rules-based portfolios that rebalance daily, weekly, or monthly. It has a Free plan, and it runs strategies in your own Alpaca account.

## Sources

- [TrendSpider homepage](https://trendspider.com/), accessed 2026-10-16
- [TrendSpider pricing](https://trendspider.com/pricing/), accessed 2026-10-16
- [TrendSpider Standard plan checkout](https://trendspider.com/pricing/signup/standard-ind/), accessed 2026-10-16
- [TrendSpider guide for AI tools (llms.txt)](https://trendspider.com/llms.txt), accessed 2026-10-16
- [TrendSpider about us](https://trendspider.com/about/), accessed 2026-10-16
- [TrendSpider terms of service](https://trendspider.com/terms-of-service/), accessed 2026-10-16
- [TrendSpider charting and markets](https://trendspider.com/product/analyze-and-chart-any-market-asset/), accessed 2026-10-16
- [TrendSpider strategy tester](https://trendspider.com/product/strategy-development-and-backtesting-tools/), accessed 2026-10-16
- [TrendSpider Sidekick AI](https://trendspider.com/product/sidekick-ai-trading-assistant/), accessed 2026-10-16
- [TrendSpider brokers directory](https://trendspider.com/brokers-directory/), accessed 2026-10-16
- [TrendSpider help: trading bots](https://help.trendspider.com/kb/trading-bots/trading-bots), accessed 2026-10-16
- [SignalStack, a TrendSpider company](https://signalstack.com/), accessed 2026-10-16