FreeCharting vs TradingView's free plan
TradingView is the best-known charting platform, and its free Basic plan is a good place to start. But it has limits that push you towards a subscription. Here's how the two compare:
| FreeCharting | TradingView Basic (free) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free (paid plans from $12.95/month, billed yearly) |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Indicators per chart | Unlimited (51 built in) | 2 |
| Ads | None | Yes |
| Historical bars | Full history where the provider allows | 5,000 |
| Drawing tools | 81, saved per symbol, with undo | Yes, extensive |
| Market data | Bring your own key (crypto needs none) | Built in |
| Price alerts | Unlimited, while the tab is open | 3 |
| Charts per layout | Up to 16, with linked symbols and synced time | 1 |
| Saved layouts | Unlimited, in your browser | 1 |
| Compare symbols | Up to 3 overlays | Yes |
| Custom indicators | JavaScript with Pine-style helpers | Pine Script® |
| Bar replay | Yes, any timeframe | Yes |
| Strategy backtesting | Yes, with equity curve and trade list | Yes (Strategy Tester) |
| Paper trading | Yes | Yes |
| Trade from the chart | 12 brokers and exchanges (Alpaca, OANDA, Tastytrade, IG, OKX, Hyperliquid, DXtrade…) | Many brokers |
| Second-based charts | Free for crypto on Binance, Coinbase and OKX, and forex on OANDA | Paid plans |
| Screener | Stocks and crypto (free) | Stocks, crypto and more |
| Community & ideas | No | Yes |
TradingView plan details are from its pricing page at the time of writing and may change.
Where FreeCharting wins
- No indicator cap. Put moving averages, Bollinger Bands, volume, MACD and RSI on one chart, like the preview above, without upgrading. All 51 indicators have adjustable settings.
- Multi-chart layouts for free. Up to 16 charts on one screen, with linked symbols, synced timeframes and scrolling, workspace tabs and as many saved layouts as you like, features TradingView reserves for paid plans.
- Alerts and compare included. Set as many price alerts as you want, and overlay up to three symbols to compare performance.
- Backtesting and paper trading. Turn a script into a strategy and get a full report with an equity curve and trade list, or practise with a paper account that fills against live prices.
- Write your own indicators. Scripts are plain JavaScript with helpers named like Pine Script's (
ta.rsi,plot,input), and they run in a sandbox that can't see your API keys. - Nothing to sign up for. Open the page and chart. Your settings, indicators and drawings are saved in your browser.
- No ads. The chart gets the whole screen.
- Your data, your choice. Connect any of 19 providers, free or paid. If you already pay for data from Alpaca, Massive, Twelve Data or others, use that key here.
- Private by design. Your API keys stay in your browser and are only sent to the provider they belong to.
Where TradingView is still better
We'd rather be honest: TradingView still does more. If you need alerts that run when your computer is off, a huge library of community scripts, stock screeners with fundamental data, integration with many more brokers, or a social feed of trade ideas, TradingView is the stronger tool. It also has data for almost every market built in, whereas FreeCharting relies on the data provider you connect.
Who FreeCharting is for
- Crypto traders who want live charts from Binance, Coinbase or OKX with no sign-up.
- Investors who check a few stocks and don't want another subscription.
- Anyone who's hit the free-plan indicator limit and just wants to see RSI and MACD together.
- Developers and data subscribers who already have an API key and want a clean chart on top of it.
Frequently asked questions
Is FreeCharting really free?
Yes. There’s no subscription, no premium tier and no ads. Crypto data is free from the exchanges, and stock and forex data comes from providers with free plans.
Is FreeCharting affiliated with TradingView?
No. FreeCharting is an independent tool. TradingView and Pine Script are trademarks of TradingView, Inc., mentioned only to compare features.
Can I import my TradingView watchlists, layouts or drawings?
Watchlists, yes: in TradingView choose Export list… from the watchlist menu, then click Import above FreeCharting’s watchlist. Layouts and drawings can’t be imported, but you can share your FreeCharting charts, drawings included, with a link.
Does FreeCharting have price alerts?
Yes. Set as many as you like; you get a sound, an on-screen message and, if you allow it, a browser notification. Because FreeCharting has no server, alerts only run while a FreeCharting tab is open.
What data can I chart without a key?
Crypto from Binance, Coinbase, OKX and Kraken works instantly. Stocks and forex need a free key from a provider such as Twelve Data.