Screen stocks. Study the context. Keep the ideas you want to revisit.
StocksToTrade is installed software for active US traders who want real-time scanners, charts, news and filings in one window. Weigh its monthly price against how often you trade during market hours.
What StocksToTrade is for and who it suits
StocksToTrade is a desktop trading platform for Windows and macOS that combines real-time scanners, charts, news, SEC filings and watchlists for US equities on NASDAQ, NYSE, AMEX and OTC markets. It is aimed at active traders, including day traders and penny stock traders, and adds paper trading, broker integration for qualifying brokers and a training library called StocksToTrade University. StocksToTrade says the platform serves beginners as well as intermediate and advanced traders.
The service is open to traders outside the United States, but the market data it provides covers US equities. Because it is installed software, StocksToTrade publishes system requirements:
- Windows 10 or later, with Windows 11 recommended.
- For macOS, choose the Mac OS tab on the current requirements page and test the installed application on your own computer.
- At least 4 GB of memory, with 8 GB recommended, and about 200 MB of disk space.
- An internet connection of at least 10 Mbps, ideally 30 Mbps.
How screening works in StocksToTrade
Screening starts from a criteria-based custom screener, and StocksToTrade also ships pre-built scans based on Timothy Sykes' strategies and screeners aimed at fast-moving penny stocks. Quick lists show the top percentage gainers and losers and new highs and lows, and filterable previous-day data supports research before the open. Matches can go into unlimited watchlists, with news filtered to the stocks you follow.
The Oracle scanner is a proprietary algorithm that, according to StocksToTrade, sifts thousands of stocks and offers about 20 trading ideas at the opening bell, each with support and resistance levels. Treat its list as ideas to check against your own rules; StocksToTrade's disclaimer says the results it highlights are not typical.
From any symbol, related companies in the same industry, key statistics and a basic company profile are one click away, which helps when a scan surfaces an unfamiliar name.
Charts, alerts and practice trading in StocksToTrade
Charts include news markers, drawing tools and a range of indicators and studies, such as stochastics, RSI, MACD and moving averages. You can place price-event alerts on charts and set your own stock alerts, and real-time streamers cover news and SEC filings. For testing a strategy without risking money, StocksToTrade points to paper trading, which runs on Level 1 real-time data.
If your broker qualifies, you can connect it and place trades from the platform. StocksToTrade itself is a trading platform, not a broker, and its disclaimer states that it is not registered as a broker-dealer or investment adviser.
StocksToTrade access and additional services
StocksToTrade sells access to its installed platform. Before subscribing, separate the software charge from optional data and training services and read the selected checkout offer. The platform page lists Level 2 as an add-on at $29 a month or $345 a year.
| Service | Charge | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | $7 for 14 days | Test the installed application and ordinary daily workflow |
| Level 2 monthly add-on | $29 a month | Bid and ask depth with market maker IDs |
| Level 2 annual add-on | $345 a year | The annual add-on billing option |
- Test the criteria scanner, charts, news and SEC filing workflow you expect to use every day.
- Compare Level 1 quotes with the bid and ask depth supplied by the Level 2 add-on.
- Include chat rooms, specialist scanners and training products in your total cost only if you plan to use them.
Evaluate a StocksToTrade trial
The system requirements page offers a 14-day trial for $7, and the platform FAQ describes trial access using Nasdaq Last Sale data. Read the offer at checkout for the trial charge, duration, renewal amount and cancellation deadline. During the trial, time a complete scan-to-chart review and test the installed application on the computer you intend to use.
StocksToTrade pros and cons
The points below are drawn from StocksToTrade's plans, platform and system requirements pages.
Strengths:
- Real-time Level 1 data for US equities, including OTC markets, in every subscription.
- Scanners, charts, news, SEC filings and watchlists sit in one application.
- Paper trading on real-time data and an included training library.
- A 14-day trial for $7.
Trade-offs:
- It is installed software with published hardware requirements, including at least 4 GB of memory and a fast internet connection.
- Level 2 data and chat rooms cost extra.
- Its pages feature promotional trade results and testimonials, and its own disclaimer says those results are not typical.
- The tools center on short-term trading; long-term research is limited to filings, news, key statistics and company profiles.
StocksToTrade for beginners, swing trading and long-term investing
StocksToTrade is designed around trading during market hours, which shapes how it fits each style.
- Beginners: StocksToTrade says the platform suits traders at every level, and the University library and paper trading give new users room to practice. Real-time scanning still assumes you can follow the market during the session.
- Swing trading: scans, filterable previous-day data, charts and alerts can support swing setups, although the real-time focus goes beyond what an end-of-day routine needs.
- Long-term investing: the research tools are filings, news, key statistics and company profiles, so investors who screen on valuation and growth histories may prefer a platform built around financial metrics.
StocksToTrade alternatives and how they differ
Other real-time scanners include Trade Ideas, which adds event-based backtesting on its Premium plan, and TrendSpider, which runs in a browser and documents a strategy tester. Swing traders and investors who work after the close may compare web screeners such as Finviz or ChartMill. Our guide to choosing a stock screener helps you decide which data timing you need.
TradeClever, the publisher of this guide, is a browser workspace built on daily data from published sessions rather than real-time quotes. It does not place trades and is not a broker; it fits research done after the close with manual filters, CleverScan rules and daily charts; its stock analysis works without an account, with a preview of its screener and heatmap.
Is StocksToTrade worth it? Make the trial count
Fourteen days is a short window, so plan the trial around the sessions you normally trade.
- Install the software and confirm that your computer meets the published requirements.
- Rebuild one scan you use today in the custom screener and run it during a live session.
- Note that the trial uses Nasdaq Last Sale data, and decide whether you would need the Level 2 add-on.
- Paper trade your setups for several sessions before judging the Oracle ideas.
- Add up the monthly price and any add-ons, and compare the total with how many sessions you actually trade.
- Cancel before the trial ends if the platform does not fit your routine.
Sources
TradeClever publishes this guide and makes a competing stock research product. Facts were checked against StocksToTrade's own pages on October 1, 2026; plans and prices change, so confirm them on the vendor's site.
- StocksToTrade plans and pricing (checked October 1, 2026)
- StocksToTrade platform features and FAQ (checked October 1, 2026)
- StocksToTrade system requirements (checked October 1, 2026)
Read our data and methodology notes for calculation context. This guide explains research tools and observations. It does not recommend a trade or investment.