Trading & Research Platforms

Trade Ideas: Platform Profile

Platform profileUpdated 2026-09-12

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Overview

Trade Ideas is an active-trading research and execution platform built around real-time stock scanning, alerts, backtesting, AI-generated trade signals, simulation, and broker-connected order execution.

Its automation model has two layers that should not be collapsed into one feature:

Trade discovery and strategy logic can come from Trade Ideas scanners, custom formulas, backtests, and the Holly AI system.
Live execution is handled through Brokerage Plus after the user connects a separate brokerage account.

Trade Ideas is not the customer's broker-dealer. Its current disclosure states that brokerage services are provided by the independent brokerage company selected by the user.

That makes Trade Ideas structurally different from a broker that owns the entire account and execution stack.

May fit better for

active U.S. equity traders;
traders who want real-time scanners and alerts feeding execution rules;
users who want to build and backtest rule-based strategies;
traders who want simulation before live automation;
Windows users who want Brokerage Plus automation;
users with a compatible brokerage account;
traders who understand that an AI signal is not a guaranteed profitable trade.

May fit less well for

passive investors;
users who only need basic charts and watchlists;
traders who want an inexpensive entry-level subscription;
Mac users unwilling to run a Windows environment for full desktop functionality;
users who expect the browser version to provide Brokerage Plus;
investors who want Trade Ideas itself to custody assets;
traders who expect AI output to remove execution or market risk.

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Current subscription pricing

The current public pricing page shows two principal paid tiers.

Standard:
Monthly: $127/month
Annual: $1,068/year
Annual equivalent monthly: $89/month
Premium:
Monthly: $254/month
Annual: $2,136/year
Annual equivalent monthly: $178/month

The Standard plan includes real-time data, scanning, screeners, charts, real-time paper trading, in-app trading and related tools.

The Premium plan adds the features most relevant to this review:

AI signals;
backtesting;
smart risk levels;
multi-strategy tools;
Auto Trading.

An older account-management pricing template can still surface lower historical figures. Do not use that stale template to override the current public pricing page.

Current public pricing controls.

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Brokerage Plus is the execution layer

Trade Ideas describes Brokerage Plus as its portfolio manager and order/position control center.

Current documented participating connections include examples such as:

Interactive Brokers;
E*TRADE;
Alpaca;
TradeStation.

Trade Ideas should not inherit:

the broker's SIPC status;
the broker's commission schedule;
the broker's margin terms;
the broker's account eligibility;
the broker's custody obligations

as though those were Trade Ideas product attributes.

The software connection and the brokerage account remain separate services.

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Automated strategies can be built from Trade Ideas alerts

Trade Ideas documents an automation workflow in which a user:

builds an Alert Window;
backtests it;
saves the strategy;
loads it into Brokerage Plus;
applies order-entry rules;
runs it in simulation or through a connected live brokerage account.

This is user-configured automation.

A trader can automate a personal rule set without treating an AI-selected trade as the strategy source.

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The live auto-trading cap is 100 trades per day

Current Trade Ideas documentation states:

Auto trade daily cap: 100

This is an operational limit on the platform's documented automation workflow.

It also confirms that Trade Ideas is not positioned as an unrestricted high-frequency execution engine.

100 trades/day maximum

into:

100 trades/day recommended.

The limit says nothing about whether a trading frequency is prudent or profitable.

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The browser version does not include Brokerage Plus

Trade Ideas has a web version, but its documentation says the browser product is a slimmer version of the desktop platform and does not include Brokerage Plus.

A Mac user can use the browser version or run Windows through virtualization/cloud tooling, but that is not the same as a full native Mac version.

This distinction matters specifically for an automated-trading review because Brokerage Plus is central to live automation.

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Holly AI is a signal system, not a performance guarantee

Premium includes Trade Ideas' AI-driven signal features.

The platform also provides tools for:

risk levels;
simulation;
backtesting;
one-click execution;
automated strategy execution.

Trade Ideas describes itself as a publisher and states that its content is not a recommendation suitable for a specific person.

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Simulation and live execution remain different

The real-time simulator is useful because it allows the strategy logic and operating workflow to be tested without placing a live trade.

A simulated result still does not establish the live result.

Live performance can differ because of:

liquidity;
spread;
order handling;
latency;
partial fills;
broker behavior;
market gaps;
connection failures.

The correct ROIStreet treatment is:

Simulation available: Yes
Simulation equals live execution: No
Backtest predicts future return: No

Assessment

Trade Ideas is best understood as an active-trading intelligence platform that can extend all the way from scanning to automated execution.

The automation is powerful precisely because the platform can combine:

market scan → strategy logic → backtest → broker connection → order execution.

That same chain creates more failure points than a simple alert service.

A trader should know which layer produced a decision, which layer sent the order, and which brokerage ultimately handled the trade.

Premium pricing is also material. At the current annual rate, the subscription is a significant fixed cost before brokerage fees, market losses, taxes or other trading expenses are considered.

The platform therefore makes more economic sense when its scanning, testing and execution workflow is used extensively—not merely as an occasional charting tool.

Costs and minimums

External costs	Real-time market data is included in the paid plans shown, while brokerage commissions, routing/locate fees, options charges, and broker-account requirements remain separate. Optional Trade Ideas add-ons cost extra.
Platform subscription	Current public monthly pricing is $127 for Standard/Core and $254 for Premium/Apex. Premium adds Holly AI signals, backtesting, Smart Risk Levels, and Auto Trading.

Platform and trading features

Backtesting	Native OddsMaker/backtesting is included with Premium, allowing users to test configured Trade Ideas alert strategies on historical data.
Integrations	TradeStation is expressly documented for direct equities/options execution through Brokerage Plus. The current site also displays Moomoo, CenterPoint, Cobra, Interactive Brokers, E*TRADE, and Alpaca among broker or technology relationships; executable features vary and should not be assumed identical across logos.
Paper trading	Real-time simulated trading is included with both current paid tiers and can be used through the platform before live broker execution.
Risk controls	Premium includes Smart Risk Levels; the platform also supports simulated trading, manual/in-app order control, and broker-side position management. Users remain responsible for broker settings, order review, and monitoring automation.
Live execution	Available for supported workflows on Premium through Brokerage Plus and compatible brokers. The current site explicitly documents direct equities and options order execution through TradeStation. Do not imply that every Holly alert is automatically traded or that the coming-soon Money Machine is generally available.
Automation model	Real-time equity scanning and idea generation with configurable alerts, Holly AI signals, backtesting, paper trading, and Brokerage Plus order tools. Premium users can automate eligible strategies through a compatible broker connection.
Strategy creation	Custom scanners and alert windows using hundreds of data points, a formula editor, AI-generated signal sets, and an AI Strategy Lab/visual configuration workflow. Live automation requires a separate Brokerage Plus/broker setup.
Trading authority	Self-directed research, signals, and optional automated execution. Holly generates signals and Brokerage Plus routes eligible orders; Trade Ideas does not take discretionary control of a managed account.
Supported asset classes	Primarily U.S. equities for scanning, AI signals, testing, and automation. The current TradeStation integration also supports direct equities and options orders. Do not present futures, forex, or crypto as platform-wide automated asset support.

Regulation and investor protection

Entity structure	Trade Ideas identifies itself as a publisher, and its EULA says securities purchases and sales must occur through a registered broker-dealer chosen by the user. Trade Ideas is not the custodian; the connected broker supplies execution and account protections.