MultiCharts is a Windows application for charting, strategy testing and automated trading, scripted in PowerLanguage. The right alternative depends on whether you want another application like it, or want to leave the application model and write your own code.
Why traders look for MultiCharts alternatives
- They work on a Mac or on Linux. MultiCharts is Windows only.
- They have outgrown an EasyLanguage-style language and want Python or C++.
- They want a different price, broker or data feed.
- They want written fill rules and repeatable runs.
MultiCharts alternatives compared
Details below were checked in November 2026, against each vendor's own pages where they were available. TradeStation's terms come from published reviews.
| Tool | Type | Language | Runs on | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NinjaTrader | Futures trading application and broker | C# | Windows desktop app | Free to chart and backtest; $99 a month or $1,499 once for lower commissions |
| TradeStation | Broker with desktop platform | EasyLanguage | Desktop platform | Tied to a brokerage account; check current terms |
| Sierra Chart | Charting and trading application | C++ (ACSIL) | Windows | From $26 a month |
| AmiBroker | Charting and portfolio backtester | AFL | Windows | One-time licence; Ultimate Pack $499 |
| Zorro | Compact coding environment | lite-C, C++; calls R and Python | Windows, other systems with special installs | Free for private users under limits; Zorro S €35 a month |
| QuantConnect | Cloud platform | Python, C# | Browser, or LEAN locally | Free tier, paid plans |
| Reamer Research, Reamer Server | Libraries | Python, C++, or any language that can call C | Linux; Reamer Research also on Apple Silicon Macs | $1,800 and $7,200 per year |
Trading applications
- NinjaTrader is built around futures. Strategies are written in C#, and charting, backtesting and simulation are free to use. It is also a broker, and its plans change your commissions.
- TradeStation is the home of EasyLanguage, so it is a natural move for existing code in that style. It is tied to its brokerage. Check its current account terms, as reviews disagree on them.
- Sierra Chart supports custom studies in C++. Its packages run from $26 to $56 a month, and the higher packages include data and trading connections.
- AmiBroker has portfolio-level backtesting, optimization and walk-forward testing in its AFL language. Its licence is personal and lasts, with free upgrades for 24 months.
Code-first tools
- Zorro offers C or C++ with a built-in optimizer, charts and broker connections. The free version has a $30,000 annual profit limit and a $15,000 capital limit, and corporations need Zorro S.
- QuantConnect runs Python or C# strategies in the cloud with data and brokers included. See What are the best QuantConnect alternatives in 2026?
- Reamer Research and Reamer Server supply the research and order-management core for your own program. Reamer Research fills orders under a public execution specification, with byte-identical runs on a fixed seed. Reamer Server runs your pre-trade gate and a broker connector you write. They have no charts, and there is no Windows version. See How do Reamer Research and Reamer Server compare with MultiCharts?
How to choose
| If you want | Look at |
|---|---|
| To keep an EasyLanguage style | TradeStation, or stay on MultiCharts |
| Futures, charts and low-cost trading | NinjaTrader or Sierra Chart |
| Portfolio backtests in a desktop application | AmiBroker |
| C or C++ with tools included, at low cost | Zorro |
| Data and brokers in the cloud | QuantConnect |
| Your own system in Python or C++, on Linux or a Mac, with fills you can read | Reamer Research and Reamer Server |
See Who are Reamer Research and Reamer Server for? Both have a 30-day paid trial; see pricing.