Futures backtesting
Backtest futures with the contract maths built in.
Pick a contract and a date, step the chart forward, and trade it in contracts rather than in vague units. Commission comes off per contract, so the result reads like a statement.
- Contracts
- Sized as the contract is
- Per contract
- Commission in the sim
- 2
- Free sessions to start
- Unlimited
- Sessions on Pro
How it works
- 01
Pick a contract and a date
Choose the contract and where in history to start, then jump to the open or the release you want to study.
- 02
Trade it in contracts
Size the position in contracts and step forward one bar at a time, placing stops and targets as if it were live.
- 03
Read the net stats
Commission comes off per contract, so the expectancy at the end is a net number.
Contract sizing
Sized and costed like the contract it is.
A simulated position is a number of contracts, and the commission rate you set is applied per contract, so the R multiple is the one your statement would show.
- Position sized in contracts
- Per-contract commission applied
- Net expectancy, not gross
Jump to time
Straight to the cash open, or the print.
Jump to the open, a CPI release or the session you remember, instead of stepping through overnight chop to reach it.
- Any date and time
- The future stays hidden until you step in
- Your drawings stay on the chart
Into the journal
Export the session to your Trade Log.
On Pro the tested trades land in the same journal your CSV imports go to, so the tested idea and the traded one can be compared.
- Backtests and live trades in one record
- Link a session to a Playbook strategy
- Edge suggests what to test next
Read this first
The replay is live. Futures platform sync is not.
A NinjaTrader connection is being built and Tradovate is not connected, so a live futures account still reaches the journal by CSV or by hand. The backtester itself runs on real futures candles today.
What is free
Free includes 2 full sessions.
Pro makes them unlimited, $18 a month or $149 a year.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Backtest sessions | 2 lifetime | Unlimited |
| Trades per session | 50 | Unlimited |
| Markets per session | 1 | Unlimited |
| Sessions never expire | ||
| Strategy linking and rule compliance | ||
| Export backtests to your Trade Log |
Full comparison on the pricing page.
Questions
Which futures data does the backtester use?
Real historical candles for the futures instruments in the app, and coverage grows as data partners are added. Index, energy, metals, rate, currency and agricultural contracts are covered, replayed bar by bar on our own charts.
How is commission handled in a session?
As a rate per contract, set once and applied to every simulated trade, so the net R at the end of the session matches how the trade would have settled.
Does it sync with Tradovate or NinjaTrader?
Not yet. A NinjaTrader connection is being built and Tradovate is not connected. Backtesting works today, and a live futures account reaches the journal by CSV export or by hand until the connections ship.
Is futures backtesting free?
A free account gets 2 full sessions, up to 50 trades in each, on 1 market at a time. Pro removes every cap and keeps sessions forever.
Can I test a written strategy against its rules?
Yes. On Pro a session can be linked to a strategy in your Playbook, and each simulated trade is checked against the rules you wrote down.
Can I run DT Terminal from Claude?
Soon. We are building an MCP connector that opens the whole of DT Terminal to Claude: every workspace and every piece of your data, to read and to act on, with your consent per scope. It works with any assistant that speaks MCP, and it is in development, not live yet.
Test the contract before the money is on it.
2 sessions are free, with the commission already taken off.
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