# Trading Guides and Tool Comparisons · DT Terminal > Honest comparisons of trading journals and backtesters, ours included, and plain how to guides on backtesting, journalling your trades and prop challenges. Guides # Trading guides and tool comparisons Honest comparisons for picking a journal or a backtester, and step by step guides to backtesting, journalling and getting better, plus prop challenges. We make DT Terminal, the AI trading improvement platform for traders who want to get better. Where it appears in a comparison, we say where it falls short. ## Choosing a tool 5 1. [9 tools compared Updated 25 October 2026](https://www.thedtterminal.com/guides/best-backtesting-software-2026) **The best backtesting software in 2026: nine tools compared** FX Replay, Forex Tester, TradeZella, NinjaTrader, MT5, QuantConnect and three more: data coverage, price, one real limitation and who each one suits. 2. [10 journals compared Updated 25 October 2026](https://www.thedtterminal.com/guides/best-trading-journal-2026) **The best trading journal in 2026: ten compared** TradeZella, TraderSync, TradesViz, Tradervue, Edgewonk and five more: broker sync, replay, backtesting, price and one real limitation for each. 3. [7 services compared](https://www.thedtterminal.com/compare/verification) **Ways to verify trading results, compared** Myfxbook, FX Blue, MQL5 Signals, Darwinex Zero, Kinfo and Collective2 against DT Terminal: how each verifies results, what owners can hide, and price. 4. [Types, checks and a free finder](https://www.thedtterminal.com/how-to-find-your-broker) **How to find your broker** Why your broker choice matters, the types of broker (market maker, STP, ECN, futures) and what to check before you open an account. Plus a free finder. 5. [Types, checks and a free finder](https://www.thedtterminal.com/how-to-find-your-prop-firm) **How to find your prop firm** Why your prop firm choice matters, the types of prop firm (two-step, one-step, instant, futures) and what to check before you pay. Plus a free finder. ## How to 7 1. [7 steps](https://www.thedtterminal.com/guides/how-to-backtest-a-forex-strategy) **How to backtest a forex strategy** Write the rules, pick the period, replay bar by bar, log every trade, read expectancy in R, then run it on a demo account before you risk money on it. 2. [Free download CSV template, 14 columns](https://www.thedtterminal.com/guides/trading-journal-template) **A trading journal template you can import** A free CSV trading journal template with the fourteen columns explained, filled sample trades, and headers that import straight into DT Terminal. 3. [7 steps](https://www.thedtterminal.com/guides/how-to-verify-your-trading-track-record) **How to verify your trading track record** Prove your trading results with a record read from the broker: which account to use, connecting read only, prop payouts, sharing it, and its limits. 4. [7 checks](https://www.thedtterminal.com/guides/how-to-check-if-trading-results-are-real) **How to check if a trader's results are real** Seven checks to tell whether a trader, guru or signal seller has real results: where the numbers came from, the account type, drawdown and payout proof. 5. [8 parts](https://www.thedtterminal.com/guides/how-to-prove-a-prop-firm-payout) **How to prove a prop firm payout is real** Why a payout screenshot or certificate proves little, what to keep, and how a payout is checked against the funded account it came from before it goes public. 6. [7 parts](https://www.thedtterminal.com/guides/how-to-journal-a-prop-firm-challenge) **How to journal a prop firm challenge** Track the daily loss and drawdown rules that end most challenges, what to log on every trade, the daily review, and how a funded record gets verified. 7. [7 parts](https://www.thedtterminal.com/guides/how-to-get-a-funded-account-for-free) **How to get a funded account for free** The routes that cost nothing: free trials, free entry competitions, fee rebates and scholarships, with what each one actually gives you and where the catch is. ## Find out what to fix in your trading. Connect your broker once and Edge learns from your trades, journal and practice to show you what to fix. Free to start. [Start free](https://www.thedtterminal.com/login?signup=true) [See the journal demo](https://www.thedtterminal.com/tour/journal) --- Risk disclosure: Futures, forex and options trading contains substantial risk and is not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing one's financial security or lifestyle. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. [Read the full risk disclosure](https://www.thedtterminal.com/legal/risk-disclosure). This is the Markdown version of https://www.thedtterminal.com/guides. [Home](https://www.thedtterminal.com/) · [Verification](https://www.thedtterminal.com/verification) · [Pricing](https://www.thedtterminal.com/pricing) · [Supported brokers](https://www.thedtterminal.com/supported-brokers) · [Rankings](https://www.thedtterminal.com/rankings) · [About](https://www.thedtterminal.com/about) · [llms.txt](https://www.thedtterminal.com/llms.txt)