Best Free Trading Journal 2026: 5 Free Plans Compared

Most “free” trading journals are really free trials, and the ones that do stay free cap your trades, your assets or the way trades get in. I checked the free plan of every journal I could find with one on its own site on November 10, 2026, including the Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal, which we make. Here is exactly what each free plan includes, where it stops and what paying would add.

Key Takeaways

• Five journals have a real free plan you can keep using: the Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal, StonkJournal, TradesViz, Kinfo and Tradervue. TradeZella, TraderSync and Edgewonk have no free plan.
• For unlimited trades, the free plans to compare are ours and StonkJournal; TradesViz Basic allows 3,000 executions a month in stocks only, and Tradervue Basic stops at 30 trades a month.
• We make the Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal: its free account includes unlimited trades, file imports, the full analytics, trade replay and MAE/MFE stats, and paid ($19 a month or $119 a year) adds Broker Auto Sync, the AI Trading Coach and today’s scan results.

Best Free Trading Journal: The Quick Answer

Full disclosure: we make the Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal, so it is listed first, and two links in this article (Tradervue and TraderSync) are affiliate links: we may be paid if you sign up, at no cost to you. Every free plan below comes from each company’s own pricing or home page, checked November 10, 2026.

Journal	Free plan	Free limit	How trades get in on free	Paid price
Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal (we make it)	Free account, no card	Unlimited trades	Manual entry, broker and journal file imports, IBKR Flex	$19/mo or $119/yr
StonkJournal	Free forever, no card	Unlimited trades and accounts	Manual entry only	Pro $10/mo
TradesViz	Basic, free forever	3,000 executions a month, stocks only, 1 account	File import or auto-sync	Pro $19.99/mo, Platinum $29.99/mo
Kinfo	Free, $0 forever	Basic analytics; full history is paid	Linked broker only	Pro $24.90/mo, Pro+ $44.90/mo
Tradervue	Basic, free	30 trades a month	Import	Silver $29.95/mo, Gold $49.95/mo
TradeZella	No free plan	Not applicable	Not applicable	$35, $59 or $99/mo
TraderSync	No free plan; 7-day trial	Not applicable	Not applicable	$29.95 to $79.95/mo
Edgewonk	No free plan; 14-day money-back guarantee	Not applicable	Not applicable	$35/mo or $197/yr

If you want one line per trader: pick ours or StonkJournal if you never want a trade cap, TradesViz Basic if you trade only stocks and want deep charts, Kinfo if you want a verified record straight from your broker, and Tradervue Basic if you place only a handful of trades a month. This page compares free plans only; for the full ranking of paid and free journals together, see our guide to the best trading journals, and the trading journal comparison table lines every journal up feature by feature.

How I Compared the Free Plans

A free plan is only useful if you can keep journaling on it long enough to learn something. I looked at five things on each vendor’s own site, in this order:

• Trade cap. Can you log every trade you take, or does the plan stop you after a set number each month?
• Assets and accounts. Does free cover options, futures and more than one account, or only stocks in one account?
• How trades get in. Manual entry, file import or a live broker connection. Typing every trade gets old fast if you trade often.
• Analytics and history. Do you get the same reports as paid users, and can you see your whole history?
• The upgrade. What paying adds and what it costs, because most traders eventually want sync or AI.

I did not count free trials as free plans. A trial that ends in seven days, or a money-back window, is a way to test paid software, not a journal you can keep for free.

The Free Trading Journals Compared

1. Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal (we make it)

I built the Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal after years of trading and trying the other journals on this page, so weigh my view with that in mind. The free account opens with an email address, no card, and you get in instantly. It is not a trial: there is no end date and no trade cap.

What free includes:

• The full journal with unlimited trades: manual entry, stats, calendar, the analytics tab, playbooks, routines, mistakes and ratings.
• File imports: named broker CSVs, files from TradeZella, Tradervue, Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TopstepX, MetaTrader, TradingView and DAS Trader, thinkorswim statements, a column mapper for anything else, and IBKR Flex import.
• Trade replay and MAE/MFE stats on daily bars (not for futures).
• Our prebuilt scanners’ final results once they are older than five exchange sessions, plus the equity curves and headline stats of the Official Breakout, Official Dip and Official Combo systems.
• Our MCP server and API for your own journal, so you can connect it to Claude or ChatGPT: 52 of our 82 tools, at lower rate limits.

What paid adds ($19 a month or $119 a year, about $9.92 a month): Broker Auto Sync with 25+ brokers, the AI Trading Coach, which answers questions using your own journal data, today’s live and preliminary scanner lists, the Official systems with their full backtests, and every API and MCP tool. Futures never come in through Broker Auto Sync on either plan; you log them by hand or import a Tradovate, NinjaTrader or TopstepX file.

The honest read: our free account is the most complete free plan on this page for traders who import files, because nothing on it caps trades, assets or reports. What it lacks is a live broker connection, which Kinfo Free and TradesViz Basic (stocks only) include. If you want to see how logging works before signing up, read how to log trades in the Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal.

2. StonkJournal Free

StonkJournal leads its home page with a free plan and means it: “No trial. No credit card. No trade caps.” Free covers unlimited trades and accounts across stocks, options, futures, forex, crypto and indices, with multi-leg options, stats, a calendar, risk rules with a compliance score on every trade, multiple accounts, trade setups and share links.

The catch is how trades get in. On Free you type every trade (its entry form is built for speed, with multi-leg executions and smart defaults). CSV import from any broker export is a Pro feature, and live broker sync is listed as on the roadmap, so no plan has it today. Pro costs $10 a month and adds the AI Coach and AI chat, Smart Import and an all-accounts roll-up.

The honest read: StonkJournal Free is the closest match to ours on unlimited trades, and its risk-rule scoring is something we do not have. If you trade a lot, the lack of imports on Free is the deciding factor. Our StonkJournal review covers Free and Pro in detail.

3. TradesViz Basic

TradesViz offers a Basic plan that it says is free forever, with no card. Basic includes journaling, imports, auto-sync for stock trades, basic analytics and the Daily Drill, a free simulator that gives you one hidden market day to trade each day. The limits are real: 3,000 executions a month, stocks only and one trading account.

Everything TradesViz is known for sits on the paid plans. Options, futures, forex and crypto, unlimited imports, the AI tools (AI Coach Trading Review, AI Query, AI Chat and more), the REST API and its hosted MCP server all need Pro ($19.99 a month, or $14.99 a month billed yearly) or Platinum ($29.99 a month, or $22.49 billed yearly). Both paid plans have a 7-day trial.

The honest read: Basic is a good free plan for a stock-only trader with one account who wants deep charts. Anyone trading options or more than one account will outgrow it on day one.

4. Kinfo Free

Kinfo’s pricing page lists a Free plan at “$0 forever” with Broker Auto Sync, Basic Analytics and a Verified Profile. It is built entirely around a live broker connection: trades come from a read-only link to your broker, so your stats cannot be edited and you can publish them as a verified record.

That design is also the limit. I found no manual entry or file import on Kinfo’s pages, so a broker it does not support cannot be used at all. Free analytics are basic, and Full History, Priority Sync and Advanced Reports are on Pro ($24.90 a month); Pro+ ($44.90 a month) adds spread detection and Excel or Google Sheets sync. Yearly billing saves 25%.

The honest read: Kinfo Free suits a trader who wants a verified, hands-off record and whose broker is on its list. It is a lighter journal than the others here, with no AI, replay or backtesting found on the pages checked.

5. Tradervue Basic

Tradervue is one of the oldest journals, and its free Basic plan is limited to importing 30 trades a calendar month, according to its help center; the pricing page itself now shows only Silver and Gold, plus an option to switch to a free plan after a trial. Silver ($29.95 a month) and Gold ($49.95 a month) remove the cap and add broker sync, advanced reports, MFE/MAE statistics and exit analysis. Trials are available on Silver and Gold, and the card is charged when the trial ends unless you switch to the free plan.

The honest read: 30 trades a month is enough for a swing trader who places a few trades a week, and Tradervue’s charts with your entries and exits are good. An active day trader hits the cap in the first week. Our Tradervue review goes through Silver and Gold.

Journals With No Free Plan

Three of the best-known journals do not have a free plan at all, as of November 10, 2026. If a search result calls one of them free, it usually means a trial.

TradeZella

TradeZella has three paid plans: Essential $35, Pro $59 and Ultra $99 a month, or $315, $531 and $891 a year. No free plan or trial is listed on its pricing page as of November 2026, so you pay on day one. If you were searching for a free trading journal like TradeZella, our TradeZella alternative guide compares the journals that cost less or nothing.

TraderSync

TraderSync has no free plan; every plan (Pro $29.95, Premium $49.95, Elite $79.95 a month) starts with a 7-day free trial. It is a strong paid journal with trade simulation and the Cypher AI, which our TraderSync review covers, but it is not a free option.

Edgewonk

Edgewonk costs $35 a month or $197 a year and has no free plan or trial, only a 14-day money-back guarantee. Its strength is psychology and mental-edge tracking. If the price is the problem, see our Edgewonk alternative guide.

Free Plan Limits That Matter Most

Free plans differ less on features than on the four limits below. Check each one against how you actually trade before you commit months of trades to a journal.

Trade caps

Tradervue Basic stops at 30 trades a month and TradesViz Basic at 3,000 executions a month. Ours and StonkJournal Free have no cap. Kinfo does not state a trade cap on Free, but full history is a Pro feature, and the free history window is not stated.

Assets and accounts

TradesViz Basic is stocks only with one account. StonkJournal Free covers every market type with unlimited accounts. Ours logs stocks, options and futures on free (futures by hand or by file import), with up to 10 journal accounts. If you trade options spreads, check how the free plan records multi-leg trades: StonkJournal auto-detects verticals, condors and other spreads on Free.

How trades get in

This is the limit traders feel most. Manual entry is fine at a few trades a week and painful at a few a day. StonkJournal Free is manual only. Ours imports files. TradesViz Basic imports files and auto-syncs stock trades from supported brokers. Kinfo Free has a live broker link and nothing else. On our journal, live Broker Auto Sync is a paid feature.

AI and data access

None of the free plans here include a built-in AI chat: StonkJournal, TradesViz and ours all keep it on paid plans, and I found no AI on Kinfo or Tradervue. The one free route to AI is ours: a free account can connect its own journal to Claude or ChatGPT through our MCP server. TradesViz also has a hosted MCP server, on Pro and Platinum. Our trading journal MCP guide shows how that works, and the AI trading journal comparison covers the paid AI tools.

Which Free Trading Journal Fits You

• Active traders who import files: the Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal free account, because imports and unlimited trades sit on the same free plan.
• Traders happy to type every trade: StonkJournal Free or ours. StonkJournal adds risk-rule scoring; ours adds imports, trade replay, MAE/MFE stats and delayed scan results.
• Stock-only traders with one account: TradesViz Basic, if you want its charts and can stay under 3,000 executions a month.
• Traders who want a verified record: Kinfo Free, if your broker is on its list.
• Swing traders placing a few trades a week: Tradervue Basic fits under 30 trades a month; ours fits with no cap and adds our prebuilt scanners’ delayed results.
• Futures and prop traders: StonkJournal Free covers futures and prop accounts by manual entry; ours imports Tradovate, NinjaTrader and TopstepX files. No free plan here syncs futures live.

What About a Spreadsheet?

A spreadsheet is the other free route, and it suits traders who want total control over their columns and do not mind typing. If that is you, our free trading journal template for Google Sheets is a good start. The trade-off is that a spreadsheet does no imports, replay or analytics until you build them, which is why most traders move to a journal app once they log more than a few trades a week.

How to Start on a Free Plan Without Losing Your History

The worst part of switching journals is starting over, so set up your free plan in a way that keeps your old trades. These steps work on any of the journals above.

• Export first. Before you leave a journal, download your trades as a CSV or export file from its settings. Some journals end your login when a paid plan or trial lapses, so do this before it ends.
• Keep your broker files. Your broker’s own trade history export is the cleanest source. Save a copy every month or quarter, even if your journal syncs, so you can rebuild anywhere.
• Import a small date range first. Load one month, check that entries, exits, fees and options legs match your broker statement, then import the rest. On ours, every file import shows a preview of trades, skipped rows and duplicates before anything saves.
• Pick one way in and stick to it. Mixing manual entries with imported files of the same trades creates duplicates. Decide whether you will type, import or sync, and use the same method every week.
• Tag from day one. Add a setup tag and a mistake tag to every trade as you log it. Free analytics are only as useful as the labels you give them.

When a Free Journal Stops Being Enough

Most traders upgrade for one of three reasons: they are tired of typing trades and want a live broker connection, they want AI to read their trades for them, or they hit a cap. Before you pay, check which of those you need, because the prices differ a lot: StonkJournal Pro is $10 a month, our paid plan is $19 a month or $119 a year, TradesViz Pro is $19.99 a month and Tradervue Silver is $29.95 a month.

Whatever you choose, start on a free plan and log at least a few weeks of real trades first. A journal you actually use for a month tells you more about your trading than any feature list, and it shows you which paid feature you would really use.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free trading journal?

It depends on how you get trades in. For unlimited trades, compare the Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal free account and StonkJournal Free: both have no cap and no card; ours adds file imports, trade replay and MAE/MFE stats, while StonkJournal adds risk-rule scoring. TradesViz Basic suits stock-only traders and Tradervue Basic suits traders under 30 trades a month. We make ours, so weigh that.

Is there a free trading journal like TradeZella?

TradeZella has no free plan. The free plans closest to it in depth are TradesViz Basic (stocks only) and the Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal free account, which also imports TradeZella export files so you do not start over.

Is there a free trading journal app with broker sync?

Two free plans here include a live broker connection: Kinfo Free, and TradesViz Basic for stock trades on one account. Tradervue and ours keep live sync on paid plans, and StonkJournal has none yet.

Is Tradervue still free?

Yes. Tradervue’s free plan is limited to importing 30 trades a calendar month, according to its help center. Silver and Gold are paid and remove the cap.

Is TradesViz free?

TradesViz Basic is free forever with 3,000 executions a month, stocks only and one trading account. Options, other assets, AI tools and its MCP server need Pro or Platinum.

Does the Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal have a free trial?

No. It has a free account instead, with no end date and no card: unlimited trades, file imports and the full analytics. The paid plan adds Broker Auto Sync, the AI Trading Coach, today’s scan results and the full Official system backtests. You can create a free account and start logging today.