“Thought I was going to miss TradingView. I was wrong. Sierra Chart is perfection, allowing for customization of anything - every variable/spec you could think of. It also has the practical use aspect for actual trading, as opposed to just charting.”
“We’ll start with the pros:
First thing I’ll say is that I truly love Sierra chart. It has been 100% reliable and has never crashed a single time. The software takes up minimal space on my computer, and I can have multiple instances of the software for completely different things (which I do). The learning curve can be a bit steep, and if you don’t want to take the time to learn it, then it may not be for you. But if you’re looking for the most professional trading platform available on the open market with the most amount of customizability, this is the best you’ll find! The Denali data feed, and Teton order routing service is better than anything else I’ve came across. It’s much better Rithmic, and CQG. The order execution is phenomenal. But onto my favorite thing about the software though, and the main reason I got it. They have up to 10 years of tick by tick historical futures data that you can go back through and run either automated, or manual backtests through. I personally run manual backtests, and have gone back through the data comparing it to live charts of more recent price action to truly compare it and it’s the most accurate I’ve ever came across. I mean literally, it’s tick for tick. So whether you trade on a time based chart, or a tick chart, or whatever else, the sequence in which the candles fill out during that time frame will be the exact same during your market replay as they were during the live session. You’re literally trading the past markets in a live environment accurately. Which will provide you with true results on your backtests. So you’ll know 100% if your system has an edge or not over a long period of time. Which in itself is reason enough to use it (IMO).
The cons:
Well, really it’s just one. And it’s not even really a con, but I have to mention it.. I personally execute my trades on a 250 tick chart. I look at time based charts for everything else. But actual executions are done on a 250 Tick. During particularly volatile times, or moments where we get very large movement on the NQ in a short amount of time. Essentially when the chart surges and skips large chunks of price, the candles on the 250 tick chart won’t form, and instead will create a dotted line rather than candles that follows price. My theory on that is because tick charts are based on how many orders are hitting the book, and not based on time. So if there’s so much volatility that it’s making the chart skip prices, then it doesn’t create candles for those because it grabbed all that liquidity instantly to move price in one direction so violently. It could also be a setting that I haven’t implemented, and I haven’t reached out to Sierra chart to discuss it with them. I’m really unbothered by it because those dotted lines still follow price. So again, this isn’t really a con in my opinion. Do I wish it didn’t do this by default? Sure, but it’s not really a big deal because it literally happens less than 1% of the time. But just something to take note of if you specifically have a 250 tick chart on your screen like I do.
Overall, I really love the platform and pay for it with my own money. It’s the only platform I recommend for order execution, and backtesting due to its reliability, accuracy and how lightweight the software is in terms of how much storage it uses. If you’re on the fence about it, but don’t mind learning a new platform and are serious about your trading results, do yourself a favor and get it. It’s absolutely worth every penny, and you’ll thank yourself later down the road if you do.”
“I can only say positive things about Sierra Chart: it is a reliable, stable platform with fast execution and easy to use. Furthermore, the interface is very attractive, and numerous settings can be adjusted on the charts.”
“It is a real proces to learn SC from beginner to intermediate. But once you are seeing through the logic, and know where to look for whatever it is you want to do; this is where you wil discover the genius of SC. It fits every trader, every trading style, every strategy, and almost every product. It really will reward the learning effort.”
“I love Sierra Chart, it really is the platform where you can adapt the most to your liking. Limits are mainly set by your knowledge on how to tackle them.”
“Sierra Chart’s support and documentation are severely lacking for a platform of this complexity. The Teton Order Routing interface is poorly implemented and offers limited functionality compared to modern execution APIs. Most users are forced to rely on third-party data feeds and custom DLL or ACSIL development to achieve basic workflow requirements.
The charting interface and user experience feel extremely outdated — reminiscent of 1980s software design — with inefficient configuration menus and minimal integration capabilities. The learning curve is steep, and because the user base is small, there’s little community support or shared resources. Overall, Sierra Chart is powerful in theory but impractical in real-world use without significant external modification and engineering effort.”
