Stock Trading Tools: Charts, Scanners & Platforms

11 min read
Stock Trading Tools
We review popular stock trading tools, such as scanners, charting platforms, journaling services, stock simulators, and trading apps, which are listed below. At Bullish Bears, our core mission is Trading Education. Click any of the links below to read our reviews. We may receive commissions on purchases made from links in articles.

Best Stock Trading Tools 2026

Types of Trading Tools

The Bullish Bears team uses stock trading tools such as charting platforms, scanners, and news websites to help us make informed trading decisions. If you’re new to trading, it’s important not to jump in and buy tools until you have a proven trading strategy. We want you to save your money.

StockCharts.com, Finviz, and Barchart are companies that offer really good free trading tools.

Stock Scanner Tool
The picture above is of Trade Ideas morning gappers. They are our favorite scanner.

List of Scanners

The Bullish Bears are fans of Trade Ideas, ThinkorSwim, Finviz, and Barchart for scanners. Trade Ideas is our favorite paid scanner because it allows for a lot of customization. However, it’s expensive if you’re new and on a budget. ThinkorSwim is free and allows for a lot of customization, but getting set up requires more knowledge. Finviz and Barchart are simpler to use. We share our Trade Ideas layout and several customized ThinkorSwim scanner settings within our Next Level membership.

List of Charting Software

The Bullish Bears’ favorite paid charting platforms are TrendSpider and TradingView. TrendSpider is an advanced charting platform with features such as automated trendlines and scanners. TradingView is known for its ease of use and budget-friendly pricing.

ThinkorSwim is also great for charting most trading styles. Its charting platform is free if you have a brokerage account set up with them. They have a fantastic platform geared toward swing and long-term traders, but we find their platform more limited for day trading.

List of News Services

The Bullish Bears are fans of Benzinga for a news service. They offer more than just breaking news. They also have options alerts, chat rooms, analyst ratings, and more. Benzinga covers many stock market tools that help you stay up to date on what is happening.

List of Trading Simulators

ThinkorSwim, TradeStation, and NinjaTrader are good trading platforms that offer simulated trading. TradingSim is a reliable paid service. ThinkorSwim is our favorite stock simulator for practicing trades and getting comfortable using a trading platform before trading with real money.

List of Fundamental Analysis Tools

Stock Rover is a solid paid fundamental analysis tool built for investors. TipRanks is another tool that provides analyst ratings and other stock research. Investopedia is a great free website that covers many investing and trading topics.

Fidelity also offers free fundamental analysis tools on its website. Its research and quotes section provides information on a stock’s fundamentals. Other tools we like include Zacks and Investor’s Business Daily.

List of Trading Apps

Be careful when trading from an app. Technical analysis can be more challenging on a smaller screen, and you may rely on a cellular connection to place trades. We prefer using a desktop trading platform when actively day trading.

Investing.com is a good app for trading research. It’s simple to use and offers many tools for following stocks and the markets.

List of Trading Journals

The Bullish Bears are big fans of tracking your trades and progress. Please be careful when you are on an app. Doing technical analysis can be more challenging, and you rely on a cellular connection to make trades. This type of trading is better for options or swing trading.  Investing.com is a really good app for trading research. They are simple to use and offer a lot of features. 
Stock Trading Tools

Finding a Trading Edge

Every trader is looking for an edge. That’s why we use stock trading tools to help us find setups and confirm what we’re seeing on a chart. We also show how we use these tools during our live streams in the trade room.

Tools can also help you review your performance. A trading journal is a highly underrated trading tool. You may not realize how valuable it is until you hit a rough patch. Then, you can go back through your trades and see what was successful and what wasn’t.

Stock trading tools can help give you an edge, but they shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all of your trading. There’s a lot more to trading than the tools you have.

Don’t go crazy buying a bunch of tools if you don’t have the budget. Learn how to trade first, find the tools that support your strategy, and save your money where you can.

Final Thoughts on Stock Trading Tools

It takes time, study, and practice to become a consistent trader. Trading is like becoming a doctor. You don’t expect to be a world-renowned surgeon on your first day of college. Instead, you take the time to learn, study, and practice your profession.

Trading is the same way. You may not need eight years of school plus a residency, but you do need to put in the work. Learning to read charts and patterns through our trading courses is critical, and placing hundreds of practice trades can help you become comfortable with your trading style.

Think about the surgery metaphor again. You wouldn’t want a surgeon who hadn’t practiced for years to operate on you. Treat your money like it’s precious. Don’t be afraid to trade it, but don’t trade it without taking the proper time to learn.

Stock trading tools can help you scan for setups, analyze charts, follow market news, and review your trades, but they can’t replace education and practice.

The Bullish Bears have discounts with several trading tools and companies. To gain access to these partner discounts, click the button below.

Please do your own research before purchasing any stock trading tools. The ratings and reviews on this page reflect our opinions and do not constitute a recommendation to use any of these companies. We may receive compensation through affiliate programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Traders use different tools depending on their trading style. Common stock trading tools include stock scanners, charting software, trading journals, news services, trading simulators, trading apps, fundamental analysis tools, and portfolio management software.

Day traders typically need high-speed internet, a trading platform and broker, charting software, a stock scanner, and access to breaking market news. A trading simulator can also help you practice your strategy before trading with real money.
Stock trading tools can be worth it if they support a proven trading strategy and make your trading process more efficient. If you're new to trading, don't spend a lot of money on tools before you know what you actually need. Many companies offer free tools that are enough to get started.

Our editors independently research our articles and review the best products and services. We may receive commissions on purchases made from links in articles. All information provided is for educational purposes and is not investment advice or buy/sell recommendations. Read our full disclaimer.

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