Best Trading Journal for Prop Traders
TradeZella, TraderSync, Edgewonk and Tradervue compared on what matters when you trade a prop firm account: does it import your platform, and does it track your firm's rules.
Disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Short answer: if you want a journal that tracks prop firm rules (daily loss, drawdown type, consistency, minimum days), TradeZella is the only one of the four that advertises it. If you want one flat price with every feature, Edgewonk is the pick. Tradervue suits a plain stats journal, especially with Apex or Rithmic. I'd put TraderSync last for futures until you've checked its import list and its support complaints yourself.
What to look for
A journal is only useful if the trades get in without manual work. For a prop trader that comes down to three questions:
- Does it import my platform?Tradovate, Rithmic, NinjaTrader and MetaTrader are what most firms run on. Check the exact one you trade.
- Does it track firm rules?Daily loss limits, drawdown type and profit target, so you see them before the firm's dashboard shows a breach. See trailing vs end-of-day drawdown for why the type matters.
- What does it cost per account?Prop traders often run several accounts at once, and some plans cap them.
Cost: list prices
| Journal | Monthly list price | Annual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TradeZella | Essential $35 · Pro $59 · Ultra $99 | $315 · $531 · $891 per year | Essential: 1 active account. Pro: up to 50. Ultra: unlimited. |
| TraderSync | Pro $29.95 · Premium $49.95 · Elite $79.95 | See their pricing page | Annual price and plan limits: see their pricing page. |
| Edgewonk | $35 | $197 per year | One plan with all features. The pricing page also runs a promo; offers vary. |
| Tradervue | Silver $29.95 · Gold $49.95 | Not listed on the page I checked | A limited free plan has been reported by third parties and may be out of date. |
Futures imports: what each lists
This is the "trading journal for futures" question. "Not listed" means I didn't find it on the tool's own page, not that it can't work. Some tools import by file upload rather than automatic sync, so confirm which before you pay.
| Platform / firm | TradeZella | TraderSync | Edgewonk | Tradervue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tradovate | Auto sync and file upload | Reportedly CSV upload (rival's claim, unverified) | Listed | Listed |
| Rithmic | Auto sync and file upload | Reportedly CSV upload (unverified) | Not listed (Excel import is the fallback) | Listed |
| NinjaTrader | Auto sync and file upload | Reportedly CSV upload (unverified) | Listed (7 and 8) | Listed; near-real-time via a third-party plugin |
| MT4 / MT5 | Auto sync and file upload | Not confirmed | Listed, auto-sync | Listed |
| cTrader | Auto sync and file upload | Not confirmed | Listed | Listed |
| TradingView | File upload, paper trading only | Not confirmed | Paper trading only | Not listed |
| Topstep | File upload (TopstepX) | Reportedly CSV upload (unverified) | Listed (Topstep X) | Not listed |
| Apex | Not listed on its broker page | Not confirmed | Not listed | Listed (ApexTrader and Apex-cleared brokers) |
| FTMO | Not listed on its broker page | Not confirmed | Listed | Not listed |
Trading from TradingView doesn't change this. If your orders route through Tradovate, as mine do, the trades live at Tradovate, so that's the import you need. TradingView paper trading is a different thing and only two of the four mention it.
Features that matter for passing an evaluation
| Journal | Prop rule tracking | Other features |
|---|---|---|
| TradeZella | "Prop Firm Sync": rules per step including max daily loss, max drawdown (static, end-of-day or trailing), profit target, minimum trading days and a best-day consistency target; a separate funded-phase rule set; a multi-account dashboard. A challenge simulator is marked beta. These are the vendor's claims; I found no independent confirmation. | Trade replay (Pro and Ultra), playbooks, AI features. |
| TraderSync | No prominent prop rule tracking found (per a competitor's comparison page). | AI assistant, trade replay on higher plans, commission tracking, iOS and Android apps. |
| Edgewonk | None found. It accepts unlimited prop firm accounts. | Tiltmeter and psychology analysis, setup checklists, weekly Edge Finder scan, MAE/MFE, drawdown stats. No replay found. |
| Tradervue | None found. | Stats and reporting, broker sync; web only, no mobile or desktop app. |
For daily loss alerts specifically, TradeZella is the only one where I found published pages describing rule-based tracking. Even there, I'd use it as a second pair of eyes, not as your risk control. Set your own stop-for-the-day level inside your daily loss limit and check the firm's dashboard.
The four, one by one
TradeZella
Who it's for: traders running several prop accounts who want rule tracking and replay in one place. It claims 500+ broker and prop firm integrations.
Watch out: the pricing page doesn't state a free trial or refund terms, so check the help center before paying. Trade replay isn't on the cheapest Essential plan, which is also limited to one active account, awkward if you run more than one evaluation. The prop tracking claims come from TradeZella itself. I haven't looked into the negative side of its reviews, so don't read this page as saying it has none.
TraderSync
Who it's for: traders who want AI feedback and mobile apps, and who have confirmed their platform imports cleanly. Its own pricing and broker pages could not be loaded during research, so see their pricing page for plans and limits.
Watch out: Trustpilot shows about 4.2 out of 5 from 324 reviews, with most reviews five-star. The negative ones centre on sync bugs (dropped closing legs, wrong currency conversion, CSV imports changing trade sizes), slow or unresolved support, and refund complaints; Trustpilot notes the company hasn't replied to negative reviews. For a tool whose job is accurate stats, data errors matter. Futures auto sync is the weakest-evidenced of the four.
Edgewonk
Who it's for: traders who want a psychology-focused journal at one price with unlimited accounts, including prop firm accounts, and who trade platforms on its import list (MT4/MT5, NinjaTrader, cTrader, Tradovate, Topstep X, FTMO). If you want an "Edgewonk review" in one line: strong on self-analysis, light on prop rule tracking.
Watch out: there's no free trial, only a 14-day money-back guarantee, and access to the journal ends when you cancel. The pricing page runs a countdown promo ("4 extra months free") with no visible end date and a banner figure that doesn't match the plan cards, so confirm the final price at checkout. Rithmic isn't on its import page. Trustpilot is about 4.5 from roughly 40 reviews, a small sample.
Tradervue
Who it's for: traders who want a plain statistics journal and trade through Rithmic, NinjaTrader or Apex. Its own broker page lists Tradovate, Rithmic, NinjaTrader, MT4/MT5, cTrader and Apex-cleared brokers.
Watch out: no prop firm rule tracking, web only, and futures and forex reportedly need a paid plan. A trial is offered at signup and the card is charged when it ends unless you switch to the free plan. Trustpilot shows 2.4 from only 10 reviews (via a third party), with repeated complaints about being charged after cancelling or at trial end. That sample is too small to be conclusive, but cancel dates are worth a calendar reminder. A refund policy isn't stated on the pricing page.
TradeZella vs TraderSync
On list price they're close: TradeZella's entry plan is $35 a month against TraderSync's $29.95. The difference is what you get for prop trading. TradeZella publishes prop-rule tracking and lists Tradovate, Rithmic and NinjaTrader with auto sync. TraderSync has AI and mobile apps but I found no prop rule tracking and couldn't confirm its futures sync. Several of the comparison pages I found for this search are written by a vendor or affiliate, so I've relied on each tool's own pages where I could load them.
Which should you pick?
- Prop rules in one dashboardTradeZella. Pay for Pro if you run more than one account.
- One price, unlimited accountsEdgewonk, if your platform is on its list.
- Apex or Rithmic, plain statsTradervue. Use your firm's dashboard for the rules.
- TraderSyncOnly after you've confirmed your import works, ideally during its trial.
Whichever you choose, start from the trade logs your platform exports, so you can check the journal's totals against your firm's statement in the first week. If they don't match, don't trust the analytics.
FAQ
Do I need a trading journal to pass a prop firm evaluation?
No firm requires one. A journal helps you see which setups and sessions lose money, and rule tracking can warn you before a daily loss limit. Your firm's dashboard still decides whether you've breached.
Which journal is best for futures prop firms?
It depends on your platform. All four list Tradovate in some form (TraderSync's is unconfirmed), and only Tradervue and TradeZella list Rithmic. Check the table above, then confirm on the tool's own site.
Can I journal trades placed from TradingView?
Import from where the trades execute. If your orders route through Tradovate, import from Tradovate. TradeZella and Edgewonk mention TradingView paper trading only.
Will a journal stop me breaking my firm's rules?
No. It can show rule progress, but it doesn't enforce limits and can lag your account. Treat the firm's dashboard as the source of truth.
Are there free options?
Tradervue has been reported to offer a limited free plan, but third-party details may be out of date. For the others I found a trial or money-back guarantee at best, so check each site.
Related: Prop firms that allow bots · Trailing vs end-of-day drawdown · TradingView for prop firm traders · Prop firm rules cheat sheet