“AI trading assistant” can mean almost anything now. One tool can read the chart in front of you. Another can write and backtest an algorithm. A broker assistant can answer questions using your holdings and account context. If you pick by the word AI alone, you are likely to buy the wrong thing.
I would start with one question: what can this assistant actually see and do after I ask it something? That is how I have separated these six. They are not six interchangeable trading bots, and I have not personally run a paid account on every platform here. The prices and capabilities below come from the providers’ current documentation; where a tool publishes signal results, I distinguish that record from a backtest or an audited trading account.
1. TrendSpider Sidekick — Best AI Assistant for Chart-Based Research
TrendSpider Sidekick is the clearest match if you mean, “I want to ask about the chart I am looking at.” Its advantage over a general chatbot is context: TrendSpider says Sidekick can work with its charts and market data, research a symbol, build scans and create alerts. You are not copying a screenshot into a separate chat and hoping the model understands where the candles came from.
That makes it useful for narrowing an idea: “Show me stocks with this condition,” or “What changed on this chart?” Its appeal is having the conversation alongside the charts, market data and research tools you already use. An answer or alert is still not an executed trade. The assistant is part of a larger paid platform, not a free standalone tool.
Price: TrendSpider Standard is listed at $82/month before temporary discounts and includes 25 Sidekick messages per month. The optional Sidekick Basic add-on is $49/month for up to 100 messages. Check the checkout price because promotions and billing terms change.
- Can discuss the chart and TrendSpider market data in the same workspace.
- Can help build scans, alerts and research tasks instead of only answering generic questions.
- Connects the conversation to charts, scans and alerts in the same platform.
- The platform starts at a paid monthly price; the included Sidekick allowance is limited.
- Extra Sidekick messages require a separate paid add-on.
- It does not place trades for you merely because it can discuss a setup.
2. QuantConnect Mia — Best for Building and Testing Strategy Code
QuantConnect Mia has a different job. It works inside a project, where it can see code, documentation, logs and backtest results. QuantConnect says Mia can write and debug an algorithm, run it, investigate errors and move into research notebooks or paper testing. That is far more concrete than a chat response containing an untested “winning strategy.”
Mia works within QuantConnect’s LEAN environment, so the result is a code-based workflow. You still need to understand the generated rules, data assumptions and backtest results, even if the agent writes most of the code. I would choose it when the job involves developing and investigating a strategy; someone who mainly wants to discuss a chart or ask about their holdings has less reason to take on that technical setup.
Price: QuantConnect has a $0 plan, and its default Meta Agent requires no separate model key. The Quant Researcher tier starts at $10/month; paid assistant or compute nodes, data and your own model provider can add charges. The $10 tier is not a guaranteed all-in Mia bill.
- Works with actual project code, logs, research notebooks and backtest results.
- Can move from a strategy idea to inspectable code and a backtest.
- Works within QuantConnect's multi-asset research environment.
- The workflow is more technical than a chart-first chat assistant.
- Paid nodes, data or model usage can make the total bill higher than the entry price.
- A successful backtest is not evidence of profitable live trading.
3. Composer Create with AI — Best for Stock and ETF Strategy Ideas
Composer Create with AI is useful when you have an investing rule in your head but do not want to start with code. Describe the idea, let Composer assemble a strategy, and then inspect and edit the resulting “symphony.” The important part is the editable structure. If an AI gives me an idea, I want to know the exact conditions it intends to trade, not just admire a confident paragraph.
Composer belongs here because its conversational entry point leads to an editable stock or ETF strategy and a backtest. The useful question is how well it translates your idea into rules you can inspect and adjust. Those rules need to fit Composer’s strategy structure, and the backtest still needs scrutiny for selection bias, costs and changing market conditions.
Price: Starter is $0/month, Advanced $10/month, and Pro $40/month (or $384/year). The free plan is an entry point, not unlimited automated strategies.
- Turns a plain-English idea into an editable strategy rather than leaving it as chat text.
- Has a $0 Starter plan and clearly priced paid tiers.
- Keeps the strategy and its backtest in one interface.
- Focused on stock and ETF strategies within Composer's supported rules.
- An AI-generated strategy still needs rule, data and risk review.
- The free plan does not provide unlimited automated strategies.
4. TLC — Best Free AI Trading Council for a Second Opinion
TLC, the Trading Legends Council, is one I built myself. It puts several trading methods in the same room without letting one persuasive AI voice make the whole decision. Ten independent “legends” examine the market, vote blind, and a rule-based Chairman combines their ballots. The result can be LONG, SHORT or NO_TRADE. That last option matters: an assistant should be allowed to say the evidence is not good enough.
This is an assistant, not only a signal page. The free, open-source Hermes Agent and OpenClaw skills let you call the full council with /convene, ask one method for its view with /ask-a-legend, or create a custom method with /forge-legend. The setup pulls market bars from MT5 for forex and metals, or a TradingView data route for supported stocks and crypto. It does not connect to a broker to execute an order.
The free public signal page shows the live record for forex, gold and Bitcoin, including winners and losers. The overall figures displayed there were positive when this draft was prepared, but that is a record published on my own site, not an independently audited brokerage statement. It also shows a separate historical backtest; do not mix the two. Check the latest outcomes, drawdown and each market rather than using one attractive headline number.
Price: the public feed, TLC source code and integration skills are $0. If you run your own council, the AI agent, data connection, hosting or model usage may have their own costs. The trade idea is yours to evaluate; TLC does not trade your account.
- Free, open-source council with a published signal history showing wins and losses.
- Interactive Hermes Agent and OpenClaw skills let you convene the council or question one legend.
- The Chairman can return NO_TRADE when the council does not agree.
- Self-hosted use requires an AI agent and a market-data setup; those may have separate costs.
- Its public performance page is owner-published, not an independently audited brokerage statement.
- TLC gives analysis and proposed signals; it does not execute broker trades.
5. Public Alpha — Best Free Assistant for Portfolio Research
Public Alpha is for investors who want a conversation about a security or their portfolio without leaving the broker app. Public says Alpha draws on filings, earnings calls, market data, analyst material and news. It appears on asset and portfolio pages, where that context is more useful than an unconnected chatbot’s memory of yesterday’s market.
Its value depends on the research context available inside Public: the security you are examining, your portfolio and the source material behind an answer. I would use it to explore a company or follow up on a portfolio question, then check the underlying information before acting. Public itself calls the feature experimental and says its answers can be inaccurate.
Price: Alpha is $0 for Public investors. A Public account is required; other brokerage products can have their own fees.
- Free to Public investors.
- Can discuss securities using filings, earnings, market data and portfolio context.
- Available from Public's asset and portfolio pages.
- Requires a Public account and works within that ecosystem.
- Research answers still need checking against their underlying sources.
- Public calls it experimental and warns that responses may be inaccurate.
6. Robinhood Cortex — Best for Existing Robinhood Gold Users
Robinhood Cortex has access to something most standalone assistants do not: your brokerage context. Robinhood describes portfolio questions, stock research, screening and app actions grounded in account data. That can save a lot of switching between an investing app and a generic chat window.
Cortex makes most sense if Robinhood is already where you manage your investments. Access depends on Gold membership, eligibility and rollout, so check whether it is available in your account. Robinhood’s agreement warns that answers can be wrong and requires user approval for transactions. I would check the information and the proposed action before approving anything.
Price: Robinhood Gold costs $5/month or $50/year; a one-time 30-day trial may be available. Brokerage or trading charges are separate.
- Uses Robinhood account and portfolio context unavailable to a generic chatbot.
- Can assist with research and app actions inside the brokerage workflow.
- Gold has a simple published subscription price.
- Requires Robinhood Gold, with access subject to eligibility and rollout.
- Account actions require attention to permissions and transaction approval.
- Robinhood warns that AI responses may be inaccurate and require verification.
AI Trading Assistants Compared: Context, Actions and Cost
The table is deliberately about the assistant, not every feature in its parent platform. Prices are published starting points checked in September 2026; promotions and eligibility can change.
| Assistant | What it knows | What it can do | Workflow fit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TrendSpider Sidekick | Charts and platform data | Research symbols, build scans and create alerts | Chart analysis and market research inside TrendSpider | Standard $82/mo list incl. 25 messages; 100-message add-on $49/mo |
| QuantConnect Mia | Code, logs, backtests, data | Build/debug/test LEAN algorithms | Code-based strategy research in QuantConnect | $0 default agent; optional Researcher $10/mo plus paid resources |
| Composer Create with AI | Your prompt and Composer strategy | Create/edit/backtest stock or ETF rules | Editable stock and ETF strategies in Composer | Starter $0; Advanced $10/mo; Pro $40/mo |
| TLC | Connected market bars and council ballots | Convene the council, question a method and propose trade ideas | Interactive council analysis through an AI-agent setup | Feed/code/skills $0; self-run AI/data costs may apply |
| Public Alpha | Public securities and portfolio context | Answer security and portfolio research questions | Security and portfolio research inside Public | $0 for Public investors |
| Robinhood Cortex | Robinhood account and market context | Research and permitted app actions | Account-aware assistance for eligible Robinhood Gold users | Gold $5/mo or $50/yr |
AI Trading Assistant vs Scanner vs Trading Bot: What Are You Buying?
A scanner finds candidates from conditions you define. An assistant accepts a question or task and works with context. A bot follows a rule or signal into an execution workflow. Vendors often blend these words, but the permission boundary matters more than the label. Sidekick can help create a scan; that does not make its chat window an autonomous broker. Mia can write and test code; that does not mean the first backtest is a viable live strategy. TLC produces proposed trades but does not place them. Public Alpha and Cortex sit inside broker apps, yet their responses still need checking.
If you are trying to generate and test a rules-based strategy, see our AI strategy builder comparison or AI backtesting tools. This page is about the assistant interface and its ability to understand your task.
How I Would Check an AI Trading Assistant Before Risking Money
Give it a question you can verify. For a chart or market claim, ask for the symbol, timeframe, data timestamp and source. For company or portfolio research, check the cited filings, news and account information. If it proposes a trade, inspect the entry, invalidation level and risk assumption. If it builds a strategy, inspect the generated rules and rerun the test with costs and unseen data. And if it offers to act inside a brokerage account, check precisely which actions need your approval.
I would be especially wary of a single attractive performance number. A live signal history, a simulated backtest and actual account returns are three different things. Look for losing trades, unresolved positions, fees, drawdown and whether the result is independent or published by the tool’s own owner. No assistant removes that work from you—at best, it helps you do the work faster.
Which AI Trading Assistant Should You Choose?
For talking through charts and market research, I would start with Sidekick. For developing and investigating a code-based strategy, Mia is the more relevant choice. Composer suits someone who wants to describe stock or ETF rules and edit the result visually. TLC offers an interactive council for examining a trade idea from several perspectives, provided you are comfortable setting up an AI agent. Public Alpha and Robinhood Cortex make most sense when you want research or account help inside a broker you already use. Start with the task, the context the assistant can access and the output you can actually inspect.
AI Trading Assistant FAQ
Yes. Public Alpha is free for Public investors, Composer has a $0 Starter plan, and QuantConnect offers a free default Meta Agent. TLC’s public signals, source code and skills are free, although running your own AI agent or market-data setup may cost extra.
A trading assistant may have access to platform charts, market data, strategy code or brokerage context that a general chatbot does not have by default. The useful difference is the information it can use and the tasks it can perform. Check the specific integration and its limits rather than assuming the trading label makes every answer current or accurate.
Some broker-connected assistants can help with account actions, but permissions and user approval vary. TrendSpider Sidekick does not directly execute trades, and TLC produces proposed signals rather than placing broker orders. Never assume a chat response is an executable or verified trade.
Some can. QuantConnect Mia can work with strategy code and backtests, while Composer can turn a prompt into an editable stock or ETF strategy. Other assistants focus on chart analysis, research or account questions. Check whether the assistant produces rules you can inspect and test; a confident explanation alone is not a tested strategy.