u/AbsoluteGoat321 ·
Reddit — r/algotrading
· March 09, 2026 at 08:31
· ⬆ 18 pts
· 💬 48 comments
| View on Reddit ↗
AI Summary
Summary
The author, a retail trader, has developed algorithmic strategies on TradeStation and is seeking advice on the best platform and method for automation and forward-testing (paper trading).
The author is facing a technical hurdle, specifically their lack of Python knowledge, which is hindering their ability to implement their strategies on platforms like cTrader. They are considering learning Python, trying MetaTrader, or resorting to semi-manual execution.
Quality assessment: This is a technical query about trading infrastructure and implementation, not investment due diligence (DD). It contains no market analysis, specific strategies, or ticker mentions, making it noise from an investment insight perspective.
Score18
Comments48
Upvote %95%
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Hi everyone,
I’m in a bit of a predicament and would really appreciate some advice.
I’ve been using TradeStation to code and backtest my algorithmic trading strategies. I’ve now found a couple that appear quite robust, and I’d like to start forward testing them with paper money.
I attempted to move to cTrader so I could run them in a demo environment, but since I don’t know Python, the process of building cBots has been quite confusing (even with ChatGPT helping).
So I’m trying to figure out the best path forward.
Do you think it’s worth learning Python so I can properly automate strategies in cTrader? Is MetaTrader easier for strategy automation? Or would it make more sense to pivot and run the strategy in a semi-manual way instead?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with cTrader, MetaTrader, or automating trading strategies in general.
Thanks!