Free trading journal for futures and prop traders

Is QuantLab a free trading journal?

Yes. QuantLab Journal is a free trading journal during beta. There is no live billing system for the journal today. This is not a short trial described as free, but beta pricing can change when the beta ends.

The journal is built for futures traders, especially traders managing prop firm accounts. It is not presented as a journal for every asset class or every broker. If your trades come from Tradovate or ProjectX, you can use a supported connection. Other brokers can use mapped CSV import. The broader prop firm trading journal guide explains the complete workflow.

What the free trading journal includes

QuantLab lets you record trades manually, import a CSV, or bring in supported account history. Tradovate connects through OAuth. ProjectX, including supported Topstep accounts, connects with a username and API key. You select the accounts you want to journal and verify the imported executions against the source.

For each prop account, you can record a profit target, maximum drawdown, drawdown already used, and a consistency limit. The dashboard calculates maximum drawdown and evaluates the consistency setting you enter. Those fields help organize a review, but the prop firm's current rulebook and dashboard remain the authority for official account status.

The free futures trading journal guide goes deeper on these futures-specific fields.

Import trades without rebuilding a spreadsheet

CSV import provides a route for accounts outside the two supported connections. You map the file's fields before import. QuantLab normalizes execution data, can group nearby executions into positions, and uses duplicate fingerprints to stop the same CSV records from being added twice.

Keep the original statement and compare the first imported period with it. Check the contract, direction, quantity, prices, fees, and result. Duplicate protection can identify a repeated record, but it cannot prove that the source file contains every execution. The guide to a journal that matches your broker statement gives a practical reconciliation process.

Free does not mean unlimited broker coverage

The honest limit is that QuantLab is futures-focused. It does not claim a native connection to every broker or a native iOS or Android application. It is a web application, so the useful question is whether its supported import path fits your account.

The firm comparison currently covers eight prop firms. That table helps you compare the fields that deserve verification, but it does not replace a firm's live rules. QuantLab also offers a free candle-by-candle futures backtester whose public market bars are delayed by at least 15 minutes. Use it for research, not as a live data terminal.

How to judge any trading journal free option

Start with one account and a short date range. Confirm that the journal can represent your executions, keep account rules separate, and produce a review you can repeat. A free tool is still a poor fit if you spend every session correcting the import.

Compare the result with a spreadsheet or note system you already understand. Excel gives you direct control, while a purpose-built journal handles repeated imports and calculations. Choose the smallest workflow that makes one decision clearer, then add more history after the record agrees with your source.