At a glance
3Commas and Horizon both run automated trading on the exchange account you already have, and they part ways on what the automation is. 3Commas gives you bot types with settings: a DCA bot that averages in, a Grid bot that trades a range, a Signal bot that fires on TradingView alerts. Horizon builds a strategy from your own idea in plain English, backtests it, runs it on stocks as well as crypto, and lets you copy strategies that creators are running live.
Side by side
| Question | Horizon | 3Commas |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | HorizonAn investing platform. Copy strategies that creators are running live, or describe your own idea in plain English and run it through your own broker. | 3CommasA crypto trading automation platform: DCA, Grid and Signal bots, plus SmartTrade for manual orders across exchanges. |
| How you build a strategy | HorizonDescribe the idea in plain English. Horizon turns it into rules you can read, edit and test. No code. | 3CommasChoose a bot type and set its parameters, start from a preset, copy a public bot, or feed a Signal bot from TradingView alerts or webhooks. |
| Where strategies run | HorizonIn your own account at Binance, Bybit, Coinbase, Hyperliquid, Kraken, Robinhood, Webull, TradeStation, Tradier, E*TRADE, tastytrade and moomoo, or on Horizon Paper with simulated money. | 3CommasOn 3Commas' servers, trading on your exchange account through API keys: Binance, Bybit, OKX, Kraken, KuCoin, Coinbase, Hyperliquid and others. |
| Markets | HorizonUS stocks and ETFs through the stock brokers; crypto spot and derivatives through the exchanges. No forex or CFDs. | 3CommasCrypto spot and futures. No stocks. |
| Backtesting | HorizonEvery strategy is backtested on historical data before it runs, and you see the rules it tested. | 3CommasYes, for DCA and Grid bots, on the exchange's historical data. |
| Paper trading | HorizonYes. Horizon Paper runs any strategy with simulated money at real market prices. | 3CommasYes. A paper trading account runs bots with virtual money at live prices. |
| Copying other people's strategies | HorizonYes. Discover lists creators' strategies with live track records. Creators keep 80% of what subscribers pay. | 3CommasYou can copy a public bot's settings and start from presets. |
| Pricing model | HorizonDiscover is free. The Builder plan is a subscription, monthly or yearly, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. | 3CommasA free plan with a few bots, then Pro and Expert subscriptions that raise the bot and exchange limits. Current prices on 3commas.io. |
| Holds your money? | HorizonNever. Funds stay with your broker. Horizon can place trades for a strategy but cannot withdraw money. | 3CommasNo. Bots trade through API keys with withdrawals off. Funds stay on your exchange. |
Choose Horizon if
- Your idea is a rule with entries and exits, not a DCA ladder or a grid.
- You trade stocks and ETFs as well as crypto, from one place.
- You want to read the strategy's rules in plain language and see the backtest they passed.
- You want to copy strategies that creators are running live, or publish your own and earn from subscribers.
Choose 3Commas if
- You want a DCA or Grid bot and know the settings you want.
- You have Pine Script strategies on TradingView and want their alerts to place orders on your exchange.
- You trade on an exchange Horizon does not connect to.
