At a glance
Freqtrade and Horizon both run a rule-based crypto strategy on the exchange account you already have, and they part ways on who writes and hosts it. Freqtrade is free, open source and self-hosted: you write the strategy in Python, run the bot on your own machine or server, and control it from Telegram or its web UI. Horizon writes the strategy from a plain-English description, hosts the run, and adds US stocks and a marketplace of strategies that creators are running live.
Side by side
| Question | Horizon | Freqtrade |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | FreqtradeA free, open-source crypto trading bot written in Python that you install and run yourself. |
| How you build a strategy | HorizonDescribe the idea in plain English. Horizon turns it into rules you can read, edit and test. No code. | FreqtradeWrite a strategy as a Python class with pandas and TA-Lib indicators. Hyperopt tunes its parameters; FreqAI adds machine-learning models. |
| 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. | FreqtradeOn your own machine or a cloud server, usually in Docker, against Binance, Bybit, Kraken, OKX, Gate, Bitget and others, spot and futures. |
| Markets | HorizonUS stocks and ETFs through the stock brokers; crypto spot and derivatives through the exchanges. No forex or CFDs. | FreqtradeCrypto spot and futures on the exchanges it supports. |
| Backtesting | HorizonEvery strategy is backtested on historical data before it runs, and you see the rules it tested. | FreqtradeYes. Backtesting and hyperopt on historical data you download first. |
| Paper trading | HorizonYes. Horizon Paper runs any strategy with simulated money at real market prices. | FreqtradeYes. Dry-run mode trades with simulated money. |
| Copying other people's strategies | HorizonYes. Discover lists creators' strategies with live track records. Creators keep 80% of what subscribers pay. | FreqtradeNo marketplace. Community strategies are shared as code on GitHub. |
| Pricing model | HorizonDiscover is free. The Builder plan is a subscription, monthly or yearly, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. | FreqtradeFree and open source. You pay for the server you run it on and your exchange's trading fees. |
| Holds your money? | HorizonNever. Funds stay with your broker. Horizon can place trades for a strategy but cannot withdraw money. | FreqtradeNo. It trades through API keys on your own exchange account. |
Choose Horizon if
- You do not want to write Python or run a server.
- You want the strategy and its backtest in plain language you can read and edit.
- You trade US stocks and ETFs as well as crypto.
- You want to copy strategies with a live track record, or publish your own and earn from subscribers.
Choose Freqtrade if
- You are comfortable in Python and want full control of the code.
- You want a bot you own outright, with no subscription.
- You want hyperopt or FreqAI over your own feature set.
