At a glance
Pionex and Horizon both run crypto automation without code, and they part ways on where it runs. Pionex is itself the exchange: you deposit there and its built-in bots, Grid, DCA, arbitrage, rebalancing and the rest, trade your Pionex balance. Horizon runs strategies on the exchange account you already have, builds them from your own idea in plain English, and adds stocks and a marketplace of strategies that creators are running live.
Side by side
| Question | Horizon | Pionex |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | PionexA crypto exchange with trading bots built into it, so a bot trades the balance in your Pionex account. |
| How you build a strategy | HorizonDescribe the idea in plain English. Horizon turns it into rules you can read, edit and test. No code. | PionexPick a bot type, such as Grid, Infinity Grid, DCA, Rebalancing, Spot-Futures Arbitrage, TWAP or Trailing, and set its parameters or take the AI-suggested ones. A Signal bot can take TradingView alerts. |
| 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. | PionexOn Pionex, in your Pionex account. It does not trade an account you hold elsewhere. |
| Markets | HorizonUS stocks and ETFs through the stock brokers; crypto spot and derivatives through the exchanges. No forex or CFDs. | PionexCrypto spot and futures listed on Pionex. |
| Backtesting | HorizonEvery strategy is backtested on historical data before it runs, and you see the rules it tested. | PionexPartly. The AI parameters come from recent backtests, and its Quant workspace backtests strategies on the premium tier. |
| Paper trading | HorizonYes. Horizon Paper runs any strategy with simulated money at real market prices. | PionexYes. A demo mode runs a bot with simulated money. |
| Copying other people's strategies | HorizonYes. Discover lists creators' strategies with live track records. Creators keep 80% of what subscribers pay. | PionexYes. A Grid bot can copy the settings of other users' or AI strategies. |
| Pricing model | HorizonDiscover is free. The Builder plan is a subscription, monthly or yearly, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. | PionexNo subscription. A trading fee on each order the bots place. Current fees on pionex.com. |
| Holds your money? | HorizonNever. Funds stay with your broker. Horizon can place trades for a strategy but cannot withdraw money. | PionexYes. Pionex is the exchange holding your funds. |
Choose Horizon if
- You want to keep your coins on the exchange you already use.
- Your idea is a rule with entries and exits, not a grid or a DCA ladder.
- You trade 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 Pionex if
- You want a Grid or arbitrage bot with no setup beyond its parameters.
- You are happy to hold your crypto on Pionex.
- You want bots with no subscription, paying only trading fees.
