Compared · checked 16 Oct 2026
Best trading journal for ICT traders
An ICT trader reviews trades by session: was it the London open, the New York AM kill zone, the 09:50 macro? Most trading journals were built for a different review, by symbol, by hour or by strategy. We compared five journals for the ICT and prop firm futures trader: daqverse, TradeZella, Tradervue, Edgewonk and TraderSync.
We make daqverse. Every fact about the others was checked on their own websites on 16 Oct 2026, and each comparison says where they are stronger.
At a glance
The short version. Each comparison page has the full table with a source link on every line.
| Feature | daqverse | TradeZella | Tradervue | Edgewonk | TraderSync |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kill zone tagging | Yes, automatic, New York time | Not found (session filters in its backtester) | Not found | Not found | Not found |
| Prop drawdown rules | Yes, per account | Yes (PropFirm Sync) | Not found | Accounts, no rule tracking found | Plan rules (drawdown, daily max loss) |
| Broker auto-sync | No (log or import files) | Yes | Some brokers (no list) | MT4/MT5 only | Yes |
| Phone | Web app for the phone | Web, no native apps | Web | In the browser | iOS and Android apps |
| Free plan or trial | Free beta, by invite | None shown | Free plan (no futures), 7-day trial | No; 14-day money-back | 7-day trial |
| Price | Free in beta | From $26/mo billed yearly | From $29.95/mo | $197 a year | From $22.46/mo billed yearly |
The five journals, and who each one suits
daqverse
A journal for ICT and prop firm futures traders: kill zone and macro tags on every trade in New York time, each prop account's drawdown floor from its own rules, and the daily plan and review around them. An invite-only beta, free for now, with no broker sync, replay or phone apps.
Suits: futures traders who trade the London and New York sessions on NQ or ES and run prop accounts.
TradeZella
A broad, polished journal with broker sync, tick-by-tick replay, no-code backtesting, AI and automatic tracking of prop firm accounts.
Suits: Traders who want trades to arrive by themselves and value replay and backtesting, across many markets.
daqverse vs TradeZellaTradervue
A long-standing web journal with deep reports (tags, hours, exits), mentoring and trade sharing, and a free plan for non-futures trading.
Suits: Traders who want a stable, report-rich journal and a mentor or community to share trades with.
daqverse vs TradervueEdgewonk
An analysis-first journal with psychology tools (Tiltmeter, Edge Finder), strategy testing and one yearly price.
Suits: Traders who want to study their behaviour and statistics in depth, especially on MetaTrader.
daqverse vs EdgewonkTraderSync
A full-featured journal with auto-sync from hundreds of brokers, iOS and Android apps, market replay and an AI assistant.
Suits: Traders who want the least typing, review on the phone, and practise with replay.
daqverse vs TraderSync
What an ICT trader needs from a journal
- Sessions in New York time. Kill zones and macros are New York clock times. A journal should tag them from the entry time, and keep them right through daylight saving changes and your own time zone. See them live on the kill zone clock.
- Your setups as tags. Fair value gaps, order blocks, liquidity sweeps, the silver bullet: the setup should be a field you can filter, so you learn which ones pay you. The ICT glossary explains each term.
- R, not only dollars. Results in R multiples (profit or loss as a multiple of the risk you took) let you compare a micro trade with a full-size one. Size by risk with the position size calculator.
- Your firm's drawdown rule. On a prop account, the floor decides whether you keep trading. A journal should know whether it trails closing balances or the intraday high, and where it stops. Check yours with the drawdown calculator.
- A routine around the trade. A plan before the session and a short review after it are where the improvement happens.
Questions
What is the best trading journal for ICT traders?
The one that records what ICT traders review: the kill zone and macro of each trade in New York time, the setup, the R multiple and, on prop accounts, the drawdown floor. daqverse is built for exactly that. If you need broker sync, replay or phone apps more, TradeZella or TraderSync cover those better.
Which trading journals tag kill zones?
daqverse tags every trade with its kill zone and ICT macro automatically. On 16 Oct 2026 we found no kill-zone tagging on the sites of TradeZella, Tradervue, Edgewonk or TraderSync; TradeZella's backtester has London, New York and Asia session filters.
What is the best trading journal for prop firm traders?
Look for one that follows your firm's drawdown rule, not only your P&L: whether the floor trails closing balances or the intraday high, and when it stops. daqverse models those rules per account; TradeZella's PropFirm Sync tracks prop accounts and detects transactions for several firms.
Is there a free trading journal for futures?
daqverse is free during its invite-only beta. Tradervue has a free plan, but its FAQ says futures need a paid plan. TraderSync and Tradervue offer 7-day trials of their paid plans.
Is this comparison biased?
We make daqverse, so read it with that in mind. Every fact about the other journals was checked on their own websites on the date shown, with links to each page, and we say plainly where they are stronger. We give no ratings or scores.
About daqverse
daqverse is a trading journal built for ICT and prop-firm futures traders: it tags every trade with its New York kill zone and tracks each prop account's drawdown rules.
Page updated .
Related
- ICT trading journalA trading journal for ICT traders: every trade tagged with its New York kill zone and macro, a daily plan, a live session view and reviews by setup.
- Prop firm trading journalA journal for prop firm futures traders: each account's drawdown floor, daily loss limit and payout rules tracked from your own trades, as you set them.
- How to journal ICT tradesA step-by-step routine for journaling ICT trades: before the session, at entry, after the close and each week, with what to record and why it matters.
- Prop firm drawdown calculatorWork out where your prop account's drawdown floor sits after each day: intraday trailing, end-of-day trailing or static, with your firm's rules as inputs.
- ICT kill zone clockThe ICT kill zones and macros in New York time, live: which window is open now, the next one with a countdown, and the times in your own time zone.
- ICT glossaryEvery ICT term a new trader meets, explained in one or two plain sentences: kill zones, FVG, NWOG, order blocks, liquidity, OTE, PD arrays and more.
Journal your next session in daqverse
daqverse is in early access: request a place and we email you an invite. Already invited? Log in.