QuantConnect vs Portfolio123
By Jay Rocco, Chief Editor, FullStack Alpha. Updated . Prices checked on each vendor's own site.
Quick answer
Pick QuantConnect for AI chat assistant plus automated trading. Pick Portfolio123 for stock screener plus charting.
Key differences
- Cheaper paid plan: Portfolio123 ($84/mo vs $25/mo)
- Broader feature set: QuantConnect (11 vs 8 core capabilities)
- AI chat assistant: QuantConnect (Only QuantConnect has it)
- MCP / AI connector: QuantConnect (Only QuantConnect has it)
- Automated trading: QuantConnect (Only QuantConnect has it)
Pick QuantConnect if
- You want to ask an AI questions in plain English
- You want trades placed automatically
- Coders testing systematic strategies
- Multi-asset backtests with live deploy
Pick Portfolio123 if
- You scan the market with filters every day
- Charts are the center of your workflow
- Factor based stock screening
- Backtesting rule based strategies
Side by side
| Feature | QuantConnect | Portfolio123 |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free, paid from $84/mo | Free, paid from $25/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Stock screener | No | Yes |
| Charting | No | Yes |
| Backtesting | Yes | Yes |
| Strategy builder | Yes | Yes |
| Automated trading | Yes | No |
| Broker connection | Yes | Yes |
| Paper trading | Yes | No |
| Alerts | Yes | No |
| AI chat assistant | Yes | No |
| Fundamentals | Yes | Yes |
| Community | No | Yes |
| Global markets | Yes | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| MCP / AI connector | Yes | No |
Plans
QuantConnect
- Free: Free
- Quant Researcher: $84/mo
- Team: $168/user/mo, min 2 users
- Trading Firm: $480/user/mo, min 2 users
- Institution: $1,272/user/mo, min 5 users
Portfolio123
- Free: Free, 30 days of Screener and Backtest access
- Non-Professional: From $25/mo
- Professional: Custom pricing
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Questions people ask
What is the main difference between QuantConnect and Portfolio123?
Pick QuantConnect for AI chat assistant plus automated trading. Pick Portfolio123 for stock screener plus charting.
Which is cheaper, QuantConnect or Portfolio123?
Portfolio123 has the cheaper paid plan: $84/mo for QuantConnect vs $25/mo for Portfolio123 (monthly equivalent, checked Oct 2026).
Do QuantConnect or Portfolio123 have a free plan?
Both have a free plan.
Which is better for beginners?
Both target advanced users. Start with whichever has the free plan or trial so you can test before you pay.
Which has better AI features?
QuantConnect goes deeper on AI with 5 AI features (AI chat assistant, automated trading, strategy builder, MCP / AI connector, backtesting).
Can I connect QuantConnect or Portfolio123 to ChatGPT or Claude?
QuantConnect offers an MCP server or official AI connector.
Is QuantConnect or Portfolio123 better for active trading?
Portfolio123 has more of the active-trading toolkit: alerts, scanning, signals and charts.
Should I use both QuantConnect and Portfolio123?
It can make sense. They overlap on only 6 core features, so one can fill gaps the other leaves.