How do I run my first backtest?
Getting Started
Sign up for a free account, click "New Strategy" in the results page, choose your assets and allocation, select a strategy (we recommend starting with Buy & Hold or DCA), pick your date range, and hit Run Backtest. Results appear in seconds.
Do I need an account to use SigmaGrid?
Getting Started
Yes. A free account is required to run backtests. This allows us to track your credits, save your strategies, and provide a personalized experience. Sign up takes 30 seconds — email/password or Google OAuth.
Which strategy should I start with?
Getting Started
If you're new to backtesting, start with
Buy & Hold (simplest baseline) or
DCA (most common real-world approach). Compare them against each other to understand how timing and regularity affect returns. Then explore active strategies like Momentum or RSI. See the
full strategy guide for details.
What's included in the free plan?
Plans
The Explorer plan (free) includes 5 backtests per month, up to 3 saved strategies, and up to 5 assets in your portfolio. You get full access to all 11 strategies and two report tabs: Strategy Results and Trade Log. Premium tabs (Robustness, Benchmark, Efficiency, Verdict) require the Analyst plan. The Parameter Optimizer requires the Strategist plan.
How do credits work?
Plans
Each backtest run costs 1 credit. Credits reset every 30 days from your last reset date (or from your billing date for paid plans). Unused credits do not roll over. The Strategist plan has unlimited backtests. If you run out on other plans, you'll need to wait for the next reset or upgrade.
What happens when I run out of credits?
Plans
You can still browse your previously saved strategies and results, but you won't be able to run new backtests until your credits reset. A modal will appear suggesting an upgrade. You can also contact us if you have a specific research need.
Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan?
Plans
Upgrades take effect immediately — your credits are reset and new limits apply right away. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period. If you exceed the lower plan's limits (saved strategies or portfolio assets), excess items will be trimmed automatically.
How do I cancel my subscription?
Plans
Go to Account > My Plan > Cancel Subscription. Your access continues until the end of the current billing period. After that, you'll be moved to the free Explorer plan. You can resubscribe at any time.
Do you offer refunds?
Plans
No. A free tier is available to evaluate the platform before subscribing. If you experience a technical issue that prevented you from using the service,
contact us.
What payment methods do you accept?
Plans
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) via Stripe. All payments are processed securely — we never store your card details on our servers.
Where does the price data come from?
Data
We source daily close prices from Twelve Data, covering stocks, ETFs, indices, and cryptocurrencies. Prices are split-adjusted and go back 20+ years. Data is refreshed daily.
How often is the data updated?
Data
Price data is updated once per day after market close. For assets across different time zones, we use the most recent available close. Crypto data (Binance) is based on UTC daily candles.
Can I backtest any asset?
Data
You can backtest any stock, ETF, index, or cryptocurrency available on major exchanges. Just search for a ticker — if the asset isn't in our database yet, we fetch it automatically from Twelve Data.
Why is some data missing for certain dates?
Data
Gaps can occur due to market holidays, delistings, stock splits not yet adjusted, or provider outages. We fill small gaps with the last known close. For multi-asset portfolios, the effective date range is the intersection of all assets' available data — so the asset with the shortest history limits the range.
What's the difference between passive and active strategies?
Strategies
Passive strategies (Buy & Hold, DCA, Rebalancing) follow fixed rules without reacting to market signals. Active strategies (Momentum, Buy the Dip, RSI, etc.) make buy/sell decisions based on price movements or technical indicators. Active strategies trade more often and have higher fee exposure.
Can I build a multi-asset portfolio?
Strategies
Yes. You can add multiple assets with custom weight allocations (e.g. 50% AAPL, 30% MSFT, 20% NVDA). The strategy then applies to the entire portfolio. Multi-asset portfolios also unlock the Efficiency tab (efficient frontier analysis).
What's the maximum backtest period?
Strategies
10 years for now. We plan to extend this in the future. The effective range depends on the overlap of available data across all assets in your portfolio and is automatically computed in the portfolio builder.
Are transaction fees included?
Strategies
Yes. A flat fee percentage is applied to every buy and sell transaction (default: 0.1%). This is a simplification — real-world fees vary by broker, asset class, and order size. You can adjust the fee rate in the strategy parameters.
Why do my results differ from my broker?
Results
Several factors: we use daily close prices (not intraday), our fee model is simplified (flat percentage per trade), and we don't account for spread, slippage, or tax implications. Backtests are approximations, not exact replicas of real trading.
Can I export my results?
Results
Yes. In the Trades tab, you can download the full trade log as a CSV file. This includes every transaction with date, action, quantity, price, and fees. The full results page can also be printed using the browser's print function.
What are the 50 rolling windows?
Results
Instead of testing your strategy on a single period, we generate 50 windows of the same duration spread across all available historical data. Each window starts at a different point in time, covering different market conditions (bull runs, crashes, recoveries). Your chosen period is one of the 50. This reveals whether performance was consistent or just lucky timing.
How many strategies can I save?
Account
It depends on your plan: Explorer (free) — 3 strategies, Analyst — 15 strategies, Strategist — unlimited. Saved strategies include the full configuration and results, so you can reload and compare them anytime.
Can I change my email or password?
Account
Yes. Go to Account > Profile to update your display name. For email or password changes, these are managed through your Supabase authentication provider. If you signed up with Google OAuth, your email is tied to your Google account.
How do I delete my account?
Account
Go to Account > Danger Zone > Delete Account. This will permanently delete all your data including saved strategies, portfolio configurations, and preferences. If you have an active subscription, cancel it first. This action cannot be undone.
Is this financial advice?
Legal
No. SigmaGrid is an educational and analytical tool. Past performance does not predict future results. We do not provide investment recommendations. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Is my data secure?
Legal
Yes. Authentication is handled by Supabase (industry-standard JWT tokens). Payments are processed by Stripe — we never see or store your card details. All communication uses HTTPS. We don't sell, share, or monetize your personal data or backtest configurations.