# A trading language built for how people trade now.

> The older trading languages were each made for one platform, many years ago. AlgoBarsX was made later, with their lessons in hand. Here is where it is better, and where it is not.

Source: https://algobarsx.com/abx/

## Five ideas the others do not have.

- **It reads itself back** The compiler turns every script into plain English. You check the words, not just the code.
- **Units are real** `1%`, `25 pips`, `2R` and `$200` are different types. Mixing them up is an error, not a surprise.
- **Risk is in the grammar** The risk, the stop and the target are on the order line. Position size follows from them.
- **One script, four jobs** Chart, backtest, alerts and live orders all read the same file. Nothing is rewritten.
- **The rules are written down** How every order fills is set out in 24 numbered rules, and 678 tests must pass on every build.
- **It welcomes your old code** It imports from six other languages and tells you what it did to every line.

## Side by side.

This table sticks to things you can check. Names belong to their owners.

| What to compare | AlgoBarsX | Pine Script | MQL4 / MQL5 | NinjaScript | EasyLanguage | Python |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Style of code | Plain words, short lines | Its own script style | Like C++ | C# | English-like, older style | General purpose |
| Where it runs | AlgoBars, linked to your broker account | TradingView | MetaTrader | NinjaTrader | TradeStation | Anywhere you set it up |
| Reads back in plain English | **Yes, built in** | No | No | No | No | No |
| Percent, pips, R and money as real types | **Yes** | Plain numbers | Plain numbers | Plain numbers | Plain numbers | Plain numbers |
| Size a trade by risk on the order line | **Yes** | You work it out | You work it out | You work it out | You work it out | Depends on your library |
| Stop, target and management under the order | **Yes** | Separate calls | Separate code | Separate calls | Separate statements | Depends on your library |
| One file for chart, test, alerts and live | **Yes** | Chart, test and alerts | Separate program types | Separate script types | Separate study types | You build it |
| Imports code from other trading languages | **Yes, six** | No | No | No | No | No |
| Share without showing the code | Yes. A sealed file still says what it does | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not built in |
| Free to use | Yes, $0 a month | Free and paid plans | Comes with the platform | Free and paid licences | Comes with the platform | Yes |

Based on each product's public documentation at the time of writing. Check the vendor's own site before you decide.

## Where the others are stronger.

You should hear this from us.

- **Bigger communities** Pine Script and MQL have huge libraries of shared scripts and many years of forum answers. AlgoBarsX is new, and its community is small.
- **Python can do anything** For machine learning, odd data sources or custom research, nothing beats a general language. AlgoBarsX is for trading rules, on purpose.
- **Tied-in platforms** If your whole desk lives inside one platform, its own language fits that platform best.
- **It is still in beta** Syntax and features may still change. There is no public API yet. Plan for both.

## Why this matters.

Trading code moves real money, so the most useful thing a language can do is make mistakes hard to write and easy to see. That is what the read-back, the typed units and the written fill rules are for.

The file type is `.abx`. An open file carries its code. A sealed file runs without showing its code, yet still states its name, what it trades, its inputs and what it does in plain English. Closed about how it works, never about what it does.

## Good questions.

**Is AlgoBarsX better than Pine Script?** For reading code back, typed units, risk sizing and running one file everywhere, yes. For community size and shared scripts, Pine Script is far ahead. Many people will use both.

**Can I keep my old scripts?** Yes. Paste them and AlgoBarsX rewrites them with a note on every line. See [Convert](https://algobarsx.com/convert/).

**What does beta mean for us?** The language works and passes 678 tests on every build. It is still being improved, so some syntax and features may change. Plan for that.

## Important

Trading is risky and you can lose money. AlgoBars is software, not a broker or an adviser. Backtests are hypothetical and leave out spread, fees, swaps and slippage. AlgoBarsX is in beta.