Everything about building, backtesting, forward testing and going live with no-code F&O algos.
Getting started
What is FNOTrader Algo?
A no-code algo platform for Indian F&O: build multi-leg option and futures strategies visually (legs, entry/exit conditions, per-leg SL/Target/Trailing, adjustment rules), then Backtest → Forward Test → Go Live on your own broker account. NSE index options, stock F&O and MCX commodities (crude, natural gas, gold, silver, base metals) are supported.
Do I need to know programming?
No. The Builder is a visual wizard — symbol → legs → conditions → risk → execution. Advanced users can also fire strategies from TradingView webhooks or our Signals engine, still without writing code.
What is the recommended journey for a new user?
Build a strategy in Create Strategy and save it.
Backtest it over history (free weekly credits included).
Forward test it on a paper account — simulated fills at live prices, always free.
Go live on your own broker once the results convince you. Your Free plan includes one live strategy.
Which instruments can I trade?
NSE/BSE index options (NIFTY, BANKNIFTY, FINNIFTY, SENSEX…), stock F&O, and MCX commodities — options on crude oil, natural gas, gold & silver (plus minis), and futures-only metals like zinc, copper, aluminium and lead. Agri commodities are not supported.
Plans & pricing
What plans are available?
Plan
Who it's for
What you get
Free
Everyone — start without paying
Deploy 1 strategy live at a time on your real broker · free backtest credits issued every week · unlimited paper forward tests · marketplace subscriptions (coming soon)
Retail
Active traders running multiple algos
Unlimited concurrent live deployments (fair-use) · everything in Free · backtests via credits, packs or a Backtest plan
Creator
SEBI-registered Research Analysts
Everything in Retail · unlimited backtests · publish strategies on the marketplace with subscription fees and profit sharing (coming soon)
Credit packs and 7-day passes are also available for occasional heavy use — see the pricing page.
What exactly is free on the Free plan?
One live strategy at a time — your first concurrent real-money deployment costs nothing. When that run finishes, the slot frees up for the next one.
Weekly free backtest credits — issued automatically every week; each backtest replay consumes one.
Paper forward tests — always free and unlimited, on live market prices.
Running a second live strategy at the same time needs credits or the Retail plan.
What is the Creator plan and who can buy it?
The Creator plan is for strategy creators with a SEBI Research Analyst (RA) licence. It unlocks publishing on the marketplace — your profile becomes your storefront, you set a monthly fee and/or profit share, and subscribers deploy your strategy without ever seeing its logic. Publishing additionally requires your RA registration number to be verified by our admin team (submit it in Creator Studio, then contact admin via Support).
Do unused weekly free credits carry over?
No — the free allowance resets each week. Purchased credits never expire.
Backtesting
How do backtests work?
Pick a saved strategy, a date range and capital — the engine replays it bar-by-bar over historical data and produces an equity curve, drawdown, monthly calendar, trade list, and extended metrics (Sharpe, Sortino, profit factor, expectancy). One replay costs 1 credit per year of range (1Y = 1 credit, 5Y = 5); the With-Costs and With-Slippage views are derived from the same run at no extra cost.
What data does the backtester cover?
Currently NIFTY (from May 2021) and SENSEX (from May 2023) options. If your strategy targets another underlying (e.g. BANKNIFTY or an MCX commodity), the app tells you and suggests a free paper forward test instead — that works for every supported instrument, at live prices.
Why did my backtest show zero trades?
The strategy never met its entry conditions in the tested range — the report flags this explicitly. Check the entry time window, entry conditions, run-on days, and that the Underlying matches your legs.
How far back can I test?
Paid/credit users: the full dataset. Trial users (no plan, no credits): roughly the last month, using the weekly free credits.
Are costs and slippage accounted for?
Yes — every report ships three views: Plain (as replayed), With Costs (₹-per-leg estimate deducted), and With Slippage (costs plus an adverse-fill estimate on each leg's entry/exit premium).
Forward testing
What is a forward test?
Your strategy running in real time on a paper account — orders fill at live market prices but no money moves. It's the honest middle step between a backtest and going live, and it's always free. Start one from the Backtest report ("🧪 Forward test") or by deploying any saved strategy on a Paper account.
Where do I see my forward tests?
The Forward Test tab in the top navigation — it's your Strategies view scoped to paper deployments, with live MTM, positions, orders and logs.
Going live
How do I deploy a strategy live?
Connect your broker under Brokers → Broker Accounts (connect once — the account is shared across all FNOTrader apps), then from Algo → Strategies hit 🔗 Broker on your strategy, pick the account, and launch. The engine places and manages every leg server-side — you can close the browser.
What happens if the server restarts while my strategy is live?
Runs resume automatically: open positions are restored from the fill ledger — the engine never re-enters an already-open position, SL/Target monitoring continues, and locked profit floors are preserved. Restart-resume is built into both the Algo engine and the Options Terminal risk monitor.
Are orders placed within exchange rules?
Yes — quantities above the exchange freeze limit are auto-split into compliant chunks, order flow respects the 10 orders/second broker rate limit, and multi-leg entries fill round-robin (buys before sells each pass) so no leg races ahead of the basket.
What about MIS square-off and expiries?
MIS positions are flattened before the broker's cutoff (15:25 IST for NFO, 23:25 IST for MCX). A rollover monitor can square off and re-launch positions on the next expiry N days before expiration.
Marketplace — for subscribers Coming soon
The Algo Marketplace is coming soon — the answers below describe how it will work when it launches.
What is the Algo Marketplace?
A store of strategies published by verified SEBI-registered Research Analysts. You browse listings with auto-computed performance (from the creator's own runs — never self-reported), subscribe, and deploy on your own broker account.
Can I see the strategy's logic after subscribing?
No — the recipe stays the creator's IP. Your deployment shows every order, position and P&L in your account, but the parameters are protected. That's the deal that lets creators publish their edge.
How does profit sharing work?
Some listings carry a profit share (0–50%) on top of (or instead of) a monthly fee. It applies only to net NEW profits on your real-money deployments, calculated monthly against a high-water mark:
An invoice is cut only on profit above your previous invoiced peak.
Once invoiced, that peak becomes your new mark — you never pay twice on the same profit.
Losses carry forward: after a losing month there is no invoice, and nothing accrues until your equity passes the old peak again.
Paper forward tests never accrue profit share.
Pending invoices appear under Marketplace → My subscriptions → Invoices (you're also notified) and must be cleared for your live deployments of that strategy to continue.
Can I cancel a subscription?
Yes, anytime — new deployments stop immediately; access simply doesn't renew at the end of the paid month.
Marketplace — for creators Coming soon
Creator publishing is coming soon — the answers below describe how it will work when it launches.
Who can publish strategies?
Only SEBI-registered Research Analysts on the Creator plan. Add your RA registration number (INH…) in Creator Studio, then contact the admin team via Support — publishing unlocks after our team verifies your registration against the SEBI registry. Your registration number is displayed publicly on your listings, as SEBI requires.
How do I earn?
Two levers, set per listing: a monthly subscription fee and/or a profit share up to 50% of subscribers' net new profits (high-water mark, real-money deploys only). Earnings show in Creator Studio; profit-share invoices are generated monthly.
Is my strategy logic safe?
Yes. Subscribers deploy a redacted copy — the engine runs your full recipe server-side, but the subscriber's UI and API never expose legs, strikes, conditions or adjustment rules.
Where do the performance numbers on my listing come from?
Auto-computed from your own runs of the listed strategy (paper and real), captured by the engine. Self-reported numbers aren't accepted — run your strategy to build the track record.
Brokers
Which brokers are supported?
100+ brokers via our broker gateway — Zerodha, AngelOne, Upstox, Fyers, Dhan and many more. Connect once under Broker Accounts and the connection is shared across the Options, Trade, Stocks and Algo apps.
Can I run the same strategy on multiple accounts?
Yes — assign the strategy to more accounts, or use Copy Trading: place on a leader account and the engine mirrors to followers with per-account size multipliers. A leader's exit never opens a reverse position on a follower.
Is a paper account available without any broker?
Yes — built-in paper accounts fill at live prices, no broker connection needed. That's the Forward Test path.
Risk & safety
What risk controls does the engine enforce?
Per-leg and combined SL / Target / Trailing SL (with ladder rungs), profit locking, spike protection, portfolio-level caps, per-account RMS limits (funds and max quantity), day square-off times, and strategy adjustment rules (roll on price/divergence/spot moves, with inversion guards and daily roll caps).
What if my internet or browser closes?
Nothing changes — everything runs server-side. Monitoring, SL enforcement and square-offs continue whether or not any browser is open.
Is algo trading risk-free?
No. Algo trading is subject to market risk, slippage, connectivity and technical issues. Past performance — including backtests and creators' track records — does not guarantee future returns. Deployments trade on your broker account under your responsibility; monitor your account even with full automation. Nothing on this platform is investment advice.
Payments & billing
How do credits work?
Credits are the pay-as-you-go currency: 1 credit per year of backtest range per strategy (a 1-year replay = 1 credit, 5 years = 5; a portfolio multiplies by its strategy count — 5 years × 2 strategies = 10) and 100 credits per additional concurrent live strategy per month (your first live strategy is free on every plan). Free credits are issued weekly; purchased packs never expire.
When are profit-share invoices generated?
Monthly, at the end of the billing period. You'll see them under Marketplace → My subscriptions with the exact new-profit calculation (cumulative P&L, previous high-water mark, billable difference, percentage). Clear pending invoices to keep that strategy's live deployments running.
How do I get an invoice or dispute a charge?
Every charge is itemised in your billing history. For disputes or GST invoices, reach us via the in-app Support button — we read everything.
FNOTraderAlgo · FAQ
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