Introduction
Trading Journals: At Mastery Trader Academy, we believe journaling is the edge most traders overlook. In today’s fast-moving, competitive trading world—especially within prop firms—success isn’t just about having a strategy. It’s about tracking your performance, understanding your psychology, and constantly refining your edge.
Journaling is what separates impulsive traders from professionals. And in 2025, two platforms dominate the journaling space: TradeZella and Tradervue.
Whether you’re trading funded accounts, scalping futures like GC and CL, or swing trading crypto and stocks, a trading journal should be at the core of your development. This guide offers a complete breakdown of the most trusted journaling platforms today.
Why Every Serious Trader Needs a Journal
You wouldn’t expect an athlete to perform without analyzing game footage. You wouldn’t trust a pilot who doesn’t log flights. Trading is no different.
A professional trader:
- Tracks all trades with context and data
- Measures performance under different conditions
- Understands emotional patterns
- Reviews their edge and execution weekly
Without a journal, you’re flying blind. With one, you turn randomness into structure.
Let’s explore how the top two trading journals—TradeZella and Tradervue—help traders at every level build accountability, discipline, and consistent performance.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | TradeZella | Tradervue |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 | 2011 |
| Free Plan | ❌ | ✅ (100 trades/month) |
| Monthly Pricing | \$29 Basic / \$49 Premium | \$29.95 Silver / \$49.95 Gold |
| Annual Pricing | \$288 Basic / \$399 Premium | \$323.46 Silver / \$479.52 Gold |
| Trade Replay | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Backtesting | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Broker Integration | 100+ brokers incl. FTMO, Apex, Leeloo | 80+ brokers incl. major retail platforms |
| Emotional Tags | ✅ Yes | ❌ Notes only |
| Mentor Features | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Playbook Templates | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Community Access | ✅ Private Discord | ✅ Public Journals |
| Mobile Friendly | ✅ Yes | ❌ Desktop-only |
TradeZella: Full Feature Breakdown
What is TradeZella?
TradeZella is a modern, sleek journaling tool built by traders for traders. Designed to replace outdated spreadsheets and complicated platforms, it focuses heavily on execution, psychology, and performance improvement.
Standout Features
- Trade Replay: Rewatch your trade setups, entries, exits, and order placement visually.
- Backtesting 2.0: Log trades into playbooks, then backtest them over your past sessions.
- Zella Score: Proprietary system that grades your trades based on rules, risk, execution, and setup quality.
- Notebook System: Document your setups, thoughts, affirmations, and strategy improvements.
- Emotional & Mindset Tags: Log how you felt, what you followed/didn’t, and how confident you were.
- Mentor Mode: Give journal access to coaches, prop firm managers, or accountability partners.
- Educational Hub: Learn to use journaling effectively via Zella University.
Broker & Prop Firm Integrations
TradeZella supports direct integration with:
- FTMO
- Apex Trader Funding
- Leeloo
- One Up Trader
- TopStep
- NinjaTrader
- Interactive Brokers
- Tradovate
Pricing
- Basic: \$29/month or \$288/year
- Premium: \$49/month or \$399/year
Best For:
- Prop firm traders
- Futures and options traders
- Traders working on discipline and emotion control
- Traders journaling from mobile devices
Tradervue: Deep Dive Review
What is Tradervue?
Tradervue is one of the original web-based trading journals. It offers a robust statistical suite that helps you break down performance in various timeframes, instruments, and setups. It’s ideal for traders who care about numbers more than visuals.
Standout Features
- Advanced Analytics: 300+ chart types, including expectancy, risk-adjusted returns, win/loss ratios by time or market.
- Custom Tags & Notes: Categorize every trade and filter across strategies.
- Journal Sharing: Share full journals with mentors or keep public journals visible to the community.
- Community Support: Learn by reviewing other traders’ public logs.
Pricing
- Free Plan: 100 trades/month
- Silver Plan: \$29.95/month or \$323.46/year
- Gold Plan: \$49.95/month or \$479.52/year
Best For:
- Swing and long-term traders
- Traders who love stats and charts
- Those looking for a free option to start
Mobile Experience: TradeZella Wins
TradeZella offers mobile-friendly journaling. This is a huge advantage for traders who:
- Travel frequently
- Trade on multiple devices
- Journal during breaks or while commuting
Tradervue’s platform, in contrast, is desktop-only and harder to use on smartphones or tablets.
🧠 Building the Perfect Trading Feedback Loop
Great traders don’t improve by watching results—they improve by studying process. Journaling creates a structured feedback loop:
- Log the Trade: Record price, entry, exit, stop, setup.
- Reflect: What went right or wrong? What was your mindset?
- Analyze: Compare similar trades. Track expectancy, RR, and timing.
- Refine: Update playbook, rules, or approach.
Repeat this loop and you’ll evolve every month.
🕒 5-Minute Journaling Routine for Busy Traders
Even if you’re short on time, here’s how to build journaling into your daily habit:
- Open TradeZella or Tradervue after your session.
- Add Screenshots or Replays of your entries/exits.
- Rate Your Mindset (1–5) before and after the trade.
- Tag the Strategy: Breakout, sweep reversal, FVG trap, etc.
- One Line of Reflection: “Did I follow my rules?”
Over time, these short entries become your greatest teacher.
🎯 Journaling for Funded Account Success
Most traders fail funded challenges due to:
- Inconsistent lot sizing
- Overtrading
- Emotional breakdowns
- Poor risk control
Journaling reveals these issues before you blow the account. Platforms like TradeZella can help you prove to yourself (and prop firm evaluators) that you’re ready.
Many traders use journals to track:
- Evaluation rules (e.g., max loss, trailing drawdown)
- Strategy performance per condition
- Emotional states during funded periods
📈 Turning Your Journal into a Strategic Weapon
Journals aren’t just for logging—they’re for developing edge.
Use tags and filters to:
- Track setups like liquidity sweeps, FVG rejections, or EMA retests
- Compare performance by time of day (e.g., NY open vs. NY close)
- Log Belkhayate Energie signals or order flow confirmations
- Spot correlations (e.g., more success after meditating? After journaling the night before?)
This transforms your journal into a living trading system.
🗣️ What Real Traders Say About Journaling
“I thought I was a disciplined trader… until my journal showed I wasn’t.”
“TradeZella taught me that psychology mattered more than my setup.”
“After using Tradervue, I found my edge was strongest on Tuesday mornings with gold.”
📘 Mastery Trader Case Studies
Ahmed – FTMO Challenge Winner
Ahmed used TradeZella to monitor how often he was breaking rules. After three weeks, he had enough data to eliminate two setups and double his win rate.
Sophia – Swing Trader with Tradervue
Sophia logs all her weekly gold trades and filters for entry time. She found her highest R trades happened after 10 AM on Wednesdays.
Zayd – Scalper Using Both Tools
Zayd uses Tradervue for deep analytics and TradeZella for emotional reflection. This combination helped him finally control revenge trades.
🔮 What’s Next for Trading Journals?
The future of trading journals will include:
- AI Coaching: Automatic feedback on trades
- Pattern Detection: AI suggesting what works best for your style
- Community Leaderboards: Performance metrics within a group
- Voice Journaling: Speak your thoughts, auto-transcribed
Traders who build the habit now will be ready to evolve with these tools.
FAQs
What’s the best trading journal for funded traders?
TradeZella integrates seamlessly with Apex, FTMO, Leeloo, and TopStep. It helps track your trades and mindset while working under pressure.
Is TradeZella worth the money?
If you’re consistently trading and want to improve execution, mindset, and win rate, then yes. Most users say it pays for itself in avoided mistakes.
Can I track my trades automatically?
Yes. Both TradeZella and Tradervue support automated broker integrations.
Do these journals support futures traders?
Yes. Both platforms support futures contracts through brokers like NinjaTrader, Tradovate, and Interactive Brokers.
Do they support crypto?
Yes. You can journal crypto trades manually or import from supported brokers like Binance or Coinbase.
Choosing the right trading journal can dramatically accelerate your growth. At Mastery Trader Academy, we’ve seen traders go from inconsistent to elite simply by tracking their process with tools like TradeZella and Tradervue. If you’re still building your strategy, pair journaling with our free guide on the top 20 trading books of all time for deep mindset and execution insights. Want to know how funded traders use journals to pass prop firm evaluations? Explore our full breakdown of prop firm trading strategies and discover how journaling can help you stay funded long-term.
Final Thoughts
Your journal is your mirror. It shows you what your strategy hides. At Mastery Trader Academy, we view trading journals not as optional—but as critical to mastery.
Choose TradeZella if you want:
- Mobile-friendly journaling
- Trade replay
- Psychological performance tracking
- Strong prop firm compatibility
Choose Tradervue if you want:
- A free option to start
- Heavy statistical performance tracking
- Swing trade review and public journaling
Stay tuned as we’ll soon provide affiliate links for both platforms with bonus content and private walkthroughs.
Coming soon:
- Downloadable Journal Setup Checklist
- Prop Firm Performance Tracker Template
Let journaling be your edge. Because in 2025, the market rewards precision—and precision starts with reflection.
Want us to help design your perfect journaling system? Drop a comment or email us and we’ll guide you step by step.