Plans, Pricing & Free vs Paid Features

When you're starting out on TradingView, one of the first things you’ll notice is that the platform comes with different account types ranging from free to paid tiers. But don't worry, you don’t need to jump into a subscription to make the most of it early on.

Let’s break it down so you know what you’re getting, and more importantly, when you actually need to consider paying.

What Do You Get for Free?

A free account on TradingView is powerful enough for most beginners. You can:

• Access real-time charts (for select exchanges)
• Use basic drawing tools and multiple timeframes.
• Add up to a few indicators per chart.
• Save a limited number of layouts and watchlists.
• Set basic price or indicator alerts

This setup is more than sufficient if you're just getting comfortable with charts, understanding price movement, or testing indicators one by one. Most educational use cases, including learning from Kotak Stockshaala can be done comfortably using this free tier.

When Do Traders Usually Upgrade?

As you go deeper into trading and analysis, you’ll probably start running into limitations like:

• Can’t compare more than one stock on the same chart.
• Not enough indicators for complex setups
• Limited alerts, or alerts that expire after a while.
• Inability to use multi-chart layouts

That’s when traders usually consider moving to a paid plan in order to speed up their workflow or handle more data at once. Think of it like upgrading from a single-screen setup to a full-blown trading desk.

What’s Behind the Paid Tiers?

The paid versions offer enhancements like:

• More indicators per chart (for strategy stacking)
• Multi-chart views in one screen (great for intermarket analysis)
• Advanced alerts - crossovers, conditions, and unlimited expiry
• Faster data refresh rates and deeper historical data
• Priority customer support and extra cloud saves

Some also offer tools like volume profiles or bar replay features which are handy for traders who backtest regularly or analyse price action historically.

But again, none of this is “mandatory.” Many traders use a mix of free TradingView for charting, and other platforms for order execution.

What Should You Do as a Beginner?

Start simple. Explore everything in the free version. Learn to:

• Read charts.
• Draw support/resistance zones.
• Try indicators like RSI, MACD, and Super trend.
• Set alerts for key levels.

Once you’re consistent with that and you feel your workflow is getting bottlenecked, only then consider exploring paid features.

Remember: Good trades come from good decisions, not fancy subscriptions.

Wrap-Up

Think of TradingView’s tiers like phone storage:

• Free = enough for calls, texts, apps
• Paid = needed only when you’re shooting 4K videos daily

In trading terms? Learn the language of charts first. Use what you need and scale when you're ready.

In the next chapter, we’ll walk through the TradingView interface and show you where everything lives, so you’re not lost on Day 1.