The Short Version
- Sierra Chart is a program you install on Windows. It turns raw market prices into screens you can read and lets you buy or sell from those same screens.
- Use it with a real brokerage connection or with play money. Orders can be clicked one at a time or triggered by rules you define.
- It covers futures, shares, indexes, currency pairs, crypto coins and option-related quotes. Quotes straight from exchanges cost extra. Slightly delayed prices and stored past data come at no added fee.
- Connections rely on published standards (DTC and FIX), which means brokers and data vendors outside the company can plug in.
- Want to see it running? The Sierra Chart download page walks you from the installer to a live screen.
What People Like About It
- Snappy
- Candles repaint and indicators refresh almost instantly, even across a wall of windows.
- Dependable
- New versions respect how earlier ones behaved, so your saved screens keep working.
- Bendable
- Nearly everything visible, from colors to key bindings, can be reshaped.
- Light on the PC
- It sips memory and processor time, leaving the rest for your other software.
- Well supported
- There is a thick manual, and real people answer help requests.
What Is Inside
- Price screens. Candlesticks, bars, tick counts, range bars and footprint-style views, plus a long list of indicators and drawing aids.
- ChartDOM. A vertical stack of prices showing waiting buy and sell orders, attached to the chart so you can trade where you look.
- Depth replay. A historical picture of how queued orders grew and disappeared around price.
- Your own indicators. Write them through the study interface or assemble them in a sheet using familiar Excel-style formulas.
- Hands-off systems. Let rules enter and exit, with caps on daily loss and position size.
- Practice mode. Run strategies on live prices with fake money, then review the trade log.
Where Prices and Orders Come From
| Requirement | How it is met |
|---|---|
| Current quotes | Delayed or real-time streams for futures, shares and currencies |
| History | Years of daily and intraday records |
| Sending orders | FIX or DTC links to supported brokers and exchanges |
| Reading activity | Volume by price, order-book depth and flow displays |
| Personal rules | Study code, spreadsheets, automated strategies |
- Exchange feeds are offered for CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX, Eurex, Cboe Futures, Nasdaq, NYSE and AMEX.
From Zero to a Working Screen
- Grab the setup file from the download page.
- Choose where prices come from. Delayed first; live whenever you like.
- Lay out your desk: a chart or two, a few indicators, the ladder. Save it as a chartbook.
- Rehearse in practice mode before linking real money.
- Sierrachart — a closer, part-by-part look at the same program.
- Sierra Chart Download — PC requirements, installation and what to do first.
- Sierra Trading Post — why a similarly named shop has nothing to do with us.
Asked Often
What would I use Sierra Chart for?
To watch markets on charts, inspect the order book and place trades, manually or by automation.
Where is the Sierra Chart download?
On the download page, alongside the system needs and install notes.
Is sierrachart another product?
No. It is just a one-word spelling of Sierra Chart.
Can I try things without losing money?
Yes. Practice mode uses real price movement but virtual cash.
Does Sierra Trading Post have anything to do with this?
No, it is an unconnected retailer. See why.