TabChart vs Coinigy

Coinigy has been around since the early days of crypto trading platforms. Its pitch: connect all your exchanges in one place, chart across markets, and trade without switching tabs. For a while, it was one of the few tools that could aggregate data from dozens of exchanges into a single interface.

TabChart is a narrower tool. It doesn't try to be a trading terminal — no order placement, no portfolio tracking, no bots. It connects to 7 major exchanges for one purpose: charting and market scanning. It runs as a native Windows app and costs nothing.

These are different tools built for different workflows. The question is which workflow matches yours.

Trading terminal vs charting tool

Coinigy is a full trading platform. You can connect exchange API keys, place orders across multiple exchanges from one screen, track your portfolio, set up alerts, and monitor balances — all alongside your charts. It connects to over 45 exchanges, which is a significant advantage if you trade on smaller or more niche platforms.

TabChart does one thing: charts. You get multi-chart workspaces, 70+ indicators, and a real-time market screener across 7 major exchanges. No portfolio, no orders, no API keys. It's a dedicated window for analysis, separate from wherever you execute trades.

Whether that focus is a feature or a limitation depends on your setup. Some traders want everything in one app. Others prefer to keep their charting environment separate and uncluttered, using the exchange directly for orders.

The cost question

Coinigy is subscription-based, starting around $18.66 per month. There's no permanent free tier — you get a trial, and then you pay. Over a year, that's roughly $224 for charting and trading tools. If you use the trading features (order placement, portfolio tracking, alerts), that might be worth it.

TabChart is free. No trial period, no feature limits, no tiers. If you only need charting and market scanning — and you trade on the exchanges TabChart supports — you're paying $224/year for features you might not need.

Native app vs browser

Coinigy is entirely web-based. That means it works on any device with a browser, which is a real advantage for portability. But it also means your charting competes with everything else running in your browser.

TabChart is a native WPF application for Windows. It gets its own process, starts quickly, and stays responsive even after hours of use. If you're a Windows trader who keeps charts open all day, the native app experience is noticeably smoother. Trade-off: it's Windows only.

Where Coinigy has the edge

• 45+ exchanges. If you trade on smaller exchanges that TabChart doesn't support, Coinigy probably has them.
• Trade execution. Place orders across exchanges from one interface without switching tabs or apps.
• Portfolio tracking. See all your holdings across exchanges in one view.
• Cross-platform. Works anywhere you have a browser — not limited to Windows.
• Alerts. Price and indicator-based alerts across any supported market.

Where TabChart has the edge

• Free. No subscription, no trial expiration. Everything is included from day one.
• No account or API keys. Install it and start charting. No credentials, no exchange API setup for viewing market data.
• Native performance. Faster startup, smoother scrolling, lower resource usage compared to a web app.
• Direct WebSocket connections. Data comes straight from exchange APIs, not through an intermediary.
• Built-in screener. Seven curated presets for finding opportunities in real-time, without manual filter setup.

Side-by-side comparison

Which one makes sense?

If you need a multi-exchange trading terminal — order placement, portfolio tracking, alerts, and wide exchange coverage — and you're fine paying for it, Coinigy does a lot in one place.

If you just need charts and a market screener across major exchanges, and you'd rather not pay a monthly subscription for features you won't use, TabChart is the lighter, more focused option.

It comes down to whether you need a trading terminal or a charting tool. They're different products solving different problems.