Fips vs a Notion trading journal: purpose-built instead of hand-built
A Notion template is a popular way to start a trading journal: it is flexible, looks good and lives next to your other notes. The catch is that Notion is a general-purpose workspace, so every trade, formula and statistic is something you enter or build yourself. Fips is a dedicated trading journal that does that part for you.
Why traders move from Notion to Fips
Less typing
A Notion database only holds what you type or import. Fips syncs MT4, MT5, cTrader, Interactive Brokers and major crypto exchanges automatically through read-only access and imports CSV files from other platforms with a column mapper.
Statistics without formulas
Fips calculates performance statistics from your trade data, with advanced analytics on Pro. In Notion these are formulas and rollups you write and maintain.
Tools in the same place
Chart replay backtesting, an economic calendar and free lot size and risk calculators sit next to the journal.
Still free to start
The Fips free plan is free forever with a 30-day trade history and no credit card.
Fips vs a Notion template
| Item | Fips | Notion template |
|---|---|---|
| Getting trades in | Automatic sync through read-only access for MT4/MT5, cTrader, Interactive Brokers and major crypto exchanges, plus CSV import with a column mapper for other platforms | Manual entry or CSV import into a database |
| Performance statistics | Calculated from your trade data; advanced analytics on Pro | Formulas and rollups you build yourself |
| Lot size / position sizing | Free lot size and risk calculators | Build your own formula |
| Backtesting | Bar-by-bar chart replay | Not included |
| Economic calendar | Included | Not included |
| Layout and free-form notes | Structured trading journal | Fully customisable pages |
Notion is a general-purpose workspace; what a template can do depends on how it was built. Third-party brand names belong to their owners.
Who should pick which
A Notion template may be enough if
- You mostly write long-form reviews, keep a trading plan and want everything laid out exactly your way.
- You take a handful of trades a month and do not mind entering them by hand.
- You are happy to combine tools: Fips for trade data and statistics, Notion for the written plan.
Fips may suit you better if
- You trade on MT4 or MT5 and want trades to come in automatically through a read-only connection.
- You want statistics without building and fixing formulas.
- You want backtesting, an economic calendar and position sizing next to your journal.
Fips at a glance
- Free plan
- Free forever, no credit card. Trading journal with a 30-day trade history, the economic calendar, free calculators and chart replay backtesting.
- Pro
- $19.99/month or $139/year (save up to 42%). Unlimited history, advanced analytics, data export and priority support. 7-day free trial, card required.
- Team
- $69.99/month or $559/year.
- Refunds
- On your first payment: within 7 days on Pro monthly, within 30 days on Pro annual and Team.
- MT4 / MT5
- MT4 and MT5 accounts sync automatically: connect with the account number, server and read-only investor password, or run the Fips connector on your own computer, which sends your account data to Fips. No broker partnership is needed.
- Other platforms
- cTrader (view-only Open API access), Interactive Brokers (Flex Web Service token) and crypto exchanges such as Binance, Bybit, OKX, Kraken and Coinbase (read-only API key) sync automatically too; Hyperliquid and dYdX v4 connect with a wallet address. Other platforms, for example TradeLocker, DXtrade or Match-Trader, come in through CSV import with a column mapper. Re-upload a fresh export to keep it current, or add trades manually.
- Backtesting
- Bar-by-bar chart replay on real 1-minute history (EURUSD, GBPUSD, USDJPY, AUDUSD and USDCAD from 2003, NZDUSD from 2005, gold from 2009), with spread, commission, slippage and statistics in R. Manual replay, no tick data.
- Tools
- Free lot size and risk calculators in the browser (including prop-firm and symbol pages), a prop-firm rules reference and an economic calendar.
- Where it runs
- Web app in private beta (join the waitlist for an invite), in 6 languages.
- Coming soon
- AI trade coach; futures support; native iOS and Android apps; Windows, macOS and Linux desktop apps.
- Made by
- T2MA Labs LLC.
Moving from a Notion template to Fips
- Join the Fips waitlist; when your invite arrives, create your free account. No credit card required.
- In Notion, open the trades database and export it as CSV (••• → Export → Markdown & CSV).
- In Fips, open CSV import, upload the file and match your columns (symbol, side, entry, exit, size, P/L) with the column mapper.
- Connect your accounts with read-only access so new trades sync automatically: MT4 and MT5 with the investor password or the Fips connector, cTrader with view-only Open API access, Interactive Brokers with a Flex Web Service token, crypto exchanges with a read-only API key. Other platforms come in by CSV import, re-uploaded whenever you want to bring the journal up to date, or by manual entry.
FAQ
It depends on what you need. Notion is more flexible for free-form writing. Fips fits better if you want trades to sync automatically through a read-only connection, CSV import with a column mapper, and statistics calculated without building formulas.
Yes. Export the trades database from Notion as CSV and import it in Fips, where the column mapper matches your columns.
MT4 and MT5 accounts sync automatically: connect with the account number, server and read-only investor password, or run the Fips connector on your own computer, which sends your account data to Fips. No broker partnership is needed. cTrader (view-only Open API access), Interactive Brokers (Flex Web Service token) and crypto exchanges such as Binance, Bybit, OKX, Kraken and Coinbase (read-only API key) sync automatically too; Hyperliquid and dYdX v4 connect with a wallet address. Other platforms, for example TradeLocker, DXtrade or Match-Trader, come in through CSV import with a column mapper. Re-upload a fresh export to keep it current, or add trades manually.
Fips is free forever with a 30-day trade history and no credit card. Pro is $19.99/month or $139/year (save up to 42%) and adds unlimited history, advanced analytics, data export and priority support, with a 7-day free trial (card required). Team is $69.99/month or $559/year.
Get early access to Fips
Free forever with a 30-day trade history, chart replay backtesting and the free lot size and risk calculators. No credit card required. The web app is in private beta: join the waitlist for an invite.