❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the most common questions about TradeMetrics

📋 General Questions
▶ What is TradeMetrics?
A professional trading journal for MT5 and crypto traders. Auto-import trades from MetaTrader 5, Binance, Bybit, and MEXC — 40+ metrics, charts, Monte Carlo simulation, R-Multiple distribution, built-in journal with ratings, and an AI Assistant for deep analysis.
▶ Who is this product for?
For MT5 and crypto traders who want to analyze their trading professionally and systematically — from scalpers to swing traders. If you take your results seriously and want to see your real edge, TradeMetrics is built for you.
▶ How does the license work — is it a subscription?
Not a traditional subscription. We don't use auto-renewal and never charge your card automatically. You buy a license for 1 month (30 days) or 1 year (365 days). When it expires, you decide whether to renew — no hidden charges, no unexpected billing.

Payment is made in crypto (USDT BEP-20) through a secure blockchain gateway. After payment, you receive a license key by email.
▶ How is it different from Excel / Google Sheets?
TradeMetrics automatically loads trades, builds charts, calculates 40+ metrics (win rate, profit factor, expectancy, drawdown, Survival Index), runs Monte Carlo simulations, and tracks your journal — all without manual data entry. Excel can hold numbers; TradeMetrics tells you what they mean.
⚙️ Installation & Requirements
▶ What are the system requirements?
  • Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
  • 4 GB RAM (minimum)
  • 1 GB free disk space
  • Internet for license activation
All required runtimes (VC++, Qt, Python libraries) are bundled in the installer — no additional software to install.
▶ How do I install TradeMetrics?
Download the installer from the website (Download), run it, and follow the on-screen instructions. Installation takes less than a minute and puts the app in C:\Program Files\TradeMetrics\.
▶ Do I need to install MetaTrader?
To connect via MT5 — yes, you need MetaTrader 5 installed and logged in.
For crypto exchanges — no, you just need API keys from your exchange.
▶ Is macOS / Linux supported?
Currently only Windows 10/11 (64-bit). Versions for other operating systems are planned for future releases.
🔑 License & Activation
▶ How do I activate my license?
After installation, open Settings → License, paste your license key, and click Activate. The trial starts automatically the first time you launch the app — no key required for 30 days.
▶ What is included in the trial?
30 days of full access to every feature — all metrics, charts, Monte Carlo, Compare, journal, ratings, History & Calendar, Trade Chart, and all export formats (CSV / Excel / PDF).

The only exception is AI Assistant, which requires a paid subscription because it uses external AI infrastructure. No credit card required to start the trial.
▶ What happens after the trial ends?
After 30 days, your account switches to Post-Trial mode. You keep full access to the Trades tab — your journal stays alive:
  • Auto-import from MT5, Binance, Bybit, MEXC
  • Comments, attachments, ratings
  • All your historical data
Locked after trial:
  • Import from CSV
  • Statistics & Charts
  • Compare & Insights
  • Monte Carlo simulation
  • History & Calendar
  • Survival Index
  • All export formats (CSV / Excel / PDF)
  • AI Assistant
Your data is preserved — when you activate a paid license, everything is restored instantly.
▶ Can I transfer my license to another PC?
The license is tied to one computer. If you change PCs, contact support@zimmetrics.com — we'll help transfer your key to the new machine.
▶ What if my license expires?
Purchase a new license on the website. All your data — trade history, comments, screenshots, ratings — is saved and will be available immediately after you activate a new key.
🔗 Connecting to MT5 and Exchanges
▶ How do I connect MT5?
In Settings → Connection, select MetaTrader 5, point TradeMetrics to your installed MT5 terminal, and click Connect. All your trades load automatically — and stay in sync every time you open the app. No API keys needed for MT5.
▶ Which crypto exchanges are supported?
  • 🟡 Binance — Spot and Futures
  • 🔵 Bybit — Linear and inverse contracts
  • 🟢 MEXC — Futures
More exchanges are planned for future releases.
▶ Do I need to give trading permissions?
No! Read-Only permissions are sufficient. TradeMetrics can see your trades but can never place an order, withdraw funds, or change account settings. Your funds are always under your control.
▶ How do I get API keys?
In your exchange account, go to API Management and create a new key with Read-Only permissions. Copy the API Key and Secret into TradeMetrics's connection settings — that's it.
📊 Features & Capabilities
▶ What metrics does TradeMetrics calculate?
Over 40 metrics, including:
  • Total profit / loss
  • Win Rate, Profit Factor, Expectancy
  • Maximum Drawdown & Recovery Factor
  • Equity chart (in $ and %)
  • Average Win / Loss, Max Win / Loss
  • Win and Loss streaks
  • Survival Index — composite stability score
  • R-Multiple distribution — risk-normalized trade breakdown
  • Avg Rating — average discipline score across trades
  • P&L by Hour — 24-bar histogram in your timezone
▶ What is the Survival Index?
A composite score from 0 to 3 that measures the stability of your strategy. Formula:
SI = PF × (1 − DD/100) × RR
  • PF — Profit Factor
  • DD — Max Drawdown (%)
  • RR — Risk-to-Reward ratio
Above 1.5 means your strategy can consistently recover from drawdowns — one of the strongest signs of a healthy edge.
▶ What is Monte Carlo, and how does it help me?
Monte Carlo simulates thousands of possible futures for your strategy by shuffling your real trades. It shows a fan of trajectories — from the worst case to the best case — plus critical risk metrics:
  • VaR 95% — maximum expected loss in the worst 5% of scenarios
  • CVaR 95% — average loss in the worst 5%
  • Ruin Probability — % of simulations that wiped out the account
Two modes: Bootstrap (uses your real trades) and Parametric (synthetic, for testing new rules). Use it to see how bad it can get — before the market shows you.
▶ Can I add comments and attachments to trades?
Yes! For each trade you can add:
  • 📝 Text comment
  • 🖼️ Screenshot (PNG, JPG, GIF)
  • 🎬 Video recording (MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV)
  • 🔗 Link (e.g., to a TradingView chart)
  • ⭐ Rating (1–5 stars)
The Avg Rating appears in the top banner — showing whether you actually follow your trading plan.
▶ What is Trade Chart?
A built-in candle chart that opens for any trade right inside your journal. Your actual entry and exit are marked on the candles, and you can switch between 1m, 5m, 15m, 1h, 4h, 1d timeframes. Basic drawing tools let you sketch levels and trendlines directly on the chart — no need to switch to TradingView.
▶ What is History & Calendar?
A zoom-out view of your entire trading history:
  • Annual Performance — years × months table with YTD totals
  • Daily Calendar — colored day cells with P&L and ★ badges
  • Weekly Summary — donut chart and win rate speedometer
Click any day to see every trade of that day. Perfect for spotting seasonal patterns and bad habits that a single equity curve hides.
▶ What is the AI Assistant?
An intelligent trading analyst embedded in TradeMetrics. It reads your metrics — Win Rate, Profit Factor, Expectancy, R-Multiple distribution, session stats — and gives you an honest, specific assessment:
  • 🔍 Weaknesses detection
  • 💎 Edge discovery — where your real advantage lives
  • 📈 Concrete recommendations, ranked by impact
  • ⚠️ Risk analysis — scenarios that could blow up your account
  • 📅 Seasonality patterns — best days and sessions
  • 🎲 Monte Carlo analysis — dissects a simulation, warns about leverage, gives recommendations
Available only on paid plans, since it uses external AI infrastructure. Six one-click presets get you a full analysis in seconds.
🛡️ Security & Data
▶ Where is my data stored?
All your trading data is stored locally on your computer in the %APPDATA%\TradeMetrics folder. API keys are encrypted.

The only exception is the AI Assistant — when you use it, only aggregated metrics (Win Rate, Profit Factor, etc.) are sent to external AI infrastructure. Raw trades, comments, attachments, API keys, and account numbers never leave your machine. See the AI Assistant page for the full breakdown.
▶ Is it safe to enter API keys?
Yes. Keys are stored locally in an encrypted file and used only to fetch trade history. TradeMetrics never sends them to external servers. Read-Only permissions mean the app can't trade on your behalf even if the keys were somehow compromised.
▶ What happens to my data when I uninstall the program?
Data remains in %APPDATA%\TradeMetrics on your computer. When uninstalling via the installer, there is an option to clear all data — you choose whether to keep or delete it.
📧 Support
▶ How do I contact support?
Email us at support@zimmetrics.com. We reply within 24 hours.
▶ Is there a user manual?
Yes, the manual is available inside the program in the ❓ Help section. It walks through every tab, explains the metrics, and shows how to set up connections.
▶ Do you offer refunds?
We offer a 30-day free trial with full functionality (except AI Assistant). You can test everything before paying. By purchasing a license, you confirm the product meets your expectations — refunds are not available.
▶ What payment methods do you accept?
We accept crypto payments (USDT BEP-20) through a secure blockchain gateway. No credit card required. After payment, your license key arrives by email within 1–2 minutes.