What Kyra is
A privacy-first trading journal for iOS. Trades stored on-device. Pattern detection runs locally as classical statistical inference — Bayesian inference, Fisher's exact test, and multiple-comparisons correction. Every claim ships with a sample size and a confidence range. Four tiers (Tracking, Hint, Signal, Proven) sharpen as the trade count grows so claims stay honest about evidence. Kyra is built for equities (stocks and options), though logging itself is asset-agnostic, with an under-10-second Quick P&L path. $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr after a 7-day trial — no account, no email, no password.
What Plancana is
Plancana is a mobile trading journal oriented toward forex and CFD traders. Its defining feature is a connection to the MetaTrader platforms (MT4 / MT5): trades placed through those platforms can be imported rather than typed in by hand, paired with a structured, questionnaire-style logging flow. It runs on a subscription. The details below are drawn from Plancana's App Store listing and public user reviews — platform support, feature set, and current pricing change over time and are best confirmed on Plancana's own site.
How they compare
| Dimension | Kyra | Plancana |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | iOS-native | iOS / iPad |
| Where trade data lives | On the user's device + optional iCloud user-private sync | Account-based (platform sync implies server-side storage) |
| Account required | No (no email, no password) | Yes |
| Broker / platform integration | None (by design) | MetaTrader MT4 / MT5 connection |
| Primary instrument focus | Equities (logging is asset-agnostic) | Forex / CFDs (MetaTrader-oriented) |
| Trade entry | Manual — under-10-second Quick P&L path | Import via MT4 / MT5 + structured manual logging |
| Pattern detection approach | Bayesian inference + Fisher's exact test + multiple-comparisons correction, on-device | Journal analytics / review (statistical inference not documented) |
| Sample size on every claim | Yes — n + confidence range per pattern | Not documented |
| Pricing | $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr; one tier, one price | Subscription (a UK reviewer referenced ~£10/mo; confirm current pricing) |
The load-bearing row is architecture: on-device and account-free versus account-based platform sync. Most of the other differences descend from it.
Who should pick which
Pick Plancana if:
- You trade forex or CFDs through MT4 / MT5 and want fills to import from those platforms instead of typing them in
- Your instruments live on the MetaTrader platforms and platform sync is the workflow you want
- You prefer a structured, questionnaire-style logging flow that walks you through fields
- You're comfortable with an account-based journal
Pick Kyra if:
- You want trade data to live on your device, with no account, no email, no password
- You want pattern claims with explicit sample sizes and named statistical methods (Bayesian inference, Fisher's exact test), not a dashboard that doesn't gate for sample size
- You log across asset classes by hand and want an under-10-second Quick P&L entry path
- You don't trade through MT4 / MT5 — or you simply don't want a journal that syncs to a broker or platform
- You want a journal whose developer does not store your trade history
The honest trade-off
If you trade on the MetaTrader platforms and want your fills to flow into the journal automatically, Plancana's platform connection is a real advantage. Manual entry is friction, and auto-import removes it for the instruments it supports.
Kyra is shaped by a different commitment. Trade data stays on the device because Kyra does not operate a server that stores it — which is also why there is no broker or platform sync. The trade-off for privacy is that you log trades yourself; Kyra's answer is to make that take under ten seconds. The pattern engine shows statistical claims with sample sizes rather than dashboard aggregations, and logging is asset-agnostic rather than tied to one platform. Those are different choices, not worse ones.
If MT4 / MT5 auto-import is the binding constraint of your workflow, Plancana fits it directly. If on-device privacy, an account-free start, and sample-size-gated pattern claims are the binding constraints, Kyra is the right tool. The two apps are built around different commitments.
For the architectural reasoning, see Why on-device. For the math, see The math behind Kyra. For the security model that the on-device architecture buys, see Security.
Download Kyra on the App Store · Why on-device · The math behind Kyra · The full security model · Compare to other journals
