What Kyra is
A privacy-first trading journal for iOS focused on equities. Pattern detection runs on-device. Every pattern shows its sample size and an uncertainty range — the four tiers (Tracking, Hint, Signal, Proven) sharpen as your history grows, so claims stay honest about how much evidence supports them. Primary buyer: a retail self-executor who wants the gap between strategy and execution made visible. $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr after a 7-day trial.
What Trade Buddy is
Trade Buddy is a multi-asset journal for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. It wraps logging and an "AI Smart Coach" inside a full progression system: XP, levels, daily quests, a skill tree, a trophy room, achievements, and several streak counters. You log manually in a quick or full mode, it connects to brokers for auto-sync, and it stores data locally with optional iCloud sync on its Pro tier. Pricing is $4.99/month, $24.99/year, or $99.99 lifetime, with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
How they compare
| Dimension | Kyra | Trade Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | On-device + iCloud user-private sync | Local + optional iCloud (Pro) |
| Account required | No | No |
| Game layer | None | XP, levels, quests, skill tree, trophies, streaks |
| What it rewards | Nothing; the journal stays an observer | XP and badges for wins, streaks, profit milestones |
| Pattern approach | Sample-size-gated statistical inference; n and uncertainty range shown | "AI Smart Coach" cards with percent badges; no sample size shown |
| AI recommendations | No (not a recommendation engine) | Yes — the AI coach suggests what to trade |
| Broker auto-sync | No (manual entry) | Yes (API: MT4, MT5, IBKR, Binance, NinjaTrader) |
| Asset classes | Equities | Forex, stocks, crypto, futures |
| Platforms | iOS | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro |
| Pricing | $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr | $4.99/mo, $24.99/yr, $99.99 lifetime |
Who should pick which
Pick Trade Buddy if:
- You want multi-asset support and broker auto-sync
- You want iPad, Mac, or Vision Pro coverage
- A game layer (XP, levels, quests) keeps you logging, and you want an AI coach
- You prefer a lifetime option or the lowest annual price
Pick Kyra if:
- You want a journal with no game layer — nothing that rewards you for winning
- You want patterns gated by sample size, with the evidence shown on each card
- You want the journal to stay an observer, not a coach that grades your next trade
The trade-off
Trade Buddy costs less per year, offers a lifetime unlock, covers more asset classes and platforms, and connects to brokers. If you need any of those, they are real advantages.
The deliberate difference is the game layer. Trade Buddy awards XP and badges for winning trades and streaks; Kyra ships none of it, on purpose. A journal's value is the honesty of its record, and quietly rewarding wins nudges you to chase them and to log the good days more than the bad. Kyra keeps the reward out of it, so the mirror stays true and the engine reads what is actually in your history, not how many points you scored.
Download Kyra on the App Store · Principles · Pattern detection · Compare to other journals
