Comparison

MVAR vs PocketBacktest

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MVAR

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Helps you find and test your ideas of what might be "leading indicators" of particular stocks or ETFs. For one day ahead indicators only. Explore "The Machine" of the market, and backtest your ideas forthwith. For these types of simple models, if a backtest achieves 60%+ directional accuracy over a long period, it is considered fairly good. Our backtests have metrics which check how likely it is to achieve the model's level of accuracy by flipping coins for the same number of backtest days. For example, getting 6 out of 10 correct by flipping coins (60%) is much more likely than getting 60 out of 100 (also 60%) correct by flipping coins. You must look at % correct, and also how long you get this level of accuracy. The run length Plots give an idea if the model is getting better or worse over time. We don't even report out model Fit quality to avoid confusion, since Forecast quality is usually worse than Fit quality. Hence: Always backtest to estimate Forecast quality. The app models the (close-open) price direction (that is, today's price travel) of a given target stock as a function of prior days opening and closing prices of related stocks. Also works for ETFs if they are available in Google Finance historical data. Check out our newest features: low-contributor variable weed-out for K-nearest classifier models, to reduce overfitting and possibly improve forecast quality (searching as always for the most parsimonious model, "as simple as possible but no simpler..."), and the use of volatilities as candidate leading indicators. Some use cases: - You want to keep a position open for 1 trading day only. Models built with this app can give an estimate as to whether the stock/ETF will go up or down today. - You want to buy or sell a given stock/ETF for other reasons. Models built with this app can give an estimate whether Today is a good day to buy or sell, or whether you might want to wait until a later day to make a trade. Some thoughts on backtesting, to assist with judgement calls: http://www.quantstart.com/articles/Successful-Backtesting-of-Algorithmic-Trading-Strategies-Part-I From Wikipedia: "The only prior knowledge required is a list of variables which can be hypothesized to affect each other intertemporally." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_autoregression For example, one might think that the price change of General Motors today (GM) might depend on the recent prices of oil (USO is an oil ETF). This can be modeled using a tool such as this. Note that there may not be a predictive relationship for your chosen symbols. In this case, a model's backtest will be poor (low % correct) and the model is not useful for forecasting. In the case where a backtest yields reasonable results, the model may have some predictive power for 1 day ahead forecasts. Only price travel Direction is attempted to be modeled, not the actual price change in dollars. Quickstart: 1. enter symbol to forecast and candidate predictor symbols. 2. select Backtest or Forecast. 3. Press Run. Calculation results will appear in green window. Further details at http://diffent.com/MktVecAR.pdf Features: Up to 6 candidate predictor stocks/ETFs (including target). 3 model types generated for every forecast for comparison purposes: annealing classifier (slow or fast) linear least squares k-nearest classifier 1 and 2 day data lags automatically generated [AR(2) type models] Up to 500 trading days of backtests. 1 day forward forecast. Model can be built/forecasted before market opens since "today's" open prices are not included in the model. Detailed log file of calculations. Calculations done on a server for battery conservation. Ability to Stop long calculations on the server. Download the assembled regression tables with dates aligned in CSV format for further study. Send downloaded tables to other apps on your device or via email.

About

PocketBacktest

Features
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How would that portfolio actually have done? Type the tickers, set the weights, pick a period, tap Run Backtest. You get a clean growth chart and the numbers that matter. In about ten seconds, with no account and no spreadsheet. BUILD IT YOUR WAY • Save multiple portfolios of stocks, ETFs, and crypto • Start from a preset - 60/40 Balanced, All Weather, Three-Fund, Total Nasdaq, Crypto Blend and more • Split weights evenly with one tap, or type them to the decimal • Duplicate a portfolio to try a variation without losing the original • Swipe to delete; each portfolio keeps the colour it uses on the chart TEST IT PROPERLY • Periods from 1 week to 5 years, YTD, or the full available history • Rebalancing: Buy & Hold, Monthly, Quarterly, or Annually • Add recurring contributions - daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly • Set your own risk-free rate for the risk figures THE NUMBERS • Total return, CAGR, and ending balance • Money-weighted return (MWRR) once you are adding contributions • Maximum drawdown - the worst peak-to-trough fall along the way • Volatility, Sharpe, Sortino, Calmar, and beta • Contributions are excluded from the return maths, so money you paid in is never counted as growth READ THE CHART • Compare every portfolio on one chart, side by side • Drag to inspect any single day; press and hold, then drag, to measure a range • Turn the phone sideways for a full-screen chart • Optional log scale, or start everything at 100 to compare shape rather than dollars • Export a run as CSV and a chart image, zipped and ready to share MADE TO LIVE ON YOUR PHONE • Ten themes, each with a genuine light and dark version that follows your System setting • Portfolio Pulse widget keeps your last run on the home screen • Ask Siri: "Run a backtest in PocketBacktest" • Full Dynamic Type, VoiceOver labels, and Reduce Motion support • Prices are cached, so recent runs still work with a weak connection Disclaimer: The information provided in this app is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Past performance does not predict future results. Always do your own research or consult a qualified financial professional before making investment decisions.

Screenshots

MVAR4 screens
PocketBacktest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: MVAR at none against PocketBacktest's shown. MVAR also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks) and device support (4 vs 1). On price and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MVAR ships an update every 5 days, PocketBacktest every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences Ā· 2 level
MVAR versus PocketBacktest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMVARPocketBacktest
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerdifferential enterprisesDaniel Cannon

In-app purchases

None

MVAR

No in-app purchases

None

PocketBacktest

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MVAR free?
MVAR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PocketBacktest free?
PocketBacktest is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MVAR or PocketBacktest have ads?
PocketBacktest shows ads; MVAR does not.
Which is updated more often, MVAR or PocketBacktest?
MVAR ships an update every 5 days, and PocketBacktest every 6 weeks. Most recently, MVAR was updated on October 29, 2026 and PocketBacktest on October 28, 2026.

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