Trade smarter: These are the 10 best indicators on TradingView

What is a technical indicator?

An indicator is a tool that takes historical market data (like price or volume) and turns it into visual patterns on your chart. In short, it helps you:

• spot market trends (going up or down),
• find good entry and exit points,
• see if the market is overbought or oversold,
• track volatility and volume.

Heads up: An indicator isn’t a crystal ball. It’s a helper. Always understand why it’s showing you something before you act on it.

Top 10 best TradingView indicators

Here’s a list of the most popular and most used TradingView indicators, built right into the platform, no need to pay for anything:

1. RSI (Relative Strength Index): Great for day trading, crypto, and swing strategies. Tells you if the market is overbought (above 70) or oversold (below 30) and helps you spot trend reversals.

2. Exponential Moving Average (EMA): Ideal for fast markets and day trading. Tracks average price but gives more weight to recent moves. EMA 20, 50, and 200 are the most common combos to identify trend direction.

3. MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence): Combines two EMAs to show trend strength with a histogram. When the MACD line crosses the signal line, it might be time to enter a trade.

4. Stochastic Oscillator: Helps you spot if the market is near the top or bottom of its range. Similar to RSI but more sensitive to price changes.

5. Bollinger Bands: Shows volatility. Wide bands = high volatility. Tight bands = market’s cooling down and could make a strong move soon.

6. Ichimoku Cloud: Awesome for swing trading and trend-following setups. Looks complex at first, but gives you a full view of trend, momentum, and support/resistance – all in one. If the price is above the green cloud, it usually means an uptrend. Below the red cloud? A drop might be coming.

7. Aroon Indicator: Tracks how often the market makes new highs or lows. Helps you spot whether the market is trending or just moving sideways. When Aroon Up crosses Aroon Down, it can mean a new trend is forming.

8. Average True Range (ATR): Perfect for measuring volatility. Great for setting stop-loss levels that adapt to market conditions. The higher the ATR, the wilder the market is moving.

9. Volume Profile: Shows which price levels had the most trading activity. Helps you find key support/resistance zones where big players might be entering the market. Super useful for day and swing trading.

10. Auto Fibonacci Retracement: Automatically draws Fibonacci levels based on price moves. Traders use the retracement zones (like 61.8% or 38.2%) to spot possible bounce or reversal points. Works well in both trends and corrections.

Why does this matter?

If you’re just starting out, you probably don’t want to jump into Pine Script^TM or spend money on premium signals. These free tools are more than enough and they work great even on demo accounts. Try them out, observe how they behave in different market conditions, and build trust in how they work.

What are script indicators on TradingView?

TradingView isn’t just about built-in tools. You can also use custom indicators created by the community using Pine Script^TM – TradingView’s own coding language.

• Pros: Many of these are free and offer advanced features you won’t find in default indicators.
• Cons: Some require approval from the author or are paid-only.

4 Best Community-made indicators on TradingView

1. Squeeze Momentum Indicator (by LazyBear): Combines Bollinger Bands and Keltner Channels to find low-volatility zones right before breakouts. Great for crypto, scalping, or swing trades.

2. MACD – Multiple Time Frame (by ChrisMoody): Works like the classic MACD, but lets you track a different timeframe (e.g., daily signals while trading on the 1-hour chart). Colors and dots help you spot trend changes easily.

3. WaveTrend Oscillator [WT] (by LazyBear): Shows trend strength and possible reversals, with built-in divergence detection. When the green line crosses above the red line at the bottom of the chart, it’s often a long signal. Perfect for crypto, forex, or indices.

4. SuperTrend (by KivancOzbilgic): Super simple trend-following indicator based on ATR. Red = downtrend, green = uptrend. It automatically shows “BUY” or “SELL” signals when price breaks the line. Great for beginners and intraday or swing traders.

What’s a “non-repainting” indicator?

Repainting = bad news. Some indicators change their historical values once a new candle closes. That’s cheating. They make the past look perfect, but in real-time, they can mislead you and ruin your trades.

Non-repainting = trustworthy. These indicators keep their signals locked in once a candle closes. This is key when you’re testing strategies or taking signals seriously. Examples of non-repainting indicators:

• EMA, RSI, MACD (standard versions)
• WaveTrend Oscillator
• SuperTrend
• Volume Profile
• ATR

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Best indicators by trading style

Want to focus on what works for your setup? Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

• Best indicators for day trading: RSI, EMA (20 & 50), SuperTrend, Volume Profile
• Best indicators for crypto: WaveTrend Oscillator, Bollinger Bands, Squeeze Momentum
• Best indicators for swing trading: MACD, Ichimoku Cloud, Fibonacci Retracement

Are paid indicators worth it?

Yes, but only in the right context. Some creators offer premium indicators on TradingView that require payment or approval. They make sense if:

• You trade live with real capital
• You already have a working strategy
• You’re looking for advanced tools (e.g. AI + order flow)
• You need community signals or custom alerts
  

But honestly? If you’re still learning or using a demo account, paid indicators can be overkill. And if you can’t interpret the signals yourself, or the indicator “magically” finds perfect entries in hindsight, be careful, that’s likely a repainting trap.

How to stay one step ahead

1. Don’t start with 10 indicators, less is more.
2. Pick tools you understand. Each one tells a different story.
3. Test combos and track results on different markets. What works on crypto might flop on indices.
4. Learn from charts, not random images on the internet.
5. Save your favorites and always ask: What is this indicator really telling me?

Looking for the most popular TradingView indicators? You’ve found them.

Now you know popular indicators on TradingView, plus powerful community tools and how to use them in real trades. Combine trend + momentum + volume and you’ll always have the edge.

Whether you’re just starting out or levelling up your strategy, TradingView indicators can be a game-changer. But remember: it’s not about how many you use – it’s about how well you understand them.