askfutures.com

What askfutures.com does

AskFutures, operated by RedSky Analytics LLC (an Illinois limited liability company), is a SaaS platform that enables futures traders and quant researchers to backtest trading strategies by describing them in plain English rather than writing code. Users type a strategy idea such as "Buy micro NASDAQ if the price drops 1% from the previous day's close" and the platform's AI translates it into rule-based strategy code, which is then executed against a deterministic backtesting engine running on years of minute-level historical data across approximately 74 CME Group futures markets (covering equity indices, energy, metals, grains, rates, FX, crypto, livestock, softs, and volatility). The deterministic engine applies modeled slippage and commission, ensures reproducibility, and supports parameter optimization sweeps displayed on parametric heatmaps for robust plateau identification. The platform also offers a Strategy Hub of 30+ curated strategies, version control, COT positioning overlays, and the ability to import strategies from URLs.

The product is distributed as a self-serve web app with a 3-day free trial converting to monthly subscriptions priced at $10 (Starter, 50 backtests), $30 (Standard, 200 backtests, marketed as most popular), and $100 (Pro, 1,000 backtests), plus a custom Enterprise tier with MCP programmatic access, CLI access, unlimited testing, and private cloud deployment. An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server enables integration with AI coding tools including Claude, Cursor, and Codex. Go-to-market is product-led growth for individual traders and direct sales for enterprise teams; marketing channels are organic and content-led across X, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Discord, and a Mintlify-based documentation site. No external funding, institutional investors, or M&A activity is disclosed, and the company appears to be independently operated at small scale.

Name

askfutures.com

Legal name

RedSky Analytics LLC

Website

https://askfutures.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

AskFutures is a SaaS platform that lets futures traders and quant researchers describe trading strategies in plain English and receive deterministic backtests against historical CME Group futures data, monetized via self-serve monthly subscriptions and a custom enterprise tier with MCP integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Algorithmic Trading Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Algorithmic Trading & Execution Platforms (FSAFANAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Execution Management Systems (EMS) & Smart Order Routing (SOR) Platforms (FSAFANAM)

Keywords

• Futures backtesting
• Algorithmic trading
• Strategy optimization
• Trading analytics
• Quantitative research

Headquarters

HQ city

Illinois

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Subscription SaaS: Monthly subscription plans (Starter $10, Standard $30, Pro $100) provide monthly pools of backtest runs and optimization cycles. Credits never expire for top-ups. 3-day free trial converts to paid auto-renewing subscription. Enterprise tier offers custom infrastructure with MCP access, CLI access, unlimited testing, and private cloud deployment — likely billed as custom annual contract.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AskFutures operates an AI-powered SaaS platform that lets users describe futures trading strategies in plain English and receive deterministic backtests against years of historical CME Group futures data across ~74 markets. The platform combines a natural-language-to-code AI translator with a fixed simulation engine for reproducible results, and includes parameter optimization, a curated Strategy Hub of pre-researched templates, and an MCP server for programmatic access from AI coding tools.

Product overview

AskFutures is a unified SaaS platform for backtesting futures trading strategies — users describe an idea in plain English and the platform generates code, runs a deterministic backtest against historical CME Group futures data, and returns performance metrics and equity curves. The core AskFutures Platform is accessible via a web app and a mobile application. Subscription access is offered across three consumer tiers — Starter ($10/mo, 50 backtests), Standard ($30/mo, 200 backtests, the most popular), and Pro ($100/mo, 1,000 backtests) — plus an Enterprise plan providing MCP server access, CLI access, unlimited testing, and private cloud deployment. The AskFutures Strategy Hub provides a research library of commonly discussed micro futures strategies organized by asset class, each testable directly in-platform. The MCP Server is a developer-facing tool for programmatic access via MCP-compatible AI coding assistants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AskFutures Platform A web-based chat-driven platform that converts plain-English futures trading strategy descriptions into rule-based code, runs deterministic bar-by-bar backtests against years of institutional-grade historical CME Group futures data, and returns performance metrics including P&L, win rate, and drawdown. Targeted at discretionary traders, systematic traders, and aspiring quants who want to validate ideas without writing code.
• AskFutures Mobile Application A mobile application of the AskFutures platform enabling users to access strategy backtesting and platform features on mobile devices.
• AskFutures MCP Server A Model Context Protocol server that exposes programmatic tools for session management, strategy building, backtesting, optimization, and reference data to MCP-compatible clients such as Claude, Cursor, and Codex. Targeted at developer/quant users and teams building AI-assisted trading workflows.
• AskFutures Strategy Hub An in-platform library of 30+ curated and documented futures trading strategy templates spanning eight categories (equity indices, energy, metals, crypto, Treasury yields, spreads, COT-based, volatility), each expressed as concrete testable rules that users can run directly inside the platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Backtest results are net of modeled slippage (1 tick) and commission ($1/side micro, $2.50/side full-size) by default

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Claude (Anthropic)coreTechnology or IntegrationAskFutures offers an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server enabling Claude (and Claude Code) to drive the platform programmatically. Users can describe strategies via AI assistant, receive backtests, and run parameter optimizations entirely through the Claude interface. This is a core distribution and integration channel for developer/quant users.
• CursorcoreTechnology or IntegrationAskFutures MCP server integration with Cursor IDE enables AI-assisted strategy development and backtesting within the Cursor environment. Cursor users can access AskFutures tools natively from the coding environment.
• Codex (OpenAI)coreTechnology or IntegrationAskFutures MCP server integration with Codex enables programmatic strategy building and backtesting from Codex-powered AI coding assistants. Brings the backtesting workflow into AI coding environments.
• CME GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationAskFutures data provider supplies institutional-grade daily market data across ~74 CME Group futures markets (CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX). This is the foundational data substrate — without CME Group market data, the product cannot function. Approximately 74 listed futures contracts across equity indices, energy, metals, grains, interest rates, FX, crypto, livestock, softs, and volatility.
• StripeminorOthersStripe handles payment processing. AskFutures does not store full payment card information. All subscription management, plan changes, and cancellation occur in the Stripe billing portal.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Backtrader: Open-source Python framework for backtesting and live trading across markets including futures. Comparable on backtesting engine functionality but requires code literacy versus AskFutures' no-code positioning.
• TrendSpider: AI-powered charting, technical-analysis automation, and backtesting platform for active retail traders. Comparable on AI-augmented technical workflow and target user persona.
• QuantConnect: Cloud-based algorithmic trading platform offering historical data, backtesting, and live execution across multiple asset classes including futures. Comparable in algorithmic-trading infrastructure but skews to code-fluent quants.
• TradingView: Global charting and trading platform with Pine Script-based backtesting for retail and semi-pro traders. Direct competitor on strategy authoring and backtesting, with a much larger user base and community content engine.
• Composer.trade: No-code trading strategy builder with backtesting and automated execution for retail users — the closest pure product analog to AskFutures' plain-English strategy workflow. Now part of Charles Schwab, which materially changes its independence.

Broad incumbents

• NinjaTrader: Established futures trading platform with built-in strategy backtesting, market replay, and brokerage integration. Larger, broader platform serving the same retail-active-trader base AskFutures targets.
• MetaTrader: Globally dominant retail FX/CFD trading platform with MQL-based strategy backtesting and an enormous user community. Adjacent to futures; comparable on scripting-based strategy authoring and backtesting workflows.
• tastytrade: Futures- and options-focused brokerage and content platform with research-driven strategy education. Comparable futures retail audience and content-led acquisition motion; serves as both distribution channel and competitor.
• TradeStation: Long-standing broker and trading platform with EasyLanguage-based strategy backtesting and futures execution. Much larger, full-stack incumbent in the same retail-futures strategy development space.

Emerging players

• AlgoTrader: Institutional algorithmic trading platform offering backtesting, execution, and connectivity across asset classes including futures. Comparable on algorithmic-trading infrastructure but skews to enterprise/buy-side customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/askfutures
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Askfutures
• Instagraminstagram.com/askfutures_strategies
• TikToktiktok.com/@askfutures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about askfutures.com