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Gennady
Gennady

Posted on • Edited on • Originally published at trendrider.net

Freqtrade vs Hummingbot vs CCXT: Which Should You Use?

Choosing the right framework for your crypto bot matters. I've tested all three. Here's what I found.

Quick Comparison

Feature Freqtrade Hummingbot CCXT
Best For Trend following Market making Custom bots
Backtesting Excellent Limited None
Exchanges 20+ 40+ 100+
Learning Curve Moderate Steep Steep

Freqtrade: Best for Trend Following

The most complete framework for directional trading. Best backtesting engine, built-in Hyperopt optimization, Telegram integration, and dry-run mode. This is what I use for TrendRider.

Hummingbot: Best for Market Making

Purpose-built for market making and liquidity mining. Great if you have $10K+ capital and want to earn spread. But backtesting is limited and configuration is complex.

CCXT: Best for Custom Builds

Not a bot framework — it's a unified exchange API library (100+ exchanges). Maximum flexibility, but you build everything from scratch. No backtesting, no risk management included.

My Recommendation

For 90% of retail traders: Freqtrade. Why?

  • Best backtesting saves you from bad strategies
  • Built-in risk management
  • Start with $100
  • Active community

I've been running Freqtrade for 6 months: 67.9% win rate, 500+ trades. The backtesting alone saved me from 3 strategies that looked great but failed in reality.

See a production setup at TrendRider.

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