Why I Switched from Interactive Brokers Paper Trading to Alpaca + TradeSight

Why I Switched from Interactive Brokers Paper Trading to Alpaca + TradeSight As a Python developer and algo trader, I've spent countless hours setting up paper trading environments for testing my strategies. For years, I relied on Interactive Brokers (IB) for this purpose. However, after discovering Alpaca and TradeSight, I made the switch. In this article, I'll share my experience comparing IB paper trading with Alpaca + TradeSight, highlighting key differences in setup complexity, API quality, cost, data access, and speed. My Experience with Interactive Brokers I first started using IB's paper trading feature to test my trading ideas. The process was straightforward: create an account, fund it with fake money, and start trading. However, as I delved deeper into the world of algo trading, I began to encounter issues. The API documentation was extensive, but navigating the complexities of IB's API proved to be a challenge. For instance, retrieving real-time market data required additio