Why QuanTest Is Local-First: Keeping Price Data on Your Device

Backtesting tools come in two broad flavors: cloud-based and local. QuanTest is local: price data never leaves your device. This article walks through the design intent and what it means in practice.

Cloud vs. Local

Dimension	Cloud	Local (QuanTest)
Compute	Vendor servers	Your device
Price data storage	Vendor-side	Your device
Internet required	Always	Only for license auth
Extensibility	Vendor-defined	Any data you can provide

Cloud tools win on zero setup, but by design they accumulate which tickers you looked at, when, and what you tested on someone else’s servers. That’s a structural property, not a policy choice.

Why “Keep It On Device”

1. Strategy ideas are assets. The combinations of parameters and tickers you test have information value. Not storing them externally is safer
2. Faster iteration. No round trips to a vendor API for every calculation
3. Data freedom. Import your own CSVs and extend the scope of what you test

Where the Cloud Shows Up

QuanTest does use servers for a few narrow purposes:

• License authentication (Pro)
• Settings sync (opt-in)
• Anonymous crash reports (opt-in)

But price data, strategy logic, and backtest results are never transmitted. The boundary is the design principle.

When It Actually Matters

• Professionals testing ideas on a personal machine at home
• Insiders at private companies running tests that touch competitor tickers
• Any individual who simply doesn’t want their research history stored externally

Cloud-based tools narrow the realistic option space for these users.

Relation to CSV Import

The piece that makes local-first practical is direct support for major Japanese broker CSV exports. See how CSV import works for details.

Try It in QuanTest

The value of local-first is felt immediately in use: once authenticated, QuanTest runs your backtests offline.

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This article describes QuanTest’s design intent. It’s not a judgment of other tools — pick what fits your use case.