Compared
Indexes vs Composer for Building and Tracking a Custom Index
The short answer
Indexes and Composer both start with a custom basket, but they end in very different places. Composer builds algorithmic trading strategies, called symphonies, and executes them in a linked brokerage account, rebalancing automatically. It is a real trading tool, US-gated, and centered on stocks and ETFs. If your goal is to put a rules-based strategy into the market and let it trade for you, that is exactly what Composer is built to do. Indexes is informational and educational, track-and-analyze not trade. You build a weighted index from stocks and crypto together, backtest it against real market history, and track it over time versus benchmarks like the S&P 500 and BTC. Indexes never connects to a brokerage, never places a trade, and never holds money, so there is no account to fund, no minimum, and it works globally. The short version: Composer executes; Indexes helps you study, backtest, and follow a custom index without ever trading.
| Dimension | Indexes | Composer |
|---|---|---|
| Build a custom weighted basket | Yes | Yes |
| Stocks and crypto in one index | Yes | Stocks and ETFs |
| Backtest against real history | Yes | Yes |
| Places trades in a brokerage | No, analyze-only | Yes |
| Requires funding an account | No | Yes |
| Globally accessible | Yes | US-gated |
Verdict
The bottom line
Pick Composer if you want to actually run a rules-based strategy and let it trade and rebalance in a US brokerage account. Pick Indexes if you want to design, backtest, and track a custom index across stocks and crypto for research and learning, with no account, no minimum, and no trades placed on your behalf.