Beginner Swing Trading
ZipTrader is Charlie Plattus's channel. His most-watched lessons teach beginner swing trading: three swing patterns, waiting for confirmation before buying, planning the sale before the buy, and setting up the Webull app. Here is the stack behind that routine, and the tools that can do the same jobs.
ZipTrader is run by Charlie Plattus. His most-watched lessons are 2019 beginner swing trading tutorials; recent uploads lean toward stock ideas and market commentary. Platform screens from 2019 are dated.
Subscribers
899K subscribers · 2026
Public statement, not verified
Trading tenure is not stated in the videos we reviewed.
Entity
person
Channel joined 2007
Subscribers
899K
Channel views
79.7M
Videos
891
On YouTube since
2007
Avg views per video
about 89,400
Stack range
$0 to $52.97/mo
Did you know?
His 2019 Swing Trading For Beginners lesson has passed 1.1 million views.
Avg views per video is total channel views divided by public video count, the channel average. Stack range runs from the Free Start bundle to the priciest bundle. All figures 2026.
Market focus
Holding period
Preferred conditions
Three stock swing patterns, taught with real examples, held for days.
Exact pattern rules are in the video. He recommends practicing before using real money. More sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK2V6GKBmf0&t=190s · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK2V6GKBmf0&t=655s
A stock setting up near a moving average.
Dated 2019; Tesla examples. More sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3oXSKZXfXA&t=128s · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3oXSKZXfXA&t=343s
Plan the sale before the buy.
Dated 2019. More sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU5qBzKtRKQ&t=464s
STEP 01
Before the trade
Pick a swing pattern and decide whether you accept the overnight risk.
As taught by ZipTrader · Source
STEP 02
Entry
Wait for confirmation on the chart instead of buying the first move.
As taught by ZipTrader · Source
STEP 03
Alerts
Set price alerts in the app so you are not watching every tick.
As taught by ZipTrader · Source
STEP 04
STEP 05
Review
No fixed journal or review routine found in the videos we reviewed.
As taught by ZipTrader
The Full Stack
Their pick on the left. Same job, different tool on the right. Prices sit side by side so you can do the math.
Scanner recipe
The core rules from his beginner swing trading lessons, with the timestamp where he teaches each one.
Exact pattern rules and moving-average lengths are shown in the videos; we list what he checks. Income figures in his older lessons are not verified outcomes. Scanner thresholds and a journal routine were not found.▶ 12:54
Load this recipe into
Price shown at signup on ziptraderu.com
His paid trading course on Teachable.
Affiliate link
Their pick
$0 platform for eligible Schwab clients
Why they use it. His entry lesson points viewers to his thinkorswim tutorial for the chart setup.
Affiliate link
Same job, different tool
$14.95/mo or $155.40/yr ($12.95/mo equivalent)
Replaces. Swing charts, moving averages, and price alerts on any device
What you give up. Order entry needs a connected broker; U.S. exchange data is extra
Affiliate link
Same job, different tool
$0
Replaces. Free charts for the same patterns
What you give up. Ads and fewer alerts
Affiliate link
Their pick
Included in the free app
Why they use it. His Webull walkthrough covers the app's news and market views.
Same job, different tool
$0
Replaces. The primary source behind any headline
What you give up. Manual reading; no alerts
Affiliate link
Their pick
AIThe AI alternative
AI flow and pattern tools that flag unusual activity and setups, so you are not reading every print yourself.
TrendSpider
Alpha Score 92/100
Multi-timeframe charting platform with automated pattern recognition, custom alerts, and backtesting.
Trade Ideas
Alpha Score 85/100
Real-time AI stock screener with Holly AI signals, level 2 data, and day-trading-focused scanning.
Tradytics
Alpha Score 63/100
AI-powered analytics platform with options flow, dark pool data, and real-time scanning for active traders.
Not part of his method: these are daily-chart swing trades, so the order book does not drive entries.
Or the tools the other educators use for level 2 and tape
Prices are subject to change fast, like AI technology.
Check before you switch
Their pick
$0 commission app; Nasdaq TotalView + NBBO add-on $12.98/mo
Why they use it. A full lesson walks through Webull's indicators, alerts, news, and market views.
Affiliate link
Same job, different tool
$0 platform for eligible Schwab clients
Replaces. Charts, alerts, and orders in one app
What you give up. Heavier desktop app; account agreements required
Affiliate link
His current broker is not confirmed. The 2019 Webull screens have changed since.
Their pick
Same job, different tool
$0
Replaces. Entry, exit, and the reason for each swing trade
What you give up. Everything typed by hand
Affiliate link
Same job, different tool
$19.99/mo or $179/yr
Replaces. Automatic stats from broker imports
What you give up. Check that your broker import is supported first
What the AI actually does. The AI coach shows which patterns and holding periods pay you.
Affiliate link
A journal is a FullStack Alpha addition. Charlie has not published a journal method.
Their pick
Same job, different tool
$20/mo or $200/yr
Replaces. The written plan behind each swing trade
What you give up. No live quotes; it cannot pick the stock for you
What the AI actually does. Turns your swing plan into a checklist before each buy: what confirms the entry, where you sell, and what overnight risk you accept.
Affiliate link
Prices are subject to change fast, like AI technology.
Computer, monitor, and desk models were not shown in the videos we reviewed. His lessons work from a phone app and one screen.
FullStack Alpha suggestion; Charlie has not published a hardware list. Swing trading runs on one laptop and an external monitor.▶ 1:27
Apple MacBook Air 13.6" M5, 16GB, 512GB
$1,000 to $2,000
Affiliate link
Acer SB242Y H1bi (x2)
Under $100
Affiliate link
VIVO STAND-V002 Dual Mount
Under $100
Affiliate link
Elgato Stream Deck Mini
Under $100
Affiliate link
Prices change daily on Amazon. Check each item's current price. Compare more in the Gear Lab
Ready-made stacks
The AI Full Stack
One-time. Swing Starter desk $200 to $300 + computer $1,000 to $2,000. Check current prices on Amazon. Gear Lab
TradingView EssentialSwing charts and alerts$14.95/mo
TradesViz ProAI trade review$19.99/mo
Claude ProAI swing plan checklist$20/mo$54.94/mo month to month
$534.40/yr
Broker, data, and commissions are separate. Keep your broker.
Built by FullStack Alpha from ZipTrader's public lessons. This exact stack is not his and is not endorsed by him.
$534.40/yr ($44.53/mo equivalent): TradingView Essential $155.40 + TradesViz Pro $179 + Claude Pro $200, every component at a verified price.
$0/mo
thinkorswim$0
SEC EDGAR$0
LibreOffice Calc$0Stays manual. Spotting patterns, reading news, every journal entry
thinkorswim is free for eligible Schwab clients.
$20/mo
Or $200/yr ($16.67/mo equivalent) $200/yr ($16.67/mo equivalent)
thinkorswim$0SEC EDGAR$0LibreOffice Calc$0Claude Pro$20Stays manual. Entries and exits; AI writes and checks the plan
$52.97/mo
$534.76/yr ($44.56/mo equivalent): $155.76 data paid monthly + TradesViz $179 + Claude $200 $534.76/yr ($44.56/mo equivalent)
Webull Nasdaq TotalView + NBBO$12.98TradesViz Pro$19.99Claude Pro$20Stays manual. Entries and exits
Closest to his Webull lesson, with depth and an AI review added.
Totals cover software and selected data only. Commissions, exchange fees, hardware, and taxes are not included. TradesViz annual prices are current advertised offers. Prices checked 2026.
In the public videos we reviewed, ZipTrader trades with Webull (historical in 2019; $0 commission app; Nasdaq TotalView + NBBO add-on $12.98/mo). A full lesson walks through Webull's indicators, alerts, news, and market views.
Same job, different tool: thinkorswim (Charles Schwab) at $0 platform for eligible Schwab clients.
For charts and watchlist, ZipTrader uses thinkorswim (historical in 2019; $0 platform for eligible Schwab clients). His entry lesson points viewers to his thinkorswim tutorial for the chart setup. Same job, different tool: TradingView Essential at $14.95/mo or $155.40/yr ($12.95/mo equivalent).
The software stacks on this page run $0 to $52.97/mo. The cheapest, Free Start, is thinkorswim $0 + SEC EDGAR $0 + LibreOffice Calc log $0. Our pick, AI Swing Plan, is Free Start + Claude Pro $20. Commissions, exchange fees, and hardware are separate. Prices checked 2026.
No AI tool appears in ZipTrader's public videos that we reviewed. The AI Full Stack on this page is FullStack Alpha's rebuild of the same routine, not ZipTrader's own setup.
13:47 · 2019
Charlie from ZipTrader walks through Webull's indicators, alerts, news, and market views in this 2019 tutorial. Set price alerts so you are not watching every tick, and expect today's app screens to look different.
Watch on YouTube12:50 · 2019
Charlie teaches three stock swing patterns on the daily chart, using real examples of trades held for days. Decide whether you accept overnight holding risk before you size the trade, and practice before using real money, as he recommends.
Watch on YouTube17:44 · 2019
Charlie's 2019 beginner primer covers swing trading basics, including using a broker app's indicators, alerts, and news view instead of watching every tick. Any income figures in it are his own claims, not verified outcomes, and the platform screens are dated.
Watch on YouTube14:38 · 2019
Charlie's rule for selling is to plan the sale before you buy and match the exit to your own risk tolerance. Once you are in, watch for reversals and adapt to how the stock behaves, keeping in mind the 2019 examples are dated.
Watch on YouTube11:10 · 2019
Using 2019 Tesla examples, Charlie shows how to buy a stock setting up near a moving average on the daily chart. Wait for confirmation instead of guessing the turn, and check his thinkorswim tutorial for the chart setup.
Watch on YouTubeDollar figures in video titles are the creator's own.
Watch the foundation lesson
Start with "Swing Trading For Beginners" before the advanced material. Open on YouTube
Write the setups down
Copy the 3 setup cards on this page into your own words: conditions, entry, exit, risk.
Build the Free Start stack
thinkorswim $0 + SEC EDGAR $0 + LibreOffice Calc log $0. Learn the process before you pay for speed. Load it in the Stack Builder
Log 20 trades or paper trades
Journal every one, including the bad ones. Your journal, not a video, decides what works for you.
Upgrade to AI Swing Plan
Free Start + Claude Pro $20. Add paid tools one layer at a time, starting with the job your journal says costs you most. Load it in the Stack Builder
A FullStack Alpha study order built from ZipTrader's public lessons. Process beats prediction: master one layer before you pay for the next.
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