The basic feature that you all must look out for is that the software must be current and not some old version made for the stock market ten years ago. That does not slide when it comes to paying money for something that will help you to invest in the stock market. I would even consider something as old as a year to be outdated and not worth the money, no matter how much it has been optimised to meet the current standards. The stock market while definitively the same market it has always been, the finer points and intricacies of trading mechanisms always go under review and are changed, so software should remain current and up to date.

The source of the software is also very important. Do not purchase these software's from unknown names and labels or ‘boutique' financial institutions with no history, apparent longevity and no point of contact. The credibility of the point of sale and the manufacturer of the software can be easily checked on the internet and there are financial governing bodies in your country (definitely) that will have a credible list or a checklist of financial companies that have to register with them anyway. Peer review and consumer feedback on financial and market collectives are your best bet to get information here.

Thirdly, make sure that there is a money back guarantee; and one that is iron clad. A company willing to do this means that it has at least some confidence in their product to perform to percentage levels of the promises that it will detail on their website, so always look out for the money back guarantee and read all the terms and conditions available on the website.

Fourth, always make sure that the software is never clunky and hard to use. One thing that most manufacturer's tend to forget is that the lot of us who are investors also do not happen to be rocket scientists or on the genome project. We do not need to inundate with technical jargon and a software interface that you may need that cipher from the Da Vinci Code to figure out. It needs to be easy to use and simple to navigate and all the pertinent information should be there.

Lastly, there should also be some sort of a feedback system to your broker within the software itself, and this can come in the form of either a chat or instant message systems. Some software's I have come across seem to contain video conferencing and even are linked to private networks where live market feeds and guides come in at strategic moments to help with the investing.

These are some of the features you need to look for in great stock trading software and of course this does not include the technicalities of the software itself, which I am sure you will find plenty of review sites who will be more than helpful in this respect. With that, I wish you and your stock trading journey all the luck.