Gunbot vs Zenbot: Which Crypto Trading Bot Is Better?
Gunbot and Zenbot are both self-hosted crypto trading bots, but they fit different needs. This guide compares core features, supported strategies, pricing, and user experience without fluff.
Zenbot trading bot projects appeal to open-source experimenters. Gunbot targets users needing maintained exchange support, a graphical interface, and a license-backed product.
Core Differences: Gunbot vs Zenbot
| Feature | Gunbot | Zenbot |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Self-hosted desktop, server, or VPS build for Windows, macOS, Linux, ARM | Self-hosted Node.js CLI framework |
| Pricing Model | Gunbot Unlimited: $29/month; lifetime options are Standard $599, Pro $899, and DeFi $1,499 | Zenbot remains free under the MIT license, but its official repository was archived in February 2022 and warns that it is no longer actively maintained |
| User Interface | Modern web GUI plus optional CLI | Command-line only |
| Strategy Types | Spot & Futures Grid, DCA, Indicator-based, Liquidity Provider, Scalping, Trailing, Custom JS | User-created JS strategies such as trend-following or basic market-making |
| Custom Scripting | Full JavaScript engine, TradingView webhooks, custom indicators | JavaScript strategy files edited directly |
| Exchange Integrations | Native connectors for 25 + exchanges (spot, futures, and selected DeFi perps) | Around 9 community-maintained connectors |
| API Key Custody | Local only - your API secret or private key stays on your device | Local only |
| Support & Updates | Commercial support, frequent releases, active user community | Community forum and GitHub only |
Deployment and API Key Security
Gunbot ships as a downloadable package you run on your computer, home server, or VPS. Installers exist for Windows, macOS, major Linux distros, and Raspberry Pi. Because everything runs locally, your exchange API key and secret never leave your machine.
Zenbot is also self-hosted, but you install it via npm and work entirely in the terminal. Like Gunbot, the API secret stays on your hardware, but you manage environment variables and process managers yourself.
Bottom line: Both bots keep credentials local, but Gunbot deploys faster and is more approachable for non-developers.
Pricing and Long-Term Value
Zenbot is free under the MIT license, but its official repository was archived in February 2022 and explicitly warns that it is no longer actively maintained. Gunbot Unlimited is $29/month and includes custom JavaScript, a maintained interface, advanced backtesting, multi-bot management, and support.
Zenbot wins only on purchase price. Gunbot is the better operational choice because current exchange APIs, security fixes, documentation, a graphical interface, and support are part of the product rather than the user's maintenance burden.
Strategy Libraries and Customization Depth
Gunbot's seven official strategy categories cover every style most traders need:
- Spot & Futures Grid - classic grid re-accumulation with risk controls
- DCA - automatic averaging with smart exit targets
- Indicator-based - RSI, MACD, MA stack, or your own TA script
- Liquidity Provider - market-making style spreads with inventory management
- Scalping - ultra-short trades, tick or second resolution
- Trailing - follow price with dynamic stop or step logic
- Custom JS - write or import full strategies in pure JavaScript
Each preset exposes dozens of toggles so you can refine risk, timing, order types, and position sizing in the GUI.
Zenbot ships with a handful of sample strategies, but serious users usually code their own or copy community gists. There is no official library and no web-based configurator. The power and flexibility are there if you build them.
Exchange Coverage and Reliability
Gunbot offers official, actively maintained adapters for more than 25 major venues, including Binance, Kraken, Bitget, KuCoin, OKX, Coinbase Advanced Trade, plus on-chain derivatives like dYdX v4. Futures pairs receive the same attention as spot pairs, and connectors are updated as exchanges change their APIs.
Zenbot supports roughly nine exchanges, and many connectors have gone stale or require manual patches. Pull requests can linger for months before merge, so you may end up forking the code to fix endpoints yourself.
Strategy Categories Explained
Below is a quick look at how Gunbot's strategy families behave in practice:
| Category | Typical Use Case | Key Controls Available |
|---|---|---|
| Grid | Range-bound markets, passive income | Grid size, step size, re-buy spread |
| DCA | Long-term accumulation, dip buying | Safety orders, volume scale, exit multiple |
| Indicator-based | Trend following or mean reversion | Indicator choice, thresholds, time-frame |
| Liquidity Provider | Earning maker fees, tight spreads | Spread %, inventory skew, order refresh rate |
| Scalping | High volatility pairs, news events | Tick size, take-profit ticks, cool-down |
| Trailing | Capturing swing tops and bottoms | Trail offset, start trigger, stop condition |
| Custom JS | Anything you can code | Unlimited - your script defines the rules |
Zenbot can replicate any of the above in theory, but only after you implement the logic yourself.
Who Should Choose Gunbot?
- Traders seeking working strategies on day one
- Users valuing a GUI, quick setup, and active product support
- Developers comfortable with owning code but prefer an API-rich framework over writing every order loop themselves
- Traders who want a maintained, supported toolkit for $29/month
Who Should Choose Zenbot?
- Hardcore JavaScript enthusiasts eager to tinker
- Teams building bespoke, proprietary logic that will never rely on vendor code
- Budget-conscious hobbyists willing to trade time for zero software cost
Verdict
Both bots let you run crypto strategies from your own hardware, but they target different audiences.
Gunbot is a polished toolset for traders needing reliable execution, a deep strategy library, and official support. Unlimited's $29 monthly price is a modest cost compared with maintaining an abandoned bot and repairing stale exchange connectors yourself.
Zenbot remains a useful open-source playground for developers interested in building systems from scratch without a GUI or vendor help.
For most active traders, Gunbot's mix of preset power and full code freedom makes it the more practical long-term choice. Zenbot is ideal for learning or for highly custom research projects where you want to own every line of code.