Order flow · Platforms compared · 2026
Order flow platforms compared: free Swiftedge vs ATAS, Bookmap, Sierra Chart and more
The paid order flow platforms are ahead on exchange-listed futures and stocks, trading from the chart, replay, scripting and long history. Swiftedge is ahead on price and reach: the live order book heatmap, every trade, a footprint chart and 30+ indicators are free in a browser or on a phone, with no account, no install and no data subscription. Below is each platform, checked on its own website on 2 November 2026, and where each one is the better choice.
Open the full chartEvery trade as a bubble, at least 24 hours of history, 30+ indicators. Free, no sign-up.
Open Swiftedge DepthThe platforms side by side
| Platform | Runs in | Free use | Paid from | Order book heatmap | Footprint | Replay | Trading from the chart | Scripting or API | Exchange-listed futures and stocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swiftedge | Browser, phone | Everything, no account | Free (optional Member Club) | Yes, four columns a second | Yes | Member Club | No orders (DOM ladder view only) | No | No; 24/7 perpetuals on US 500, US 100, gold, silver and oil |
| ATAS | Desktop (Windows, macOS) | Start plan, account, no card | €19.95 a month yearly, €24.95 monthly | Beta, on every plan | Every plan | Plus and up | Yes, every plan | API on every plan | Futures delayed 15 min on Start and Plus; real time and stocks on Pro and Ultra |
| Bookmap | Desktop app; links a Bookmap Web viewer | Digital: real-time crypto, one symbol, delayed futures | Global $49 a month ($39 yearly) | Yes | Global Plus ($99) and up | Record & replay listed | DOM and execution tools listed | API documented | With a paid data feed, from $34 a month per exchange |
| Exocharts | Desktop (Windows, macOS), web | Selected pairs, or web with a 24-hour delay | Web €23, Desktop Pro €38 a month (6-month plans, plus VAT) | Not listed | Desktop Pro | Not listed | No (integration planned) | Not listed | CME, NYMEX, Eurex, Nasdaq via dxFeed (Desktop Pro) |
| DeepCharts | Windows (Mac via Parallels) | No free plan; 15-min delayed feed included | $45 a month | DeepDom, a separate product (3-month trial) | Yes | Yes (Deep Replay) | Yes | Pattern builder | Yes; real-time data bought separately |
| Sierra Chart | Desktop | Free trial | $26 a month; footprint and depth graph from $36 | Market Depth Historical Graph, from $36 | Numbers Bars, from $36 | Not listed | With external connectivity (from $36) | Custom studies (ACSIL) | Denali feed, exchange fees extra |
| LuxAlgo | Browser | Order flow suite, 1-day lookback | $24.99 a month ($17.49 yearly, first year) | Not listed | Every plan | Listed | Not listed | Pine Script | Live CME futures on paid plans; stocks |
| Quantower | Windows | Free edition, no registration: 1 connection, 2 indicators a chart | All-in-One listed at 70 a month | DOM Surface, paid | Cluster chart, paid | Paid licenses | Yes, free | Free API | Through brokers and data feeds |
| TradingLite | Browser (closed) | None: the service has stopped | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Where Swiftedge is already ahead
- Heatmap and footprint without paying. Of the eight platforms, only ATAS's free Start plan has both, with the heatmap in beta and an account. Bookmap's footprint starts with Global Plus at $99 a month, Sierra Chart's Numbers Bars and depth graph at $36, and Quantower's cluster chart and DOM Surface are paid; DeepCharts starts at $45 a month. On Swiftedge both are free, with no account.
- No install, any device. ATAS, DeepCharts, Sierra Chart and Quantower are desktop software, and Bookmap's plans are for its desktop app (its site also links to a Bookmap Web viewer). Swiftedge runs in any browser, on a phone too, and Depth can be installed as an app. LuxAlgo and Exocharts' web version also run in a browser.
- No data subscription. The desktop platforms charge for live futures and stock data on top of the software (Bookmap's own feed from $34 a month per exchange). Swiftedge's US 500, US 100, gold, silver and WTI crude oil markets are free and live around the clock, weekends too. They are perpetual futures, not the exchange-listed contracts, so this is a different market, not a free copy of the CME book.
- Leverage on the same chart. Real liquidations and Swiftedge Positioning (where leveraged positions would be liquidated, by price) sit on the order book chart. Of the eight, Exocharts lists liquidations; the others' pages we checked do not.
- Alerts that keep watching for free. Swiftedge Alerts run on the server and reach you by browser push, Telegram or a Discord or Slack webhook with the tab closed, at no cost. LuxAlgo's free plan has unlimited price alerts and webhooks from Premium.
- A 16-panel terminal in a browser tab. Swiftedge Terminal puts the chart, heatmap, footprint, order book ladder, time and sales and derivatives panels on one screen, free.
Where the paid platforms are ahead
- Exchange-listed futures and stocks. ATAS (Pro and Ultra), Bookmap, Exocharts Desktop Pro, DeepCharts, Sierra Chart, LuxAlgo's paid plans and Quantower show CME and other exchange books with a data feed. Swiftedge shows perpetual futures only.
- Trading from the chart and the DOM. ATAS, Bookmap, DeepCharts, Sierra Chart and Quantower route orders. Swiftedge places no orders.
- Replay. ATAS (from Plus), Bookmap, DeepCharts (Deep Replay), LuxAlgo and Quantower's paid licenses replay past sessions. Swiftedge replays past sessions in Depth for Member Club members.
- Scripting and an API. ATAS and Quantower include an API, Sierra Chart has its custom study interface, LuxAlgo has Pine Script. Swiftedge has 30+ built-in indicators and no scripting or data API.
- Long history. Exocharts Desktop Pro has up to 6 years of crypto tick data, Bookmap 7 days of crypto backfill from Global Plus, LuxAlgo up to full history on its top plan. Swiftedge keeps up to 15 days of chart and footprint history, free.
- Breadth and market-by-order data. Bookmap connects to more than 20 crypto exchanges; Bookmap and ATAS sell market-by-order bundles and Sierra Chart a package with it. Swiftedge draws the books it records for its own markets.
- Rendering. Bookmap says its heatmap runs at up to 40 frames a second; Swiftedge adds a new column four times a second.
Which one to choose
- You trade CME futures or stocks from the chart: a desktop platform with a data feed: ATAS, Bookmap, DeepCharts, Sierra Chart or Quantower.
- You want to replay sessions or write your own indicators: ATAS, Bookmap, DeepCharts, Quantower or LuxAlgo.
- You want order flow now, free, in a browser: Swiftedge for crypto and 24/7 US 500, US 100, gold, silver and oil perpetuals. Many traders keep it on a second screen beside their trading platform.
More free tools, including browser tools with free plans, are on the best free order flow tools list.
Sources
- ATAS pricing
- Bookmap packages and prices
- Exocharts
- DeepCharts pricing
- Sierra Chart service packages
- LuxAlgo pricing
- LuxAlgo Orderflow (checked 1 November 2026)
- Quantower pricing
- Quantower license comparison
- Quantower licenses
- TradingLite (checked 31 October 2026)
Common questions
Which order flow platform is best?
It depends on what you trade. For CME futures or stocks with trading from the chart, a desktop platform with a data feed such as ATAS, Bookmap, Sierra Chart, DeepCharts or Quantower. For crypto and 24/7 perpetuals with nothing to pay or install, Swiftedge. The table above shows what each one includes.
Is a free order flow platform as good as a paid one?
For reading the order book, the trades and the footprint, Swiftedge gives the core views free. It does not trade, run scripts or show exchange-listed futures, which is where the paid platforms are ahead.
Bookmap or ATAS?
Both are desktop platforms. According to their sites on 2 November 2026, ATAS's free Start plan includes footprint charts and a heatmap in beta, with futures 15 minutes delayed; Bookmap's free Digital plan has real-time crypto for one symbol, and its footprint starts with Global Plus at $99 a month.
Do I have to pay for market data?
On the desktop platforms, live futures and stock data are usually billed separately from the software. On Swiftedge there is nothing to pay: its markets are perpetual futures, shown live for free.
Which data does Swiftedge use?
Public perpetual futures data from Hyperliquid and Lighter: the order book and every trade with its aggressor side. Everything shown is Swiftedge's own calculation; the FAQ lists the sources.