Order flow software

Order flow software is a category of trading application that displays executed trades and resting orders by price, rather than only price over time: footprint charts, depth-of-market ladders, liquidity heatmaps, cumulative delta and volume profiles. Its usefulness depends on the data it can receive, since each view needs specific inputs that a plain price feed does not carry.

Senzoukria · Glossary · Updated September 2026

Views and the data behind them

Delta is computed as volume at the ask minus volume at the bid per price level. Where the provider supplies the aggressor side, the classification is observed; where it does not, the software estimates it from price direction, which is a different quantity and should be labelled as such.

Order-flow views and their required inputs
ViewShowsRequires
FootprintBid and ask volume per price inside each barExecuted trades with a buy/sell classification
DOM ladderResting size at each price nowLive depth (price-level or order-level)
Liquidity heatmapResting size at each price over timeRecorded depth updates; trades cannot rebuild them
Cumulative deltaRunning ask volume minus bid volumeThe same classified trades, with a stated anchor
Volume profileVolume at each price over a windowTrades or bars with per-level volume

How platforms differ

  • Classification method: feed-provided aggressor side versus tick-rule estimate.
  • Imbalance convention: diagonal comparison of ask at one price with bid one tick below (the ATAS style) versus vertical comparison at the same price (the Sierra Chart style).
  • History: some platforms show a footprint live but lack historical bid/ask data on the same connection.
  • Execution: analysis only, manual orders, or automation with separate permissions.
  • Supported feeds: direct broker protocols, bridges or public crypto APIs.

In Senzoukria

The desktop navigation includes Footprint, Heatmap, Trading, GEX, Option Flow, News, Journal, AI Agents, Replay, Scripting, Account and Settings. The footprint offers sixteen cell types including bid × ask, delta and volume; the heatmap and DOM read recorded depth; the GEX and Option Flow screens depend on an options data source and are conditional on it. Manual orders are available on supported Rithmic connections, and the strategy autopilot requires explicit arming. Crypto sources (Binance, Bybit) are analysis only. The indicators menu states that requirements describe the calculation and cannot certify the coverage or freshness of the chart data.

Comparing tools on the same session

  • Use one instrument, contract and session in each platform.
  • Match bar construction, price grouping and session boundaries before comparing delta or POC.
  • Inspect missing intervals and whether historical classification matches the live method.
  • For heatmaps, compare depth coverage and colour scaling; brightness is not a latency measurement.
  • Record total recurring cost, including data, before subscribing.

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Frequently asked questions

Does order flow software work with any broker?
No. Each view needs specific inputs: classified trades for a footprint, depth updates for a ladder or heatmap. A broker whose API delivers bars only cannot feed a footprint, and one that delivers trades without depth cannot feed a heatmap. Check the feed's fields and your account's entitlements before choosing the software.
Is order flow software only for futures?
Futures on CME are the usual case because the feeds carry aggressor sides and depth. Crypto exchanges publish public trade and book feeds that support the same views, although an exchange-specific chart is not a consolidated market. Spot equities and retail forex generally lack a comparable order-flow feed.
Which order flow software is best?
There is no universal answer, and this site sells one of the products in the category. Decide by the data your account can receive, the views your rule needs, the history required and the total cost with data. Then test the shortlist on the same recorded session.

Keep reading

Strategy researchTest a trading strategy, from observation to challenge rulesDefine an observation, question it with the copilot, write a rule and explore costs, drawdown and fictional challenge limits in an interactive example.Quant · Start hereQuant trading for beginners: from idea to backtestDefine a testable rule, choose suitable data and evaluate later periods after costs.Order flow · HubOrder flow trading: the complete guideThe hub. What order flow is, what it shows — aggression, delta, imbalance, absorption, liquidity — and the tools that read it, each linked to a full guide.