Any cost-effective alternatives to IQ Feed with an API?

[Laissez Faire]

Hello guys,

I'm a long time user of IQ Feed using QCollector to download data locally, but I'm now interested in retrieving data directly through an API and ditch QCollector.

While I'm happy with IQ Feed it seems like they require an annual license + documentation in order to use their API, so I figure I could ask in case there are more cost-effective options to consider.

I'm primarily interested in futures data from CME, but definitely interested in other asset classes and markets, too.

Thank you.

 

[ZBZB]

www.rithmic.com www.cqg.com www.tradingtechnologies.com www.tradovate.com all have apis for historic futures data as well as trading.

 

[ET180]

Depending on what you are looking for, IB also has a good API.

 

[terr]

Depending on what you are looking for, IB also has a good API.

IB's API (if you mean the communication protocol to/from TWS) is without doubt the worst I have ever seen. It grew like a fungus, with no intelligent direction, and is an enormous pain.

 

[ET180]

IB's API (if you mean the communication protocol to/from TWS) is without doubt the worst I have ever seen. It grew like a fungus, with no intelligent direction, and is an enormous pain.

Agree, it could have been better designed, but I got it to work fine for me. I only swing trade and enter most of my orders overnight for the open next day. For historical data, it works fine. I'd rather have something then nothing and most of what you can do though tws, you can do through the API. I don't know of another broker that allows you to access as much though an API.

Back to the original question, depends on what the OP needs.

 

[terr]

Agree, it could have been better designed, but I got it to work fine for me. I only swing trade and enter most of my orders overnight for the open next day. For historical data, it works fine. I'd rather have something then nothing and most of what you can do though tws, you can do through the API. I don't know of another broker that allows you to access as much though an API.

TD Ameritrade, Tradier.

 

[bookish]

When you say documentation, do you nean they require you to identify yourself just to get data?

 

[ET180]

TD Ameritrade, Tradier.

Last time I checked, a few years ago, TD did not offer a public API for all clients. They had an API, but you had to apply for it and generally had to meet account size and trade volume requirements. Maybe that has changed.

 

[traider]

IB limits your concurrent realtime feed to 100 symbols. Big pain if you are monitoring closer to 50000. One option surface is already almost 100 feed

 

[ET180]

IB limits your concurrent realtime feed to 100 symbols. Big pain if you are monitoring closer to 50000. One option surface is already almost 100 feed

Overall the Tradier platform and API looks good. I'm happy to see more brokers providing API access so that I'm not locked in to one solution. What currently kills it for me is lack of portfolio margin and $9 option assignment fee. Their $0.35 option contract fee looks attractive. Better than IB or TD assuming that there are no add on fees.