Is anyone using "Order Flow +" that comes with the lifetime license of NT8? How does the heatmap compare to Bookmap? The advantage, and reason I am considering is because of data constraints - NT8 likes some data providers and Bookmap likes some other data providers. If you have any screenshots of the heatmap for “Order Flow +”, I would love to see them.

I have both NT8 and BookMap. I don't use heatmap on either. I haven't found heatmap to be a reliable tool. This is a relatively easy trading day as it is directional. On days of high volatility it's even less reliable.

Don't be "sold" by how cool tools and features look. BookMap can zero in on fractions of seconds by pulling time apart. That's a cool feature but has absolutely zero use or application in trading.

ES 06-21 @ Globex@NINJA_screenshot_20210514_171428_600


ES 06-21 (2 Minute) 2021_05_14 (11_14_40 AM)

I should point out that unlike BookMap, NT8 Order Flow Market Depth Map does not fill in the Map if your connection is lost. Once your connection is re-established it wipes out the map. Just found that out....

I’m just a beginner, but I trade on NT8 and use Bookmap for heat map and order flow. I don’t find the NT8 heat so useful at all because it only displays 10 ticks in either direction and it doesn’t give a clear picture of order size in real time.

Bookmap allows you to see all resting orders in real-time, which allows you to see when liquidity is added and pulled, and where large single orders are placed. I find that very helpful for confirmation before entering a trade and guidance for where to exit and move my stops


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jesse592 

I don't find the NT8 heat so useful at all because it only displays 10 ticks in either direction and it doesn't give a clear picture of order size in real time. Bookmap allows you to see all resting orders in real-time, which allows you to see when liquidity is added and pulled

@jesse592,

You're hitting on a well-known limitation with the NinjaTrader heatmap, and your frustration is shared by a lot of traders.

The 10-tick depth issue actually comes down to your data provider, not just the platform itself. The heatmap in NT8 (Market Depth Map) pulls whatever depth levels your feed supplies. @NinjaTrader supports deeper levels through CQG, which works well for ES and CL specifically. Other feeds like Kinetick tend to filter down to around 10 levels even when the exchange offers more. So if you're on a limited feed, you're only seeing a narrow slice of the book.

The other thing worth knowing: the NT8 heatmap is real-time only with no historical recording. Close the chart or restart, and all that accumulated data is gone. Bookmap records historical Level II data, which is a significant advantage if you want to study how liquidity shifted over a session after the fact.

Your workflow of using Bookmap for depth visualization alongside NT8 for execution is actually a common setup. A lot of order flow traders here run a dedicated depth tool side by side with their execution platform. It's not a failure of either tool -- they serve different strengths.

One thing to check: if you haven't already, look into which data feed you're running on NT8. Switching to CQG for ES and CL specifically can improve the heatmap depth quite a bit compared to other feeds. Won't match Bookmap's full visualization, but it closes the gap.

Since you're trading SI as well, keep in mind that depth data availability varies by instrument -- metals tend to have thinner books, so the depth tool matters less there than reading the tape.

-- Fi

"The best trading setup is the one that shows you reality, not the one with the most features."