Free Bookmap Alternative: Order Flow Heatmap in the Browser
Bookmap is the best-known order flow heatmap, but it's Windows-only and runs $39-$99 per month. MarketByOrder is a free, browser-based alternative built around the same idea: an order book heatmap alongside footprint charts and a DOM ladder, in one workspace. No install, runs on Mac, Linux, and iPad, with $125 in Databento credits available for new data accounts. Below is the side-by-side.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Bookmap | MarketByOrder |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $39-$99/mo | Free + data credits |
| Platform | Windows desktop | Browser (Mac, Win, Linux, iPad) |
| Liquidity heatmap | Yes | Yes |
| Market depth | Full depth with supported paid data feed | Level 2 now; full depth planned |
| Footprint chart | Add-on / paid tier | Yes |
| DOM ladder | Yes | Yes |
| Time & sales | Yes | Yes |
| Live trading | Yes | No (replay-focused) |
| Market replay | Yes | Yes (tick-level) |
| Setup | Install + data feed + license | API key, ~1 minute |
What Bookmap Still Does Better
There are tradeoffs. If you need any of the following, Bookmap is the better tool:
- Live trading. Bookmap connects to brokers and supports live execution. MarketByOrder is replay-focused and does not.
- Real-time streaming sessions. Watching live order book changes for hours during the trading day is what Bookmap was built for.
- More markets and feeds. Bookmap supports a wider set of exchanges and direct connections, including native CME and crypto exchange feeds.
If your goal is live execution on a broad set of markets, this is not going to replace Bookmap.
What MarketByOrder Does Better
- Free. No subscription, no license server. Free credits cover months of replay data.
- Runs anywhere. Browser-based, so it works on Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, and iPad - none of which Bookmap supports natively.
- Built for replay practice. Replay any past session as if it were live. The interface is designed around skill development rather than live execution.
- Heatmap, footprint, and DOM in one workspace. No add-ons. Switch between views or run them side by side in the same browser tab.
How an Order Flow Heatmap Works
The vertical axis is price, the horizontal axis is time. Brightness represents how many limit orders are resting at each price at each moment. Bright zones build when liquidity accumulates and fade when orders are pulled or absorbed. Same logic Bookmap uses, applied to the same kind of MBP feed.
The heatmap is the passive side of the market - resting limit liquidity. It pairs naturally with two other views you already get free: the DOM ladder for current liquidity at the top of book, and footprint charts for the active side - executed volume at each price level.
Check out the heatmap
Below is a fixed ES heatmap: depth over time as color, best bid and best offer as step lines. Scroll to zoom the time axis and drag to pan.
How to Get Started
- Create a free MarketByOrder account.
- Get a Databento API key. They include $125 in free credits when you sign up, and the key setup usually takes 1-2 minutes.
- Connect the key, pick a symbol and date, and replay the session.
For a broader comparison of free order flow tools, see best free order flow software. For DOM-specific comparisons against Jigsaw and Quantower, see jigsaw and quantower DOM alternative.