TurningTrade
Comparison

An ATAS alternative for CME futures, line by line

ATAS is the order flow trading platform many futures traders opened first: footprint, Smart DOM, Smart Tape, cumulative delta. If you’re looking for an ATAS alternative, it’s usually for one of these reasons: the cost of real-time futures data, MBO kept for the Ultra plan, a Mac without Parallels, or wanting an AI that reads your screens. This page compares the two on what each one publishes, including where ATAS does better. We publish TurningTrade, so read the grid knowing that.

· TurningTrade editorial team

In short

  • ATAS has a free plan, three subscriptions and three lifetime licences; futures only run in real time from the Pro plan up1. TurningTrade only sells a lifetime licence today, at 1,499 USD.
  • ATAS connects to more than 25 data sources2, including Rithmic, CQG, dxFeed and Interactive Brokers3. TurningTrade reads Rithmic only.
  • At ATAS, the MBO Bundle (iceberg, stop run and sweep trackers) comes with the Ultra plan, free until November 27, 2026 and possibly paid after that1. At TurningTrade, the heatmap reads the Rithmic feed at the order level and is part of the licence, with the Stop-run and Sweep detectors.
  • ATAS is built for Windows; on a Mac it runs through Parallels4, or as ATAS X, in beta, from macOS Tahoe up3. TurningTrade runs natively on Apple silicon Macs, on 0.4.2, behind the Windows version.

The grid, line by line

Every fact about ATAS points to its official page, read on October 18, 2026. ATAS shows its prices in euros, excluding VAT. The last column says who wins that line, with no total: depending on how you trade, a single line can decide.

ATAS and TurningTrade, from each one’s public pages (October 18, 2026)
CriterionATASTurningTradeEdge
Free planStart, free with no time limit: real-time crypto, futures delayed by 15 minutes1NoATAS
Subscription and trialPlus €24.95, Pro €69.95, Ultra €89.95 a month, cheaper billed yearly; 14-day trial of the paid plans1Monthly, quarterly and annual plans shown, not on sale yetATAS
Real-time futuresPro and Ultra plans; Start and Plus delayed by 15 minutes1Through your Rithmic account, depending on its exchanges and data permissionsDepends on use
Lifetime licencePlus €999, Pro €1,799, Ultra €1,99911,499 USD (1,349 EUR in the euro area), with the 10-module order flow training and priority supportDepends on use
Market dataThird-party provider to connect: Rithmic, CQG, dxFeed and others5Separate: Rithmic account and data feesEven
ConnectionsMore than 25; for futures: CQG, CTS, dxFeed, Exante, Interactive Brokers, IQFeed, MT5, NinjaTrader, Rithmic and others23Rithmic only; CQG, IBKR, Tradovate and TopstepX reserved, not served yetATAS
Stocks, crypto, optionsReal-time stocks and live orders on Pro and Ultra; crypto orders from Start; Options Board on Pro and Ultra1Futures; Binance and Hyperliquid perpetuals read-onlyATAS
IndicatorsMore than 240; from 3 to unlimited per chart depending on the plan21The modules’ own; ALFRED tunes a study or writes one on requestATAS
FootprintFootprint (cluster) on every plan1Footprint module (bid × ask, large trades, Δ max / Δ min)Even
Market Profile (TPO)Market Profile and TPO on every plan1Market Profile module (TPO, POC, value area)Even
HeatmapHeatmap in beta, on every plan1MBO heatmap shipped, with the Stop-run and Sweep detectors, off by defaultTurningTrade
Order-level reading (MBO)MBO Bundle with Ultra, free until November 27, 2026; through Rithmic, dxFeed in development1Native Rithmic feed at the order level, read by the heatmap in the licenceDepends on use
IcebergsIceberg tracking in the MBO Bundle1Iceberg detector announced, not shippedATAS
Operating systemsWindows; Mac through Parallels; ATAS X in beta on Windows 10 or later and macOS Tahoe or later (Apple M1 or newer)43Windows 10/11 64-bit (0.5.0), Apple silicon Mac (0.4.2), Linux preview (0.4.6)Depends on use
AI assistantNone in the plan grid1ALFRED reads your modules and answers with their numbers; Claude Code, Codex or Cursor connect over MCPTurningTrade
Risk managementRisk Manager, from 2 tracked assets (Start) to unlimited (Ultra)1Risk Desk (limits, anti-tilt pause, kill switch) and prop firm account gaugesEven

ATAS prices in euros, excluding VAT, as shown on its pricing page. “Depends on use”: the line leans one way or the other depending on what you trade. On a small screen, scroll the table sideways.

Where ATAS does better

To learn the footprint without paying, ATAS has the Start plan, free with no time limit, and a 14-day trial of its paid plans1. At TurningTrade, only the lifetime licence is on sale today.

ATAS connects to far more providers: more than 25 data sources2, with CQG, dxFeed or Interactive Brokers next to Rithmic3. It also covers stocks, options and crypto orders depending on the plan1. TurningTrade reads futures through Rithmic, and crypto read-only. If your account is with CQG, TurningTrade doesn’t connect to it yet.

ATAS’s indicator library goes past 240 entries2. And on icebergs, ATAS’s MBO Bundle already tracks them1; TurningTrade’s Iceberg detector is announced and not shipped. Today you read a refilling level by eye, on the heatmap and the Time & Sales.

Where TurningTrade stands apart

Real-time data and MBO don’t depend on a plan. The licence opens the MBO heatmap, the footprint, the DOM with Time & Sales Pro, the Market Profile and Microstructure Analysis; what you see in real time depends only on your Rithmic account’s permissions. At ATAS, real-time futures start with the Pro plan and the MBO Bundle comes with Ultra1. What MBO shows that an aggregated book doesn’t is in our guide to market by order (MBO) data.

TurningTrade footprint on ESZ6 with large trades circled and per-bar statistics
One-minute footprint on ESZ6, October 2, 2026 session: large trades circled, and under each bar the delta, Δ max, Δ min, volume and range.

The DOM and Time & Sales Pro sit side by side: the book, the volume traded at each price during the session, and the trade tape stamped to the millisecond, with cumulative delta at the top of the column.

TurningTrade DOM and Time & Sales Pro on ESZ6 through Rithmic
DOM and Time & Sales Pro on ESZ6, replayed Rithmic feed: session volume by price, the book on each side, trades to the millisecond and CVD.

ALFRED, the AI assistant, reads what your modules display and answers with those numbers. He has 46 tools and eleven rights, which you switch on one by one; live order sending is the only one off at install, and stays bounded once on. Claude Code, Codex or Cursor connect over MCP, with a local token.

ALFRED open on the TurningTrade platform, rights tab, next to the ESZ6 heatmap and footprint
ALFRED on the replayed ESZ6 session of October 2, 2026: the Actions tab lists what he’s allowed to do, box by box. The interface is in French.

Last, on a Mac, TurningTrade is a native Apple silicon application, with no virtual machine, and there’s a Linux preview. Installation steps are in the Help Center. What runs on a Mac, and what lags behind, is on our futures trading platform for Mac page.

Switching from ATAS to TurningTrade, in practice

If your ATAS feed goes through Rithmic, you keep the same Rithmic account. Rithmic warns that two applications connected to the same feed at the same time disconnect the first one6. Close ATAS’s Rithmic connection before connecting TurningTrade. ATAS says it can also go through R|Trader Pro when several platforms need to run together5. The Rithmic side is covered on our Rithmic trading platform page.

Prop firms recognised on Rithmic: Apex Trader Funding, Topstep, My Funded Futures, Tradeify, Phidias, Bulenox, Earn2Trade, TradeDay, Lucid Trading and Take Profit Trader. Each configured account gets its gauge in the top bar: daily loss, drawdown, target, consistency.

Who should stay on ATAS

If you want to start free, pay monthly, also trade stocks, options or crypto with orders, keep a CQG account, or if iceberg tracking sits at the centre of your read, ATAS fits better today. If you trade CME futures through Rithmic and want real-time data, MBO, the heatmap, the footprint and an AI that reads your screens in one licence, on Windows, Mac or Linux, TurningTrade is worth the comparison. If you’re also weighing Bookmap, our Bookmap alternative page runs the same grid.

Frequently asked questions

Is TurningTrade cheaper than ATAS?

It depends what you compare. ATAS has a free plan and a Plus lifetime licence at €999 excluding VAT, but futures stay delayed by 15 minutes there; real time starts with the Pro plan, at €69.95 a month or €1,799 lifetime1. TurningTrade’s lifetime licence costs 1,499 USD. In both cases market data is extra.

Can I keep my Rithmic account?

Yes. TurningTrade connects natively to Rithmic. Your account, exchange permissions and data fees stay yours. Close any other Rithmic session before connecting.

Does TurningTrade run on a Mac?

Yes, natively on Apple silicon Macs, version 0.4.2. The Windows version is newer (0.5.0). ATAS, for its part, offers ATAS X in beta from macOS Tahoe up3.

Does TurningTrade detect icebergs?

Not yet. The Iceberg detector is announced, not shipped. The detectors shipped on the heatmap are Stop-run and Sweep, off by default.

Do the indicators guarantee a profit?

No. They add order-level context. No indicator removes uncertainty, and futures trading can result in the loss of the capital committed.

See the lifetime licence

One-time payment of 1,499 USD (1,349 EUR in the euro area): heatmap, footprint, DOM, Market Profile, ALFRED, every later version, the 10-module order flow training and priority support. Your Rithmic account and data fees stay separate.

See pricing

Sources

  1. ATAS, Pricing, read on October 18, 2026.
  2. ATAS, page d’accueil, read on October 18, 2026.
  3. ATAS X (Beta), read on October 18, 2026.
  4. ATAS Help Center, How to use ATAS on Mac, read on October 18, 2026.
  5. ATAS Blog, Market Data in ATAS: Where to Get It and How to Connect, read on October 18, 2026.
  6. Rithmic, Connection Guides (« Running multiple platforms simultaneously »), read on October 18, 2026.

TurningTrade facts: release notes, pricing and FAQ published on turningtrade.com (see the Pricing page and the Help Center).

TurningTrade is a software publisher, not a broker or an investment adviser. Historical, simulated or hypothetical results do not predict future performance. Futures trading can result in the loss of the capital committed. Facts about other platforms were read on the date shown in the sources and may have changed since: check them on their own site before buying.