Pick CQG or Rithmic by the platform and account you already use, not by speed: as of October 2026, AMP Futures and Optimus Futures charge the same $0.10 per side to route an order through either one, and the monthly fee is the only gap: $25 for Rithmic against $0 (AMP) or $10 (Optimus) for CQG. The real differences are depth and logins: Rithmic carries order-level depth (MBO, market by order, each resting order shown separately) into Bookmap and lets several apps share one login, while a CQG login serves one platform at a time. Neither vendor publishes a retail latency figure you could compare.
As of October 2026, AMP Futures and Optimus Futures charge $0.10 per side to route through CQG or Rithmic alike, so the monthly fee is the whole gap: Rithmic costs $25 a month more than CQG at AMP and $15 more at Optimus. No vendor publishes a retail latency figure you can compare. Platform and logins decide instead: Rithmic brings MBO depth to Bookmap and shares one login across apps on a PC, while CQG reaches TradingView through brokers and runs CQG Desktop in a browser.
What are CQG and Rithmic, and where do they sit in your order's path?
CQG and Rithmic are order-routing and market-data gateways between your trading platform and the FCM (futures commission merchant, the clearing broker) whose account your trades clear through. Neither is your broker; you pay for them through your broker. Optimus Futures puts it plainly: "Routing fees are charged by the datafeed provider and assessed on a per transaction basis."
According to its November 2023 press release on PR Newswire, CQG, founded in 1980 and based in Denver, provides direct market access to "more than 45 exchanges through its global network of co-located Hosted Exchange Gateways." Rithmic is the connection behind R|Trader Pro and the Rithmic accounts at prop firms such as TradeDay and Lucid Trading; our plain guide to the Rithmic feed covers the basics.
Picture two parallel lanes. In the top lane an order leaves your platform, enters CQG's Hosted Exchange Gateway, clears on your FCM's account and reaches CME; the bottom lane is identical except the middle box reads Rithmic. A third branch hangs off Sierra Chart, whose CME prices come from Sierra's own Denali feed whichever lane carries the orders. For dxFeed, Tradovate and the rest, see the wider data feed comparison.
Which platforms work with CQG, Rithmic or both?
Almost every serious futures platform works with both: of the 9 third-party platforms we checked, all 9 reach CQG in some form and 8 reach Rithmic, with TradingView the one exception. The table shows each documented connection as of October 2026.
| Platform | CQG | Rithmic | What decides it |
|---|---|---|---|
| NinjaTrader 8 | Yes (CQG WebAPI) | Yes | Third-party connections need Multi-provider mode |
| Sierra Chart | Yes | Yes | CME data comes from Sierra's Denali feed with either |
| Quantower | Yes (via AMP Futures) | Yes, with MBO | Rithmic plug-in mode documented |
| MotiveWave | Yes | Yes | Both connectors marked for macOS, Windows and Linux |
| Bookmap | Yes (CQG Continuum) | Yes, MBO and full depth | Only Rithmic is listed with MBO |
| ATAS | Yes, once the broker enables it | Yes | One platform per CQG login |
| TradingView | Through broker integrations such as AMP | Not listed | Rithmic is absent from TradingView's broker list |
| Jigsaw daytradr | Yes | Yes | Both listed as supported data feeds |
| MultiCharts | Yes, as a broker gateway (AMP, Ironbeam) | Yes | Rithmic is its own entry |
| Vendor's own app (not counted) | CQG Desktop in a browser; CQG IC supported on Windows only | R|Trader Pro, plus a web version | Mac users start here |
Compiled by Phoenix Technologies from each platform's, broker's or vendor's own pages, accessed 22 October 2026; method: a cell says yes only where such a page documents the connection.
So if you trade from TradingView, the matrix has already chosen CQG for you; on the other eight, the choice moves to depth, logins and cost.
The Sierra Chart exception
On Sierra Chart, choosing CQG or Rithmic does not decide the CME data you see. Sierra Chart's CQG documentation says: "When using CQG, CME Group data and EUREX data is only provided through the Denali Exchange Data Feed." Its Rithmic documentation adds: "Sierra Chart does not recommend using Rithmic historical or real-time data under any circumstances." Sierra Chart sells Denali, so read that as a vendor's recommendation; our Sierra Chart setup for prop accounts has the details.
Does Rithmic give more market depth than CQG?
Rithmic is the feed third-party tools document as delivering order-level depth; CQG's depth appears to vary by contract, and its order-level view lives inside CQG's Integrated Client (CQG IC). Bookmap's knowledge base lists "Rithmic (MBO & full depth), dxFeed (full depth), CQG Continuum", with no depth or MBO label beside CQG.
An aggregated book shows one total per price, capped at 10 levels per side in CME's older format, as our Level 1 versus Level 2 explainer sets out. An MBO book, in the words of Quantower's Rithmic help page, "shows the order size of an individual position inside the level2 data for a certain price."
Picture two ladders at the same prices. On the left, each row holds one number, and the ladder stops 10 rows above and below the market. On the right, each row breaks into a queue of separate orders, say 3, 12 and 1 contracts (illustrative sizes), and the ladder keeps going: that is what Bookmap and Quantower draw from Rithmic MBO. If reading the DOM and order flow is new to you, start there.
- Myth: CQG only gives 10 levels. Partly true at best. Sierra Chart says CQG sends CL crude oil "over 100 levels of market depth", while two Tradovate forum users in January 2023 disagreed: one said 10 levels, the other 10 on micros and all levels on ES. No CQG document we found states depth per contract.
- Myth: CQG has no market by order data. False. Ironbeam's CQG page, dated July 2026, says CQG IC gives "access to Market-by-Order DOM". What no fetched page shows is CQG MBO reaching Bookmap, Quantower or ATAS.
How much do CQG and Rithmic cost per round turn?
At AMP Futures and Optimus Futures the routing fee is identical, $0.10 per side, so the whole gap is the monthly fee: Rithmic costs $25 a month more than CQG at AMP and $15 more at Optimus. That is $300 and $180 a year, at any volume.
AMP's exchange data fees page (prices effective June 1, 2026) lists "Rithmic Connection Fee 25.00 USD/Per Month/Per User ID" and no monthly CQG row for the first login. The Optimus Futures fee page lists $25 a month for Rithmic and $10 for CQG. The table spreads those fees over three illustrative monthly volumes.
| Round turns a month (illustrative) | AMP CQG | AMP Rithmic | Optimus CQG | Optimus Rithmic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | $10.00 ($0.200) | $35.00 ($0.700) | $20.00 ($0.400) | $35.00 ($0.700) |
| 200 | $40.00 ($0.200) | $65.00 ($0.325) | $50.00 ($0.250) | $65.00 ($0.325) |
| 1,000 | $200.00 ($0.200) | $225.00 ($0.225) | $210.00 ($0.210) | $225.00 ($0.225) |
Computed by Phoenix Technologies; method: round turns x 2 sides x $0.10 + monthly connection fee, per round turn in brackets. Commissions, exchange, clearing and NFA fees are left out because they do not change with the vendor.
The fixed fee hurts a light trader most.
Market data does not separate them either: AMP charges $45 a month for the non-professional CME Level 2 bundle under both columns, while Ironbeam lists $41 and NinjaTrader $48. Our guide to how CME data fees work explains why.
- Myth: Rithmic routing costs $0.25 per contract, CQG $0.10. False at the brokers we checked: AMP, Optimus and Ironbeam all list $0.10 for Rithmic. The $0.25 matches NinjaTrader's fee page, which lists $0.25 per contract for Rithmic and for CQG Desktop alike, without saying per side or per round turn.
- Myth: CQG is the more expensive vendor. Not at these brokers, where CQG has the same routing fee and the lower monthly fee. Fees do vary: EdgeClear lists Rithmic at $20 a month, so check your own broker's page.
Is Rithmic faster than CQG?
No public evidence shows that either is faster for a retail trader. Neither vendor publishes an end-to-end figure measured at the same location, on the same platform and instrument, so comparison-site claims that Rithmic answers in 1 ms against CQG's 5 ms have no source.
The two numbers that exist measure different things. CQG's Client APIs page says "the CQG API introduces only one millisecond for data round trip", the overhead of one API. Ironbeam quotes Rithmic's R|Diamond API, which it pitches at high-frequency trading applications, at under 250 microseconds from reading market data to releasing an order. Neither describes NinjaTrader on a home connection.
Can you run two platforms on one CQG or Rithmic login?
On CQG, no: one login connects one platform at a time, so a second platform needs a second login. On Rithmic, yes on one PC, through R|Trader Pro's plug-in mode.
Sierra Chart states the CQG rule: "CQG only allows one connection to the CQG system per CQG username at a time." ATAS's CQG connection guide agrees and gives the fix: "ask your broker to issue an additional CQG login." For Rithmic, EdgeClear's support page lists "Multiple simultaneous connections with the same Rithmic login as long as you are using the Rithmic plugin". A direct connection is exclusive: ATAS says the account then must not be connected to R|Trader Pro or any other platform.
Worked example: two platforms at AMP
- Assume 200 round turns a month (illustrative: about 10 a day over 20 sessions) and the CME Level 2 bundle.
- Routing: 200 x 2 sides x $0.10 = $40, the same on both.
- One platform on CQG: $40 + $0 connection + $45 data = $85 a month.
- One platform on Rithmic: $40 + $25 + $45 = $110 a month.
- Two platforms at once: CQG adds AMP's $10 additional login (AMP does not state the period; we assume monthly), so $95; Rithmic's plug-in mode shares the login, so it stays $110.
The gap narrows from $25 to $15 a month once you run a second platform. Plug-in mode shares one login on one PC; running logins from several firms at once is a separate problem, which our guide to several Rithmic connections in NinjaTrader works through.
Which works on a Mac, in a browser or with TradingView?
CQG is the easier route on a Mac or in a browser, and the only one of the two with a documented route to TradingView's trading panel. Rithmic reaches a Mac through R|Trader Pro's web version or MotiveWave, but not through TradingView.
CQG's own help page for its Integrated Client is blunt: "We do not offer support for use on Macs." CQG Desktop is the alternative, listed for any HTML5 browser on "Apple Macintosh computers and Windows-powered PCs", and AMP gives it free to customers (normally $25 a month). For Rithmic, Optimus Futures described a browser version of R|Trader Pro in September 2022, and MotiveWave marks its Rithmic connector for macOS; our check of futures platforms on a Mac covers each route.
TradingView's broker list, checked in October 2026, includes AMP Futures, Optimus Futures, Ironbeam, EdgeClear, Tradovate and NinjaTrader, but not Rithmic. AMP's TradingView page offers access "at no additional monthly connection fee for trading Exchange-Traded Futures" through its CQG integration. Webhook bridges that send alerts to a Rithmic account are not a broker connection; our TradingView guide for prop accounts explains the difference.
Why do prop firms list CQG for Tradovate, NinjaTrader and TradingView?
At TradeDay and Lucid Trading, "CQG" labels a group of platforms, not a login documented to work in any CQG app. TradeDay's platform page lists Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView and Jigsaw under CQG, says "The platforms run using the CQG data feed", and lists 13 platforms under Rithmic. Lucid Trading lists 3 under CQG (NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView) and 9 under Rithmic.
Quantower, Sierra Chart, Bookmap, ATAS and MultiCharts all support CQG themselves, yet at Lucid they sit only under Rithmic: the firm's account, not the platform, decides the feed. Neither firm says whether its CQG accounts are Tradovate accounts with CQG data or native CQG logins, so read "CQG" on a prop page as the route our Rithmic versus Tradovate comparison covers.
The claim that most futures prop firms run on Rithmic is repeated widely, but no firm or regulator publishes a count of prop firms by feed. If you hold Rithmic accounts at one firm and Tradovate-route accounts at another, a server-side copier can keep them in step; Thor connects to Rithmic, Tradovate and NinjaTrader among other platforms. A copier does not change which feed a firm gives you, so check the platform list before you buy the account.
CQG or Rithmic: which should you pick?
Pick the one your account, platform and depth needs point to; cost comes last because the gap is a fixed $15 to $25 a month at the brokers we checked. Stop at the first check that applies.
- Prop account? The firm decides. Buy the account whose feed runs your platform.
- Trading from TradingView's panel? CQG, through a broker such as AMP.
- Mac without Windows? CQG Desktop in a browser, or R|Trader Pro web or MotiveWave for Rithmic. Not CQG IC.
- Need MBO in Bookmap or Quantower? Rithmic.
- Two platforms at once on one PC? Rithmic plug-in mode shares a login; CQG needs a second login, $10 at AMP.
- Sierra Chart user? CME data is Denali either way, so choose on routing cost and login rules.
- Eurex or other non-US exchanges? CQG documents more than 45 exchanges; no Rithmic page we fetched gives a count.
- None of the above? CQG is cheaper by $25 a month at AMP and $15 at Optimus.
Drawn as a tree, the seven questions split one by one: the prop branch exits to "the firm decides", TradingView and Mac lead to CQG leaves, MBO and two platforms lead to Rithmic leaves, and Sierra Chart leads to "routing cost only". If you need prices but never route orders, our dxFeed and Rithmic comparison is the better read.
Go deeper
- Rithmic vs Tradovate (2026): Which Connection Fits Your Accounts?
- Best Futures Data Feeds Compared (2026)
- Can You Trade Futures on a Mac? 15 Platforms Checked
- How to Copy Trades Across Platforms: Tradovate, NinjaTrader, Rithmic & ProjectX (2026)
Frequently asked questions
Does CQG charge a monthly connection fee?
It depends on the broker. As of October 2026, AMP Futures lists no monthly CQG connection fee for the first login and $10 for an additional login, while Optimus Futures lists a $10 monthly CQG connection fee. Read your broker's fee page, because the vendor does not set one public retail price.
Is the $0.10 routing fee charged on every fill?
Yes, it is charged per contract on each transaction. Ironbeam describes its Rithmic fee as $0.10 per contract filled, and Optimus Futures says routing fees are assessed per transaction by the datafeed provider. A round turn has two sides, so it costs $0.20 per contract in routing.
Does Bookmap work with CQG?
Yes. Ironbeam lists Bookmap among the platforms that support direct CQG connections, and Bookmap lists CQG Continuum as a provider. Bookmap labels only Rithmic with MBO and full depth, and no page we fetched shows that order-level view for CQG in Bookmap.
Why does my CQG login work in one platform but not in ATAS?
Your broker has to switch the platform on first. ATAS says the broker must add ATAS, identified as AdvancedTS, to your account's available platforms in the CQG CAST back office. Until that happens, a CQG login that works elsewhere will not connect in ATAS.
Does NinjaTrader 8 support both CQG and Rithmic?
Yes. NinjaTrader's own release notes include fixes for both its CQG WebAPI connection and its Rithmic connection. Connections from additional providers need Multi-provider mode enabled in NinjaTrader 8.
Which is better for Eurex or other non-US exchanges?
CQG has the documented reach: its 2023 press release cites direct market access to more than 45 exchanges. An Optimus Futures moderator advised CQG for Eurex and ICE Europe in November 2023. No Rithmic page we fetched gives an exchange count, so check with your broker before you assume coverage.
Is CQG Desktop free?
At some brokers it is. AMP Futures says CQG Desktop is free for its customers and normally costs $25 a month. At NinjaTrader, CQG Desktop carries a $0.25 per futures contract fee.
Who owns CQG?
CQG is a Denver company founded in 1980 by Tim Mather. In November 2023 it announced an agreement for a group of its senior executives to acquire the firm, according to a CQG press release on PR Newswire.
Sources
- AMP Futures (2026), Exchange Market Data Fees
- Optimus Futures (2026), Futures Trading Fees
- Sierra Chart (2025), CQG Trading Platform Service
- Sierra Chart (2025), Rithmic Trading Platform Service
- ATAS (2025), Connecting to CQG/Continuum
- Bookmap (2026), Bookmap Connectivity
- CQG (2025), Run CQG on Mac OS X
- AMP Futures (2026), TradingView Trading Platform
- EdgeClear (2026), Pros and Cons for Rithmic data
- TradeDay (2026), Which Trading Platforms Does TradeDay use?