FirmTape vs GEXBot (2026)
SPX dealer-gamma levels, head to head · GEXBot's pages read 2026-09-30
GEXBot sells live GEX ladders and classified options order flow for about sixty index, ETF and stock chains, updated every second, with plugins for seven desktop charting platforms, a REST and WebSocket API and Discord bots. FirmTape measures SPX dealer positioning from the options tape, rebuilt every second while the session runs, and gives away 1,113 finished sessions with no account. The table is what each vendor's own pages state, and one row is marked amber against us on purpose.
| FirmTape | GEXBot | |
|---|---|---|
| Price / month | $0 archive · $49 live | $50–350 · research $100 |
| Free tier | 1,113 sessions + today delayed | Research: 30 charts a day |
| Symbols | SPX every second + 100 on snapshots | ~60 live (ES, NQ by basis) + research on any US chain |
| Inspectable history | 1,113 sessions, free, since 2022 | 90 days by API (Quant) · 365 bought, personal use |
| Dealer side | Inferred from the tape | Classified against a proprietary fair value; accuracy not published |
| Backtests your rule | Yes: LAB, out-of-sample | Your own code on the Quant API |
| MCP for AI assistants | Live, in the registry | Not stated |
| API | Yes: Lab API, OpenAPI | REST on every tier, WebSocket on Quant |
| Publishes null results | Yes: /research | Not stated |
| Sells signals | Never | Not stated |
| Community / education | None | Discord bots (StreamBot, ResearchBot) |
Where GEXBot is stronger
- Where you already chart. Official plugins for Sierra Chart, NinjaTrader, ATAS, MotiveWave, Quantower, Bookmap and cTrader, plus a TradingView companion, with levels converted to the ES and NQ price. FirmTape is its own terminal and an MCP server; it has no platform plugin.
- Order flow as a time series. Net GEX, aggregate DEX, convexity and vanna/charm flow drawn per second through the session, with threshold filters. FirmTape shows the book and its rebuild rate rather than a family of flow oscillators.
- A feed for your own system. The Quant tier streams every package over WebSockets (protobuf and zstd) and serves 90 days of one-second snapshots by REST. FirmTape's series is sold as files by the day, not as a live socket.
- Breadth on demand. About sixty chains live, and a research tool that charts exposure, skew, term structure and the vol surface for any US optionable ticker, free for 30 charts a day.
Where FirmTape is stronger
- Four years, free, with no account. Every finished SPX session since 2022 replays minute by minute. GEXBot's history is 90 days by API on its $350 tier, or a rolling 365 days bought per package, for personal use while a subscription stays active.
- A backtester with a holdout and a baseline. The LAB turns a plain-words rule into an out-of-sample verdict. GEXBot gives the data to backtest with your own code; its pages state no backtester.
- The classification error is published. GEXBot classifies each trade against a proprietary fair value and says why that beats participant tags; it publishes no accuracy figure. FirmTape signs against the quote standing at the print and publishes how often that is wrong.
- Inside the assistant. A free MCP server in the official registry. GEXBot's pages state none.
- Price for the classified book. FirmTape's measured book is in the $49 live plan. GEXBot's classified State package lists at $150 a month; its $50 Classic tier is the conventional volume and open-interest ladder.
The row we lose
FirmTape's dealer side is inferred: each print is signed by which side of the spread the aggressor hit, and the book is rebuilt from that. The inference is good in some regimes and poor in others, and rather than describe it with an adjective the site publishes the measurements: which gamma measure sees anything and which book is the zero-gamma flip. GEXBot's pages describe their positioning as classified against a proprietary theoretical value; how well that works is not something their pages let a reader check, which is the difference this page is about rather than a claim that ours is better.
Who should pick which
Questions people ask
- Is FirmTape a GEXBot alternative?
- For SPX dealer-gamma levels, yes. Both rebuild the book every second from the OPRA tape and classify trades rather than assume a side. GEXBot covers about sixty chains, plugs into seven charting platforms and sells a WebSocket feed; FirmTape gives the SPX archive away free, adds a backtester and an MCP server, and carries 100+ more symbols on five-minute books.
- How much does GEXBot cost compared with FirmTape?
- GEXBot lists Classic at $50 a month, State at $150, Orderflow at $250 and Quant at $350, with quarterly and yearly discounts and 50% off a first month (read 2026-09-30; its page applies a regional discount on top). FirmTape's live stream is $49 a month or $490 a year, and every finished session is free without an account.
- Where does GEXBot's data come from?
- Its own FAQ says it uses OPRA's consolidated feed and classifies trades by their impact on the volatility surface. ES and NQ levels are the SPX and NDX books converted by the futures basis, not CME options.
- How much history does GEXBot have?
- 90 days of one-second snapshots through the Quant API, or a rolling 365 days per package bought in its marketplace, for personal use. FirmTape replays every SPX session since April 2022, free.
Check the archive first See pricing
Other comparisons
“Not stated” means the vendor's own public pages did not state it when they were read; it is not a claim that the thing does not exist. Competitor details were read from the vendor's own public pages on 2026-09-30 and are reproduced for comparison only. They change without notice, so check the source before relying on any of them. No affiliation with, or endorsement by, any product named. Not investment advice.