Market data costs in Canada: what TSX and US feeds add to your software bill
Charting software and market data are usually two separate bills, and the second one surprises people. A platform can be free and still cost money every month once you want live prices. This guide sets out the ways data reaches your screen, what the six platforms we rank charge for it, and the questions to ask before you subscribe.
Three routes for prices
- Sold by the platform. The vendor sells the feed directly as an add-on.
StockCharts does this for US, Canadian and UK equities. - Through your broker. You connect the platform to a brokerage account and use that connection for prices. This is the usual route with
MotiveWave, 
Quantower and 
MultiCharts, all of which list Interactive Brokers. - From a separate data vendor. You pay a third party for a feed and plug it in. Quantower states that third-party market data is purchased separately. This route can make sense if you run more than one platform off the same feed.
Real-time TSX data
If you chart Canadian stocks, the question is narrower: who will sell you real-time Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture prices? The TSX alone had 2,091 listed issuers in December 2025, according to TMX Group, so this is not a niche need. Yet in our ranking only StockCharts sells an official real-time TSX and TSX-V feed directly, at $9.95/mo on top of a membership that starts at $19.95/mo. Its free level shows delayed non-US data.
MotiveWave, Quantower and MultiCharts list no TSX feed on their connection pages. Before paying for a licence, ask your broker whether its Canadian data can be used inside the platform you have in mind. Tickeron does not state its Canadian coverage, and 
NinjaTrader lists futures markets only.
US equity and futures data
For US stocks, StockCharts sells a real-time NYSE and NASDAQ add-on at the same $9.95/mo, and its free level already includes BATS real-time US quotes. For futures, NinjaTrader gives a 14-day free trial of live streaming data when you open an account; ask what the feed costs once those two weeks are up. MultiCharts sells market data as a $49/mo add-on. MotiveWave states plainly that market data is not included, so the cost depends on the broker or vendor you connect.
Fees that are easy to miss
Exchange and regulatory fees. NinjaTrader's per-side commissions exclude exchange, clearing and NFA fees, and those apply on every plan, including the $1,499 lifetime licence.
Non-refundable add-ons. StockCharts bills its data add-ons monthly and does not refund them, so switch a feed on only for the months you need it.
Your user status. Data agreements usually ask whether you are a professional or non-professional user. Read that question carefully at sign-up, because professional rates are higher.
Questions to ask before you subscribe
- Is the feed real-time or delayed, and for which exchanges?
- Who bills it: the platform, the broker or a third party? Can you cancel it month to month?
- Does the price change if you trade for a company rather than for yourself?
A simple way to budget
Add up three numbers before you commit: the platform plan, the feed or feeds you need, and any per-trade fees. For a TSX stock chartist on StockCharts that is $19.95 plus $9.95, or $29.90 a month. For a micro futures trader on NinjaTrader's Free plan it is $0 for the platform, then $0.39 per side plus exchange, clearing and NFA fees, plus whatever live data costs after the trial.
Do the same sum for the annual options. StockCharts gives a 13th month free on annual billing, and MultiCharts drops Standard from $99 to $79 a month when billed annually. Small differences add up over a year of data.
Prices in this guide are as listed on vendor sites on October 9, 2026. Most vendors don't state the currency, so confirm it at checkout. For the full picture on each platform, see the ranking.