So this is a question I get a lot: “Jay, should I get Bookmap or DAS Trader?” And honestly, the question itself is a little off — because these two aren’t really competing. They do different jobs. I run both every single session, and let me explain why, so you can decide what you actually need.
Quick way to think about it: DAS is for executing and reading the numbers. Bookmap is for seeing the order flow. One is your platform, the other is a lens you put on top of it.
What DAS Trader actually is
DAS Data Pro is an execution platform. It’s where the trade actually happens — the order entry, the hotkeys, the fast fills. And it gives you the Level 2 ladder and the Time & Sales — the prints — in numbers.
It’s highly customisable, which is the part I like. On my DAS Data Pro I’ve got the size set to show in lots, so a “1” means 100 shares, a “3” means 300 — keeps it clean. There’s a market-maker column too, but personally I don’t focus on it much, so I’ve basically removed it. You set it up to show you what you care about.
So everything you need to read order flow is right there on DAS. The big bids, the refills, the absorption — you can see all of it in the Level 2 and the prints. If you want the full breakdown of how to read that ladder, I wrote it up here: how to read Level 2 for day trading.
Here’s the honest part most people skip: you can absolutely read order flow on DAS alone. You don’t need anything else to get started. So what does Bookmap add?
What Bookmap actually is
Bookmap takes that same order book — the same bids and offers you see flickering on DAS — and instead of showing them as numbers, it draws them as a heatmap over time. Brighter, more intense colour means more resting size at that price. A big buyer shows up as this bright orange-red hue — looks like the sun sitting on the chart. Price prints over the top of it.
The one word that explains why I run it: memory.
Think about it. On DAS, the Level 2 is a live snapshot — the numbers flip ten times a second. Can you remember what the bid looked like two minutes ago? Three minutes ago? Honestly, it’s almost impossible. But on Bookmap, you can see it — a minute ago there was a big buyer at 99.8, and now there’s a big buyer at 100. You can watch the liquidity build, hold, get absorbed, or pull, across time. That history is the whole point, and it’s the thing the numbers on DAS just can’t give you. (More on reading it here: how to read a Bookmap heatmap.)
So Bookmap doesn’t show you anything DAS doesn’t — it shows you the same information in a way that’s far easier on your eyes and your memory.
Side by side
| DAS Data Pro | Bookmap | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Execution platform — your trading terminal | Order-flow visualisation tool |
| You use it to | Place trades, hotkeys, read Level 2 + the prints in numbers | See resting liquidity as a heatmap over time |
| The order book | Live snapshot in numbers (flickers, hard to remember) | Drawn as a heatmap with full history |
| Can you trade off it? | Yes — it’s where you execute | No — it’s for seeing the flow, not executing |
| Cost | Comes via your broker / data | A separate (and not cheap) subscription + data |
| Do you need it to start? | Yes (or a similar broker platform) | No — it’s an add-on once you’re further along |
Read the bottom row, because that’s the real answer. DAS (or whatever your broker gives you) is the requirement. Bookmap is the upgrade.
So which do you need?
Here’s exactly how I’d play it, and it’s the same advice I give in the course.
Start with your broker and DAS. Learn to read the Level 2 ladder and the tape in the raw numbers first. I trade on Lightspeed and DAS, and if you want, Lightspeed has a member offer here. Get genuinely comfortable reading the book before you add another screen — because if you can’t read it as numbers, a prettier version isn’t going to fix that. Bookmap on top of a skill you don’t have yet just gives you more to misread.
Add Bookmap once you’re actually making money. I always say the same thing: invest in Bookmap when you’re making money from trading, or you’ve got money to spare — because it’s an expensive platform. But for you guys, we’ve got an affiliation with Bookmap, so you can try it out for fairly cheap here. It’s optional — you can spot everything on the Level 2 of DAS or Thinkorswim, it’s just going to be a bit more difficult. Bookmap makes the liquidity and the memory easy to see, and for an order-flow trader that’s a real edge — but it’s a nice-to-have on top of the skill, not the skill itself.
So to answer the question properly: it’s not Bookmap vs DAS. It’s DAS first (you need it), and Bookmap added when you’re ready and can justify it. I run both because they each do a job the other one doesn’t.
And the honest reminder, because I always give it: no platform makes you profitable. DAS doesn’t, Bookmap doesn’t, and a prettier heatmap definitely doesn’t. Most retail traders lose money. The tools just show you the order flow more clearly — what you do with it, your risk, your discipline, that’s the whole game. This is education, not financial advice. Get the reps in on the platform you’ve already got, and add the next tool when it actually earns its spot on your desk.