What do real-time data, data feeds and market data really cost? Anyone who analyses professionally or trades actively will sooner or later encounter market data costs.
This guide shows what fees arise, what they depend on and what to look for when choosing a data provider.
Market data is not generated by the data provider but by the respective exchanges. It is licensed and passed on to providers – anyone wanting to use the data usually pays licence fees.
The total cost usually consists of several components – varying in weight depending on the use case.
Pricing depends on several criteria.
Each exchange sets its own fees – Deutsche Börse, Xetra, Eurex, NYSE, NASDAQ, CME. Often different licence models internationally.
Real-time, delayed, historical, tick, order book, fundamental. The more detailed, the higher the costs can be.
Exchanges often distinguish between private and professional users (companies, asset managers, advisers, research) – with different fee models.
Real-time data is among the most frequently requested data types. The actual costs depend heavily on the markets chosen.
| Data type | Typical cost per month |
|---|---|
| Single exchanges | 5–20 € |
| Multiple exchanges | 20–100 € |
| Professional real-time data | 50–300 €+ |
Often cheaper than real-time – frequently free, integrated in software or available via brokers. Often sufficient for long-term investors.
Costs depend on data scope, history length, resolution and number of markets. Used for backtesting, research and quantitative models.
Among the most valuable and extensive data: every price change is stored, very large volumes, long histories. For order flow, futures and backtesting.
Different cost models: number of users, data volume, API calls, market coverage, real-time access. For trading systems, dashboards, apps and portals.
Many use free sources such as broker platforms, financial portals or public price services. But there are often restrictions – and indirect costs through poorer analysis.
The need – and therefore the costs – depends heavily on your trading style.
Investition in hochwertige Feeds lohnt sich meist besonders.
Costs are usually significantly lower.
Especially data-intensive – quality is decisive.
“The damage from poor data is often significantly higher than the savings on data fees.”
| Feature | Free data | Professional data |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | 0 € | ab wenigen € |
| Real-time | partial | Yes |
| History & tick data | limited | extensive |
| API access | restricted | extensive |
| Support | minimal | professional |
| Follow-up costs of poor data | high | low |
The more often decisions are based on market data, the more important reliable data supply becomes.
These mistakes often prove more expensive in the long run than a professional data feed.
“Successful traders don’t regard market data as a cost centre, but as an investment in better decisions.”
Basic information such as delayed prices is often free. Professional real-time feeds cost between a few euros and several hundred euros per month, depending on the scope.
Free data is often delayed, incomplete or limited to a few exchanges. The follow-up costs of poor data – missed trades, flawed backtests – exceed the savings.
Yes. TAI-PAN offers a trial access from €1, with which all real-time data and features can be tested.
Above all the number of exchanges, whether real-time or end-of-day, tick data access, order book/market depth and whether an API connection is needed.
The costs depend on market coverage, data type, history and purpose of use. Free data is often sufficient for initial analysis or long-term investments – active and professional users usually need real-time, tick or API solutions.
Focus not only on price, but on data quality, reliability and the long-term benefits of professional data supply.