Vantedge sells two automated NinjaTrader 8 strategies for ES and NQ. They read different data, enter differently and are tested differently. The right choice usually comes down to three practical questions: what data you have, how you want to test, and how short-term you trade.
The two in one sentence each
FlowPilot buys or sells when aggressive orders stack up on several price levels in a row in the footprint of the forming bar.
BookPilot trades book pressure that holds, and fades large resting orders that get pulled before they trade.
Side by side
| FlowPilot | BookPilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299 / month | $399 / month |
| Reads | Traded volume: the footprint | The Level 2 order book |
| Signal | 3 stacked imbalances at 300%, delta must agree | Pressure Break or Pulled Wall |
| Direction | Follow, Fade, or Auto (Trend / Regression) | With Bias, Long only or Short only |
| Entry | Market order | Limit order behind the touch |
| Default bracket | 16-tick target, 16-tick stop | $150 target, $100 stop per contract |
| Data feed | Tick data with bid/ask | Level 2 market depth |
| Backtesting | Strategy Analyzer with Tick Replay | No; Market Replay and SIM |
| Included indicators | Vantedge Footprint | BookScope, Footprint, DOM Pressure Matrix (SuperDOM column) |
Question 1: do you have Level 2 data?
This settles it for many traders. BookPilot needs a market depth feed, live or in Market Replay, and refuses to arm if no depth update has arrived in the last 5 seconds. FlowPilot only needs tick data with bid and ask, which most feeds provide.
If you do not have Level 2, or do not want to pay for it, FlowPilot is the one that works with what you have.
Question 2: how do you want to test?
FlowPilot can be backtested and optimised in the NinjaTrader Strategy Analyzer, as long as Tick Replay is on. You can run months of history and check results on a later period before you risk anything.
BookPilot cannot. Historical bars carry no order book, so the Strategy Analyzer produces no trades. You test it by downloading Market Replay data with depth and replaying sessions, which is slower but still repeatable.
If testing over long history matters most to you, that favours FlowPilot.
Question 3: how short is your timeframe?
FlowPilot works on bar-level setups that play out over minutes. It evaluates the forming bar on every trade, enters at market and holds to a tick bracket.
BookPilot reacts within milliseconds to the book. Its Pressure Break must hold for 250 ms by default, entries are cancelled if unfilled after 3 seconds, and it suits two-sided, rotational conditions. If you scalp and prefer limit entries to paying the spread, it is built for that.
Other differences that matter day to day
- Control. FlowPilot's panel has Arm Long, Arm Short, Arm Both, Trend Long, Trend Short, Close and Mode. BookPilot's has With Bias, Engage Long, Engage Short, Auto Re-Arm, the two engine switches, LOW / MEDIUM / HIGH presets, Forecast Confirm and Flatten All.
- Risk limits. Both lock for the session at a daily profit goal or max loss and pause after a loss. BookPilot adds an hourly trade cap and a trading hours window.
- Indicators. BookPilot includes Vantedge BookScope for the chart, the Vantedge DOM Pressure Matrix as a SuperDOM column, and Vantedge Footprint as well, so it covers both views.
What they have in common
Both run inside NinjaTrader 8 on ES and NQ, both are billed monthly, and both use the same licence approach: a key in the strategy's License Key setting that works on 2 devices. Both also include Vantedge Footprint, so you can watch traded volume on the chart whichever one you pick, and both start on Sim101 in the guides' first-run steps.
A quick rule of thumb
- No Level 2, want backtests, trade over minutes: FlowPilot.
- Have Level 2, scalp ES or NQ, want limit entries and spoof fades: BookPilot.
The full capability matrix is on the compare page.
Whichever strategy you pick, futures trading can cost you money quickly. Run it in SIM, and in Market Replay for BookPilot, before trading an evaluation, funded or live account.