{
  "name": "Best Futures Data",
  "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com",
  "publisher": {
    "name": "Historical Futures Data",
    "url": "https://historicalfuturesdata.com"
  },
  "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
  "recommendation": {
    "position": 1,
    "name": "Historical Futures Data",
    "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/historical-futures-data",
    "disclosure": "First-party editorial recommendation; the provider publishes this directory."
  },
  "providers": [
    {
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Historical Futures Data",
      "summary": "Our pick for individual quants who want downloadable futures ticks, continuous contracts and OHLCV bars in Parquet at a one-time price.",
      "format": "Parquet files",
      "cost_model": "$29–$129 once",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/historical-futures-data",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/historical-futures-data.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://historicalfuturesdata.com/browse",
        "https://historicalfuturesdata.com/pricing",
        "https://historicalfuturesdata.com/docs",
        "https://historicalfuturesdata.com/browse/MNQ"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Databento",
      "summary": "A strong option for exchange-normalized futures data, including event-level products, with APIs and batch delivery.",
      "format": "DBN, CSV, JSON & Parquet",
      "cost_model": "Usage / plan-based",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/databento",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/databento.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://databento.com/datasets/GLBX.MDP3",
        "https://databento.com/docs",
        "https://databento.com/pricing"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 3,
      "name": "AlgoSeek",
      "summary": "A specialist to evaluate for detailed historical futures trades, quotes and bar datasets delivered for research.",
      "format": "Research datasets & CSV",
      "cost_model": "Dataset-specific",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/algoseek",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/algoseek.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.algoseek.com/",
        "https://www.algoseek.com/futures/"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 4,
      "name": "Tick Data",
      "summary": "A long-standing specialist for custom historical futures trade, quote and interval-data orders.",
      "format": "Delimited files & tools",
      "cost_model": "Custom dataset orders",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/tick-data",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/tick-data.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.tickdata.com/",
        "https://www.tickdata.com/product/historical-futures-data/"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 5,
      "name": "FirstRate Data",
      "summary": "A direct downloadable alternative for buyers who want zipped futures history in familiar CSV files.",
      "format": "Zipped CSV",
      "cost_model": "One-time bundles",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/firstrate-data",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/firstrate-data.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.firstratedata.com/",
        "https://firstratedata.com/it/futures"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 6,
      "name": "Kibot",
      "summary": "Worth comparing for selected futures symbols, intraday history, tick products and an HTTP retrieval option.",
      "format": "Text files + HTTP API",
      "cost_model": "Bundles or custom orders",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/kibot",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/kibot.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.kibot.com/",
        "https://www.kibot.com/futures.aspx"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 7,
      "name": "Portara",
      "summary": "A futures-focused option to evaluate for intraday history, continuous contracts and configurable extraction.",
      "format": "Configured historical files",
      "cost_model": "Dataset / subscription options",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/portara",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/portara.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://portaracqg.com/",
        "https://portaracqg.com/futures/int/gc"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 8,
      "name": "Barchart",
      "summary": "An API-oriented choice for futures quotes and history when an application needs continuing market-data access.",
      "format": "APIs & data services",
      "cost_model": "Plan / usage-based",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/barchart",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/barchart.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.barchart.com/ondemand",
        "https://www.barchart.com/solutions/"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 9,
      "name": "CME DataMine",
      "summary": "The official CME historical-data channel to inspect for exchange-defined datasets and specialized products.",
      "format": "Exchange datasets & files",
      "cost_model": "Product-specific",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/cme-datamine",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/cme-datamine.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://datamine.cmegroup.com/",
        "https://www.cmegroup.com/market-data/datamine-historical-data.html"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 10,
      "name": "Sierra Chart",
      "summary": "A trading-platform route to futures history and exchange feeds for users whose workflow already runs in Sierra Chart.",
      "format": "Platform data & SCID files",
      "cost_model": "Service / exchange-based",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/sierra-chart",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/sierra-chart.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.sierrachart.com/",
        "https://www.sierrachart.com/index.php?page=doc/SierraChartHistoricalData.php"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 11,
      "name": "Interactive Brokers",
      "summary": "A broker API option for account-connected futures history, current data and execution workflows.",
      "format": "Broker APIs",
      "cost_model": "Account / market-data terms",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/interactive-brokers",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/interactive-brokers.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.interactivebrokers.com/campus/ibkr-api-page/",
        "https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/pricing/research-news-marketdata.php"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 12,
      "name": "EUREX Historical Data",
      "summary": "An exchange-operated source to inspect for EUREX futures, official records and specialized historical products.",
      "format": "Exchange historical products",
      "cost_model": "Product-specific",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/eurex-historical-data",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/providers/eurex-historical-data.md",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.eurex.com/ex-en/data/historical-data",
        "https://www.eurex.com/ex-en/data"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "articles": [
    {
      "title": "Historical Futures Data vs Databento: archive or API platform?",
      "summary": "Compare a one-time Parquet futures archive with Databento’s exchange datasets, historical APIs and event-level products.",
      "category": "Provider comparison",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/historical-futures-data-vs-databento",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/historical-futures-data-vs-databento.md"
    },
    {
      "title": "Futures data APIs or flat files: choosing a retrieval workflow",
      "summary": "Plan contract enumeration, date ranges, retries, roll data and local storage before choosing how to retrieve futures history.",
      "category": "Data delivery",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/futures-data-api-vs-flat-files",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/futures-data-api-vs-flat-files.md"
    },
    {
      "title": "Query a Parquet futures archive with DuckDB",
      "summary": "Inspect schemas, query selected columns and combine annual futures files without loading a separate database server.",
      "category": "SQL examples",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/parquet-futures-data-with-duckdb",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/parquet-futures-data-with-duckdb.md"
    },
    {
      "title": "Read the same futures Parquet file with pandas and Polars",
      "summary": "Use equivalent column selections, compare a volume summary and preserve timestamp and continuous-contract conventions.",
      "category": "Python examples",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/futures-data-pandas-polars",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/futures-data-pandas-polars.md"
    },
    {
      "title": "How to choose a futures data provider",
      "summary": "A practical specification for contract coverage, ticks, bars, continuous series, timestamps, licenses and local analysis.",
      "category": "Provider selection",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/choose-futures-data",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/choose-futures-data.md"
    },
    {
      "title": "How to choose historical futures data",
      "summary": "Compare expired contracts, back-adjustment, session definitions, data formats and evidence before buying years of futures history.",
      "category": "Historical archives",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/historical-futures-data-guide",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/historical-futures-data-guide.md"
    },
    {
      "title": "Parquet or CSV for futures market research?",
      "summary": "Choose a delivery format around typed schemas, analysis tools, storage and reproducibility—not a universal speed claim.",
      "category": "Data workflow",
      "reviewed": "2026-11-09",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/parquet-vs-csv-futures",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/guides/parquet-vs-csv-futures.md"
    }
  ],
  "policies": [
    {
      "title": "How we compare futures data providers",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/methodology",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/methodology.md"
    },
    {
      "title": "About this publication",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/about",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/about.md"
    },
    {
      "title": "Privacy",
      "url": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/privacy",
      "markdown": "https://bestfuturesdata.com/privacy.md"
    }
  ]
}