FirmTape vs SpotGamma (2026)
SPX dealer-gamma levels, head to head · SpotGamma's pages read 2026-10-03
SpotGamma sells options-positioning analytics across 3,500+ US stocks and the major indices, with a daily research note, live webinars and a Discord. FirmTape measures SPX dealer positioning from the options tape, rebuilt every second while the session runs, and gives away 1,122 finished sessions with no account. The table is what each vendor's own pages state, and one row is marked amber against us on purpose.
| FirmTape | SpotGamma | |
|---|---|---|
| Price / month | $0 archive · $49 live | $89–299 · annual from $67 |
| Free tier | 1,122 sessions + today delayed | Free tools + a free daily report |
| Symbols | SPX every second + 100 on snapshots | 3,500+ stocks + indices |
| Inspectable history | 1,122 sessions, free, since 2022 | Not stated |
| Dealer side | Convention on volume; tape-signed view too | Proprietary models (SGOI, HIRO) |
| Backtests your rule | Yes: LAB, out-of-sample | Not stated |
| MCP for AI assistants | Live, in the registry | Not stated |
| API | Yes: levels and Lab APIs, OpenAPI | Not stated |
| Publishes null results | Yes: /research | Not stated |
| Sells signals | Never | Scanners with directional signals (Compass) |
| Community / education | None | Discord + weekly webinars |
| ES/NQ futures levels | Yes: SPX and NDX books by a parity basis, no CME data | Yes: basis offset, a precomputed ES column |
Where SpotGamma is stronger
- Breadth. 3,500+ stocks and ETFs plus the indices, with a Tape tool over 3,000+ tickers. FirmTape measures one symbol from the tape and carries 100+ more from chain snapshots.
- A research desk. The Founder's Note, live weekly webinars and a Discord: a person's reading of the day, every day. FirmTape prints measurements and no commentary.
- HIRO. A real-time hedging-flow indicator that has been in traders' hands since 2021. FirmTape shows the measured book rebuilt every second, which is a different object and a younger one.
- Proprietary models. SGOI and HIRO are described on their own pages as original research rather than the public GEX recipe. Whether that is better is not something their pages let anyone check, which is the point of the next list.
Where FirmTape is stronger
- The history is free and it is the whole thing. Every finished SPX session since 2022 replays minute by minute with no account. SpotGamma's pages state no history depth at all; the free tools are a snapshot.
- You can test a rule instead of believing it. The LAB backtests a plain-words idea over the archive with an out-of-sample holdout and prints "no edge" when that is the answer. SpotGamma's pages state no backtester.
- Inside the assistant. A live MCP server in the official registry; the session and calendar tools are free. SpotGamma's pages state no MCP or API.
- Null results in public. 35 research posts on the same archive, the losers included, with the numbers that go against us. A comparison page that scored us top on every row would contradict that, so it does not.
- Price. $49 a month for the live stream, $490 a year; the archive is $0. SpotGamma lists $89 to $299 a month across Standard, Pro and Alpha, with discounted first months from $17 and annual plans from $801 a year.
The row we lose
FirmTape's dealer side is inferred: each print is signed by which side of the spread the aggressor hit, and the book is rebuilt from that. The inference is good in some regimes and poor in others, and rather than describe it with an adjective the site publishes the measurements: which gamma measure sees anything and which book is the zero-gamma flip. SpotGamma's pages describe their positioning as proprietary models; how well that works is not something their pages let a reader check, which is the difference this page is about rather than a claim that ours is better.
Who should pick which
Questions people ask
- Is FirmTape a SpotGamma alternative?
- For SPX dealer-gamma levels, yes: both publish the zero-gamma flip, call and put walls and a gamma regime. FirmTape measures SPX from the tape, carries 100+ more symbols from chain snapshots, gives the finished-session archive away free and adds a backtester and an MCP server; SpotGamma covers 3,500+ symbols and adds a research note, webinars and a Discord.
- How much does SpotGamma cost compared with FirmTape?
- SpotGamma lists Standard at $89 a month, Pro at $129 and Alpha at $299, with first months at $17, $25 and $49, and annual plans at $801, $1,161 and $2,691 a year (read 2026-10-03). FirmTape's live stream is $49 a month or $490 a year, and every finished session is free without an account.
- Does SpotGamma have historical data or a replay?
- Its public pages do not state a history depth, a replay or a backtester. FirmTape's archive replays every SPX session since 2022 minute by minute, free.
- Which one has the better dealer positioning?
- Neither page can prove it. SpotGamma calls SGOI and HIRO proprietary models; FirmTape infers the dealer side from the options tape by which side of the spread each print hit, and publishes the measurements of how well that works, including where it does not.
Check the archive first See pricing
Other comparisons
“Not stated” means the vendor's own public pages did not state it when they were read; it is not a claim that the thing does not exist. Competitor details were read from the vendor's own public pages on 2026-10-03; the ES/NQ futures row on 2026-09-30, and a blank there means that reading did not cover the vendor. The details are reproduced for comparison only. They change without notice, so check the source before relying on any of them. No affiliation with, or endorsement by, any product named. Not investment advice.