I consider this post to be a public service announcement for all thinkorswim users out there. I switched over from E-Trade to TD Ameritrade about two years ago (although they weren't always my primary platform) and ever since I have had nothing but problems with ToS, namely their inability to plot price quotes onto a chart (which is what I consider to be the fundamental, most basic part of a trading platform). If you feel the same, luckily you have come to the right place for a solution to your vulgar experience with thinkorswim charting.
Here is the sad part about their data problems.. the data in itself is very reliable. TDA is a huge company and getting accurate stock quotes directly from all the exchanges is not a problem for them in the slightest. The problem comes in with thinkorswim trying to impress newbie traders with a thousand different bells and whistles that no one has any use for except for the broker who is using shiny objects to attract traders that don't know any better. The result is that there is no focus on the core necessities for traders such as low latency, speed in changing symbols & time-frames, plotting accurate quotes, and being consistently reliable.
So the next time you start seeing huge holes or random bars plotting on your intraday charts, or daily/weekly bars that never happened go to www.sierrachart.com and sign up for package 1 ($20/m). Sierra chart supports TDA data and they know how to use it correctly as they know what a trader needs. Charts open up in 500 milliseconds (or a setting of your choice, down to 40 milliseconds), all data is where it is supposed to be, historical data is downloaded and saved onto your computer so that all you are streaming is the current bar that is plotting for the most superior user experience (ToS streams every bar, every time you open a chart for the most unpleasant, congested user experience), time-frames change as fast or faster than a chart opens, and there is no strain on your computer at all.
Now here is why you need package 1 for using TDA data. Sierra chart provides a historical data service when using a package higher than 1 that is unnecessary when using TDA data. This historical data service only allows you to request 700 charts a day which is probably a lot, but the last thing you want is to be locked out of downloading anymore symbols for the day. Package 1 gives unlimited requests to the TDA server and therefore you can download as many symbols as you want per day, and it is also cheaper as well. If you decide to do a free trial before you sign up, you need to contact support (through the support board) and tell them to switch your free trial from package 5 (default) to package 1 in order for you to get the best experience with TDA data.
This public service announcement is assuming that you are a swing trader using stocks. If you are a day trader using anything (stocks, futures, forex), you should already be far away from ToS for charting purposes. I say that because the stock data seems to be the only data that will come through Sierra Chart. Futures and forex data doesn't seem to be working but I don't need it anyway. The cost-benefit ratio is through the roof on the benefit side so I don't really care about that data. The fundamental difference between Sierra Chart and thinkorswim is that while ToS is busy focusing on the newest latest and greatest attachment to their platform that no real trader will ever use, SC is focusing on user experience and sticking to their core principles of a slim professional charting platform.
I do still use ToS for execution (for now at least) of my stock and options trades. Anyway, if you are like me and can't stand the bulk on ToS causing problem after problem then just give Sierra Chart a free trial on package 1 with TDA data and I can nearly promise you a much better experience for $20 a month. As a full disclaimer, I have no affiliation with Sierra Chart at all. I just believe in the product as well as the price. I know the software front and back so if you have any questions about it anytime, please use the comment section below so that everyone can benefit from it.
