Free footprint chart for NinjaTrader 8 (no Order Flow+)
A footprint opens each bar and shows how much traded at every price, splitting aggressive selling (at the bid) from aggressive buying (at the ask). In NinjaTrader that is the Volumetric Bars of Order Flow+, which is paid. This one is free and works with the free license: it uses the 1-tick series with the bid/ask of every trade and, live, each trade as it happens.
We measured it before publishing: on NQ, MNQ, ES, MES, gold and crude, each footprint bar's volume matches NinjaTrader's in 100% of 1-minute bars, and the side of each trade comes from the real bid/ask in 99.9-100% of cases. The Log tab shows that check every time it loads.
- 100% free
- Open source (MIT)
- Built by El Trader Financiado for the community
Version 1.0 beta · NinjaTrader 8 · .zip to import · also in the pack of all 12 · updated October 31, 2026
Install one language only: if you switch between English and Spanish, delete the ElTraderFinanciado folder first (Documents\NinjaTrader 8\bin\Custom\Indicators).
What the indicator draws
- Bid x ask, delta or volume cells by price, with the background colored by the dominant side or by volume.
- Diagonal imbalances: blue (buyers) or magenta (sellers) bar and the number in bold. 300% ratio and an automatic minimum difference per product.
- Stacked imbalances (3 or more in a row) as a zone extended until price returns, and unfinished auctions at the bar's high or low.
- Each bar's POC boxed, 70% value area and, if you want, naked bar POCs.
- Summary below the bars: volume, delta and session cumulative delta; optional delta %, minimum and maximum, delta since the high and the low, and trades.
- Detail on mouse hover, stacked imbalance alert (live) and series for strategies.
What a footprint chart is
A normal bar sums up a minute (or whatever) in four prices. The footprint opens it: at each price it shows how many contracts were sold hitting the bid and how many were bought lifting the ask. You see where the volume was inside the bar and who had the initiative at each level.
Read the full guide: what it is, rule-based strategies and common mistakesWhat each screenshot shows
- 01
Bid x ask at every price
Each row is a price: aggressive selling (at the bid) on the left and aggressive buying (at the ask) on the right. The background takes the color of the dominant side and the gold box marks the bar's POC.
- 02
Every cell in detail
Hover a cell to see the sell, buy, delta and volume at that price, the imbalance if any, and the bar's data: volume, delta, minimum and maximum delta and number of trades.
- 03
Adapts to the zoom
With room it shows the numbers. If they don't fit it merges several prices per row (2, 4, 5, 10…) and, further out, switches to colors only. Imbalances and the POC are always computed on 1-tick rows, so they don't change when you zoom.
- 04
With Big Trades and Cumulative Delta
All three use the same tick engine. With the same tick sessions, NinjaTrader serves them with a single load.
How to trade footprint chart
The most common uses. Everything is set in the indicator properties.
Stacked imbalances as a zone
A stacked buyer zone that holds when price comes back says the buyers are still there.
Exhaustion at the extremes
A bar that makes a high on little volume with delta turning warns that the push is running out.
What the evidence says
The footprint describes what happened inside the bar; it isn't a signal. Imbalances and unfinished auctions are widely used readings among order flow traders, but we know of no public studies showing that trading them gives an edge on its own.
Key settings
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Cell | BidAsk | Selling and buying by price, the delta at the price or the total volume. |
| Ticks per row | 1 | Prices merged into each row. When zoomed out it groups up to 20 ticks automatically so the numbers fit. |
| Ratio (%) | 300 | How much one side must exceed the other to mark an imbalance. Volumetric uses 150, with many more. |
| Minimum difference (contracts, 0 = automatic) | 0 (automatic) | The product's median volume per price and side: about 4 on NQ, 17 on MNQ and 47 on ES on 1-minute bars. Enter a number to fix it. |
| Mark stacked imbalances | Yes, 3 rows | Zone extended until price returns (30 bars at most), or until a bar closes beyond it. |
| Mark unfinished auctions | Yes | Line at the bar's extreme when there were buys and sells. It can be extended until price returns. |
| Value area of each bar | Yes (70%) | Thin gold line next to the cells. |
| Show the summary below the bars | Vol, Δ, Δ session | Optional rows: delta %, minimum and maximum, since the high and the low, trades. The cumulative delta can also reset at a time of day (830 = index futures open). |
| Tick sessions to load | 5 | Days with a footprint. Earlier bars are shown as normal candles. |
How to install ETFFootprint in NinjaTrader 8
- 1
Download the .zip and don't unzip it.
- 2
In NinjaTrader 8, from the Control Center: Tools → Import → NinjaScript Add-On… and pick the .zip.
- 3
Accept and wait for it to compile. If you had an earlier version, allow it to overwrite.
- 4
Indicators: on the chart, right-click → Indicators… → ElTraderFinanciado folder. Risk-Reward: right-click → Drawing Tools. Risk Guardian: Control Center → New.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Order Flow+, Level 2 or Tick Replay?
No. It loads a 1-tick series with the bid/ask of every trade, which works with the free license, and live it uses each trade with its bid/ask. If you turn on Tick Replay on the chart, it uses that too.
Why can't I see the numbers?
They don't fit. Widen the bars (chart properties, Bar spacing) and stretch the price scale. Until they fit, the footprint groups prices per row and, further out, switches to colors only; the label at the top left tells you which mode it is in.
Does it match NinjaTrader's Volumetric Bars?
It uses the same rule for the side (bid/ask and, inside the spread, the previous tick), so the figures should be very close. Each bar's volume matches NinjaTrader's in 100% of the measured minute, tick and volume bars, and in 99.7% of range bars.
Why is the minimum difference automatic?
Because one fixed number doesn't fit every product: on 1-minute bars the typical volume per price and side is about 4 contracts on NQ and 47 on ES. With a fixed 10, NQ showed almost no imbalances and on ES it filtered nothing. Automatic uses the product's own median, and the Log tab says which value it used.
Can I use it with Big Trades or the volume profile?
Yes. The footprint draws right above the candles and below the other indicators, so Big Trades bubbles, the VWAP or the profile show on top of the cells, whatever order you add them in. The order flow indicators share the tick load.
Does it work on daily bars?
No: the footprint needs intraday bars (minutes, seconds, ticks, range, volume, Renko). On daily or higher bars it doesn't load ticks and says so.
Which days have a footprint?
The ones in the tick load: by default the last 5 sessions. Earlier bars are shown as normal candles. Raise “Tick sessions to load” for more days (loading takes longer).
Trying it in a futures prop firm?
We have discount codes for the main evaluations. They are affiliate links: we earn a commission if you buy through them.
More free indicators
Big Trades
FreeLarge aggressive orders rebuilt tick by tick, drawn as bubbles that grow with how far they exceed the threshold. No Order Flow+ or Level 2.
Cumulative Delta
FreeCVD from real bid/ask as candles, line or histogram, session resets, divergences and a label saying where the data comes from.
Volume Profile
FreeSession volume profile with POC, value area, naked POCs, HVN/LVN nodes and fixed ranges.
The indicators describe what price has done; they don't predict what it will do and they are not investment advice. The risk management tools are an aid: they don't replace your firm's rules or your broker's limits. Only trade futures with money you can afford to lose.
