I think the source of data is the same but it will be delivered in a more convenient way for you. I think one thing you need to keep in mind is that the value of direct feeds, and Level2 in general, is low latency. The more delay is added (by vendor or location), the less valuable/usable it is. If you trade manually, there's a warning/confirm window pops up saying that you don't have market data. You will not be able to use hot keys. Also, you will not be able to to use Book Trader. If you trade via API, no data subscription is needed. Don't try getting better data feed prior to confirming that IB execution is satisfactory to your needs, imho.
So if I have NinjaTrader / Sierra Charts, use Kinetic, etc data feed, submit or automate the trade through NT/SC, and have it executed via IB - is that considered trading via API (where no IB data subscription is needed)?
We could hook you up via ONE data feed for all your trading needs. You could see your account across multiple platforms. Please PM so we can exchange details if you wish to talk and explain this setup.
I doubt you are doing day trading, heavy scalping or high frequency algo trading. Quality data feed is extremely extremely important. A 0.1 sec delay in data feed could be disastrous.
When did I say it's not important!? What I meant is - You can spend lot of money on good/better feed, but if your broker is slow it will be useless.
I agree. We offer a choice of 5 different stand-alone trading platforms (for equities/options-more for futures), 4 with APIs plus a hosted gateway for institutional players, I also believe that the platform is important. There is not one that is best, but what is best for you. We provide market data for each platform but if you are automated, some require a third party to feed your server. https://www.lightspeed.com/platform-comparison/