MotiveWave
on Mac.

MotiveWave is one of the longest-standing futures platforms with a real Mac version, and it connects to Rithmic without Windows. Here’s which edition you need for order flow, how the Rithmic connection works on a Mac, and how it compares with Lightwick.

By Lightwick · Updated October 9, 2026

The short answer

Native Mac app: Yes. MotiveWave says “it is a native Mac application,” with separate Intel and Apple silicon downloads. It needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.
Rithmic on a Mac: Yes, through MotiveWave’s own Rithmic connector. The R | Trader Pro plug-in route is Windows only.
Footprint and order flow: The Order Flow edition and above: $595 to buy with a year of updates, or $49 a month. The pack includes Volume Imprint, MotiveWave’s footprint.
One license, both systems: The same license key works on Windows and Mac.

Choose an edition

MotiveWave sells a license that includes a year of updates, or a monthly lease. Prices are from MotiveWave’s order pages; the order page still calls the Order Flow edition by its old name, Trade.

MotiveWave editions, prices, and order flow tools
Edition	Buy or lease	For order flow traders
Community	Free	No order flow pack.
Standard	$245, or $24 a month	No order flow pack.
Order Flow	$595, or $49 a month	Volume Imprint footprints, cumulative delta, DOM history, Big Trades, and TPO.
Professional	$1,495, or $99 a month	The order flow pack plus strategy automation.
Ultimate	$2,295, or $159 a month	The top edition: the order flow pack and automation, plus MotiveWave’s full analysis toolset.

A purchased license keeps working after the first year; continued updates and support then cost $55, $105, $225, or $295 a year, from Standard up to Ultimate.

Connect Rithmic on a Mac

MotiveWave has supported Rithmic on Apple silicon since version 6.6.2. In version 7, it made its native connector, now called Rithmic WS, the default connection on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The older C++ connector, renamed Rithmic Gateway, is Windows only.

Sign your Rithmic agreements first, using your firm’s instructions. Some firms offer a browser route for Mac users; see R | Trader Pro on Mac.
Add a Rithmic connection in MotiveWave and enter the user ID, password, system, and gateway your firm issued.
Check the account and data. Confirm the account ID and that quotes update for the contract and expiry you trade.

MotiveWave also documents connecting through R | Trader Pro with “Allow Plug-ins” turned on, which it suggests “to avoid paying multiple platform fees.” R | Trader Pro is a Windows app, so on a Mac you use the direct connector instead; ask your firm whether that adds a fee.

MotiveWave or Lightwick?

Both run natively on a Mac and connect to Rithmic. They’re built for different traders.

MotiveWave is broader

It connects to Rithmic, CQG, and several brokers, runs on Intel and Apple silicon, and covers Elliott Wave analysis, cumulative delta, automation, and a Java SDK. If you need one of those, it’s the stronger choice.

Lightwick is narrower and more Mac-like

Lightwick is written in Swift with Apple’s own frameworks rather than Java, and keeps the chart, DOM, order ticket, and account in one window. It covers footprint charts, volume profile and TPO, and a DOM with traded volume at bid and ask, for Rithmic accounts and Topstep accounts through TopstepX, on Apple silicon Macs running macOS 15 or later.

On cost, MotiveWave’s order flow tools start at $49 a month or $595 up front. Lightwick Pro, with footprint charts, will be $39 a month after beta and is free while the beta runs. The best test is to open the same contract in both during a busy session and see which one you’d rather trade from.

Common questions

Is MotiveWave a Java app?

Yes. MotiveWave is built on Java and JavaFX, which is how one codebase runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Version 7.1.1 moved to Java 27, and MotiveWave says JavaFX now defaults to the native Metal rendering engine on macOS.

Does MotiveWave connect to Tradovate?

Tradovate is not on MotiveWave’s connections page, which lists Rithmic, CQG, and Plus500 Futures (CTS) gateways and brokers including Interactive Brokers, TradeStation, AMP, Optimus, and EdgeClear. A Tradovate-based prop account needs a different platform.

Is there a free version?

MotiveWave Community is free, and the paid editions have a 14-day trial with no credit card. Order flow studies start at the Order Flow edition. Market data is not included in any edition.

Can MotiveWave trade automatically?

Built-in strategy automation starts at the Professional edition. Custom studies and strategies are written in Java with MotiveWave’s SDK.

Try Lightwick on your Mac.

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