Is tick data better than OHLC?

Not universally — it is more precise but much larger. Use ticks for spread/execution and high-frequency research; use OHLC candles for most backtesting, charting and long-term studies.

How much bigger are tick files?

Far bigger. An active forex pair can produce millions of ticks per day, while the same day is a handful of hourly candles or a single daily candle. Download only the date range you need for ticks.

Why does daily data go back further than tick data?

Aggregated daily history has been recorded for much longer than full tick feeds. On MarketData Hub the available start date is shown separately for each timeframe.

Tick Data vs OHLC Candles

"Tick" and "OHLC" are the two ways historical price data is packaged. Picking the right one keeps your files manageable and your backtests honest. Here's the difference and when each makes sense.

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What is tick data?

Tick data is the raw feed: every individual quote, time-stamped to the millisecond, with bid and ask. Nothing is aggregated, so it's the most precise record of how price actually moved — and the largest in file size. A single active forex pair can generate millions of ticks per day.

What are OHLC candles?

OHLC (Open, High, Low, Close) candles summarise all the ticks inside a fixed interval — 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day, and so on — into four prices. They're dramatically smaller and are what most charts and backtesting engines consume.

When to use ticks

Modelling spread, slippage and execution at the quote level
High-frequency or scalping strategy research
Rebuilding custom candles (e.g. non-standard intervals or volume bars)

When to use OHLC

Swing, position and most intraday backtests
Charting and long-term trend studies — daily/monthly candles reach the furthest back
Anywhere file size or simplicity matters more than per-quote precision

History length differs

For a given instrument, coarser timeframes usually go back further: EUR/USD daily candles reach the 1970s while ticks start in the 2000s. Each instrument page lists the exact start date per timeframe.

You can have both

Every instrument on MarketData Hub offers tick data and every OHLC timeframe from 1-second to monthly, so you can download ticks for one study and daily candles for another. Read next: backtesting with historical data.

Frequently asked questions

Is tick data better than OHLC?: Not universally — it is more precise but much larger. Use ticks for spread/execution and high-frequency research; use OHLC candles for most backtesting, charting and long-term studies.
How much bigger are tick files?: Far bigger. An active forex pair can produce millions of ticks per day, while the same day is a handful of hourly candles or a single daily candle. Download only the date range you need for ticks.
Why does daily data go back further than tick data?: Aggregated daily history has been recorded for much longer than full tick feeds. On MarketData Hub the available start date is shown separately for each timeframe.