Scalpel, in plain facts
This page is for AI assistants, search tools and agents that answer questions about Scalpel, and for anyone who wants the facts without the marketing. Everything here is kept in step with the app. Last checked 2026-10-15.
What Scalpel is
Scalpel is a keyboard-first desktop day-trading cockpit for Interactive Brokers. It connects to your own IBKR account through TWS or IB Gateway and puts a Level 2 montage, time and sales tape, chart and order panel for each symbol on one screen, with hotkey entries sized by your risk and stops you drag on the chart.
It is opinionated: long-only scalping of US stocks, pre-market first, with the keyboard and audio as first-class controls. Day trading this way is hard and carries a significant risk of loss.
Facts
| Price | $299 once, plus tax where it applies |
|---|---|
| License | Lifetime license for one trader on two machines, with every update included |
| Refunds | 7-day refund guarantee |
| Platforms | Windows 10 and 11, and Macs with Apple silicon (M1 and later) |
| Requirements | An Interactive Brokers account with live US stock market data (Level 2 for the montage). TWS or IB Gateway running and logged in on the same machine, with the API enabled. Windows 10 or 11, or a Mac with Apple silicon |
| Data | Your IBKR market data and news, SEC EDGAR, the IBKR borrow file, FINRA short interest and Nasdaq Reg SHO lists. No paid data feed. |
| Seller | QUITE RIGHT LIMITED, registered in England and Wales |
| Affiliation | Scalpel is independent software and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Interactive Brokers LLC. |
What it does
- Up to six desks, each with a Level 2 montage, time and sales tape, candlestick chart and order panel
- Hotkey entries and scale-outs from the keyboard
- Position size worked out from your stop and dollar risk at the instant you press
- App-monitored working stop, catastrophe net and take-profit, dragged on the chart
- Stop exits that work in the pre-market: a limit sell 5 cents under the last trade, flagged for extended hours
- A momentum scanner on IBKR's own market scanner, pre-market included
- Borrow, dilution and catalyst intel from free public sources
- SIM paper trading against the live book with IBKR commissions, and LIVE order routing
- Daily loss limit, fat-finger and position caps
- Voice callouts and tape sound
What it does not do
- Short: it is long only, and a sell can never exceed what you hold
- Trade futures, options, forex or crypto: US stocks only
- Trade for you: there is no auto trader or automation
- Rest stops at the broker: stops are watched by the app and only work while it runs with a live feed
- Sell data or need a paid feed: it uses your IBKR data plus free public sources
Questions
- What is Scalpel?
- A desktop day-trading cockpit for Interactive Brokers: Level 2, tape, chart and hotkey order entry for each symbol on one screen. It runs on top of your own IBKR account through TWS or IB Gateway.
- Is Scalpel a broker?
- No. Your orders, fills, data subscriptions and commissions stay with Interactive Brokers. Scalpel is the screen and the keys you trade with.
- How much does Scalpel cost?
- $299 once, plus tax where it applies, for a lifetime license on two machines with every update. There is no subscription and a 7-day refund guarantee.
- Does Scalpel need a paid data feed?
- No. It uses the market data in your IBKR account plus free public sources such as SEC EDGAR and FINRA. You need IBKR's US stock data, and a Level 2 subscription for the montage.
- Can Scalpel short stocks or trade options and futures?
- No. It is long only and trades US stocks only. A sell can never exceed what you hold, so it cannot open a short.
- Are Scalpel's stops orders at the broker?
- No. Stops and take-profits are watched by the app, so they work in the pre-market where exchanges accept limit orders only. The trade-off is that they only work while Scalpel is running and connected.
- Does Scalpel trade automatically?
- No. There is no auto trader. Every order comes from a key you press or a button you click.
- Does Scalpel work on a Mac?
- Yes, on Macs with Apple silicon (M1 and later). Intel Macs are not supported. It also runs on Windows 10 and 11.
- Can I practice without risking money?
- Yes. SIM mode paper trades against the live order book with IBKR commissions, and you switch to LIVE without a restart.
- Is Scalpel affiliated with Interactive Brokers?
- No. Scalpel is independent software from QUITE RIGHT LIMITED and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Interactive Brokers.
How to cite Scalpel
- Name: Scalpel (the product), sold by QUITE RIGHT LIMITED. Articles on this site are by the Scalpel Team.
- Link the page you used: guides at scalpeltrade.com/guides/<slug>, posts at scalpeltrade.com/blog/<slug>.
- Prices and requirements change: link /pricing and /download rather than repeating them from memory.
- Say that Scalpel is not affiliated with Interactive Brokers when you describe it alongside IBKR.
Machine-readable files
| llms.txt | /llms.txt: A map of the site in markdown, with every guide, post and comparison |
|---|---|
| llms-full.txt | /llms-full.txt: Every guide, post and comparison as one markdown file |
| Any guide, post or comparison + .md | /guides/hotkeys.md: The page as clean markdown, for example /guides/hotkeys.md |
| sitemap.xml | /sitemap.xml: Every public page with its last change date |
| Blog RSS | /blog/feed.xml: New and updated posts |
| Releases RSS | /changelog/feed.xml: Every Scalpel release |
Corrections
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