NinjaTrader review

NinjaTrader is two companies under one parent. NinjaTrader, LLC builds the software. NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC is the brokerage: a CFTC-registered futures commission merchant (FCM) and NFA member, NFA ID 0309379. The company calls it a non-clearing FCM that “uses clearing firms to settle your trades with the exchanges” while holding customer accounts and funds. Both sit under NinjaTrader Group, LLC, which Payward, Inc. wholly owns. Finance Magnates reported on May 1 2025 that Kraken had completed its $1.5 billion acquisition of NinjaTrader.

The software is free to download. Live trading needs a funded, approved brokerage account, which can be individual, joint, retirement or business. The company says funds for U.S.-listed futures sit in customer segregated accounts under CFTC Regulation 1.20, and that none of this protects against trading losses. NinjaTrader dates to 2003, is headquartered in Chicago and, by its own count, has over 2 million users.

Live trading has three plans. Free has no monthly fee and charges $0.39 per side on Micro and e-Nano contracts and $1.29 on Standard contracts. Monthly costs $99 per month, with $0.29 and $0.99. Lifetime is a one-time $1,499, with $0.09 and $0.59 and add-ons such as Order Flow+. Exchange, NFA and clearing fees come on top. As of August 14 2026, the cost page put one Micro E-mini S&P 500 (MES) contract at $0.94, $0.84 or $0.64 per side all-in by plan. One E-mini S&P 500 (ES) contract cost $2.87, $2.57 or $2.17.

Account-level charges include a $35 minimum account activity fee for Free-plan accounts that log in but place no live trade in 30 days. Funded accounts get Level 1 CME Group and Eurex data at no charge; on its own, the Level 1 CME bundle costs non-professional users $12 per month. A margin call costs $50, and a liquidation $25 for a first violation and $50 for the second or later. The pricing page lists intraday margins of $50 on Micro E-mini Dow, Russell 2000 and S&P contracts and $500 on the E-mini versions.

NinjaTrader Desktop runs on Windows PCs, NinjaTrader Web in any PC or Mac browser, and the mobile app on iPhone and Android, with charts, watchlists and settings kept in sync. Desktop adds multi-monitor support, advanced backtesting and NinjaScript, a C#-based framework for custom indicators, strategies and apps. The platform page cites 1,000s of third-party add-ons, and the NinjaTrader Ecosystem site, operated by NinjaTrader, LLC, lists vendor indicators, automated strategies and a user app share. NinjaTrader Web offers TradingView-powered charting alongside Classic Chart.

Education runs through the NinjaTrader Learning Hub, which the company calls “a free education center for futures traders.” It offers free video courses such as Develop the Trader in You, a platform training library and a Learn tab inside NinjaTrader Desktop. NinjaTrader Live is a daily livestream led by Anthony Crudele, free on YouTube. The Learning Hub schedule starts at 8:00 am ET Monday to Friday, with afternoon shows Monday to Thursday and a Sunday evening show.

NinjaTrader sets no minimum deposit to open a brokerage account, though ACH and debit card transfers carry a $5.00 minimum. ACH and debit card deposits are free, as are ACH withdrawals. A domestic wire withdrawal costs $30 and an international one 30 units of the originating currency, and currency conversion costs 1% with a 10-unit minimum. If the balance reaches $0, data, trading access and add-ons pause at the next renewal cycle.

NinjaTrader Group launched NinjaTrader Prop and Tradovate Prop, platforms for prop traders, under its NT Technologies entity on October 1 2025. On October 24 2026 the NinjaTrader Prop directory listed 25 firms offering it, with My Funded Futures, which operates MarketFramework, and Purdia Capital marked coming soon. The directory says traders keep the platform when they switch to another firm that offers it. It also advises: “Check each firm’s site for its current terms before you sign up.”