Overview
Tradovate is a US futures broker built around a cloud platform, so your charts, workspaces and orders follow you between devices. It's popular with day traders on micro contracts and with prop firm traders, since plenty of funded programmes run on it. Since 2025 it's part of the NinjaTrader group, which Kraken's parent bought, and brokerage accounts are held by NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC, a CFTC-registered futures commission merchant and NFA member (ID 0309379).
Accounts and costs
There's no minimum deposit, and you pick a pricing plan rather than an account type. The Free plan charges $0.39 per side on micros and $1.29 on standard futures. The Monthly plan adds a subscription and cuts that to $0.29 and $0.99, and the Lifetime plan is a one-off licence with the lowest rates, $0.09 and $0.59. Exchange, clearing and NFA fees come on top, and you'll pay exchange fees for real-time data. Day-trading margins start from $10, though overnight margins are set by the exchange.
Platforms and markets
The Tradovate platform runs on Mac, PC, web, iPhone, iPad and Android, and every plan now includes NinjaTrader Desktop, Web and Mobile too. You can trade straight from TradingView charts, and Market Replay lets you rerun past sessions in simulation. Markets cover CME futures and options on indices, interest rates, metals, energy, grains and currencies, in standard, mini, micro and nano sizes. There's free simulated trading to learn on.
Money in and out
You can fund by ACH, wire or debit card, and Tradovate doesn't charge for card deposits. Withdrawals go out by ACH (US residents) or wire, never back to a card. A US wire costs $30, and card deposits are held for five days before they can go out by ACH.
Good
- No minimum deposit and day-trading margins from $10
- Micro commissions as low as $0.09 per side on the Lifetime plan
- Cloud platform on desktop, web and mobile, plus NinjaTrader platforms at no licence fee
- TradingView integration and built-in Market Replay
- Free simulated trading
Watch for
- Exchange, clearing, NFA and market data fees come on top of commissions
- $30 fee for US wire withdrawals and card deposits can't be withdrawn back to the card
- Past CFTC and NFA actions over supervision and anti-money-laundering controls
- Customer reviews complain about onboarding and platform lag
Accounts and costs
What each account needs to open and what you pay to trade on it.
| Account | Min deposit | Pricing | Max leverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None | No monthly fee; $0.39 per side on micros, $1.29 on standard futures, $0.20 on nano and event contracts | Day-trading margins from $10 |
| Monthly plan | None | Subscription; $0.29 per side on micros, $0.99 on standard futures, $0.15 on nano and event contracts | Day-trading margins from $10 |
| Lifetime plan | None | One-off licence; $0.09 per side on micros, $0.59 on standard futures, $0.05 on nano and event contracts | Day-trading margins from $10 |
Regulation
Which entity holds which licence. Your protection depends on the entity you open an account with.
Investor protection: Futures accounts are not covered by SIPC
Platforms and markets
Platforms
Markets
Deposits and withdrawals
- Methods
- Bank transfer, Card
- Minimum deposit
- None
What traders say
Scores from the sites traders use, and our summary of what they're saying, checked 6 October 2026.
Tradovate's reviews have fallen a long way. Reddit users in 2020 pointed to a 4.5-star Trustpilot page; it now sits at 1.6 from about 1,900 reviews. RealReviews shows 4.1, but from only 15 reviews. Many reviewers date the slide to the NinjaTrader takeover in 2022, and much of the anger is about support and getting money out. Futures traders on Reddit are more divided, and several still use it for its low margins and TradingView link.
What traders like
Low day margins and costs. Reddit users often name low intraday margins and competitive commission plans as the reason they chose Tradovate.
Cloud platform and TradingView. Reviewers on TradingView and Reddit like that the web, desktop and mobile apps share one layout, and that the TradingView integration works.
Good for beginners. Some TradingView reviewers say it is easy to start with, and App Store users praise a demo that behaves like a live account.
Common complaints
Withdrawals. Several reviewers on Trustpilot, Reddit and Tradovate's own forum describe withdrawals that took weeks, refunds paid in the wrong amount, or international clients told they need a US bank account or ACH. Tradovate's help pages describe hold periods on recently deposited funds.
Support since the takeover. Many Reddit and Trustpilot reviewers say support became slow or unhelpful after NinjaTrader bought the firm, with emails to compliance going unanswered.
Bugs and lag. Some describe the desktop app as buggy, with order delays, freezes, bracket orders failing, and positions auto-liquidated without warning.
Hidden costs. Some Reddit users say market data fees, data commissions and a 30 USD outgoing wire fee make it dearer than it looks.
Slow account opening. One TradingView reviewer says their funds sat for almost two months waiting for account approval.
Recently
September 2026: a review site recorded the Trustpilot score at 1.6, and one of the newest Trustpilot reviews defends Tradovate against the negative ones. No other dated reviews from the last 90 days are in the evidence.
Where this comes from
Trustpilot: Tradovate's main review page.
TradingView: reviews from verified TradingView users with linked accounts.
RealReviews: a small set of customer reviews.
Reddit: futures traders comparing experiences.
Tradovate forum: a user thread on a delayed refund.
Verified reviews
Reviews from traders who've connected an account at Tradovate to Chartnaut, so you know they actually traded there. Opening soon.