Tradovate Review

Our Take on Tradovate

In January 2022, NinjaTrader acquired Tradovate for $115 million, so it is not surprising that there are some parallels to the NinjaTrader pricing models and features. After the aquisition of NinjaTrader by Kraken in 2025, it’s uncertain how the business model develops i the long run.

Best Prop Firms using Tradovate as Trading Platform

1. Apex Trader Funding
   • One of the most established firms using Tradovate, with $523.3 million in payouts distributed since 2022
   • Account sizes from $25K-$300K with 100% of first $25K profit, then 90/10 split
   • Up to 20 accounts active simultaneously, frequent 80-90% off promotions
2. Take Profit Trader
   • Official launch partner for Tradovate Prop platform
   • Simple, education-first setup ideal for beginners and consistent traders
   • Tiered payout system introduced May 2025 for all funded account types
3. MyFunded Futures
   • Official launch partner, CEO Matthew Leech emphasized “trust, transparency and stability”
   • Supports both NinjaTrader and Tradovate for maximum trader flexibility
   • Access to CME, CBOT, COMEX, NYMEX exchanges; manage up to $600K capital
4. TradeDay
   • Strong focus on trader development with coaching and zero commissions
   • Evaluation model focuses on habits over lucky trades, great for swing and intraday traders
   • Free reset after challenge failure with no hidden fees
5. Elite Trader Funding
   • Clear-cut rules and futures-only approach, appeals to focused traders
   • Transparent rules with no time limits or lot size requirements
   • Supports micros and mini contracts like MES, MNQ, MCL

Additional Tradovate-Supported Firms:

6. The Trading Pit
7. FundedNext
8. Alpha Capital
9. Legends Trading Group
10. BluSky
11. Lucid Trading
12. Emerge Funding
13. BrightFunded
14. SabioTrade
15. FXIFY

Plans, Features, Costs

Trading Tool

Tradovate comes with over 40 futures trading tools, including depth of market, charts, simulated trading, market replay, a spread matrix, and TPO profile charts.

You can integrate TradingView, daytradr, Bookmap, Jigsaw, and collective2 to your Tradovate account.

Tradovate Costs

Tradovate costs $99 per month, or $1,499 lifetime. There is also a free plan available. The basic logic is that the more you pay, the lower the futures trading commissions.

Data Feed

If you use the free Tradovate version, you need to subscribe to the Tradovate Extended Simulation Membership, which costs $12.95 per month. With a live Tradovate account (funded with the minimum account balance), you automatically get a free Level I CME Group market data subscription. In addition, this includes access to TradingView, Market Replay, and the Order Flow+ tool.

Brokerage

In case you use Tradovate Brokerage, you pay commissions. Depending on the Tradovate subscription, your rates are between $0.09 – $0.39 for micro futures and $0.59 – $1.29 for standard mini futures. There are additional fees for clearing and order routing fees.

Brand Popularity

Tradovate was founded in 2015 and has continiously grown in popularity. We’ve evaluated the number of monthly global searches for the brand name.

Read Customer Reviews of tradovate.com

Tradovate currently has a Trustpilot rating of 2.1 out of 5, based on 1,847 reviews, which is categorized as poor. 497 of those reviews are from people invited by the firm using Trustpilot’s supported invitation methods. 56 reviews have been submitted within the past 12 months, of which 45 are rated 1/5 or 2/5.

What Even Is Tradovate?

Tradovate is a cloud-based futures trading platform that launched in 2015 with a pretty bold mission: dragging futures trading into the modern era. Founded by a team that got tired of clunky desktop software, Tradovate runs entirely in the cloud, which means you can trade from literally anywhere, your desktop, laptop, phone, tablet, even your browser.

The platform is regulated by the CFTC and NFA (the serious folks who keep US futures brokers honest), so it’s legit. Unlike NinjaTrader which requires a Windows machine and feels like it was built during the Windows XP era, Tradovate was designed from the ground up for 2025 trading, which means it actually works on Macs without virtualization. Revolutionary, I know.

Here’s the thing: Tradovate isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. It’s focused exclusively on futures trading, which means if you want to trade stocks or options on equities, you’ll need to look elsewhere. But for futures traders who want a modern, streamlined experience without the bloat of legacy platforms, it’s worth a serious look.

The Features That Actually Matter

Cloud-Based Trading (Finally!)

The biggest selling point is right in the name: cloud-based. Your orders, charts, and settings are stored on Tradovate’s servers, not your device. This means:

• Your computer crashes? Your orders stay live.
• Internet drops? Your stop losses remain active.
• Switch from desktop to mobile mid-trade? Everything syncs automatically.

This is a massive improvement over desktop platforms where a computer crash can literally blow up your account. Your orders are securely held either at the exchange or server-side, never on your device.

The Depth of Market (DOM)

Tradovate’s DOM is designed for speed. You can analyze price information in the exchange’s limit order book, place orders rapidly, and manage positions with minimal clicks. The interface is clean and intuitive, no hunting through menus to find basic functionality.

One-click trading is supported, which is essential for scalpers and day traders who need to get in and out fast. The DOM also shows you real-time bid-ask spreads and order flow, giving you insight into market depth.

Cross-Platform Everything

Create a custom chart setup on your desktop at home. It’s automatically available on your iPad on the train. Switch to your phone during lunch. Everything syncs seamlessly.

Tradovate works on:

• Windows (finally, a Mac-compatible futures platform!)
• Mac (no emulator needed!)
• Web browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
• iPad and iPhone apps
• Android tablets and phones

The mobile apps aren’t just stripped-down versions either, you get full trading functionality, though admittedly the mobile experience is better for monitoring and simple trades than complex multi-leg orders.

Market Replay That Actually Works

Here’s where Tradovate gets interesting. The Market Replay feature lets you replay past trading sessions with full market depth, not just best bid/offer like cheaper platforms.

You can:

• Select any historical date and time
• Speed up the replay up to 4x
• Trade in simulation against the replayed data
• Test strategies on past events like Fed announcements or earnings releases

Unlike some platforms where you need to download massive data files, everything’s already on Tradovate’s servers. Just select your parameters and go. This is phenomenal for backtesting and strategy development.

The catch? Market Replay requires a subscription add-on. The trial version only goes back five trading sessions. For serious historical testing, you’ll need to pay extra.

Trading Tools & Order Management

Tradovate includes advanced order management features that desktop platforms charge extra for:

Bracket Orders (OCO): Automatically place profit targets and protective stops simultaneously when entering a trade.

Trailing Stops: Your stops automatically tighten as the market moves in your favor.

One-Sends-Other (OSO): Chain orders together, when one fills, it automatically triggers the next.

The platform supports all the standard order types (market, limit, stop, stop-limit), plus more advanced options for managing risk. You can also set customizable alerts to notify you when specific market conditions are met.

Third-Party Integration (The Secret Weapon)

Tradovate integrates directly with:

TradingView: Use TradingView’s superior charting and place trades directly through Tradovate. This is huge because TradingView’s charting is significantly better than Tradovate’s native tools.

Jigsaw Daytradr: For order flow traders who need to see the tape.

Bookmap: Visualize market liquidity with heatmap overlays.

Collective2: Follow other traders’ strategies automatically.

Sierra Chart: For those who want professional-grade charting.

These integrations mean you’re not stuck with Tradovate’s charting if you don’t like it. Mix and match tools to create your ideal setup.

Simulation Trading

Free unlimited simulated trading with real-time market data. No restrictions. No time limits. Test strategies, practice new markets, or just get comfortable with the platform without risking real money.

The sim account mirrors live trading completely, including exchange fees (though no Tradovate commissions). You can adjust your simulated balance to whatever amount you want, which is helpful for testing different account sizes.

Performance Center

Tradovate automatically tracks and analyzes your trading performance with detailed reports showing:

• Win rate and P&L by market
• Best and worst trading times
• Average trade duration
• Risk/reward metrics
• Customizable charts and tables

This saves hours of manual trade journaling. The analytics are available across all devices, so you can review your performance anywhere.

What’s This Going to Cost You?

Alright, let’s talk money. Tradovate has three pricing tiers, and unlike some brokers, they’re actually straightforward.

Free Plan (Pay As You Trade)

Platform Cost: $0/month

Commission Structure:

• Micro contracts: $0.39 per side
• Standard contracts: $1.29 per side
• Nano & Event contracts: $0.20 per side

This is perfect if you’re trading infrequently or just getting started. No monthly fees mean you only pay when you actually trade.

Small Plan (Monthly Subscription)

Platform Cost: $99/month

Commission Structure:

• Micro contracts: $0.29 per side
• Standard contracts: $0.99 per side
• Nano & Event contracts: $0.15 per side

The break-even point is around 30-40 micro contracts per month. If you’re trading more than that, the subscription saves you money.

Large Plan (Lifetime Access)

Platform Cost: $1,499 one-time payment (or 4 installments of $499)

Commission Structure:

• Micro contracts: $0.09 per side
• Standard contracts: $0.59 per side
• Nano & Event contracts: $0.05 per side

This is where serious traders save big money. The lifetime plan pays for itself if you’re trading 100+ contracts per month. Those micro contract fees drop to just 9 cents per side, which is extremely competitive.

The Hidden Costs (Because There Are Always Hidden Costs)

Market Data Fees: Just like every other platform, you’ll pay for real-time market data. CME Group data (the big one for index futures) runs about $12-41/month depending on depth of market access.

Inactivity Fees: Unlike NinjaTrader with its brutal $25-35/month inactivity fee, Tradovate doesn’t charge you for not trading. Huge win here.

Withdrawal Fees: Wire transfers cost money (typical for the industry). ACH withdrawals are available, though international users report some difficulties getting their money out.

Market Replay Subscription: Historical data beyond 5 sessions requires an additional subscription.

Liquidation Fee: $50 if your account gets liquidated. This one is particularly painful and feels punitive, many traders complain about it.

No Minimum Deposit

Tradovate doesn’t require a minimum deposit to open an account, though practically speaking you need at least $250-500 to trade anything meaningful given margin requirements.

The Good, The Bad, and The Seriously Frustrating

What Actually Works Well:

Cloud architecture is brilliant, Finally, a futures platform that doesn’t crash and burn when your computer does. Orders stay live, syncing is seamless, and you can trade from anywhere.

Mac support!, I cannot stress this enough: Tradovate natively supports macOS. No Boot Camp, no Parallels, no virtual machines. Just install and trade.

TradingView integration, Use TradingView’s vastly superior charting while executing through Tradovate. This is the dream setup.

Simple, transparent pricing, Three clear tiers, no weird hidden fees (except the liquidation fee, but we’ll get to that).

Excellent customer service, When you actually need help, the Illinois-based support team is responsive and helpful. Multiple contact channels including live chat.

Fast fills, Execution speed is genuinely good. Orders get filled quickly with minimal slippage on liquid contracts.

No inactivity fees, Trade when you want, not because you’re afraid of getting charged $35 for taking a break.

What Drives Me Absolutely Insane:

Charting is mediocre, Tradovate’s native charting tools are functional but basic. Moving averages sometimes display incorrectly, drawing tools are clunky, and you’ll probably end up using TradingView for any serious analysis.

No TP/SL modification after entry, This is the most commonly complained-about feature. You CANNOT add or modify stop loss or take profit orders after entering a trade unless you set them beforehand. This is absurd and a deal-breaker for many traders.

Platform stability issues, Despite being cloud-based, traders report frequent freezes, crashes, and connection problems. For a platform built on reliability, this is unacceptable.

That $50 liquidation fee, Feels predatory. Most brokers either don’t charge this or charge way less. When you’re already losing money, an extra $50 kick in the teeth is brutal.

Withdrawal difficulties, International traders report serious problems getting money out. Deposits are easy; withdrawals are a nightmare. Red flag.

Limited automation, If you’re into algorithmic trading, Tradovate’s API is basic compared to NinjaTrader. You can build simple automated strategies, but complex algorithms are better suited elsewhere.

Prop firm compatibility problems, Multiple traders report issues using Tradovate with prop firms, particularly around API rate limiting when trading multiple accounts.

UI can feel cluttered, Despite being “modern,” the interface sometimes feels busy and overwhelming, especially for beginners.

Trustpilot Score of 2.1, Let’s not ignore the elephant in the room. Out of 1,842 reviews on Trustpilot, Tradovate has a “Poor” rating. Common complaints include platform freezes, liquidation issues, withdrawal problems, and poor customer service response to serious issues.

Who Should Actually Use This?

Tradovate is perfect if you’re:

A Mac user, Finally, a professional futures platform that doesn’t require Windows! This alone makes it worth considering.

Mobile-first trader, If you need to trade on the go with full functionality, Tradovate delivers.

Day trader or scalper, Fast execution, cloud reliability, and one-click trading make it ideal for active intraday trading.

Volume trader, With the Lifetime plan, those 9-cent micro commissions add up to serious savings.

Someone who values simplicity, Clean interface, straightforward pricing, easy to get started.

TradingView fan, The integration lets you combine TradingView’s charting with Tradovate’s execution.

Skip it if you:

Need advanced charting, Native tools are basic. You’ll need third-party integration.

Trade with complex automation, NinjaTrader, Thinkorswim, or Sierra Chart are better for algorithmic traders.

Require TP/SL modification, If you need flexibility to adjust stops and targets mid-trade, this platform will frustrate you endlessly.

Are outside the US, International users report significant withdrawal issues and limited payment options.

Trade casually, If you’re trading just a few times per month, the Free plan works, but there are other platforms with better charting.

Use prop firms extensively, API limitations and platform stability issues make this problematic for multi-account trading.

How Does It Stack Up?

Tradovate vs NinjaTrader

NinjaTrader offers a desktop-based interface packed with features and customization options but mastering it can take weeks, making it better suited for experienced traders. Tradovate’s cloud-based platform works seamlessly across devices with full mobile functionality.

Both platforms have similar pricing: $99/month subscriptions and $1,499 lifetime access. The real difference is approach: NinjaTrader is desktop power and Windows-only, Tradovate is cloud flexibility and Mac-compatible.

Choose NinjaTrader if you need advanced charting, deep customization, and powerful automation. Choose Tradovate if you want modern cloud-based trading that works on Mac and mobile.

Tradovate vs TradingView

This is actually a complementary relationship, not a competition. TradingView is primarily a charting and social trading platform. Tradovate is a broker and execution platform.

Many traders use both: TradingView for analysis and charting, Tradovate for execution. The direct integration between them makes this combination powerful.

Tradovate vs Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers offers stocks, options, forex, and futures with more asset classes and global reach. However, their platform is more complex, and futures commissions are often higher than Tradovate’s Lifetime plan.

Choose IB if you want a one-stop-shop for multiple asset classes. Choose Tradovate if you’re focused exclusively on US futures with competitive pricing.

Tradovate vs AMP Futures

AMP Futures offers more flexibility with platform choice (you can use NinjaTrader, TradingView, etc.) and some traders report lower total costs. However, AMP doesn’t have its own proprietary platform.

The key difference: Tradovate has TradingView integration WITH stop loss/take profit handles that Tradovate’s direct integration lacks. This is a significant advantage if you’re using TradingView for charting.

My Completely Honest Take

Look, I want to like Tradovate more than I do. The cloud-based architecture is genuinely innovative. Mac support is a game-changer. The TradingView integration is slick. And when everything works, it’s a smooth, modern trading experience.

But here’s the problem: reliability issues keep cropping up. Platform freezes during volatile market conditions are unacceptable. The inability to modify stop losses after entry is baffling, it’s such a basic feature that its absence feels intentional, not oversight.

And that Trustpilot score of 2.1? You can’t ignore 1,842 mostly negative reviews. Common threads include:

• Accounts getting liquidated unexpectedly with extra losses
• Platform crashes during crucial moments
• Withdrawal nightmares, especially for international users
• Poor response from support when serious issues occur
• Hidden fees and charges that aren’t clearly communicated

The positive reviews consistently praise the TradingView integration, fast execution, and the modern interface. Users who have good experiences seem to genuinely love the platform. But there’s a significant number of traders who’ve had disastrous experiences.

The verdict: Tradovate is a platform with tremendous potential held back by execution problems (pun intended). If you’re an experienced trader who understands the limitations and can work around them, and especially if you’re on a Mac, it might be worth trying.

Start with the free trial. Test it thoroughly in simulation. Place small live trades before committing. And for the love of all that’s holy, always set your stop losses BEFORE entering a trade because you won’t be able to add them afterward.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars, Innovative cloud-based platform with Mac support and great potential, severely undermined by reliability issues, feature gaps, and a concerning pattern of user complaints.

The cloud architecture and modern interface are genuinely impressive. But until they fix the TP/SL modification issue, improve platform stability, and address the withdrawal and customer service problems that plague their Trustpilot reviews, I can’t give it a higher rating.

If you do try it, start small, test extensively, and always have a backup platform ready. Because when Tradovate works, it’s great. When it doesn’t, you’re going to wish you’d read the Trustpilot reviews more carefully.

Bottom line: Modern and Mac-compatible with solid execution when it works, but too many reliability concerns and missing features to recommend without serious reservations. Try the free demo extensively before committing any real money.