NinjaTrader Review 2025

Is NinjaTrader regulated?

NinjaTrader is regulated by the top-tier Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and National Futures Association (NFA).

Is NinjaTrader safe?

To be certain that a brokerage is safe, we highly advise that you check two facts:

• how you are protected if something goes wrong
• the background of the broker.

How you are protected

We recommend NinjaTrader's services for professionals because trading with futures is not covered by investor protection schemes. In addition, there's no negative balance protection. If the balance on your account goes negative, you would be responsible for those losses.

Our brokerage experts put together a comprehensive guide on the safety profile of NinjaTrader.

Background

NinjaTrader was established in 2003. The longer track record a broker has, the more proof we have that it has successfully survived previous financial crises. This is great sign of safety.
If you choose to connect one of the following brokerage accounts to NinjaTrader, we recommend checking their backgrounds here:

• Interactive Brokers
• Oanda
• Forex.com
• FXCM
• City Index

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Account base currencies

At NinjaTrader, you can choose from the following 5 base currencies: USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD.

However, please note that funds are calculated and displayed only in USD. If you trade an asset denominated in a currency other than your holding, you'll be charged a 1% with a minimum of $10 FX conversion fee.

This selection is average compared to competing brokers.

Why does this matter? For two reasons. If you fund your trading account in the same currency as your bank account or you trade assets in the same currency as your trading account base currency, you won't have to pay a conversion fee.

A convenient way to save on currency conversion fees is by opening a multi-currency bank account at a digital bank. These usually offer bank accounts in several currencies with great currency exchange rates, as well as free or cheap international bank transfers. Opening an account only takes a few minutes on your phone.

Deposit fees and options

NinjaTrader charges no deposit fees.

However, your intermediary bank might charge a fee, if you make an international bank transfer.
US residents can use ACH and checks for depositing.

Due to US regulations, US citizens cannot use credit cards to fund their brokerage accounts. They can only use debit cards, where available.

Here's all you need to know about minimum deposit requirements and depositing money at NinjaTrader.

A bank transfer can take several business days, while payment with a credit/debit card is instant. You can only deposit money from accounts that are in your name.

NinjaTrader withdrawal fees and options

ACH withdrawals are available to US clients and it's free of charge. However, international clients can only use wire withdrawal that costs $30.

Read our guide containing all key info on available withdrawal methods and related fees at NinjaTrader.

You can only withdraw money to accounts in your name.

How long does it take to withdraw money from NinjaTrader? We tested the international bank transfer and it took one day.

You can withdraw your funds following these steps:

1. Log into your NinjaTrader Account dashboard.
2. Click on Settings under your Profile on the top right.
3. , Select the withdrawal method: check or wire bank transfer. To use wire or ACH transfers, you need to add your wire or ACH account details.
4. Submit the request.

Can you open an account?

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Read our separate article on how to get your account started with NinjaTrader.

What is the minimum deposit at NinjaTrader?

The required NinjaTrader minimum deposit is $0.

Account types

You can choose one of the following account types:

• Individual - account is owned by one individual
• Joint - account is owned by one or more individuals
• Corporate/LLC/Trust/Partnership - account is owned by a legal entity
• Retirement - tax-advantaged account, available only for US residents

NinjaTrader Licenses

NinjaTrader has three licenses, 'Free', 'Monthly' or 'Lifetime'. These licenses differ in commission, price, and functionality.

* You can connect one or more of the following brokerage accounts: Interactive Brokers, Oanda, Forex.com, FXCM, and City Index. In these cases, your money will be held by your existing broker and NinjaTrader will just provide the platform. The advantage of connecting these accounts is that you can also trade with other asset classes, like stocks, spot forex, CFD, etc.
In this review, we tested the Free license and NinjaTrader brokerage through Phillip Capital.

How to open your account

The opening of a NinjaTrader account strong>is fully digital and straightforward. However, the approval of the account is rather slow. It took 5 business days for us.
Here are the steps to open your account with NinjaTrader:

1. On NinjaTrader's website, click on Open Account and add your email address.
2. Create user by adding your name and confirming your email address.
3. After, you can decide to try the demo account or continue opening a live account.
4. Choose an account type: individual, joint, IRA, or business entity.
5. Give your personal information, such as date of birth, address, or passport/driver's license number.
6. You have to answer a few questions about your financial and employment situation.
7. Answer a few questions about your experience, like how many years of futures trading experience you have.
8. You have to verify your identity and address. National ID, passport, and driver's license are accepted for ID verification, while you can upload utility bill and bank statement as proof of address. Answer a few questions about how you want to use your account: for example, for speculation, etc.

The mobile trading platform is available in several languages.

Look and feel

NinjaTrader's mobile app is well-designed and easy-to-use.

Login and security

NinjaTrader provides a safer, two-step login for its mobile platform.

You can log in using biometric authentication, which is a convenient feature.

Search functions

The search functions are good.

Placing orders

You can use the following order types on the mobile trading platform:

• Market
• Limit
• Stop limit
• Stop-loss
• Market if Touched (MIT)
• One-Cancel-Other (OCO)

There are also order time limits you can use:

• Good 'til Canceled (GTC)
• Good-Til-Date (GTD)
• Day

Alerts and notifications

You can set alerts and notifications on the NinjaTrader mobile platform.

Our analysts personally tested NinjaTrader's mobile trading platform; read the NinjaTrader mobile app review for a detailed verdict on its performance and features.

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NinjaTrader is specialized in providing a trading platform for active traders.
While NinjaTrader 7 is still available, we tested NinjaTrader 8. NinjaTrader 8 incorporates over 500 changes and enhancements, largely collected from client feedback.

The desktop trading platform is available in many languages.

Look and feel

The NinjaTrader desktop trading platform might be too complex for beginners, but for advanced users, this is where NinjaTrader really shines. Day-traders, who like to trade from the chart will especially like NinjaTrader.
The desktop platform is highly customizable and there are thousands of apps and add-ons in the NinjaTrader Ecosystem to personalize your platform. How is that possible? NinjaTrader offers a standards-based (.NET) programming environment for indicators and strategies that created a vibrant developer community.
The functionality of the platform depends on the license you choose:

• Free license: you can use only the core functions, like advanced charting, market analysis, or simulated trading.
• Lease license: you can also set up automated trading, backtesting, automatic protective stop loss and profit target orders (ATM Strategies) among many other features.
• Lifetime/Own license: you can use Order Flow+ features. It can help you identify buying and selling pressure to confirm market movement in a specific direction as the trading action unfolds through visualization of the order flow.

Login and security

NinjaTrader provides only a one-step login. A two-step authentication would be more secure and adding this feature should be high on any company's list of security changes.

The first time you want to use your account, you have to set your license key and the credential for the connection:

• You can set the license key, if you click on 'Help' and 'License Key'.
• You can set the credentials, if you click on 'Connections' and select 'Configure'.

Now you can simply log in, if you click on the connection you set up, such as 'My NinjaTrader Continuum'. After it's activated (becomes green), you'll see your positions and can start trading.

Search functions

The search functions are good.

There are multiple ways to find an asset to trade.
Maybe the easiest way is to click on 'Tools' and then go to 'Instrument Lists'. Here, you can compile your own instrument lists or edit the pre-defined lists, like 'Futures' or 'Forex'. When you add a new asset to your list, you can search by typing its name or you can search through categories.

Placing orders

The following order types are available on the desktop platform:

• Market
• Limit
• Stop limit
• Stop-loss
• Market if Touched (MIT)
• One-Cancel-Other (OCO)

There are also order time limits you can use on the desktop platform:

• Good 'til Canceled (GTC)
• Good-Til-Date (GTD)
• Day

Alerts and notifications

You can set alerts and notifications on the desktop trading platform.

Advanced alerting system is only available in the paid version.
Some example of the available alerts:

• Simple Moving Average Crossover: triggers when the current market price crosses above a 20-period Simple Moving Average.
• New Intraday High: triggers when a new High is formed intraday.
• Price and Fibonacci Retracements: compares the current market price to the 50% line drawn by a Fibonacci Retracements Drawing Tool.

Portfolio and fee reports

NinjaTrader has clear fee reports.

Using the 'Trade Performance' window, you can see your net profit or the commissions you paid. We also liked that the platform will calculate Sharpe ratio, Sortino ratio and the Ulcer index, among many others.

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NinjaTrader's asset classes and the individual assets within each asset class lag behind other brokers.

This selection is average compared to competing brokers.

Futures

NinjaTrader has an average futures selection.

This selection is average compared to competing brokers.

You can trade ~70 assets on these markets, covering stock indices, bonds, forex, and commodities.
The following exchanges are available for futures trading:

• CME: Chicago Mecantile Exchange
• CBOT: Chicago Board of Trade
• COMEX: Commodity Exchange Inc.
• NYMEX: New York Mercantile Exchange
• EUREX: futures and options market, which deals primarily with Europe-based derivatives
• ICE: Intercontinental Exchange
• ICE UK

The CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX exchanges are part of the CME group. Eurex is part of the Eurex Group and is owned by Deutsche Börse AG.

We recommend NinjaTrader for active traders focusing on futures.

Below you can find links to all aspects of NinjaTrader in this comprehensive collection.

Lower fees, lower costs?

We detailed this in our NinjaTrader fees article.

What about the minimum deposit?

Our ultimate guide to the NinjaTrader minimum deposit is updated regularly.

How to start your NinjaTrader account?

Look no further than our evaluation of the NinjaTrader account opening.

Is the quality of customer service satisfactory?

All you need to know about the NinjaTrader customer service.

Legit or scam?

Is NinjaTrader legit features all the key aspects you need to look at to see if a broker is safe and legit.

Free or premium? Or both?

A glance at actual costs and whether NinjaTrader is really free.

Is this broker good for beginners?

We checked it in Is NinjaTrader good for beginners.

Should you buy your silver bullets on NinjaTrader?

Research for silver bugs in the Silver buy on NinjaTrader guide

I want to trade options, are they available at NinjaTrader?

We explored the topic in Can you trade options on NinjaTrader?

What is the minimum account balance at NinjaTrader?

Check out the current account balance requirements at NinjaTrader in our What is the minimum account balance at NinjaTrader article.

Looking for commission and fees data for NinjaTrader?

We collected them in NinjaTrader commission and fees.

How do you withdraw money from NinjaTrader?

We tested it and collected the options and costs in How to withdraw money on NinjaTrader.