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Written by: Adam N. Updated: Dec 2022
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Is NinjaTrader free?

NinjaTrader does not provide access to real stock trading on US markets. If you are looking for a zero-commission broker to trade on US stock exchanges, you can check our article detailing the best apps offered in this category of brokers. If you wish to stick with NinjaTrader though, then you will find the fees they charge below.

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NinjaTrader fees
Overview of NinjaTrader fees and charges

It's safe to say that NinjaTrader's fees are low in general. They either don't charge a brokerage fee for things that other brokers do, or they only charge a small amount.

Here's a high-level overview of NinjaTrader's fees

NinjaTrader Fees snapshot
Assets Fee level Fee terms
US stock fee - Available if you connect brokers, like TD Ameritrade
EURUSD fee - Available if you connect brokers, like FXCM, Forex.com, or Oanda
US mutual fund fees - Not available
Inactivity fee High $25 per month if you log into the platform, but don't place any round trade

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NinjaTrader fees
NinjaTrader fees explained

Online brokerages in general charge much lower brokerage fees than traditional brokerages do - this is largely because online brokerages' businesses can be much better scaled: from a purely technical standpoint, it doesn't make that much of a difference for them if they have 100 or 5,000 clients.

This is not to say, however, that they don't charge any fees at all. They make money by charging you various rates for various actions or events. Usually you need to keep an eye on the following three types of fees:

  • Trading fees - these are brokerage fees that you pay when you actually carry out a trade, like buying an Apple share or an ETF. What you pay is either a commission, a spread or a financing rate. Some brokers apply all of these.
    • A commission is either fixed or based on the traded volume.
    • A spread is the difference between the buy price and the sell price.
    • A financing rate or overnight rate is charged when you hold your leveraged positions for more than one day.
  • Non-trading fees. These are usually related to some operations you carry out in your account, such as depositing money, withdrawing money, or not trading for an extended period.

We compare NinjaTrader fees with its closest competitors, Optimus Futures and AMP Futures.

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NinjaTrader fees
NinjaTrader trading fees

NinjaTrader's trading fees are low, which makes it suitable for you even if you trade often (i.e. several times a week).

Let's break down trading fees according to the different asset classes available at NinjaTrader.

Trading fees

NinjaTrader's trading fees are low.

Options fees

NinjaTrader's options fees are .

Options fees for 10 contracts
NinjaTrader Optimus Futures AMP Futures
US stock options - - -
US stock index options - - -
UK stock index options - - -
German stock index options - - -

Futures fees

NinjaTrader's futures fees are low.

Stock index futures fees for 10 contracts
NinjaTrader Optimus Futures AMP Futures
US micro e-mini stock index futures $3.5 $2.5 $1.4
UK stock index futures $12.9 $7.5 $9.8
German e-mini stock index futures $12.9 - $7.4

Currency conversion fee

NinjaTrader will charge a Currency Conversion Fee for all trades on instruments denominated in a currency different to the currency of your account. The fee is charged as the following: $30 per currency conversion.

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NinjaTrader fees
NinjaTrader non-trading fees

When it comes to non-trading fees, NinjaTrader is a rather cheap broker.

Non-trading fees include various brokerage fees and charges at NinjaTrader that are not related to buying or selling assets. This can be a withdrawal fee, deposit fee, inactivity fee or account fee.

A high-level overview of how NinjaTrader stacks up in terms of non-trading fees
NinjaTrader Optimus Futures AMP Futures
Withdrawal fee $40 $30 $30
Deposit fee $0 $0 $0
Inactivity fee Yes No No
Account fee No No No

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NinjaTrader fees
NinjaTrader deposit fee

Usually, brokers don't charge anything for deposits, and NinjaTrader is no different.

NinjaTrader deposit methods
NinjaTrader Optimus Futures AMP Futures
Bank transfer Yes Yes Yes
Credit/debit card No No No
Electronic wallets No No No
Deposit fee $0 $0 $0

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NinjaTrader fees
NinjaTrader withdrawal fee

Unfortunately, NinjaTrader does charge a withdrawal fee of $40 for bank transfers. This means that you need to pay this amount when you transfer money from your brokerage account back to your bank account. Sometimes this is a flat fee, but a percentage charge may be applied in some cases. It's up to you to decide whether you can tolerate this, keeping in mind that flat fees can hurt more if you withdraw small amounts only.

NinjaTrader withdrawal fees and options compared
NinjaTrader Optimus Futures AMP Futures
Bank transfer Yes Yes Yes
Credit/debit card No No No
Electronic wallets No No No
Withdrawal fee for bank transfer $40 $30 $30

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NinjaTrader fees
NinjaTrader inactivity fee

NinjaTrader does apply an inactivity fee and it is $25 per month if you log into the platform, but don't place any round trade. Keep this in mind to avoid getting charged after a longer idle period. The fact that NinjaTrader charges an inactivity fee makes it less ideal for you if you are a buy-and-hold investor.

The inactivity fee charged by NinjaTrader is high.

NinjaTrader Optimus Futures AMP Futures
Inactivity fee Yes No No
Inactivity fee $25 per month if you log into the platform, but don't place any round trade No inactivity fee No inactivity fee

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Author of this article

Adam Nasli

Author of this article

Adam is a motivated finance expert. He joined BrokerChooser in 2018 and has since tested almost all 100+ brokers covered by BrokerChooser. Adam holds a professional degree from CEU and he helps teach finance and programming courses at his alma mater. Previously he worked in the banking sector, including at Citi Bank. He loves researching the financial industry, managing his long-term investments, and trading with algorithms.

Adam Nasli

Analyst Head

Adam is a motivated finance expert. He joined BrokerChooser in 2018 and has since tested almost all 100+ brokers covered by BrokerChooser. Adam holds a professional degree from CEU and he helps teach finance and programming courses at his alma mater. Previously he worked in the banking sector, including at Citi Bank. He loves researching the financial industry, managing his long-term investments, and trading with algorithms.

Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology

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