Quick verdict (prices checked October 5, 2026): For active ES/NQ day traders, NinjaTrader (and Tradovate, the same broker) has the lowest published all-in cost on its paid plans plus $500 ES / $50 MES intraday margin and no minimum deposit. AMP Futures has the lowest intraday margins we found ($400 ES, $40 MES) and the widest platform choice. Interactive Brokers is cheap per contract but uses near-exchange margins, so it suits larger, multi-asset accounts. Schwab (thinkorswim) is the easiest all-in-one account but costs $2.25 per contract per side. All-in, one ES round turn costs from $4.34 (NinjaTrader Lifetime plan) to $7.28 (Schwab) at published rates. Trading through a prop firm? The firm picks the broker and platform for you.
Your broker costs you money on every single trade. Commission is only part of it: exchange and NFA fees, clearing, market data, platform fees and the margin a broker demands all add up. This comparison uses each broker's own published pricing, so you can see the real cost of a round turn before you open an account.
Futures Broker Comparison Table
| Broker | Commission per side (standard / micro) | ES / MES intraday margin | Minimum deposit | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NinjaTrader / Tradovate | $1.29 / $0.39 (Free plan); $0.99 / $0.29 ($99/mo); $0.59 / $0.09 ($1,499 lifetime) | $500 / $50 | Any amount | NinjaTrader Desktop, Web, Mobile; Tradovate; TradingView |
| AMP Futures | Quoted by platform and data feed (published rate only for 10,000+ contracts/month) | $400 / $40 | $100 | 50+ incl. CQG, Rithmic, Sierra Chart, Quantower, MotiveWave, TradingView |
| Optimus Futures | $0.75 / $0.25 (Ironbeam-cleared, standard day margins) | $500 / $50 (standard) | $2,000 (micros only: $500) | Optimus Flow, Web and Mobile |
| Interactive Brokers | $0.85 / $0.25 (up to 1,000 contracts/month, then lower) | Near exchange level (about $25,900 ES) | $0 | Trader Workstation |
| Charles Schwab | $2.25 (same rate for micros) | Exchange level | $1,500 (margin account) | thinkorswim |
| TradeStation | $1.75 / $0.50 (up to 500 contracts/month, then lower) + $0.10 clearing | $1,439 / $144 (5% of overnight) | See broker | TradeStation |
| tastytrade | $1.00 to open, $1.00 to close / $0.75 each way | See broker | See broker | tastytrade |
| Webull | $1.25 regular, $0.70 mini / $0.25 | MES $96 (8:00 a.m.–3:15 p.m. CT) | $100 | Webull |
Commissions exclude exchange, clearing and NFA fees unless stated. Margins change with volatility. Sources: each broker's official pricing and margin pages, linked in the profiles below and in the Sources section. Checked October 5, 2026.
Futures Brokers With the Lowest Intraday Margin
Intraday (day-trade) margin is the deposit a broker requires per contract for positions you close before the session ends. It is set by the broker, not the exchange, and it's far below CME's overnight requirement: CME's maintenance margin for ES was about $26,000 per long contract in early October 2026.
Lowest intraday margins (October 2026): AMP Futures ($400 ES, $40 MES) and Discount Trading's enhanced rates ($400 ES, $800 NQ, $40 MES, $80 MNQ on select platforms) are the lowest published. NinjaTrader, Tradovate and Optimus charge $500 ES, $1,000 NQ, $50 MES and $100 MNQ. TradeStation sets day margin at 5% of the overnight requirement, and Interactive Brokers stays near exchange levels.
| Broker | ES | NQ | MES | MNQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMP Futures | $400 | $1,000 | $40 | $100 |
| Discount Trading (enhanced, select platforms) | $400 ($500 standard) | $800 ($1,000 standard) | $40 ($50 standard) | $80 ($100 standard) |
| NinjaTrader / Tradovate | $500 | $1,000 | $50 | $100 |
| Optimus Futures | $500 | $1,000 | $50 | $100 |
| Webull | See broker | See broker | $96 | See broker |
| TradeStation | $1,439 | $2,389 | $144 | $239 |
| Interactive Brokers | About $25,900 | About $51,500 | About $2,590 | About $5,150 |
| Exchange maintenance margin (held overnight) | $26,029 | $42,248 | $2,603 | $4,225 |
Day margins from each broker's margin page: AMP, Discount Trading (not all clients qualify for enhanced rates), NinjaTrader (as of August 31, 2026, also the source of the exchange maintenance row), Optimus, Webull, TradeStation and Interactive Brokers (intraday initial, rounded). Checked October 5, 2026.
Low margin is not low risk. A $40 MES margin still loses $5 per point, and an account sized to the margin rather than the stop can be wiped out by one bad trade. NinjaTrader applies its intraday rates until 15 minutes before the session close, after which full exchange margin applies; AMP applies day margins except in the last 15 minutes of each session and changes equity-index margins around listed news releases.
Futures Trading Fees Comparison: The All-In Cost
The number that matters is the all-in cost: commission plus the CME exchange fee, the NFA assessment and any clearing fee. Brokers quote per side (one buy or one sell); a completed trade is a round turn, so double it.
| Broker and plan | ES per side | ES round turn | MES per side | MES round turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NinjaTrader / Tradovate Lifetime ($1,499) | $2.17 | $4.34 | $0.64 | $1.28 |
| Interactive Brokers (up to 1,000 contracts/month) | $2.24 | $4.48 | $0.61* | $1.22* |
| NinjaTrader / Tradovate Monthly ($99/mo) | $2.57 | $5.14 | $0.84 | $1.68 |
| NinjaTrader / Tradovate Free | $2.87 | $5.74 | $0.94 | $1.88 |
| TradeStation (up to 500 contracts/month) | $3.24* | $6.48* | $0.96* | $1.92* |
| Charles Schwab | $3.64* | $7.28* | $2.61* | $5.22* |
NinjaTrader and Tradovate figures come from their shared all-in commission schedule (as of August 14, 2026); the Interactive Brokers ES figure is its own worked example on the futures commissions page ($0.85 + $1.38 exchange + $0.01 regulatory). *Our calculation: the broker's published commission, plus TradeStation's $0.10 clearing fee, plus the CME exchange fee itemized in those schedules ($1.38 per side for ES, $0.35 for MES) and the NFA's $0.01-per-side assessment. Your statement may differ by a few cents.
Worked example: one ES round turn on NinjaTrader's Free plan
- Commission: $1.29 × 2 = $2.58
- CME exchange fee: $1.38 × 2 = $2.76
- NFA assessment: $0.01 × 2 = $0.02
- Clearing: $0.19 × 2 = $0.38
- Total: $5.74 per round turn
At 10 round turns a day for 20 trading days (200 a month), that's $1,148 a month on the Free plan, $1,127 on the Monthly plan ($1,028 in fees plus the $99 subscription) and $868 on Lifetime. The same 200 round turns on MES cost $376, $435 and $256. The commission is less than half of the bill on ES. The exchange and NFA fees are the same at every broker; only the commission and clearing fee differ.
Holding swing trades for weeks? Equity index futures expire quarterly, and each roll to the next contract adds roughly one extra round turn of fees per contract; our futures rollover dates guide has the 2026–2027 roll calendar.
Which NinjaTrader plan pays off? The Monthly plan saves $0.30 per side on ES-size contracts ($0.60 a round turn), so it covers its $99 fee at about 165 ES round turns a month. On micros it saves $0.20 a round turn, so you'd need about 495 round turns. The $1,499 Lifetime plan saves $1.40 per ES round turn against the Free plan, paying for itself after about 1,071 ES round turns.
Market data fees
Real-time CME data is billed separately. CME's own 2026 non-professional fee is $1.55 per exchange for top of book ($4.65 for CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX together) and $12.10 per exchange for depth ($36.50 bundled). Brokers charge more: NinjaTrader and Tradovate list $12/month (Level I) and $48/month (Level II) for the four-exchange bundle, AMP $15 and $45, and TradingView $9.95/month for its CME Group package. Two brokers waive Level I: NinjaTrader and Tradovate's current plans include free Level I CME data on a funded live account, and Optimus gives it free to clients placing 10+ trades a month (otherwise $3/month).
If you trade order flow, check which tools come with the platform rather than the data feed alone: reading footprint charts needs a platform that builds them, such as Tradovate's Order Flow+ tools (included on its current plans), or dedicated order-flow platforms like ATAS and Bookmap, which AMP supports. Depth-of-market tools also need the Level II feed.
Futures Brokers Minimum Deposit
- NinjaTrader / Tradovate: any amount above $0 ($5 minimum for ACH or debit card)
- Interactive Brokers: $0
- AMP Futures: $100, plus day margin for each contract you trade
- Webull: $100 minimum equity to trade futures
- Optimus Futures: $500 for micros, $2,000 for E-minis and standard contracts
- Charles Schwab: $1,500 in a margin account ($25,000 to trade futures in an IRA)
- TradeStation and EdgeClear: not clearly published; check their pricing pages
Each broker sets its own minimum. The $25,000 pattern day trader minimum you may know from stocks was a FINRA rule for securities margin accounts (replaced in June 2026 under Regulatory Notice 26-10), and the pattern day trader rule never applied to futures accounts, so you can day trade futures with a small balance as long as you meet day margin.
A minimum deposit is not a sensible starting balance. To risk 1% per trade with a realistic stop on one micro contract, most traders need $2,000–$5,000. See our Micro E-mini futures guide for the sizing math.
The Best Futures Brokers for Day Trading, Reviewed
#1 NinjaTrader (and Tradovate)
NinjaTrader and Tradovate are the same futures broker: both are trading names of NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC (NFA ID 0309379), with identical plans and pricing, and one login works on both platforms. NinjaTrader bought Tradovate in January 2022, and Kraken completed its purchase of NinjaTrader on May 1, 2025, saying it would keep NinjaTrader as a standalone platform.
- Plans: Free ($0), Monthly ($99/month), Lifetime ($1,499 one-time) — NinjaTrader pricing
- Commissions per side: standard $1.29 / $0.99 / $0.59; micros $0.39 / $0.29 / $0.09
- Intraday margin: ES $500, NQ $1,000, MES $50, MNQ $100 (as of August 31, 2026)
- Platforms: NinjaTrader Desktop, Web and Mobile included with every plan; third-party brokers on NinjaTrader Desktop need the $99/month Multi-Broker add-on
- Watch for: a $35 fee on Free-plan accounts with no live trades in 30 days, $25–$50 liquidation fees, $30 domestic wire withdrawals, and $0.25/contract for Rithmic routing or CQG Desktop
Best for: active ES/NQ day traders who want low all-in costs, low margins and a futures-first platform. Full platform review: Tradovate review and prop firm compatibility; setup help: NinjaTrader setup guide.
#2 AMP Futures
- Intraday margin: ES $400, NQ $1,000, MES $40, MNQ $100 (AMP margins)
- Minimum deposit: $100
- Commission: depends on platform and data feed; AMP publishes $0.15 + fees only for 10,000+ contracts a month and quotes the rest through its commission calculator
- Platforms: 50+, including CQG, Rithmic R-Trader Pro, Sierra Chart, MultiCharts, Quantower, ATAS, Bookmap, Jigsaw, MotiveWave and TradingView
Best for: traders who already have a favourite platform and want the lowest day margins.
#3 Optimus Futures
- Commission: $0.75 per side standard, $0.25 micros, for Ironbeam-cleared accounts at standard day margins; lower margins can mean higher commissions (Optimus pricing)
- Intraday margin: $500 ES, $1,000 NQ, $50 MES and $100 MNQ at standard day margins
- Minimum deposit: $500 for micros, $2,000 for E-minis
- Platforms: Optimus Flow, Web and Mobile with no platform fee; free CME Level I data with 10+ trades a month
Best for: traders who want low published commissions and a free platform.
The Broker Is the Easy Part
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GET FREE ACCESS#4 Interactive Brokers
- Commission: $0.85 per contract up to 1,000 a month, then $0.65, $0.45 and $0.25 at higher volume; micros $0.25, falling to $0.10 (IBKR futures commissions)
- All-in ES example: $2.24 per side
- Margin: intraday rates stay close to exchange levels (ES intraday initial about $25,900), and cash and IRA accounts get no intraday rates
- Minimum deposit: $0; no inactivity fee
Best for: well-funded, multi-asset or high-volume traders who don't need low day margins. Not a fit for small accounts trading full-size contracts.
#5 Charles Schwab (thinkorswim)
- Commission: $2.25 per contract per side, plus exchange and NFA fees, with no separate micro rate (Schwab futures FAQ)
- Requirements: margin approval and a $1,500 account minimum; $25,000 to trade futures in an IRA
- Platform: thinkorswim, with built-in volume profile and TPO studies
Best for: beginners and investors who want stocks, options and futures in one account and value the platform over cost. TD Ameritrade accounts and thinkorswim now sit with Schwab.
#6 TradeStation
- Commission per side: $1.75 standard / $0.50 micro up to 500 contracts a month, falling to $0.50 / $0.25 above 10,000, plus $0.10 clearing (TradeStation pricing)
- Intraday margin: 5% of the overnight requirement, about $1,439 for ES and $144 for MES (TradeStation futures margins)
- Other fees: $10/month inactivity fee unless minimum activity is met; $75 margin/risk liquidation fee
Best for: traders who build and backtest strategies in EasyLanguage.
#7 tastytrade, Webull and EdgeClear
- tastytrade: $1.00 to open and $1.00 to close E-minis, $0.75 each way on micros, plus fees (tastytrade pricing)
- Webull: $1.25 regular, $0.70 mini and $0.25 micro per contract, plus fees; $100 minimum equity; example MES intraday margin $96 (Webull futures)
- EdgeClear: an introducing broker clearing through several FCMs, advertising $0.22 per side on popular micro and nano products; standard-contract rates are quoted on request
EdgeClear vs AMP: EdgeClear publishes a lower micro rate; AMP publishes its $100 minimum, its day margins and a much wider platform list. Compare quotes for your exact platform and data feed.
How to Choose a Futures Broker
- All-in cost per round turn: commission plus exchange, NFA and clearing fees, times two. This matters most for scalpers.
- Intraday margin: matters if your account is small; useless if you size to it instead of your stop.
- Platform: pick the platform first, then a broker that supports it.
- Data fees: broker markups on CME data vary several-fold.
- Minimum deposit and inactivity fees.
- Registration: look the firm up in the NFA's free BASIC database before sending money.
| Trading style | Shortlist | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Scalping NQ or ES | NinjaTrader / Tradovate (paid plan), AMP | Low all-in cost per round turn and low NQ day margin ($1,000) |
| Small account, micros | NinjaTrader / Tradovate, AMP, Optimus | $40–$50 MES margins and low minimums |
| Multi-asset investor | Schwab, Interactive Brokers | Stocks, options and futures in one account |
| Strategy automation | NinjaTrader, TradeStation, Interactive Brokers | NinjaScript, EasyLanguage and the IBKR API |
Best Futures Trading Platform by Broker
- TradingView: trade through Tradovate or NinjaTrader logins, or AMP. CME real-time data on TradingView costs $9.95/month extra. Platform comparison: Quantower vs TradingView.
- NinjaTrader Desktop: free with NinjaTrader Brokerage and Tradovate logins; other brokers need the $99/month Multi-Broker add-on. Our NinjaTrader setup guide covers connecting the account, ATM stops and risk settings.
- Sierra Chart: available at AMP; connecting to CQG, Rithmic or IBKR needs Sierra's Package 10, 11 or 12 ($36–$56/month).
- Quantower: available at AMP; free version, or $70/month All-in-One.
- thinkorswim: Schwab only.
Using a Prop Firm Instead of a Broker
If you trade through a futures prop firm, you don't choose a retail broker at all: the firm sets the clearing relationship and the platforms you can use. Apex Trader Funding, MyFundedFutures, Earn2Trade, Take Profit Trader and Tradeify all list Tradovate among their supported connections, while Topstep now runs its accounts on its own TopstepX platform. Compare firms in our best futures prop firms ranking.
| Factor | Futures broker | Prop firm |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Your own money | The firm's account after you pass an evaluation |
| Profits | Keep 100% | Split with the firm |
| Upfront cost | Your deposit | An evaluation fee (Topstep's 50K Combine: $49/month, Standard path) |
| Rules | Yours | Daily and trailing loss limits, position caps |
| Best for | Traders with capital who want full control | Skilled traders with limited capital |
Frequently Asked Questions
Master Futures Trading Regardless of Broker
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- NinjaTrader pricing and margins
- NinjaTrader Clearing / Tradovate all-in commissions (itemized exchange, NFA and clearing fees, as of August 14, 2026)
- Tradovate account plans (Level I data included on funded accounts)
- AMP Futures margins
- Discount Trading day-trading margins
- Optimus Futures pricing and day margins
- Interactive Brokers futures commissions and margin requirements
- TradeStation pricing and futures margin rates
- Webull futures pricing and margins
- Charles Schwab futures FAQ
- CME Group 2026 market data fee list
- NFA assessment fee FAQ ($0.01 per side from July 1, 2026)
- FINRA Regulatory Notice 26-10 (pattern day trader rule replaced)
- NFA BASIC