Can You Trade Stocks on NinjaTrader?

Yes, you can trade stocks on NinjaTrader, but only on NinjaTrader Desktop through Interactive Brokers or Charles Schwab, the two brokers it lists for stocks. You also need its Multiple Broker add-on, a monthly subscription for most users. NinjaTrader’s own brokerage offers futures, not stocks.

Founded in 2003, NinjaTrader offers software and brokerage services for active traders. The platform is free to download and use for charting, strategy backtesting, and simulated trading, with no funding required. A funded NinjaTrader brokerage account adds live futures trading, and its Free plan has no monthly fee (commissions apply).

The NinjaTrader platform is ideal for active traders who require a wide range of technical analysis tools. The platform features excellent charting, real-time analysis, customizable technical indicators, Chart Trader (a chart-based order entry tool), and thousands of third-party apps and add-ons.

Variety of Offerings

NinjaTrader’s own brokerage offers futures. Its commission schedule lists futures contracts only, and its help center says options trading is not currently supported on live NinjaTrader brokerage accounts. Stocks and forex come through third-party brokers instead. Our review Is NinjaTrader a Good Broker? covers the brokerage, its plans and its fees.

NinjaTrader supports stock trading in its Desktop app. In order to trade stocks, you need an account with Interactive Brokers or Charles Schwab. NinjaTrader’s list of connections shows these as the only two brokers that carry stocks. You open that account with the broker directly, then connect it to NinjaTrader Desktop. TD Ameritrade is no longer an option. It is now part of Schwab, and NinjaTrader says the old TD Ameritrade connection will not work.

To trade through a third-party broker, you need NinjaTrader’s Multiple Broker add-on. It connects accounts at cTrader, Forex.com/City Index, FXCM, Interactive Brokers, and Schwab. NinjaTrader lists it at $99 per month as of October 2026. Customers who bought a Lifetime License Key before March 4, 2023 already have it. The add-on works only in NinjaTrader Desktop, which runs on Windows. NinjaTrader Web and Mobile cannot connect to third-party brokers, so stocks are not available there. An Interactive Brokers connection also needs IB’s Trader Workstation (TWS) running and logged in.

Want stock exposure in a NinjaTrader brokerage account? NinjaTrader offers CME Group Single Stock futures to eligible users. Each one is a futures contract on a single top U.S. company, such as Apple, Nvidia, or Tesla. They settle in cash, so you never own the shares. A standard contract represents 100 shares and a micro represents 10.

NinjaTrader is now part of Payward, the company behind the Kraken exchange. Kraken offers stocks and ETFs to eligible clients in the Kraken app and Kraken Pro, but NinjaTrader does not list Kraken as a connection.

You must be connected to a data provider that supports stocks in order to chart stocks in NinjaTrader. NinjaTrader’s own data connection covers futures and indexes only. Its list of data providers shows stock data from Interactive Brokers, Schwab, Kinetick, IQFeed, eSignal, and Barchart. Data from Interactive Brokers or Schwab also needs the Multiple Broker add-on.

Can You Trade Options on NinjaTrader?

You cannot trade options through NinjaTrader’s own brokerage. NinjaTrader Web has an Options Chain that shows options on futures, but NinjaTrader’s Web module guide says it is for viewing data only, because options trading is not currently supported on live NinjaTrader or Tradovate brokerage accounts.

On NinjaTrader Desktop, the list of data providers shows options data on stocks and futures for the Interactive Brokers connection. That list covers market data, not order entry, and it does not say whether options orders go through. Ask NinjaTrader or your broker before you open an account for options. Options are not supported in NinjaScript, so NinjaScript indicators and strategies cannot use them.

Key Details

So, we know NinjaTrader can be used in various markets, but what are the important details to be aware of before downloading the latest version?
First and foremost, there are no charges for using NinjaTrader’s standard features. This gives you free access, with no time limit, to the following:

• Simulated trading
• Market research
• Advanced charting
• Optimization and backtesting
• Automated strategy development

NinjaTrader is proprietary software, not open source. NinjaTrader Desktop runs on Windows PCs, NinjaTrader Web runs in any PC or Mac browser, and NinjaTrader Mobile runs on iPhone and Android. For stocks, you need NinjaTrader Desktop, because only Desktop connects to third-party brokers.

Why Choose NinjaTrader?

A quick search of trading blogs and forums reveals that many people are curious about how NinjaTrader compares to MT4, MT5, TradeStation, and MultiCharts. So, with so many options available, what distinguishes NinjaTrader 8 from the competition?

Customizability: Their simple platform was created for traders who want to personalize their platform and technical indicators. Floating windows and hundreds of built-in indicators make it easy to set up your own layout.

Setup: They have meticulously designed their platform to allow for a quick and painless setup. NinjaTrader Desktop downloads from your NinjaTrader dashboard and installs on a Windows PC with a setup wizard, and NinjaTrader Web runs in a browser with nothing to install.

Scripts: Experienced day traders often appreciate having a large number of scripts at their disposal.

Free trial: The NinjaTrader simulator is free with no time limit. A new account also gets a free 14-day trial of live streaming market data. After the trial, you can keep simulating with delayed data, subscribe to a live data feed, or fund a NinjaTrader account for live data. Once you’ve honed an effective strategy, you can progress to live trading with real money.

Stop-loss functionality: NinjaTrader’s ATM Strategies place your stop-loss and profit target orders as soon as your entry fills. When one of them fills, the other is canceled. Once placed, the stop and target are working orders at the broker or exchange, so they stay in place if NinjaTrader disconnects. ATM features such as Auto Breakeven and Auto Trail need NinjaTrader connected to run. On some connections, including NinjaTrader’s own brokerage, the step that cancels the other order also runs on your PC. NinjaTrader’s help guide says Interactive Brokers handles that step on its own servers.

Server-side ATM Strategies, a beta setting for NinjaTrader brokerage accounts, move ATM management to NinjaTrader’s servers, so the cancel step and trailing stops keep working if the platform disconnects. They cannot be turned on while Multi-Provider is on, and Interactive Brokers and Schwab need Multi-Provider.

Conclusion

NinjaTrader may be worth investigating if you are looking for powerful software and market data. Overall, you get an active trading community, a variety of educational resources, and a high level of customization. All of this may improve your trading performance and boost those crucial intraday profits. For futures traded through NinjaTrader’s own brokerage, low margins and commissions can also help keep costs down. For stocks, plan on a separate broker account and the Multiple Broker add-on.