The Best Free NinjaTrader Add-Ons You Should Try First

There’s a well-known saying that it “takes money to make money” in the markets. You don’t need much to get started, though, and trading even small amounts is great practice and can lead to growth.

If you’re new to trading, here are some of the best free NinjaTrader add-ons to try first. They’ll help you get started without requiring payment, letting you maximize your portfolio’s balance.

What Are NinjaTrader Add-Ons?

NinjaTrader is a powerful trading platform. If you’re coming from something like Robinhood, you’ll quickly notice it has many more capabilities. Just a quick look at the charting tools shows that.

The platform’s real power comes from the many NinjaTrader add-ons available, both free and paid. Start with the free beginner tools to get comfortable using them and to see what fits your trading style. These include built-in options and third-party tools.

Candlestick Pattern Indicator

Candlesticks are the language of technical trading, and it can take time to become fluent in them. The Candlestick Pattern Indicator helps you interpret candlesticks without needing extensive experience.

This indicator identifies over 20 patterns, like the “hammer,” “morning star,” and “Doji,” and plots them automatically on your charts. You can use these to inform your trades and learn how to recognize them over time.

To enable the free Candlestick Pattern Indicator,
Right-click on a chart → Select “Indicators” → Go to “Candlestick Pattern” → Click “Add.”
Choose the patterns you want to display, then click “OK.”

Basic Charting Indicators

Many standard indicators are useful to both novice and experienced traders. These include moving averages (MAs), relative strength index (RSI), moving average convergence divergence (MACD), volume-weighted average price (VWAP), and others. Which ones to use depends on your strategy, but most traders rely on a few.

NinjaTrader includes many of these built-in, and you’ll find even more free ones on the NinjaTrader Ecosystem. Start with the built-in tools, and explore others as needed.

SuperDOM

SuperDOM (Depth of Market) is a popular built-in add-on that’s especially useful once you move beyond paper trading and start managing real orders.

Its key feature is a price ladder display, either static or dynamic, that shows your buy and sell orders in relation to the current market price. It appears alongside your chart, not on it.

To enable SuperDOM,
Go to the NinjaTrader Control Center → Left-click → Select either Static SuperDOM or Dynamic SuperDOM.

News Indicator

While NinjaTrader has a built-in news window for real-time updates on your watchlist, some indicators go further by showing news alerts directly on your charts.

This makes it easier to see how news has impacted price action, critical for swing traders or anyone reacting to earnings, sales, or other key events. Seeing past news effects helps you plan future trades.

Several free news indicators are available in the NinjaTrader Ecosystem (search “news”). Alerts may be limited without a separate subscription, but many still offer some stories and help you learn how to incorporate news into your charts.

Investing for More Informed Trading

Eventually, you may want to invest in more advanced indicators, but these free options are great to start with. When you’re ready to level up, Affordable Indicators offers a range of advanced NinjaTrader tools to help you improve.

Our indicators include advanced versions of RSI, MACD, stochastics, ADX, moving averages, and more, each offering enhancements like highlighting potential setups, not just raw data.

Our Best MAs Trend Indicator is one example. Choose two moving averages, one fast and one slow, and the indicator fills in the space between them. You can easily spot trends from this visual cue.

Each indicator is available individually or as part of a suite customized to your strategy.

When to Upgrade Your Trading Data

There’s no universal rule for when to start paying for advanced indicators or subscriptions, but here are some guidelines. You might consider upgrading once you:

1. Have a defined trading strategy

2. Know which indicators suit your style

3. Understand how to use them

4. Have a track record of real-money success

5. Manage a portfolio of meaningful size

Ultimately, you’ll know when your tools need an upgrade.

Get Professional-Level NinjaTrader Indicators

If you’re new to trading, we at Affordable Indicators wish you success. You may not need our advanced tools just yet, but when you’re ready, we’ll be here with a full suite of professional NinjaTrader indicators to support your growth.