Scott’s List · platform and broker review
The short version. A cloud-based futures broker and platform that runs the same on desktop, browser, and phone, with tiered memberships that trade a monthly fee for lower per-side commissions. It’s my execution platform for most prop-firm accounts.
Evidence level: In my stack, used daily.
What it is
Tradovate is a US futures broker whose platform lives in the cloud: install it, open it in a browser, or run it on a tablet, and your layouts and orders follow you. It clears through NinjaTrader Clearing, a CFTC-registered FCM, and it’s the platform most futures prop firms hand you by default, which is why almost every funded trader ends up learning it. It also acts as an execution backend for other software: Bookmap and similar tools can send orders through a Tradovate account.
The facts at a glance
- Three membership tiers: a free plan with the highest per-side commissions, a monthly plan with lower commissions, and a one-time lifetime licence with the lowest.
- Commissions are per side plus exchange, clearing, and NFA fees; micros are a fraction of the standard-contract rate.
- Runs on Windows, Mac, browser, iPad, iPhone, and Android at no extra charge.
- Aggressive intraday margins on micro E-minis; low account minimums.
- API and Tradovate Connect let third-party platforms execute through your account.
Figures are as published at the time of writing and change without notice. Read the current terms on the company’s own site before you pay for anything.
How it fits the VWAP Wave System
The system needs three things from an execution platform: a DOM you can read in a hurry, bracket orders that attach a stop the moment you’re filled, and the ability to scale out in pieces. Tradovate does all three without ceremony, and because prop firms issue it, your evaluation account and your practice account feel identical. It is not a charting platform; I chart on TradingView and execute here.
Scott’s notes
In my stack, daily, as the execution layer for funded accounts. My notes on fills, the mobile app in an emergency, and which membership tier actually pays for itself at my volume are coming here.
Verdict
Use it for execution, not analysis. If you’re trading prop-firm accounts you’ll be using it anyway, so learn the DOM and the bracket settings before your first evaluation day.
Disclosure. VWAP.biz is an independent site written by Scott West, a paying member of Drysdale Trading Group. The VWAP Wave System™ is Chris Drysdale’s work, and this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by him. Links to his book, toolkit, and community are affiliate links: if you buy through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing here is financial advice, and trading futures carries a risk of loss. Full disclosure · Risk disclaimer
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