Micro Futures Broker Commissions — Tradovate vs NinjaTrader vs IBKR vs tastytrade (2026)
At a glance: Micro futures commissions as of mid-2026 range from $0.09/side (Tradovate Lifetime, excluding exchange fees) to $0.95/side all-in (NinjaTrader Free as of 11/13/2025).
Commissions are not 1/10 of full-size E-mini commissions. The commission ratio between micro and full-size contracts runs approximately 3:1, making each tick more expensive to trade on micros than on the full-size counterpart.
Micro futures commission comparison
All figures are per-side (one leg of a round-trip). "All-in" means exchange, clearing, and NFA fees are bundled. Where not all-in, exchange and regulatory fees are additional.
| Broker & plan | Per side (micro) | All-in? | Subscription cost | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tradovate Free | $0.39 | No | $0/mo | 2026-06 |
| Tradovate Monthly | $0.29 | No | $99/mo | 2026-06 |
| Tradovate Lifetime | $0.09 | No | $1,499 one-time (or 4 × $499) | 2026-06 |
| NinjaTrader Free | $0.95 | Yes | $0/mo | 11/13/2025 |
| NinjaTrader Monthly | $0.85 | Yes | $79/mo | 11/13/2025 |
| NinjaTrader Lifetime | $0.65 | Yes | $1,499 one-time | 11/13/2025 |
| IBKR (Tiered & Fixed, first 1,000/mo) | $0.25 | No | None (IBKR Lite/Pro) | 2026-06 |
| tastytrade (per open; same per close) | $0.75 + $0.30 clearing | No | None | 2026-04-06 |
What each broker includes and excludes
Tradovate
Tradovate's per-side commission ($0.39 Free / $0.29 Monthly / $0.09 Lifetime) is a pure commission charge. Exchange fees, clearing fees, and NFA regulatory fees are charged separately and are not included in these figures. The commission structure is tiered by subscription plan; the Lifetime plan is a one-time payment of $1,499 (or four payments of $499). Data verified 2026-06; Tradovate's undated commission page is corroborated by TradingCritique (2026-05-15).
NinjaTrader
NinjaTrader's per-side figures are all-in — they bundle the NFA regulatory fee, the exchange clearing fee, and NinjaTrader's own commission into a single charge. For the Free plan at $0.95/side, the breakdown is: $0.37 NFA fee + $0.19 clearing fee + $0.39 commission. This all-in structure makes it easier to compare total cost per trade. Data from NinjaTrader's published PDF rate sheet, stamped 11/13/2025. A prior sheet from 2025-02-28 had different figures, confirming these change over time.
Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
IBKR charges $0.25 per contract for micro futures (MES, MNQ, M2K, MYM, MCL, MGC) at the entry tier. This rate applies to the first 1,000 contracts per month on both the Tiered and Fixed pricing schedules. Exchange and regulatory fees are charged separately and are not included. On the Tiered schedule only (not Fixed), volume above 20,000 contracts per month steps down to $0.10/contract. Data verified 2026-06 from IBKR's futures commissions page.
tastytrade
tastytrade charges $0.75 to open and $0.75 to close a micro futures contract, plus $0.30 per contract for combined clearing, exchange, and NFA fees. The round-trip base cost is therefore $1.50 commission + $0.60 clearing = $2.10 per round-trip before any additional exchange-specific fees. Rates from tastytrade's commissions PDF, last updated 2026-04-06.
Full-size E-mini commissions for comparison
The commission ratio between micro and full-size contracts is approximately 3:1, not 10:1 (the contract-size ratio).
| Broker & plan | Micro per side | Full-size (ES/NQ) per side | Ratio | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NinjaTrader Free (all-in) | $0.95 | $2.88 | 1:3.03 | 11/13/2025 |
| NinjaTrader Monthly (all-in) | $0.85 | $2.58 | 1:3.04 | 11/13/2025 |
| NinjaTrader Lifetime (all-in) | $0.65 | $2.18 | 1:3.35 | 11/13/2025 |
| IBKR (first 1,000/mo, excl. exchange) | $0.25 | $0.85 | 1:3.40 | 2026-06 |
| tastytrade (per open, excl. clearing) | $0.75 | $1.00 | 1:1.33 | 2026-04-06 |
tastytrade shows the smallest commission gap (1.33:1 per side), because tastytrade's structure is less volume-tiered and more flat.
Per-tick cost of trading — MES at each broker
The break-even ticks per round-trip for one MES contract ($1.25 tick value):
| Broker & plan | Round-trip | MES tick value | Break-even ticks | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tradovate Free (excl. exchange fees) | $0.78 | $1.25 | 0.62 | 2026-06 |
| Tradovate Lifetime (excl. exchange fees) | $0.18 | $1.25 | 0.14 | 2026-06 |
| NinjaTrader Free (all-in) | $1.90 | $1.25 | 1.52 | 11/13/2025 |
| IBKR (excl. exchange fees) | $0.50 | $1.25 | 0.40 | 2026-06 |
| tastytrade (base only, excl. clearing) | $1.50 | $1.25 | 1.20 | 2026-04-06 |
These figures are only directly comparable for the all-in rows (NinjaTrader). Tradovate and IBKR figures exclude exchange and regulatory fees, which are additional. The full-cost NinjaTrader figure (1.52 ticks on Free) is a complete number; the others require adding exchange fees for an apples-to-apples comparison.
Not included in this comparison: Optimus Futures per-contract micro commissions were researched but a specific figure was refuted (the "$0.25/contract flat" figure did not survive adversarial verification). Check optimusfutures.com directly for current rates.
Drill commission structures and contract specs with flashcards.
Start the micro futures deck →Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest micro futures commission?
- Tradovate's Lifetime plan charges $0.09 per side for micro futures contracts, excluding exchange, clearing, and NFA fees. Tradovate's Monthly plan is $0.29 per side. The Free plan (no subscription) is $0.39 per side. Commission data verified as of 2026-06.
- What does NinjaTrader charge for micro futures commissions?
- NinjaTrader's all-in per-side micro commission is $0.95 (Free plan), $0.85 (Monthly, $79/mo), or $0.65 (Lifetime, $1,499 one-time) as of 11/13/2025. All-in means NFA, clearing, and commission are bundled. The breakdown for Free: $0.37 NFA + $0.19 clearing + $0.39 commission.
- What does IBKR charge for micro futures commissions?
- Interactive Brokers charges $0.25 per contract for micro futures (MES, MNQ, M2K, MYM, MCL, MGC) on both Tiered and Fixed pricing schedules for the first 1,000 contracts per month, as of 2026-06. Exchange and regulatory fees are additional. On the Tiered schedule only, volume above 20,000 contracts per month steps down to $0.10.
- What does tastytrade charge for micro futures commissions?
- tastytrade charges $0.75 to open and $0.75 to close a micro futures contract, plus $0.30 per contract for clearing, exchange, and NFA fees. Total round-trip cost is $2.10 per contract for base costs. These rates were last updated April 6, 2026 per tastytrade's commissions PDF.
- Are micro futures commissions proportional to the 1:10 contract size ratio?
- No. Micro futures commissions are not 1/10 of full-size E-mini commissions. At NinjaTrader Free (as of 11/13/2025), MES is $0.95 per side and ES is $2.88 per side — a ratio of about 3:1, not 10:1. IBKR MES is $0.25 and ES is $0.85 — also about 3.4:1. This means the per-tick transaction cost is higher on micros than on full-size contracts.
- What fees are excluded from Tradovate's commission?
- Tradovate's per-side commission figures exclude exchange fees, clearing fees, and NFA fees. These are charged separately and vary by contract. For MES, for example, the CME exchange fee and NFA regulatory fee are additional on top of Tradovate's base commission. Check Tradovate's current fee schedule for the complete cost breakdown.
Methodology & sources
Tradovate commission figures from tradovate.com/pricing (verified 2026-06; corroborated by TradingCritique 2026-05-15). NinjaTrader figures from published PDF rate sheet, stamped 11/13/2025. IBKR figures from interactivebrokers.com/en/pricing/commissions-futures.php (verified 2026-06). tastytrade figures from the commissions-and-fees PDF, stamped 2026-04-06. Optimus Futures per-contract commission intentionally excluded (refuted 1-2 across verification sources).
- Tradovate Pricing — Tradovate, as of 2026-06
- NinjaTrader Futures Commissions & Intraday Margins (PDF) — NinjaTrader, stamped 11/13/2025
- Interactive Brokers Futures Commissions — IBKR, as of 2026-06
- tastytrade Commissions & Fees — tastytrade, last updated 2026-04-06