A trader who gets funded by a futures prop firm often finds both Tradovate and NinjaTrader listed on the same evaluation dashboard, with no note on what actually separates them. The short answer: since January 2022, when NinjaTrader Group acquired Tradovate, the two have run on the same futures brokerage. Picking Tradovate vs NinjaTrader is a choice of front end, not a choice of broker.
That single fact changes how you should compare them. This is not MetaTrader vs cTrader, two separate companies with separate account systems. It is one company, NinjaTrader Group, offering a Windows desktop application under the NinjaTrader name and a browser-first application under the Tradovate name, plus a shared login between the two. What differs is the interface, the automation tools built around each one, and, as of 2025, a change of ownership one level up that both names now share.
Same broker, two ways to log in
NinjaTrader, founded in 2003, built a large following as a desktop trading application for retail futures traders. Tradovate launched in 2016 with a cloud-based infrastructure and a different pricing model, aimed at traders who wanted a browser platform instead of an install. NinjaTrader Group bought Tradovate in January 2022, and the two firms have operated as one brokerage since. Tradovate's own site confirms the practical result: a Tradovate account can sign in to NinjaTrader with the same credentials. A trader is not choosing between two futures brokers when they pick between these names. They are choosing which application talks to the same account.
For a prop firm evaluation, this matters because the account rules, the exchange connectivity and the clearing sit behind NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC either way. What changes is the screen the trader looks at every day.
NinjaTrader: a desktop platform built to be customized
NinjaTrader's main product is a Windows desktop application with multi-monitor support and access to what the company describes as thousands of third-party trading apps and add-ons, covering indicators, strategies, order flow tools and automated systems built by outside developers. Traders write their own indicators and automated strategies in NinjaScript, a scripting language based on C#. NinjaTrader also ships a browser platform, NinjaTrader Web, and native mobile apps for Android and iPhone, but the desktop application remains the platform most of its add-on ecosystem is built for.
That add-on marketplace is the practical reason a futures trader picks NinjaTrader over Tradovate: a specific indicator, order flow tool or automated strategy someone already owns or wants to buy is usually written for NinjaScript and the desktop application, not for the browser platform.
Tradovate: cloud-first, browser and native apps
Tradovate was built around a browser-based platform from the start, with native applications for Mac and Windows and mobile apps for iPad, Android and iPhone, all signing in to the same account. Nothing needs installing to place a first trade: a trader opens the browser platform and logs in. That matters for a trader who moves between machines, trades from a laptop that is not always the same one, or simply does not want a Windows-only desktop install as the primary way to trade.
Tradovate does not carry the same third-party add-on marketplace that NinjaTrader has built up over two decades. A trader whose strategy depends on NinjaScript or a specific desktop add-on will find that tooling on the NinjaTrader side, not inside Tradovate's own interface.
| Aspect | NinjaTrader | Tradovate |
|---|---|---|
| Owned by | NinjaTrader Group, LLC | NinjaTrader Group, LLC (acquired 2022) |
| Primary interface | Windows desktop application, plus NinjaTrader Web and mobile apps | Browser platform, plus native Mac and Windows apps and mobile apps |
| Automation language | NinjaScript, based on C# | No equivalent scripting layer of its own |
| Add-on ecosystem | A large third-party marketplace of indicators, tools and strategies | Smaller than NinjaTrader's; the shared login gives access to NinjaTrader for that tooling |
| Account and clearing | NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC | Same clearing entity as NinjaTrader |
Ownership: what changed in 2025
In March 2025 the crypto exchange Kraken announced it would acquire NinjaTrader Group, and it completed the deal in May 2025. Kraken said NinjaTrader would keep operating as its own platform inside Kraken's wider suite of trading products. Whichever front end a futures trader picks, Tradovate or NinjaTrader, the company behind both has now changed hands twice in a few years: once when NinjaTrader bought Tradovate in 2022, and once when Kraken bought NinjaTrader Group in 2025. That does not make either platform a bad choice for an evaluation. It is a reason to read the terms of any funded account carefully and to keep an eye on official announcements from NinjaTrader Group rather than assuming today's setup is permanent.
What actually differs when you trade
Day to day, the difference a funded trader will feel most is workflow. NinjaTrader's desktop application suits a multi-monitor setup with charts, order flow tools and add-ons open at once, on a machine dedicated to trading. Tradovate's browser platform suits a trader who wants to log in from wherever they are, without installing anything first, and who values native mobile apps for checking or managing a position away from the desk. Neither one is faster at the exchange, since orders from both eventually reach the same connectivity behind NinjaTrader Group. The difference is entirely in how the trader interacts with the account.
Where this fits a broader platform stack
Some evaluation firms run futures challenges alongside forex and CFD challenges on a separate platform. For that kind of multi-platform operator, it is worth knowing that SGHK's Broker CRM and Prop Firm CRM connect in one click to NinjaTrader alongside MetaTrader, cTrader, DXtrade, Match-Trader, TradeLocker and eTrader. Tradovate is not part of that connector list, since its brokerage model sits outside the standard platform integrations a forex or CFD CRM plugs into. A firm running both futures and CFD products would combine NinjaTrader with one of those other platforms rather than treat Tradovate the same way.
How to choose
If your strategy or a specific indicator already depends on NinjaScript or a NinjaTrader add-on, trade on NinjaTrader. If you want to log in from any machine without installing a Windows application, and you value native mobile apps more than a desktop add-on library, use Tradovate. Since both sit on the same account with the same firm behind them, the practical move for a trader weighing a prop firm evaluation is to open both platforms on a demo, if the firm offers one, and pick the interface you would want to look at for months, not the name on the login page.
"When two platform names sit behind one broker, the real decision is which screen you want to trade from every day, not which company you think you are choosing."
— The SGHK Team
Key Takeaways
- NinjaTrader Group acquired Tradovate in January 2022; the two have shared one brokerage and clearing entity since, and a Tradovate login also opens NinjaTrader.
- NinjaTrader is a Windows desktop application with NinjaScript automation (based on C#) and a large third-party add-on marketplace; Tradovate is browser-first with native Mac, Windows and mobile apps.
- In 2025 Kraken acquired NinjaTrader Group, changing the ownership behind both platform names a second time since 2022.
- SGHK's Broker CRM and Prop Firm CRM connect to NinjaTrader in one click; Tradovate is not part of that connector list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tradovate a different broker from NinjaTrader?
No. NinjaTrader Group acquired Tradovate in January 2022, and both now run on the same brokerage and clearing entity, NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC. A Tradovate login can also access NinjaTrader, so the choice between them is a choice of interface, not of broker.
Can I automate trading on Tradovate the way I can on NinjaTrader?
NinjaTrader has NinjaScript, a scripting language based on C#, plus a large third-party marketplace of indicators and automated strategies built for its desktop application. Tradovate does not have an equivalent scripting layer of its own, so a trader who wants that kind of automation typically uses the NinjaTrader side of the shared account.
Does the 2025 Kraken deal change anything for a funded futures trader today?
At the time it was announced, both companies said NinjaTrader would keep operating as its own platform. It is still worth reading your funded account terms and watching official announcements from NinjaTrader Group, since the ownership behind both platform names has changed more than once in a few years.
Which platform should a new futures prop firm trader pick?
If a strategy or add-on depends on NinjaScript, use NinjaTrader's desktop application. If logging in from any machine without an install, and native mobile apps, matter more than a desktop add-on library, use Tradovate. Try both on a demo before a funded evaluation if the firm offers one.
About SGHK
SGHK is a FinTech company that designs and builds its own software for the trading industry: the eTrader trading platform, Launch your Broker and Launch your Prop Firm. Every product is written, hosted and supported in-house and licensed to trading firms, with the CRMs branded to them, all hosted by us in the cloud, managed by each firm and built to scale across clustered servers as our clients grow. Everything is encrypted, and each firm is the only one with access to its data and its clients' data.