NinjaTrader

NinjaTrader occupies a highly specific, fanatically defended niche: the global Retail Futures market (trading massive contracts on oil, gold, and the S&P 500). While TWS and thinkorswim try to be everything to everyone (Stocks, Options, Forex), NinjaTrader focuses laser-specifically on the terrifyingly fast, highly leveraged world of Futures Day Trading. Its absolute defining feature is its "SuperDOM" (Depth of Market) trading interface. In Futures day trading, a trader holds a position for literally 15 seconds to capture a few "ticks" of profit. They do not have time to fill out an order ticket. The SuperDOM allows the trader to place, modify, and cancel massive financial orders with a single click of the mouse wheel directly on the price ladder, providing blistering speed. It operates heavily on an "Ecosystem" model. NinjaTrader's base software is completely free to use for advanced charting and simulation. They make their money by acting as the actual Brokerage for the live trades, or by selling "Lifetime Licenses" that dramatically reduce the commission fees the trader pays per trade, heavily incentivizing high-volume scalpers.