A futures trading simulator is a platform that lets you place trades on real futures contracts using virtual money and live or recorded market data, so you can practice strategies, test order types, and learn how a futures trading platform works without putting capital at risk. NinjaTrader's simulator gives you the same charts, order entry, and market depth used by funded live traders—with no time limit on simulated trading itself, plus a 14-day free trial of live streaming market data.
What is a futures trading simulator?
Trading can be stressful when you have real money on the line, so it's important to prepare yourself for the real-world trading experience. Sim trading lets you flex your futures muscles without having any actual skin in the game. Sharpen your trading skills and test your ideas risk-free in our simulated trading environment featuring live streaming market data.
Get StartedWho should use a trading simulator?
NinjaTrader's trading simulator includes advanced charting, 100+ technical indicators, market depth, and the no-code Strategy Builder—the same tools used in live NinjaTrader accounts. Beginning traders use it to learn the platform and practice order entry without risk. Experienced traders use it to backtest automated strategies on historical data, validate new setups in Market Replay, and warm up before the open.
Opportunities to access NinjaTrader's trading simulation platform include:
- Unlimited simulated trading with all funded trading accounts
- Free 14-day trial through an online trading platform demo featuring livestreaming market data
- Ability to test new trading ideas before putting money at risk
What can you do in NinjaTrader's simulator?
Validate your strategies and explore new technical analysis and more through the NinjaTrader simulator. Learn more about how to build automated futures strategies without coding before testing them in sim.
| Data source | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Live market data | Streams real-time prices from the actual futures markets into your simulated account | Practice trading current market conditions in real time |
| Simulated data feed | Lets you control market direction manually to test how strategies respond | Stress-testing automated strategies and learning the platform |
| Playback Connection (Market Replay) | Replays recorded historical tick data—up to 1,000× speed—going back 90 days | Practicing specific setups or compressing weeks of practice into a single session |
Not sure what to test? Start by building a structured trading strategy—defining your entry rules, exit logic, and risk parameters before you backtest.
FAQs about NinjaTrader's futures trading simulator
The NinjaTrader platform and simulator are free to download and use. A free 14-day trial includes live streaming market data; after the trial ends, you can continue using the simulator with delayed data, subscribe to a live data feed, or open a NinjaTrader account to access live market data.
No. There is no minimum deposit required to open a NinjaTrader account or to use the simulator. ACH and debit-card transfers, when you eventually fund the account, have a $5 minimum.
There is no time limit on simulated trading itself. You can sim trade as long as you want before transitioning to a live, funded account; live streaming market data is included for the first 14 days, after which delayed data, a paid data subscription, or a funded account is required.
They mean the same thing. "Paper trading" is the older term—back when traders wrote orders on paper without sending them to a broker. "Sim trading" or "simulated trading" is the modern equivalent: virtual orders executed in a real-time or replayed market environment.
Yes. NinjaTrader's simulator supports both manual sim trading and automated strategy testing. The Strategy Builder lets you create rule-based automated strategies without coding, and the high-performance backtesting engine runs them against historical tick data so you can analyze performance before risking capital.
How to start futures paper trading with NinjaTrader
Once you open your account, you can sharpen your trading skills and explore the NinjaTrader Desktop in our free futures trading simulation environment. Equipped with professional market data, our trading simulator will empower you to join the live futures markets with confidence.
- No minimum* funding requirement to open your account
- Free platform included—no platform fees
- Sim trade risk-free until you're ready for live trading
*ACH and debit card transfers are subject to a $5.00 minimum.
Get StartedExplore sim trading in depth with NinjaTrader
Dive into all things sim trading with us, from expert education to futures trading competitions.
Learn: Explore advice from the pros on our blog
Practice risk-free for your chance to win:
Simulated trading does not represent actual trading and is based on hypothetical conditions. Actual trading results may differ significantly due to factors such as market conditions, liquidity, execution, and the emotional and psychological impact of risking real money. Simulated trading is provided for educational and platform-familiarization purposes only and should not be relied upon as an indication or expectation of results in a live trading environment.