Frequently Asked Questions
How NinjaTrader Follow works, how strategies are scored, and how fees are charged.
How does NinjaTrader Follow work?
Top NinjaTrader-eligible traders publish their executions to the marketplace. You browse, evaluate, and follow strategies that fit your risk and account size. When the leader places a trade, our copy engine replicates a sized version into your Tradovate account in real time.
You pay a small fee per replicated execution — there is no monthly subscription. You only pay when trades happen on your account.
How is the Composite Score calculated?
Every strategy receives a Composite Score between 0 and 1 that determines its marketplace rank. The score combines six independent metrics, each min-max normalized across the entire population so that the best performer in each dimension scores 1.0 and the worst scores 0.0.
For MDD, GIB, and TUW the normalized values are inverted (1 − value) because lower is better — a smaller drawdown, less giveback, and less time underwater all improve the score.
| Metric | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| R² | 25% | Linearity of the equity curve. Higher is better. |
| PRTS | 20% | Fraction of data points that set a new equity high. Higher is better. |
| MDD | 15% | Average of the worst three peak-to-trough drawdowns. Lower is better. |
| GIB | 15% | Fraction of peak equity surrendered by end. Lower is better. |
| TUW | 15% | Fraction of time spent below the running high-water mark. Lower is better. |
| β Slope | 10% | Linear-regression coefficient of the equity curve. Higher is better. |
How are strategies filtered before scoring?
Not every trader qualifies for the marketplace. Strategies must pass these filters:
- Starting balance of $25,000 or more
- Average hold time of at least 30 minutes
- Not an evaluation or funded-trader account
- Traded within the last 30 days
- At least 90 days of trading history
- GIB (gave-it-back) ratio below 10%
How does copy-trading work mechanically?
Our worker maintains a real-time WebSocket connection to Tradovate and watches leader-account fills. When a fill is detected, the copy engine computes your follower order size based on your configured multiplier, applies your selected scenario filter (e.g. skip averaging-down legs), and routes the order through a Rule 575-compliant order queue.
Orders are sequenced to avoid book-flooding; closing trades bypass the throttle for fast exits. If a fill is missed (e.g. WebSocket reconnect), our REST poller catches up within seconds.
How are fees charged?
NinjaTrader Follow charges half a tick per contract traded. There are no subscription fees, monthly minimums, or hidden charges. You only pay when a trade is actually executed in your account.
The fee equals half the minimum tick value of the futures product being traded. For example:
If a leader buys 3 MES contracts and your size multiplier is 1×, you copy 3 contracts and pay 3 × $0.63 = $1.88 for that execution.
What risk controls do I have?
Per follow you can configure:
- Size multiplier — copy fills at 0.25× to 5× the leader's size.
- Max contracts — hard cap per fill.
- Use micro contracts — automatically convert E-mini to micro futures.
- Join policy — skip mid-leg copies, wait for flat, or sync to leader.
- Daily loss limit / max drawdown — auto-halt when breached.
- Symbol allow/deny lists — exclude instruments you don't want.
Why Tradovate?
NinjaTrader Follow runs on Tradovate accounts because Tradovate provides the broker-side execution APIs we need. Your existing NinjaTrader login works for Tradovate. You'll connect your account on the Settings page.
What does "Inactive" mean?
A strategy marked Inactive has not placed a trade in the last 30 days. It remains visible in the marketplace for reference but new follows are discouraged since the trader may have stopped trading.
See also: Disclosures · Marketplace