Quick Answer — TradeDay Commissions — Quick Facts
- • Equity-index minis (ES, NQ, YM, RTY) typically run $4.00–$5.00 round-turn per contract, in line with peer prop firms and retail brokers.
- • Equity-index micros (MES, MNQ, MYM, M2K) run roughly $0.50–$1.20 round-turn — about 10× cheaper than the corresponding mini for one-tenth the size.
- • Energy (CL, NG), metals (GC, SI), and rate (ZN, ZB) contracts each carry their own rate that mirrors CME exchange fees plus a small platform markup.
- • Commissions are charged per fill, both on funded sim and funded live accounts — there is no commission-free trading mode.
- • A scalper running 50 round-turn ES trades per day at $5.00 round-turn pays $250 per day in commissions before P&L.
Tested firsthand: I've traded TradeDay since December 2024 across multiple account configurations — around $14,000 in cumulative payouts, currently no active account. TradeDay's lineup is 9 SKUs: three sizes ($50K / $100K / $150K) crossed with three drawdown methods (Intraday Trailing, EOD Trailing, Static). Picking the right configuration matters more than picking the right size — the EOD-trailing on a $50K is structurally easier than intraday-trailing on a $150K. Full breakdown in the TradeDay accounts guide and main review. Verify current pricing at the TradeDay Help Center, or sign up at TradeDay with code SAVE30 for 30% off plus no activation fee.
# TradeDay Commission Rates 2026: Per-Product Cost Breakdown
TradeDay commissions sit in the same neighborhood as a retail futures broker. Most active traders coming from a Tradovate Direct or NinjaTrader Brokerage account won't notice a meaningful difference — round-turn rates are within a quarter or so on equity-index minis, and the micro contracts price in the typical 10× discount that the futures industry has standardized around. The actual cost decision at TradeDay isn't whether commissions are competitive (they are), it's whether your strategy frequency makes the per-trade friction sustainable across an evaluation and into a funded account.
This guide walks every major contract family with the typical round-turn cost on TradeDay, the comparison against the rest of the futures-prop space, and the per-day commission math you need to size your strategy properly. The numbers below come from the Help Center commission article (the master table updates a few times a year as exchange fees change) and from the per-platform commission reports across Tradovate, NinjaTrader, and TradingView. Exact pennies move with exchange fee schedules — but the structure and the order of magnitude have been stable through 2025 and into 2026.
How TradeDay Charges Commissions
Commissions at TradeDay are pass-through-style: the firm charges a per-side or per-round-turn rate that mirrors what a retail futures account would pay, with the per-product cost roughly equal to the underlying CME (or NYMEX, COMEX, CBOT) exchange and clearing fees plus a small platform markup. There is no flat-monthly commission package, no commission-free tier, and no separate evaluation-vs-funded commission rate. You pay the same per-trade rate on Funded Sim that you do on Funded Live; the difference between the two account stages is that Funded Live also activates professional market-data fees (covered separately in TradeDay professional data fees).
A few structural points worth understanding before reading the per-product table:
- Round-turn means in-and-out. A round-turn trade is one entry plus one exit. If you scalp 1 ES contract, hold for 8 ticks, and close — that's a single round-turn. The commission you see in your fill ledger is normally split across the two fills (entry side + exit side), but most traders track commission cost as round-turn dollars because that's the unit your strategy P&L is calculated against.
- Per contract, not per trade. A 5-lot ES trade costs 5× the round-turn — TradeDay charges per contract per fill, the same as every other futures broker. Scaling up your size scales up your commission cost linearly.
- Platform markup is small. Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, and Jigsaw each have a platform-level commission rate that TradeDay passes through. The markup over base exchange fees is competitive but does exist — that's how the platform funds order routing, data, and execution infrastructure.
- No commissions on the evaluation purchase. The $87/$140/$210 (Intraday) or $122/$192/$262 (EOD) or $115/$175/$245 (Static) you pay at signup is the evaluation fee. Commissions are separate and apply to every trade you place once the account is active. The full evaluation pricing breakdown is in TradeDay pricing 2026.
Round-Turn Commission Rates by Product
The per-product rate table below covers the major liquid contracts that almost all TradeDay traders use. Less-liquid contracts (specific Eurodollar tenors, less-traded ag products, currency crosses outside the major six) follow the same pattern but at slightly different exchange-fee tiers — when in doubt, the platform commission report is the authoritative number.
Equity-Index Futures (CME)
| Contract | Symbol | Typical RT commission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-mini S&P 500 | ES | $4.00–$5.00 | Most-traded TradeDay contract by volume |
| E-mini Nasdaq-100 | NQ | $4.00–$5.00 | Highest tick-value of the equity minis |
| E-mini Russell 2000 | RTY | $4.00–$5.00 | Lower volume, slightly wider spreads |
| E-mini Dow | YM | $4.00–$5.00 | Small-tick contract, lighter scalper volume |
| Micro E-mini S&P 500 | MES | $0.50–$1.20 | One-tenth of ES size at one-tenth the cost |
| Micro E-mini Nasdaq | MNQ | $0.50–$1.20 | One-tenth of NQ size |
| Micro E-mini Russell | M2K | $0.50–$1.20 | One-tenth of RTY size |
| Micro E-mini Dow | MYM | $0.50–$1.20 | One-tenth of YM size |
Equity-index futures are the workhorse contracts at TradeDay — the majority of evaluations and funded accounts run at least some volume on ES, NQ, or their micros. The mini commissions are within a few cents of what a self-cleared retail account pays at Tradovate Direct. The micro commissions are intentionally retail-friendly: 10 MES contracts cost roughly the same in commission as 1 ES, so traders sizing into micros aren't getting penalized for their account size.
Energy Futures (NYMEX)
| Contract | Symbol | Typical RT commission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crude Oil | CL | $4.50–$5.00 | NYMEX exchange fees slightly higher than CME equity |
| Natural Gas | NG | $4.50–$5.00 | Same NYMEX fee tier as CL |
| Micro Crude Oil | MCL | $0.60–$1.20 | One-tenth of CL size |
| Heating Oil | HO | $4.50–$5.00 | Lower volume, occasional wide spreads |
| RBOB Gasoline | RB | $4.50–$5.00 | Lower volume |
Energy contracts sit at the upper end of the equity-mini commission range. CL is volatile enough that the per-trade cost is rarely the binding constraint — most CL traders are sized small enough that round-turn cost is dwarfed by tick-volatility. NG is similar. Both contracts auto-liquidate around EIA inventory releases under TradeDay's news-trading rule (covered in TradeDay rules).
Metal Futures (COMEX)
| Contract | Symbol | Typical RT commission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | GC | $4.00–$5.00 | COMEX exchange fees in line with CME equity |
| Silver | SI | $4.00–$5.00 | Higher tick-value, lower position limits typical |
| Copper | HG | $4.00–$5.00 | Lower retail volume |
| Micro Gold | MGC | $0.40–$0.60 | One-tenth of GC size |
| Micro Silver | SIL | $0.40–$0.60 | One-tenth of SI size |
Metals run roughly the same per-contract commission as equity-index minis. The COMEX exchange fee tier on GC is in the same neighborhood as CME-equity. SI's higher tick value (1 cent = $50 vs. ES's 1 tick = $12.50) means scalp setups on SI need wider stops, but the per-trade commission isn't the limiting factor.
Interest Rate Futures (CBOT)
| Contract | Symbol | Typical RT commission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Note | ZN | $3.00–$4.00 | Lower CBOT fee tier vs. CME equity |
| 30-Year Bond | ZB | $3.00–$4.00 | Wide tick value, slow market |
| 5-Year Note | ZF | $3.00–$4.00 | Same fee tier as ZN |
| 2-Year Note | ZT | $3.00–$4.00 | Lower volume |
| Ultra 10-Year Note | TN | $3.50–$4.00 | Slightly higher tier |
Rate contracts sit a touch under equity-index minis. The CBOT fee tier on ZN/ZB/ZF is structurally lower than the CME-equity tier. Rate trading at TradeDay tends to be a smaller share of total volume, but for traders running yield-curve setups or rate-sensitive macro plays, the cheaper round-turn helps absorb the typically tighter directional moves.
Currency Futures (CME)
| Contract | Symbol | Typical RT commission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euro FX | 6E | $3.50–$4.50 | Most-traded currency future |
| British Pound | 6B | $3.50–$4.50 | Same fee tier as 6E |
| Japanese Yen | 6J | $3.50–$4.50 | Lower retail volume |
| Australian Dollar | 6A | $3.50–$4.50 | Same fee tier |
| Canadian Dollar | 6C | $3.50–$4.50 | Same fee tier |
| Swiss Franc | 6S | $3.50–$4.50 | Lower retail volume |
Currency futures (the "sixes" — 6E, 6B, 6J, 6A, 6C, 6S) run a touch under equity-index minis on commission cost. Most currency-focused traders at TradeDay focus on 6E, which has the deepest book, with 6B as a second-favorite for traders running GBP-correlated setups. Spot FX traders moving to futures often find the per-trade cost competitive vs. retail FX spreads.
Grain and Agricultural Futures (CBOT)
| Contract | Symbol | Typical RT commission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corn | ZC | $3.50–$4.50 | Subject to Crop Reports auto-liquidation |
| Soybeans | ZS | $3.50–$4.50 | Same fee tier as ZC |
| Wheat | ZW | $3.50–$4.50 | Same fee tier |
| Soybean Oil | ZL | $3.50–$4.50 | Lower volume |
| Soybean Meal | ZM | $3.50–$4.50 | Lower volume |
Ag contracts sit at a similar tier to currencies — slightly under equity. The note worth flagging here is the news-trading lockout: under TradeDay's tier-1 economic data rule, Crop Production Reports trigger auto-liquidation 2 minutes before release for agricultural contracts only. The full lockout window mechanics are covered in TradeDay rules.
How TradeDay Commissions Compare to Peer Prop Firms
| Firm | ES round-turn | MES round-turn | CL round-turn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TradeDay | ~$4.00–$5.00 | ~$0.50–$1.20 | ~$4.50–$5.00 | CME pass-through |
| Topstep | ~$3.50–$4.80 | ~$0.40–$0.60 | ~$4.00–$5.00 | Slightly cheaper micros historically |
| Apex Trader Funding | ~$4.00–$5.00 | ~$0.50–$1.20 | ~$4.50–$5.00 | Comparable to TradeDay |
| Tradovate Direct (retail) | ~$0.40–$1.40 (no platform fee) + CME fees | ~$0.20–$0.50 + CME fees | ~$0.40–$1.40 + NYMEX fees | All-in lands close to prop firms |
The bottom line on the comparison: equity-index minis are within roughly $0.30 across the three major US futures prop firms. Micros vary a touch more (Topstep historically slightly cheaper) but again within roughly $0.40 round-turn. None of the firms uses commission rate as a competitive differentiator — they compete on drawdown rules, account structure, payout policy, and platform support. Pick the firm based on whether their rules fit your strategy, then size your strategy around their commission rate.
For the side-by-side rules and account structure comparison against the broader space, TradeDay strategy guide walks through which trader profiles fit which firm.
Per-Day Commission Cost: The Math That Matters
The single most useful exercise before signing up is to map your typical daily round-turn count against the commission rate and see what percentage of your expected daily P&L the commissions take. Three worked examples on TradeDay rates:
Conservative ES swing-style intraday trader. 5 round-turns per day on ES at $4.50 round-turn = $22.50/day. Across 20 trading days per month, that's $450/month in commission cost. On a $50K account targeting $1,000–$2,000 in monthly profit (post-pass), commissions are 22%–45% of monthly profit — significant but not strategy-breaking.
Mid-frequency mini scalper. 30 round-turns per day on ES at $4.50 = $135/day, $2,700/month. On a $100K funded account targeting $4,000–$6,000 monthly net, commissions are 45%–67% of pre-commission profit — meaning you need to gross $6,700–$8,700 to net $4,000–$6,000. This is where commission cost starts to materially shape strategy economics, and where many mini scalpers transition to a mix of minis-and-micros to bring the friction down.
Active micro-only scalper. 50 round-turns per day on MES at $0.60 = $30/day, $600/month. On a $50K micro-focused account targeting $1,500–$2,500 net monthly, commissions are 24%–40% — much more manageable than the equivalent mini-scalper's economics. This is the structural reason a lot of TradeDay scalpers run micros: the commission-to-target ratio is friendlier even though the per-tick payout is smaller.
The 200-trade-per-day cap on TradeDay (from the prohibited practices list) effectively bounds the upper end of commission cost. At 200 RT × $5.00 = $1,000/day in commissions, you'd need to gross $1,001 just to break even. The cap exists partly to prevent simulator gaming, but it also implicitly forces a minimum win-rate-times-edge that makes hyper-frequency scalping impractical at TradeDay rates.
What's NOT Charged Beyond Commissions
A few costs that are sometimes confused with commissions but are tracked separately:
- Professional market data fees. Activated only on Funded Live accounts. Charges are separate per exchange (CME ~$X/month, ICE ~$X/month, etc.). Funded Sim has no professional data fees. Full breakdown in TradeDay professional data fees.
- Reset fees. $80 / $124 / $149 by account size. Charged when you blow an evaluation and want to restart on the same account size. Not a commission.
- Wire/withdrawal fees. US wire FREE, international wire $15, Layer-1 crypto $2.50 plus gas, Layer-2 crypto FREE. Not a commission.
- Activation fees. Waived under the SAVE30 promo currently running. Otherwise a small one-time fee on graduation to funded.
- Platform subscription fees. TradeDay covers the platform license cost for active accounts on Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, and Jigsaw. There is no separate monthly platform fee charged to the trader.
The full account-rules walkthrough covering what the firm does and does not charge is in TradeDay funded account rules.
Commission Visibility: How to See What You're Paying
Each TradeDay-supported platform exposes commission cost in its own way:
- Tradovate. Per-side commission shows in the order entry window. The Account Performance report breaks down commission per symbol per session. Round-turn cost is calculable from the entry-fill commission plus the exit-fill commission.
- NinjaTrader 8. The Strategy Analyzer and Account Performance reports include a Commission column showing per-trade cost. The per-instrument rate is set inside Account → Properties for the connected TradeDay account.
- TradingView. Per-fill commission shows on each executed order in the trade panel. Aggregate commission for a session shows in the strategy report (when paper-trading) and in the Trade Manager (when live).
- Jigsaw. Per-trade commission appears on each filled order. The end-of-day P&L summary aggregates commission cost by instrument.
The Help Center maintains a master commission article (article 103000008893) with the canonical per-contract round-turn cost across all four platforms. Whenever the per-platform numbers are unclear or inconsistent, that article is the source of truth — and any rate update is announced via email and inside the dashboard before going live.
The bottom line
TradeDay commission rates are competitive with the rest of the futures-prop space and within striking distance of self-cleared retail futures rates once exchange fees are included. The per-product breakdown is the standard CME / NYMEX / COMEX / CBOT pass-through structure, with minis around $4.00–$5.00 round-turn and micros around 10× cheaper. The 30%-off SAVE30 promo applies to evaluation purchase price, not to commissions — so the per-trade math is the same for everyone.
The real commission decision isn't whether TradeDay is cheap or expensive (it's neither — it's mid-pack). It's whether your strategy's per-day round-turn count keeps the friction below 25%–30% of your expected daily P&L. If you're running 30+ mini round-turns per day, commissions become a material drag and you should either size into micros, reduce frequency, or pick a different account size that lets the average winning trade absorb the per-trade cost more comfortably.
For the full account-rules and structure context, TradeDay accounts walks the 9 SKUs across the three drawdown variants. For the post-passing payout flow including the buffer-zone math, TradeDay payout policy covers what cleared profit actually looks like after commissions and pro data fees come out. For full pricing including reset and activation specifics, TradeDay pricing 2026. And for the strategy-fit angle on whether your style suits TradeDay's commission structure, TradeDay strategy is the longer-form view.