ATAS vs NinjaTrader: Order-Flow Specialist or Futures Platform?

At a glance

What ATAS is built for

ATAS is built for reading order flow and volume. Footprint charts, with 400+ variations and imbalance detection, sit alongside Smart Tape, Smart DOM, a Bid/Ask Tape, an MBO DOM, and volume and market profiles. It isn't a broker: market data comes from a supported provider or broker, and it's analytics software rather than an all-in-one execution platform. Classic ATAS runs on Windows; ATAS X, which also runs on macOS, is in beta, as are the heatmap and the options modules.

Read the full ATAS review →

What NinjaTrader is built for

NinjaTrader is built around futures, with its own materials centred on Micro E-mini and E-mini contracts and access to CME Group and Eurex. Its software is described as always free to use for charting, backtesting, and simulation, and NinjaScript and the Strategy Analyzer cover custom indicators and automated strategy testing. Live trading and clearing run through a separate, regulated affiliate. Order flow is one part of that workflow, through Order Flow+.

Read the full NinjaTrader review →

Getting order flow and real-time data

On ATAS, the pricing page doesn't say which plans include footprint charts or delta, but it is clear about data access. START and PLUS show traditional futures on a 15-minute delay, and that includes the €999 PLUS lifetime licence. Real-time traditional futures needs PRO or ULTRA, plus a market-data subscription from a supported provider or broker. ATAS doesn't publish what that data costs.

On NinjaTrader, access depends on your brokerage account. Order Flow+ is included with any funded NinjaTrader brokerage account and for existing Lifetime license holders, and is $59/month without a funded account. A funded account also includes Level I CME Group and EUREX data; deeper data, such as CME Group Level II, is a separate subscription. NinjaTrader's help guide lists eight Order Flow+ components, while its current support article lists six, without Delta Bars or Price On Volume Bars.

Both products have a feature called Market Replay, but they aren't the same feature. ATAS includes it on PLUS and up, replaying sessions tick by tick with full DOM data; whether PLUS can replay futures isn't established. NinjaTrader's Market Replay steps through historical data tick by tick; our review doesn't state which plan includes it.

Trading and connections

NinjaTrader trades through its affiliated brokerage on one of three account plans, Free, Monthly, or Lifetime, each with different per-contract commissions; exchange, clearing, and NFA fees apply on every plan. NinjaTrader Desktop also documents connections to external brokers and data providers. An equivalent connection list for NinjaTrader Web or Mobile isn't documented.

ATAS lists 13 futures data feeds. The sources behind our ATAS review don't document which of those connections can also route orders, beyond Cross-Trading, which on PRO and ULTRA means analysing E-mini contracts while executing on Micro contracts.

NinjaTrader is one of the data feeds ATAS lists. Neither review documents how that connection works or what it costs, so this page doesn't describe using the two together.

Prices in native currency

Each vendor's prices are shown in its own currency. This page doesn't convert them, add them into one total, or say which is cheaper.

• ATAS (euros): START is free; PLUS is €24.95/month, PRO €69.95/month, and ULTRA €89.95/month. Billed yearly, they're €19.95, €39.95, and €49.95 per month. Lifetime licences are €999 (PLUS), €1,799 (PRO), and €1,999 (ULTRA). EU residents are charged VAT at their country's rate, and the pricing page doesn't say whether listed prices include it. A 6-month plan is mentioned, but its price isn't shown.
• NinjaTrader (US dollars): the software is free for charting, backtesting, and simulation. Live trading uses a Free ($0/month), Monthly ($99/month), or Lifetime ($1,499 one-time, or four payments of $499) account plan, each with its own commissions. Order Flow+ is $59/month without a funded account, and the CME Group Level II bundle is $48/month. NinjaTrader's pricing changed in August 2026, so confirm before relying on these figures.

The two "lifetime" options are different things. An ATAS lifetime licence is a one-time software purchase. NinjaTrader's Lifetime plan is a brokerage account plan that lowers per-contract commissions and requires a live NinjaTrader brokerage account.

ATAS's 14-day trial needs a card or PayPal and switches to the paid plan automatically, and its official pages describe what the trial covers differently. ATAS offers a 100% refund within 14 days of the first payment, but doesn't say whether renewals can be refunded. NinjaTrader's free two-week trial includes live CME Group Level II data; its refund terms aren't covered in our review. For software and data costs across more order-flow tools, see our order flow software cost comparison.

Which fits which trader

ATAS fits if

• You want a dedicated order-flow toolset. Footprint charts with 400+ variations, Smart Tape, Smart DOM, an MBO DOM, and profiles are the core of ATAS, not one module among many.
• You would rather buy software once. Every paid ATAS plan has a lifetime licence. Real-time traditional futures starts with the €1,799 PRO licence; the €999 PLUS licence stays on delayed futures.
• You want to run it on a Mac. ATAS X runs on macOS, though it is in beta. NinjaTrader Desktop is Windows-only; its web app runs on a Mac.

NinjaTrader fits if

• You want one futures platform for charting, testing, and trading. Charting, backtesting, and simulation are described as always free, and live trading runs through NinjaTrader’s affiliated brokerage.
• You will fund a NinjaTrader brokerage account. A funded account includes Order Flow+ and Level I CME Group and EUREX data at no extra cost.
• You want to build and test automated strategies. NinjaScript and the Strategy Analyzer’s backtest, optimization, and walk-forward modes are documented in NinjaTrader’s help guides.

What this comparison doesn't cover

This isn't a setup guide, and it doesn't compare the two footprint implementations feature by feature. It doesn't cover ATAS backtesting, which our ATAS review doesn't cover, or add up an all-in monthly cost. For heatmap-first order flow, see ATAS vs Bookmap and Bookmap vs NinjaTrader. For NinjaTrader's charting alongside TradingView and MotiveWave, see our futures charting software comparison. For what footprint charts, the DOM, and delta show, see our Order Flow guide.