Rithmic FAQ: 70+ Answers on Order Routing, Fees & TradingView Automation

Yes. Rithmic itself does not offer a native TradingView integration, so you need a bridge service. PickMyTrade connects TradingView webhook alerts straight into your Rithmic account over R|API, so every alert becomes a live order in the Rithmic trade engine.

No. Rithmic has publicly said it is waiting for TradingView to initiate an integration and, as of 2026, there is no direct Rithmic broker in the TradingView broker panel. Traders use third-party bridges such as PickMyTrade to close the gap.

You create a TradingView alert, paste the PickMyTrade webhook URL into the alert, and log your Rithmic credentials into PickMyTrade once. When TradingView fires an alert, PickMyTrade receives the webhook and routes the order into Rithmic via R|API in sub-200ms on typical setups.

R|API is Rithmic's official C++/.NET software library that lets external applications place, modify, and cancel orders inside the Rithmic trade engine. Any automation tool - including PickMyTrade - must speak R|API or sit behind R|Trader Pro's plugin gateway to send orders programmatically.

R|Trader Pro is the desktop app humans click in, and it can expose a local plugin port (default 4001) that other apps connect through. R|API is the underlying SDK that talks directly to Rithmic's gateways without R|Trader Pro running. Automation services can use either path - PickMyTrade uses the direct API route so you don't have to keep a desktop open.

Not with PickMyTrade - it connects to Rithmic's servers directly over R|API, so your PC can be off. If you instead use NinjaTrader's Plugin Mode to share a Rithmic session, R|Trader Pro has to stay running on that machine because the plugin tunnels through it.

Yes - prop accounts are just Rithmic logins with extra risk rules, so any tool that accepts a Rithmic username/password/system/gateway can drive them. PickMyTrade supports Topstep, Apex, Take Profit Trader, Bulenox and other Rithmic-based prop firms. Always check your prop firm's rules on copy trading and automation before running strategies.

PickMyTrade advertises sub-200ms end-to-end execution from TradingView webhook to Rithmic order acknowledgement on normal internet. Rithmic itself is measured in single-digit milliseconds at the gateway; the bulk of latency is your TradingView alert fire plus network hop to PickMyTrade.

Yes. Inside PickMyTrade you can attach one webhook to multiple Rithmic logins (for example, a Topstep eval, an Apex PA and a live AMP account) and fan out the same alert to all of them. This is easier than NinjaTrader's Plugin Mode, which restricts you to one Rithmic session per machine by default.

Yes. Rithmic natively supports server-side brackets, OCOs and trailing stops, and PickMyTrade exposes those in its alert builder so your TradingView JSON can carry SL/TP offsets. The stop and target sit on Rithmic's servers, which means they still work if your PC or internet dies.

Anything your Rithmic user ID is permissioned for. That usually covers CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX micros and minis (ES, NQ, CL, GC, etc.) and sometimes Eurex for traders clearing at Dorman, AMP, Wedbush or The Trading Pit. Automation does not bypass the per-exchange permissioning set by your FCM or prop firm.

Yes when you use PickMyTrade, because the webhook and the connection to Rithmic both live in the cloud. If you instead route alerts through your local NinjaTrader or Sierra Chart, a sleeping or rebooted PC will miss alerts until you log back in.

Only if you want to write your own R|API client. For no-code automation, PickMyTrade lets you point-and-click: choose the symbol, pick the strategy, set quantity and risk, and paste the alert. The heavy R|API work is handled server-side.

Yes, that is the main use case. You backtest a Pine Script strategy on TradingView, then wire the strategy's buy/sell alerts into PickMyTrade, which forwards them to Rithmic. Be aware that backtest fills are idealised - real Rithmic fills depend on liquidity and your broker's routing.

The order will not reach the exchange. PickMyTrade will log the failed send, but it cannot hold an order and queue it until Rithmic is back without the risk of late fills. Most traders use conditional logic (e.g. market-hours filter) in their Pine Script to avoid firing during known Rithmic maintenance windows.

PickMyTrade is a flat $50/month with unlimited Rithmic accounts, strategies and alerts, and a 5-day free trial. That is on top of the Rithmic-side costs you already pay your FCM or prop firm (monthly Rithmic fee + exchange data + per-contract).

Most Rithmic-based prop firms allow semi-automated or fully automated trading on evaluations and funded accounts, but each has its own rules on copy trading, consistency and news trading. Always read the current prop firm contract - rules change often, and a strategy that breaks the consistency rule can void a payout.

No. Rithmic follows CME's trading calendar, including the daily ~4pm-5pm CT reset and the Friday 4pm to Sunday 5pm CT weekend halt. TradingView alerts that fire during those windows will be rejected by Rithmic. PickMyTrade will report the rejection but cannot force an exchange to be open.

Yes. Rithmic offers a free 14-day demo (10 trading days) that works end-to-end with R|API and R|Trader Pro. PickMyTrade lets you connect that demo login just like a live one, so you can prove the strategy before going to a funded account.

Yes - Rithmic routing supports market, limit, stop, stop-limit, OCO, OSO and brackets for both directions, and PickMyTrade passes through whichever side the TradingView alert specifies. There is no extra borrow cost because futures are inherently two-sided contracts.

Building and maintaining an R|API client means learning a C++/.NET SDK, managing credentials, redundancy, VPS hosting and order state - usually hundreds of hours. PickMyTrade bundles all of that into a $50/month service so you can focus on the strategy.

No. Rithmic is an order-routing and market-data company, not an FCM. To get a Rithmic user ID you either open a futures account with an FCM that supports Rithmic (AMP, Ironbeam, Dorman, Wedbush, StoneX, Optimus, EdgeClear, etc.) or sign up with a prop firm that provisions Rithmic credentials.

Rithmic lists its FCM and IB network publicly. Common ones include AMP Futures, Ironbeam, Dorman Trading, StoneX, Wedbush, EdgeClear, Optimus Futures, Cannon Trading, Discount Trading, ITG Futures and Sweet Futures. The list changes - Rithmic publishes it at rithmic.com/fcms.

You buy an evaluation from a Rithmic-connected prop firm (Topstep, Apex, Take Profit Trader, Bulenox, Leeloo/SurgeTrader, MyFundedFutures). The firm emails you a Rithmic username, password, system name and gateway, usually within minutes to a few hours after purchase. You then plug those into R|Trader Pro or a third-party platform.

Yes. Rithmic runs a 14-calendar-day / 10-trading-day free demo you can request at signup.rithmic.com/demo.html. It is limited to one-per-person and meant for trialling the platform, not for long-term paper trading.

Rithmic documents that freshly created accounts can take 30 to 60 minutes to fully activate before login works. If it has been under an hour, wait it out; if longer, contact the FCM or prop firm that issued the ID.

Yes - the same Rithmic username, password, system and gateway work in NinjaTrader, Sierra Chart, Quantower, MotiveWave, Bookmap, ATAS, MultiCharts and more. You do not need a new Rithmic account to switch platforms; just re-enter the credentials.

No. FCMs like AMP Futures and Wedbush accept traders from many countries (check each FCM's country list), and Rithmic provides gateways in Chicago, Aurora and Europe (Ireland) to keep latency reasonable worldwide. Prop firms usually accept international clients too, with some country exclusions that change frequently.

Rithmic's base connection fee is typically around $25 per month per user ID (includes R|Trader Pro), plus a per-contract routing fee (commonly $0.10 to $0.25/side depending on FCM). Your FCM may also add its own commission on top. Exact numbers vary - always confirm with your broker.

CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX charge their own market-data fees to anyone receiving live quotes, regardless of which routing provider you use. Rithmic just collects those fees and passes them to the exchange. It is not an extra Rithmic markup - it is the exchange's published fee.

As of Rithmic's published schedule, non-pro Level 1 CME/Globex bundle is about $9/month, individual Level 1 CME/CBOT/NYMEX/COMEX are about $3/month each, and the Level 2 CME/Globex bundle is around $41/month. These are CME-set rates and can change with CME's fee list.

Pro rates are dramatically higher - around $140/month per exchange for Level 1 CME, with similar ladders for CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX. Most retail and prop-firm traders qualify as non-pro; professional status is triggered by certain employer, licensing or business-use conditions defined by CME.

During evaluations, most firms (Topstep, Apex, TPT, Leeloo, MyFundedFutures) bundle Rithmic data so you don't pay extra. Once you move to a live funded account, you often pay separate exchange data fees for the instruments you want to trade - that can add up to around $85-$100+/month for core CME markets. Always check the current PA (performance account) agreement.

R|Trader Pro the application is included with the standard Rithmic monthly connection - you do not pay extra for the UI. The cost you are paying is the Rithmic connection fee plus exchange data; R|Trader Pro comes along with it.

Yes. Rithmic typically has a minimum monthly fee (often around $20-$25) so you pay the connection charge even if you take zero trades. Exchange data fees also bill by the month, not by usage. Cancel within your FCM's cut-off to avoid being billed for the next month.

R|Trader Pro is Rithmic's native Windows desktop front-end - a DOM, order entry window, account management, and plugin gateway rolled into one. It is the easiest way to log into a Rithmic account, especially for multi-account users and prop firm traders, though it has no built-in charting.

Rithmic plugs into a long list of third-party platforms: NinjaTrader 8, Sierra Chart, Quantower, MotiveWave, Bookmap, ATAS, MultiCharts, Medved Trader, Optimus Flow, AgenaTrader, Tickblaze, OverCharts and Orion Multi-Trader. You use the same Rithmic credentials across any of them.

Rithmic supports market, limit, stop, stop-limit, OCO, OSO, brackets (with or without break-even) and trailing stops. Most of these execute server-side on Rithmic's gateways, so they persist if your local machine crashes - a big reason active traders pick it.

R|Trader Pro is Windows-only. Mac and Linux users either run it through VirtualBox/Parallels/CrossOver, use Rithmic's web browser client, use the iOS/Android app for light monitoring, or connect via a Mac-native platform that supports Rithmic (such as MotiveWave or Sierra Chart under a Windows VM).

Yes - Rithmic Trader Pro is available on iOS and Android, currently rated around 4.5/5 on the Apple App Store (about 1.1k ratings). Most users treat it as a monitoring/flatten tool rather than a primary charting platform; reviews on Trustpilot are more mixed.

Level 1 top-of-book and Level 2 depth, plus Market-By-Order (MBO) on many CME products - a granularity CQG does not match. Historical tick data is also available through R|API and partner platforms. Exact exchanges depend on your subscriptions.

Charting in the basic R|Trader Pro is limited, which is a common complaint in Trustpilot and Elite Trader reviews. Most serious traders pair R|Trader Pro (for execution) with NinjaTrader, Sierra Chart or Bookmap (for charting) using the same Rithmic credentials.

You do not deposit with Rithmic. Rithmic is infrastructure - it does not hold client funds. Deposits happen with your FCM (AMP, Ironbeam, Dorman, StoneX, etc.) or, for prop firms, you pay an evaluation fee directly to the firm, which then provisions a Rithmic login. Money lives with the FCM or prop firm, not Rithmic.

Withdrawals flow through whoever holds your money. With a retail FCM you wire/ACH back to the same bank the deposit came from, per CFTC rules. With a prop firm, payouts follow that firm's payout policy (frequency caps, consistency rules, minimum days). Rithmic is not part of the withdrawal flow.

Depends entirely on the FCM. AMP Futures and Ironbeam commonly advertise $100 minimums for a micro-futures day trading account, while others require $500 or more. Rithmic sets no minimum itself.

Not directly, because Rithmic does not handle funding. Some FCMs accept debit card, wire, ACH or international bank transfer, and a few prop firms accept credit cards or PayPal for evaluation fees. Always check the FCM or prop firm's payment page.

Rithmic itself doesn't custody money. Your FCM is regulated by the CFTC and NFA (in the US), and customer funds are held in segregated accounts per CFTC rules. Futures accounts do not carry SIPC insurance - that is for securities, not futures. Verify your FCM's NFA ID before depositing.

Not cleanly - Rithmic logins are issued per FCM. If you close the AMP account and open a Dorman account, you get a new Rithmic user ID from Dorman. The underlying credentials don't port. Your money moves via ACATS-style transfer or wire between FCMs.

Rithmic is a technology/software provider, not an FCM, so it is not an NFA-registered broker. The FCMs and prop firms that distribute Rithmic connections handle the regulated side - CFTC/NFA in the US, FCA or equivalent elsewhere. Verify your FCM's regulator before funding.

Your broker/FCM. Rithmic never touches client money - it just routes orders and streams market data. That is why customer support for deposits, withdrawals, tax documents and balance issues goes to your FCM or prop firm, never to Rithmic.

Rithmic user IDs log in with username/password/system/gateway; built-in 2FA at the R|API layer is limited compared to consumer apps. Your FCM portal (where you deposit/withdraw) usually does have 2FA. Use a strong unique password for Rithmic and never reuse it.

PickMyTrade stores Rithmic credentials encrypted and uses them only to submit orders under your direction via R|API. That said, you should still treat those credentials like any API key - only plug them into reputable services, use a dedicated prop/sub account when possible, and rotate the password periodically.

No. The Rithmic login only accesses the trading/routing layer - placing orders, viewing positions. Actual money movement requires authentication on your FCM's portal (a separate login and, typically, bank-of-record verification). Prop firm payouts follow the firm's own ID checks.

Your positions stay with the exchange (CME, CBOT, etc.) - they live in the clearinghouse, not at Rithmic. If Rithmic's routing is down, you can call your FCM's trade desk to flatten manually. That is why server-side stops/brackets are the default recommendation for intraday traders.

Topstep, Apex Trader Funding, Take Profit Trader, Leeloo, Bulenox, MyFundedFutures, Tradeify, Surge Trader and Funder Pro Futures are the most common Rithmic-based firms. Some also offer Tradovate, CQG or ProjectX as alternative connections.

Yes - the prop firm's Rithmic username/password/system/gateway (e.g. 'TopstepTrader' / 'Chicago Area' or 'APEX' / 'Rithmic 01-US') plugs into PickMyTrade like any other Rithmic login. Just confirm the firm's current automation, copy-trading and consistency rules before you run a strategy live.

You usually get a new Rithmic user ID for the funded (PA) account - the eval login doesn't automatically roll over. Apex typically moves you from the 'APEX' system to a funded one; Topstep swaps 'Rithmic Paper Trading' for 'Rithmic01-US' on live accounts. Plug the new credentials into PickMyTrade or your platform.

Yes. PickMyTrade treats each Rithmic login as a separate connection, so you can run one TradingView alert into, say, two Apex evals and one Topstep funded PA at the same time. That's often easier than NinjaTrader's multi-session workaround.

Not inherently - most Rithmic-based prop firms allow algos. The risk is breaking firm-specific rules: consistency rule, max loss, news trading windows, or copy trading rules that prohibit mirroring trades across multiple firms. Read the current rulebook; rule violations in autopilot can void payouts even if the trades were profitable.

Usually it means you haven't accepted the Market Data Subscription Agreement or the Market Data Self-Certification form inside R|Trader Pro or on the Rithmic signup portal. Log into R|Trader Pro, accept the open agreements, then retry. If it persists, contact the FCM or prop firm that issued the ID.

Rithmic allows one live session per credential by default. If R|Trader Pro, NinjaTrader and a third app all try to log in at once you'll collide. Solution: enable Plugin Mode on R|Trader Pro (port 4001) and have the other apps connect through it, or use a cloud service like PickMyTrade that opens its own session independently.

Most common culprits: dynamic IP address rotating (common with residential ISPs), VPN interfering with Rithmic ports, antivirus/firewall blocking, or weekend/maintenance windows. Try disabling VPN, whitelisting R|Trader Pro in antivirus, and using a wired connection. If the drops are wide-scale, check Rithmic's status or NinjaTrader/Sierra Chart forums - it may be a server-side issue.

Three typical causes: (1) NinjaTrader is using a different system/gateway than R|Trader Pro, (2) you're hitting the single-session limit, or (3) NinjaTrader's Plugin Mode is not turned on in R|Trader Pro. Match the system name exactly (case-sensitive), enable 'Allow Plugins', and retry.

Check the system/gateway your prop firm or broker emailed you. Names like 'Rithmic 01-US', 'TopstepTrader', 'APEX' are Rithmic. Names like 'CQG Continuum' are CQG. Some firms give you both as options - pick one per machine. Your FCM/prop firm's support can confirm which feed you're on.

Rithmic's 14-day free demo is one-per-person lifetime. After it expires you can ask an FCM (AMP, Ironbeam, Wedbush) for an extended simulator attached to their demo environment, or pay for a Rithmic live connection. Prop firm evaluations are another way to keep trading under Rithmic for a low monthly fee.

Rithmic is generally faster and provides Market-By-Order data on more CME contracts, which scalpers and algo traders prefer. CQG is considered more stable by some desk traders and often has lower per-contract fees. For TradingView automation via PickMyTrade, Rithmic has wider third-party and prop firm support.

Rithmic usually wins on raw execution speed (often 1-5ms faster in real-world tests) and order-type depth. Tradovate wins on ease of setup, browser access, and painless multi-account support. Scalpers and algo traders lean Rithmic; discretionary and multi-PA traders often prefer Tradovate.

They play different roles. TradeStation is a retail broker/FCM with its own platform and data. Rithmic is routing + data infrastructure you access through an FCM like AMP or a prop firm. TradeStation tends to have higher per-contract commissions but no monthly tech fee; Rithmic has a small monthly fee plus a low per-contract rate.

For pure futures execution, independent tests generally rank Rithmic ahead of IBKR's TWS and Schwab's thinkorswim on single-digit-millisecond routing to CME, because Rithmic co-locates near CME Aurora. IBKR and Schwab have strengths on multi-asset trading. If you only trade futures, Rithmic's advantage is real; for a mixed portfolio, less so.

dxFeed is a pure market-data vendor (no routing). Rithmic gives you routing + data in one package, with MBO depth on CME that dxFeed doesn't always match. If you need order routing, Rithmic is the natural choice; if you just need historical/research data across multiple exchanges, dxFeed can be more flexible.