Futures broker costs, side by side
What it costs to trade futures at each US broker, in plain English: commission per side, the all-in cost of a round trip, margins, platform fees and account minimums. Sources are dated and linked. Brokers are listed alphabetically, never ranked.
Latest check: 2026-10-13. Fees and margins change often, so verify on the broker's site before opening an account.
MNQ Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100
| Broker | Commission per side | All-in round trip | Day-trade margin | Platform fee | Account minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMP Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $100 | Free | $100 |
| Charles Schwab (thinkorswim) | $2.25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| E*TRADE | $1.50 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Edge Clear | $0.22 | $1.38 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Interactive Brokers | $0.25 | Not confirmed | $4,420 | Free | $0 |
| NinjaTrader | $0.39 | $1.90 | $100 | Free | $0 |
| Optimus Futures | $0.25 | Not confirmed | $100 | Free | $500 |
| Plus500 Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $100 |
| TradeStation | $0.50 | $1.94 | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Tradovate | $0.39 | Not confirmed | $50 | Free | $0 |
| Webull | $0.25 | Not confirmed | $166 | Free | $0 |
MES Micro E-mini S&P 500
| Broker | Commission per side | All-in round trip | Day-trade margin | Platform fee | Account minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMP Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $40 | Free | $100 |
| Charles Schwab (thinkorswim) | $2.25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| E*TRADE | $1.50 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Edge Clear | $0.22 | $1.38 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Interactive Brokers | $0.25 | Not confirmed | $2,400 | Free | $0 |
| NinjaTrader | $0.39 | $1.90 | $50 | Free | $0 |
| Optimus Futures | $0.25 | Not confirmed | $50 | Free | $500 |
| Plus500 Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $100 |
| TradeStation | $0.50 | $1.94 | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Tradovate | $0.39 | Not confirmed | $50 | Free | $0 |
| Webull | $0.25 | Not confirmed | $101 | Free | $0 |
MGC Micro Gold
| Broker | Commission per side | All-in round trip | Day-trade margin | Platform fee | Account minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMP Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $607 | Free | $100 |
| Charles Schwab (thinkorswim) | $2.25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| E*TRADE | $1.50 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Edge Clear | $0.44 | $2.32 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Interactive Brokers | $0.25 | Not confirmed | $3,678 | Free | $0 |
| NinjaTrader | $0.39 | $2.40 | $200 | Free | $0 |
| Optimus Futures | $0.25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $500 |
| Plus500 Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $100 |
| TradeStation | $0.50 | $2.44 | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Tradovate | $0.39 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Webull | $0.25 | Not confirmed | $230 | Free | $0 |
MCL Micro WTI Crude Oil
| Broker | Commission per side | All-in round trip | Day-trade margin | Platform fee | Account minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMP Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $237 | Free | $100 |
| Charles Schwab (thinkorswim) | $2.25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| E*TRADE | $1.50 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Edge Clear | $0.44 | $2.12 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Interactive Brokers | $0.25 | Not confirmed | $1,933 | Free | $0 |
| NinjaTrader | $0.39 | $2.40 | $100 | Free | $0 |
| Optimus Futures | $0.25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $500 |
| Plus500 Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $100 |
| TradeStation | $0.50 | $2.44 | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Tradovate | $0.39 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Webull | $0.25 | Not confirmed | $158 | Free | $0 |
NQ E-mini Nasdaq-100
| Broker | Commission per side | All-in round trip | Day-trade margin | Platform fee | Account minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMP Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $1,000 | Free | $100 |
| Charles Schwab (thinkorswim) | $2.25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| E*TRADE | $1.50 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Edge Clear | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Interactive Brokers | $0.85 | Not confirmed | $44,199 | Free | $0 |
| NinjaTrader | $1.29 | $5.76 | $1,000 | Free | $0 |
| Optimus Futures | $0.75 | Not confirmed | $500 | Free | $500 |
| Plus500 Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $100 |
| TradeStation | $1.75 | $6.50 | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Tradovate | $1.29 | Not confirmed | $500 | Free | $0 |
| Webull | $0.70 | Not confirmed | $1,659 | Free | $0 |
ES E-mini S&P 500
| Broker | Commission per side | All-in round trip | Day-trade margin | Platform fee | Account minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMP Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $400 | Free | $100 |
| Charles Schwab (thinkorswim) | $2.25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| E*TRADE | $1.50 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Edge Clear | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Interactive Brokers | $0.85 | Not confirmed | $24,000 | Free | $0 |
| NinjaTrader | $1.29 | $5.76 | $500 | Free | $0 |
| Optimus Futures | $0.75 | Not confirmed | $500 | Free | $500 |
| Plus500 Futures | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free | $100 |
| TradeStation | $1.75 | $6.50 | Not confirmed | Free | $0 |
| Tradovate | $1.29 | Not confirmed | $500 | Free | $0 |
| Webull | $0.70 | Not confirmed | $1,012 | Free | $0 |
What a round trip really costs
A round trip is one buy and one sell: you open a position and close it. Most brokers quote a commission per side, so one round trip pays that commission twice. On top of the broker's commission, every contract pays the exchange and clearing house fees on each side, plus a small National Futures Association (NFA) fee. Some brokers bundle those into their quoted price; many add them on top. That is why a low headline commission is not the full cost.
The formula: round trip = 2 × (broker commission + exchange and clearing fees + NFA fee). The exchange part is the same at every broker. The table shows it for each product (CME non-member electronic rate, as of 2026-10-13; CME publishes one transaction fee and does not itemize clearing separately). Add the broker's own commission, per side, to get the all-in figure.
| Product | Exchange fee, per side | NFA fee, per side | Fees before broker commission, per round trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| MNQ Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 | $0.35 | $0.02 | $0.74 |
| MES Micro E-mini S&P 500 | $0.35 | $0.02 | $0.74 |
| MGC Micro Gold | $0.60 | $0.02 | $1.24 |
| MCL Micro WTI Crude Oil | $0.60 | $0.02 | $1.24 |
| NQ E-mini Nasdaq-100 | $1.38 | $0.02 | $2.80 |
| ES E-mini S&P 500 | $1.38 | $0.02 | $2.80 |
CME sources: CME Group clearing and trading fees, CME fee schedule effective 2026-10-01, CME/CBOT/NYMEX/COMEX transaction fee amendments effective 2026-10-01, CME performance bonds and margin policy, CME outright margin CSV — COMEX, AMP Futures margin table identifying exchange-set maintenance margin.
The all-in round-trip column below is shown only when the broker publishes enough to compute it exactly. Otherwise it says "Not confirmed".
Broker pages
- AMP Futures (checked 2026-10-13)
- Charles Schwab (thinkorswim) (checked 2026-10-13)
- E*TRADE (checked 2026-10-13)
- Edge Clear (checked 2026-10-13)
- Interactive Brokers (checked 2026-10-13)
- NinjaTrader (checked 2026-10-13)
- Optimus Futures (checked 2026-10-13)
- Plus500 Futures (checked 2026-10-13)
- TradeStation (checked 2026-10-13)
- Tradovate (checked 2026-10-13)
- Webull (checked 2026-10-13)
"Not confirmed" means we could not verify the value from the broker's own pages. Columns are click-to-sort; the default order is alphabetical, not a ranking.