TopOneFutures Tradovate Commissions and Fees

Commissions are the quiet killer in prop trading.

Not because they’re huge — but because most traders don’t factor them correctly into risk, expectancy, and daily drawdown math. Especially on Tradovate-based accounts at Top One Futures.

I trade these accounts myself, so this article isn’t a reprint of a fee table.
It’s a practical breakdown of what you actually pay per trade, how those costs stack up intraday, and what that means for your strategy — especially if you scalp, trade micros, or size aggressively.

Quick heads-up: This article is based on my real experience with TopOneFutures and the info available when I published/updated this. Things change in prop trading — rules, payouts, promos, all of it.

For the absolute latest, check TopOneFutures website or their help center.

First: What These Numbers Actually Represent

All fees listed below are round-turn costs.

That means:

• entry and
• exit

are already included.

No mental math needed.
If you take one full trade (in → out), this is the total commission + exchange + clearing cost.

This matters because:

• Tradovate shows per-side costs in some places
• NinjaTrader tables often confuse traders
• prop traders regularly underestimate real friction

Everything below = what hits your PnL per completed trade.

Stock Index Futures (Tradovate via TopOneFutures)

This is where most traders live — ES, NQ, and their micro versions.‍

‍Trader takeaway

If you’re scalping micros:

• commissions are not negligible
• 10–20 trades/day adds up fast
• expectancy must clear fees comfortably, not barely

Agricultural Futures

Less popular — but still tradable for swing-style intraday setups.

‍These are not scalping instruments for most traders.
Fees + liquidity make them better suited for fewer, higher-conviction trades.

Energy Futures (Know What You’re Paying Per Tick)

Energy products are deceptive. Volatility is high — but fees matter more than most expect.

‍Reality check

If you’re trading /CL:

• one tick = $10
• commission ≈ half a tick

That matters when stops are tight.

Metals Futures

Often underestimated in fee impact — especially micros.

‍Notice something important:
Micro Silver is expensive relative to its size.

That catches many traders off guard.

Currency Futures

Often used by traders coming from FX — fees are reasonable, but liquidity varies.

‍Crypto Futures (Micro Bitcoin)

‍Crypto futures are high-volatility, high-risk instruments.
Fees aren’t outrageous — but daily drawdown interaction matters a lot here.

How Commissions Interact With Daily Drawdown (Important)

This is the part most traders miss.

• commissions count toward drawdown
• slippage counts toward drawdown
• many small losses can breach limits faster than one big one

If your daily drawdown is $625 and you take:

• 15 micro trades
• at $1.90 round-turn

That’s $28.50 gone before slippage or losses.

Now add:

• 2–3 points of slippage
• a few scratches
• one full stop

Suddenly your “flat” day isn’t flat.

My Personal Rule of Thumb

If commissions exceed:

• 10–15% of your average daily profit

…you’re either:

• overtrading
• scalping too tight
• or trading the wrong instrument for your style

This isn’t about being cheap.
It’s about protecting expectancy.

Where These Fees Come From (Quick Clarification)

TopOneFutures does not invent these numbers.

They’re composed of:

• exchange fees
• clearing fees
• platform routing
• broker costs

The reference table comes from NinjaTrader’s All-In Rates (Free tier).

If you ever want to verify:
https://ninjatrader.com/pdf/ninjatrader_futures_commissions.pdf

Take the per-side number and multiply by two — that’s your round-turn.

Final Takeaway (Trader-to-Trader)

Commissions at TopOneFutures on Tradovate are fair and competitive — but only if you respect them.

If you:

• trade too often
• scalp for tiny targets
• ignore cumulative fees

…they’ll quietly eat your edge.

If you:

• size correctly
• choose the right instrument
• trade with intention

…they become just another fixed cost of doing business.

In prop trading, survival isn’t about avoiding losses — it’s about controlling friction.

Your Next Steps

‍👉 Start Trading at TopOneFutures Today

‍👉 Read My Full TopOneFutures Review

‍👉 Start earning besides Trading with TopOneFutures Affiliate Program

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