repost of this helpful comparison by vegasfoster
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The Truth: NinjaTrader SC Advantages: - Numerous customizations that do not require custom programming - Conditional alerts, color bars, color backgrounds and colored plots, based upon slope, +/- 0, etc. How many requests for changes to NT indicators on NexusFi (formerly …

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SC Advantages:

- Numerous customizations that do not require custom programming - Conditional alerts, color bars, color backgrounds and colored plots, based upon slope, +/- 0, etc. How many requests for changes to NT indicators on nexusfi.com (formerly BMT) for this?

- MTF support for non-time based charts - Without custom programming, you can quickly overlay anything from any other type of chart and it plots correctly without making your chart look all jacked up.

- Additional overlay options - You can quickly add, divide, multiply, or subtract from any chart/plot from any chart and you can add, subtract, multiply, or divide two charts/plots from any chart and plot the result.

- Native spreadsheet functionality - you can create indicators, alerts, trading systems, and otherwise analyze data using an excel based interface.

- IMO superior, albeit sometimes rude, support staff - They crank out improvements and new features on a continual basis, and fixes for any identified problems are usually completed within days, vs the months or years it takes NT. You just have to have a thick skin and can't be a whiny little mama's boy and start complaining every time they offend you like some people on this forum I don't care to mention.

- Chart dom - With one click you can place stop and limit orders directly on the chart exactly where you want it, IMO negating the need for a separate dom window.

- Superior chart trading - You can see and modify your bracket orders, including quantity, prior to entry. You can also place buy and sell stop orders at the same time.

- Superior atm management - Greater control over targets and stops for multiple units with the ability to create up to 5 subgroups within the same atm with separate order management for each subgroup.

- Semi automated trading - I haven't tried this, but it's my understanding that you can create entries and still have manual control over your exits, and vice versa.

- Cheap - It's only $26 a month ($45 if you want Market Profile features or it's free through Velocity), and commissions are cheaper too because you don't have to pay for NT static dom licensing.

- Historical backfill - They provide backfill if your broker does not, so you can populate range type charts when using brokers like IB and Velocity without purchasing a separate data feed or having to leave your computer on all the time.

- Integrated replay - Can replay from any point on the chart. You don't have to disconnect your live feed, download separate replay data, and reconnect to the separate feed. And the replay function doesn't persistently crash your system.

- Superior Chart linking - Can link by any combination of symbol, bar period, scroll position, or session times.

- Additional setup options - A myriad of additional chart setup options and features not found in NT.

NT Advantages:

- Free version - Can sim as long as you like until you are ready to trade, a really nice benefit.

- Superior community support - Lack of competent C++ programmers who code for SC, so if you like playing with indi's then you have to go without sometimes, or if you trade with indis then you many have to go through the hassle of getting them converted to SC, and some are are not even available in SC, e.g. rj's and other vendors' stuff.

- Static dom - Not even an option in SC.

- Multiple sim accounts - Can create as many as you like. Only one sim account in SC, so you can't create separate accounts for different strategies, etc.

- Superior session management - Can setup as many sessions as you like for each day of the week, SC has only two sessions for all days of the week.

- Superior handling of Multiple Data Sources - Not exceptional in NT, but clumsy in SC at best.

- Smaller trade management window - Important if desktop real estate is at a premium, and can also be temporarily hidden in NT if desired. Supposedly reworking in SC, but been waiting for this for a while.


I was trying to be fair to both sides and I'm sure there is more, but that's all I can think of right now. Also, I can't speak to the backtesting capabilities of SC vs NT, since I have never backtested in SC.

puma 

Static dom - Not even an option in SC.

In SC, you you get a static DOM, by setting the scale type to Constant Range in the DOM (turn off the auto center).

puma 

- Multiple sim accounts - Can create as many as you like. Only one sim account in SC, so you can't create separate accounts for different strategies, etc.

True, but you can install and use multiple instances of SC to do something similar.

Some more for SC:

* Built in cum delta (if your feed supports it)

* Nice Chart DOM

* Built in study licensing if you distribute studies (also do not have to worry about code obfuscation)

* Very low CPU / memory use


To be fair, a couple for Ninja:

* Has optimizer

* Better backtesting reports (SC has been working on this, but still a ways to go)