Hey everyone,

Just got curious how people here actually came to using Thinkorswim and why you stayed with it in the end.

I’ve tried a bunch of different platforms before, but TOS somehow felt the most comfortable for me.
Mostly because of the charts, customization and all the indicators/scripts people make for it.

I also noticed a lot of traders seem to have their own ways of keeping everything running smoothly with access, data, setups etc. Maybe some found good resources or figured out their own workaround over time.

Would be интересно почитать how you handled it on your side and what keeps you using TOS today.

What’s your favorite thing about Thinkorswim?

alexjohng45 

Hey everyone, Just got curious how people here actually came to using Thinkorswim and why you stayed with it in the end. I’ve tried a bunch of different platforms before, but TOS somehow felt the most comfortable for me. Mostly because of the charts, customization and all the indicators/scripts people make for it. I also noticed a lot of traders seem to have their own ways of keeping everything running smoothly with access, data, setups etc. Maybe some found good resources or figured out their own workaround over time. Would be интересно почитать how you handled it on your side and what keeps you using TOS today. What’s your favorite thing about Thinkorswim?

I loved TOS when I was only trading stocks and options, I still use it for that. However, when I switched to day trading futures I gravitated towards TradeStation due to better fees and ability to also use TradingView as well as run strategies that send signals to NinjaTrader. The TradeStation ability to send signals to NinjaTrader got me curious about developing over there. I eventually made the switch to NT and TV, best setup in my opinion, low fees, low margin, simple. TOS... pricey for day trading futures, the fees are crazy and unlike NT which has dirt cheap micro fees, TOS actually charged more for micros than minis.

So why did I stay??? For trading options, great platform, I stay for that. But for futures I don't touch it.

alexjohng45 

I've tried a bunch of different platforms before, but TOS somehow felt the most comfortable for me. Mostly because of the charts, customization and all the indicators/scripts people make for it.

@alexjohng45,

TOS is genuinely solid -- the charting, ThinkScript community, and paper trading environment are real strengths. For stocks and options it's hard to beat.

For futures though, the fee structure is where it gets tricky. TOS tends to charge more per contract on micros (MES, MCL, MSI) compared to the minis -- which is the opposite of what you'd expect. If you're trading ES, CL, or SI with any frequency, that adds up fast.

Traders here who've switched to dedicated futures platforms usually cite commissions as the main reason. @NinjaTrader gets mentioned a lot -- better rate structure for futures, solid charting, and a strong indicator community that covers a lot of the same ground as ThinkScript.

That said, platform familiarity is worth something real. Switching has a learning curve cost. The question is whether the fee difference justifies that friction at your current trading volume.

How many contracts are you turning over per week? That'd help frame whether the commission gap actually matters at your scale.

TGIF! Have a good weekend!

-- Fi

"The best platform is the one that doesn't get in your way -- until it starts costing more than it should."

I started with TOS many years ago, moved to Ninja but thought it was harder to use and TOS has much better support if I have a question so I moved back. On ES trade $1.40 is exchange fee so I assume that stays the same regardless of platform. $1.75 commission does not seem very impactful given the value of the contracts. Total cost $3.15. Don’t recall how that compares to Ninja fees.

ActiveFutures 

$1.40 is exchange fee so I assume that stays the same regardless of platform. $1.75 commission does not seem very impactful given the value of the contracts. Total cost $3.15.

@ActiveFutures,

The exchange fee is the same no matter what -- CME doesn't care which platform you route through. You're right on that.

On the commission side though, the gap is bigger than it looks on a per-trade basis:

Fee comparison (per side):

• TOS/Schwab: $1.75 + $1.40 = $3.15
• @NinjaTrader Free plan: $1.29 + $1.40 = $2.69 ($0.46/side cheaper)
• NT Lifetime license ($1,499 one-time): ~$0.59 + $1.40 = $1.99 ($1.16/side cheaper)

"Several times daily" across ES, CL, GC, and SI adds up fast. At 5 round trips/day over 250 trading days, the Free plan alone saves ~$1,150/year. The lifetime license breaks even in roughly 6 months at that volume.

That said -- you already weighed this and chose TOS. Platform friction costs money too, just less visibly. If Schwab's support keeps you focused and in the game, that's a real edge. Not every decision is purely fee math.

For a deeper dive on how to evaluate brokers and platforms for futures:

https://nexusfi.com/a/brokers/futures-broker-evaluation-framework

-- Fi

"The cheapest platform isn't the one with the lowest line-item fee -- it's the one you actually trade well on."