# What Are the Lowest Fee Futures Trading Platforms? > The cheapest futures platform depends on your contract, size, and trade count. Here are published futures commissions from IBKR, Schwab, E*TRADE, TradeStation, and NinjaTrader, compared with Liquid perpetual fees. - Canonical: https://www.liquid.trade/learn/lowest-fee-futures-trading-platforms - Published: 2026-10-15 - Category: Futures Trading - Tags: Futures, Trading Fees, Perpetual Futures, Platform Comparison --- **For perpetual futures, Liquid charges a percentage of notional: 0.095% taker and 0.065% maker all-in at Tier 0, falling with volume, with no platform subscription or data fee.** For dated exchange futures, the lowest published per-contract commissions come from brokers such as Interactive Brokers and NinjaTrader's paid plans. Exchange, clearing, and NFA fees are added on top. Which is cheaper depends on contract size and how often you trade. Liquid perps are non-custodial, trade 24/7 on crypto markets, and offer multipliers of up to 50x on eligible markets. They are not CME contracts. If you need a specific exchange-listed future, compare the brokers below. ## What are the lowest fee futures trading platforms? All broker figures come from each provider's pricing page as checked for Liquid's comparison guides in September 2026. Prices change, and some tiers require high monthly volume or a paid plan. ## Per-contract vs. percentage fees: a worked example The two fee models only compare once you convert them into dollars for the same exposure. Here is an illustrative case, not a quote: - **Dated micro futures:** one Micro E-mini S&P contract controls roughly 5 × the index level. At an index level of 6,000 that is about $30,000 of notional. At $0.39 per side plus, say, $0.60 of exchange and clearing fees per side, a round trip costs about $2. - **Perpetual:** $30,000 of notional on a Liquid index perp at the 0.095% taker rate costs about $28.50 per side, or $57 round trip as a taker. Maker orders cost less, and higher volume tiers cut the rate further. For active intraday trading of a liquid CME contract, a low per-contract broker is usually cheaper on commissions. A perp can make more sense when you value 24/7 access, no roll, multi-asset markets in one account, or non-custodial settlement. Futures-broker costs that are easy to miss include data subscriptions, platform plans, and inactivity fees. ## How dated futures and perps differ on cost | Cost | Dated future | Perpetual | | --- | --- | --- | | Trading fee | Per contract, plus exchange and clearing | % of notional, maker or taker | | Holding cost | Basis and roll cost at each expiry | [Funding](/learn/what-are-funding-rates), paid or received | | Platform | Data and plan fees may apply | None on Liquid | Expiry, regulation, and hours also differ. See [futures vs. perpetual futures](/learn/futures-vs-perpetual-futures). For the full Liquid fee table and how volume tiers work, read [perpetual futures fees](/learn/perpetual-futures-fees). ## Hidden costs to add to any futures fee comparison Headline commissions leave out several costs that can matter more: - **Exchange, clearing, and NFA fees** on dated futures, charged per contract on top of the broker commission. - **Market data subscriptions** for real-time CME quotes, often billed monthly per exchange. - **Platform or plan fees**, such as a monthly or lifetime license that lowers per-contract rates. - **Inactivity, transfer, and liquidation fees** that some brokers charge. - **Spread and slippage**, which apply on every venue and grow in thin sessions. - **Funding (perps) or roll cost (dated futures)** for positions held longer than a day. Add the ones that apply to your trading plan for a month, then divide by your expected number of round trips. That per-trade number is the one to compare. ## How to keep fees low on Liquid 1. **Use limit orders where you can.** Maker fills cost 0.065% at Tier 0, compared with 0.095% for taker fills. The order screens are covered in [how to trade on Liquid](/learn/how-to-trade-on-liquid). 2. **Watch funding on longer holds.** Check the current rate before holding through several funding intervals. 3. **Practice for free.** [Paper trading](/learn/how-to-start-paper-trading-on-liquid) lets you test order types with no fees. 4. **Fund in USDC** to skip conversion steps: [how to fund your Liquid account](/learn/how-to-fund-your-liquid-account). ## Sources and further reading - [Liquid fee schedule](https://docs.liquid.trade/trading/fees) - [Interactive Brokers commissions](https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/pricing/commissions-home.php) · [NinjaTrader pricing](https://ninjatrader.com/pricing/) · [TradeStation pricing](https://www.tradestation.com/pricing/) - [E*TRADE pricing](https://us.etrade.com/what-we-offer/pricing-and-rates) · [Schwab pricing](https://www.schwab.com/pricing) - [CME Micro E-mini FAQ](https://www.cmegroup.com/articles/faqs/micro-e-mini-equity-index-futures-frequently-asked-questions.html) Liquid fees checked October 15, 2026.