Best NinjaTrader alternatives for macOS
NinjaTrader is a futures trading software that can also run trade simulations. Still, its primary purpose is trading itself: buying and selling. Doing so with NinjaTrader is very easy; there’s no minimum deposit, and the platform takes fairly low commissions. In addition to standard contracts, you can also trade e-mini and micro e-mini futures; their lower value reduces the barrier to entry as well as the amount of risk involved in the trade. The users can create an account for free or pay a monthly subscription to reduce certain fees. A lifetime purchase option is also available; it reduces the fees even further. Though NinjaTrader has many advantages, it is not available on Mac. However, there’s a number of competing apps we can recommend. The best one is probably MotiveWave, though you can use TradingView and MetaTrader 5 as well.
MotiveWave
MotiveWave is an excellent trading platform with a macOS app. Notably, said app was optimized for high-resolution Retina displays found on Mac and looks beautiful as a result. Though this is hardly the most important feature in a trading app, it’s technically capable as well. MotiveWave includes many complex analysis features and supports automated trading.
TradingView
TradingView is another NinjaTrader alternative for Mac. It allows you to open multiple tabs, and add up to eight charts in each tab. This way, you can monitor many stocks simultaneously. If this isn’t enough, it also supports multiple displays. Monitoring prices with your own eyes has limitations, of course; trading alerts and automated trading have also been implemented.
MetaTrader 5
MetaTrader 5 is a decent trading platform as well. It is available on all major operating systems, including macOS and iOS. Unlike NinjaTrader, it is not limited to trading futures; you can trade currencies and stocks as well. It also allows you to automate the trading process with its powerful MQL5 toolset.
Didn’t find a suitable alternative? Install Windows on Mac instead
If none of these alternatives work for your use-case, you still have one option left – installing Windows on your Mac. The easiest way to do this is by using a virtual machine. In very simple terms, a virtual machine is a separate window that runs Windows inside of your macOS. Windows programs like NinjaTrader, as well as certain games, can be launched inside of that window.
Parallels Desktop
Parallels Desktop is the best program for creating virtual machines currently on the market. It is extremely easy to use – you will be able to install Windows on your Mac with just a couple of clicks. What’s more, you will be able to switch between macOS and Windows on the fly, and even exchange files between the two systems. Thanks to this capability, you will be able to continue using NinjaTrader on Mac instead of searching for an alternative.
VMWare Fusion is another capable virtualization program, though it is not as streamlined as Parallels Desktop.
BootCamp
Unlike all programs mentioned above, BootCamp is not a virtualization program – it installs Windows directly on your Mac. Though this results in greater performance, there are disadvantages to this method too. For one, you will need to reboot every time you want to switch from macOS to Windows and vice versa. It also works only on older Mac computers with Intel processors; Apple Silicon Macs do not support BootCamp.
Follow these steps to install Windows on your Mac using BootCamp:
Please note: Users of OS X Yosemite 10.10 (or an older OS X version) will need to create a bootable Windows USB.
- Download this Windows ISO file.
- Open Boot Camp Assistant (Go to Applications > Utilities).
- Define the Windows partition size and choose the Windows ISO file you’ve downloaded.
- Format the Windows partition and go through all Windows installation steps.
- When Windows boots for the first time follow on-screen instructions to install Boot Camp and Windows support software (drivers)
Conclusion
The best NinjaTrader alternative on Mac is undoubtedly MotiveWave. It is specifically optimized for Apple computers and comes with many advanced features.
You can also install Windows on Mac using a special program called Parallels Desktop. This will allow you to run most Windows programs on your Mac and forget about searching for alternatives.