Optimus Futures is a leading discount futures broker offering highly customized trading solutions geared towards cost-conscious retail traders with an eye for technology and personal service. Customers gain access to premium tools at no additional cost such as depth-of-market surface, footprint charting, and real-time news alerts along with a fully integrated trading journal.
Users can register a trial version of their software to take a test-drive of the platform, unlocking many of the analysis and charting features including unlimited simulated trades. Traders can also leverage Optimus Futures 3rd party app integration, allowing you to choose the futures trading platform best suited for you.
- Unlimited simulated trading
- Low day trading margins
- Highly experienced and competent technical support
- Customizable data fees and order clearing
- Limited to derivatives trading like futures
- The selection of data feeds and clearing firms can be overwhelming for newer traders
Optimus Futures Ratings at a Glance
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Who is Optimus Futures For?
Futures Traders
Optimus Futures brokerage serves futures traders and investors. They offer competitive rates and margins along with a choice between their intuitive native platform or connection to vast selection of 3rd party platforms. They’re ideal for those looking for the latest technology at low rates.
Advanced Traders
Optimus Futures’ extensive data feeds and clearing firms allow traders to choose the optimal solution for them, whether it’s order execution speed through low-latency co-located servers or the lowest total trading cost.
Beginner Futures Traders
As a boutique operation, Optimus Futures provides extensive education, live support and guides along with unlimited simulated trades to help you learn and explore futures markets and trading.
Optimus Futures offers a user-friendly native platform called Optimus Flow. Users can sign up for a demo account that unlocks all the tools and features available.
With preloaded analysis tabs, traders can immediately access key features including:
- Volume analysis and depth of market (DOM) surface, which tracks all liquidity changes in the order book and trading activity via the Heatmap view
- Advanced charting with technical indicators and the ability to add notes
- OCO orders, trailing stops, and time-based orders
- Alerts for P&L on each instrument
- A trading journal where you can upload your trades automatically from Optimus Flow to the Journal with just one-click
- Real-time news alerts
What’s particularly impressive is the ease to rearrange windows and create custom layouts with window snap features.
However, if you prefer your current trading platform, Optimus Futures API integrates with many popular apps including TradeStation, TradingView, MetaTrader and more.
One of the key differentiating features of Optimus Futures is their data feed and clearing firm selection.
Many brokers choose the routing and clearing firms for their clients, offering little flexibility.
Optimus Futures lets traders choose from 12 different data feed providers, each with unique features and pricing. Some data providers are geared towards institutional and high-frequency traders, while others focus on keeping costs to a minimum.
Similarly, advanced traders and larger firms can select amongst seven clearing firms to maximize capital efficiency and order execution.
Automated trading is available for developers with several programming languages supported such as C++, C#, Java, etc.
Optimus Futures offers four different types of accounts:
- Individual
- Joint
- Corporate
- IRA
Opening an account can be done through a quick application on Optimus Futures' website. The site also contains a list of FAQs related to opening an account. Customer service is available for those needing additional assistance.
Traders can use the Optimus Trader app through their mobile phones available on iOS and Android systems.
Additionally, users who connected accounts to other applications such as Tradestation, Metatrader, CQG and more can leverage the mobile programs for those platforms.
Optimus Futures is a discount futures broker with a free platform and competitive rates with volume-tiered pricing breaks ranging from $0.50 per side for 0-20 average daily contracts to $0.10 for over 1,000 average daily contracts.
The benefit of Optimus Futures is they allow you to select the combination of data feeds, platforms and clearing firms that work best for you.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can contact Optimus Futures to ‘Beat’ your rate.
Customer funds with a Futures Clearing Merchant (FCM) are held in segregation under Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulation 1.20.
All the clearing firms must comply with this key customer protection rule and furthermore exercise prudence when investing customer balances.
Additionally, Optimus Futures is a member the National Futures Association and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Despite the extensive technology at their disposal and the massive FCM’s clearing and settling their customers’ trades, Optimus Futures is essentially a boutique operation combining traditional brokerage support with today’s digital landscape so you can get help anytime and anywhere.
That’s allowed the company to garner a 4.6 rating out of 46 reviews on Trustpilot.
Customer support is available through traditional telephone, email and chat.
Additionally, Optimus Futures sponsors a robust trading community that includes Optimus’ technical team, other customers and a network of partners where you can find answers to many of your questions.
For a more hands on approach, Optimus runs remote desktop support, allowing technicians to remotely log in and diagnose any application issues.
With connections to nearly every global exchange, Optimus Futures delivers access to a wide array of futures products including:
- Agriculture
- Energy
- Metals
- Stock Indices
- Foreign Stock Indices
- Treasuries
- Micro Futures
- Forex
- Micro Bitcoin
Optimus Futures cares deeply about educating you about trading and markets, whether you’re a new or seasoned, occasional, or active trader.
While customer service helps customers set up and navigate the platform, their education is designed to teach you more about trading.
Plus, Optimus Futures CEO and Co-Founder Matt Zimberg runs a live program on YouTube, The Matt Z Trading Show, that covers trading topics and answer questions submitted through social media.
Here is just a small sample of their free educational resources:
- How to Trade Futures
- Futures Trading Platform Tutorials
- Futures Trading Platform Guides
- Futures Trading Podcast
Optimus Futures vs. Competitors
- Offer full featured platform for free: No upsells or cheaper commissions in exchange for lifetime of monthly fees.
- Transparent pricing: Everything is disclosed upfront.
- Fully integrated brokerage and platform support: Whether you trade on their platform or a 3rd party platform, the team is fully capable to supporting all your technical problems. They never ask you to contact the vendor as Optimus in-house support can handle all requests.
- Focus on education and trader evolution: Goal is truly to help you learn more about trading, whether you trade with them or not. Education material is not geared towards how to use their platforms or services, but rather how to trade futures in general.
Of course, as mentioned previously, the trading fees stand out compared to Optimus’ competitors. The platform also has fantastic, advanced charting tools with 85 technical indicators to choose from. However, without a doubt, the education and research combined with the selection of free trading tools for customers stand out when it comes to Optimus Futures vs. its competitors.
- Best For:Trading Micro FuturesVIEW PROS & CONS:securely through Optimus Futures's website
- Best For:Advanced Futures TradingVIEW PROS & CONS:securely through NinjaTrader's website
- Best For:High Volume TradersVIEW PROS & CONS:securely through Discount Trading's website
Optimus Futures is impressive for futures and options traders with its low fees, educational tools, native platform, 3rd party integrations and user-friendly website. They’re one of the few discount futures brokers that caters to new and seasoned traders, as well as retail and institutional clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Optimus Futures a licensed broker?
Optimus Futures is a fully licensed Independent Introducing Broker registered with the CFTC and a member of the NFA. They have access to multiple clearing firms giving them access to a wide range of services, platforms, markets, and exchanges. The clearing firms hold the customer funds in segregated accounts.
Who does Optimus Futures service?
Optimus Futures caters to self-directed futures traders looking for fast execution and discount commissions. Optimus Futures customers enjoy objective and professional guidance related to trading technology, day trading margins and futures trading in general.
How fast does Optimus Futures open an account?
Most individual accounts can be opened within a day if the customer provides all the required information and documentation. Corporate accounts may take up to a week depending on the complexity of the account.
What are the requirements to open a futures account with Optimus Futures?
Customers can simply apply online through the Futures Clearing Merchants (FCMs) that Optimus Futures clears through. The customers are required to fill out the account application and provide a valid picture ID and proof of address.
What kind of platform does Optimus Futures Provide?
Optimus Futures provides its own Free platform called Optimus Flow which can connect to CQG, Rithmic and Oanda data feeds. You will have the ability to trade from the charts, depth of market or an easy order entry. Optimus also connects to 3rd party platforms, providing customers the flexibility to trade futures on their desktop, web or mobile apps.
What is the minimum investment needed for an Optimus Futures brokerage account?
An individual account can open with as low as $100 for the Micro account.
What methods are available for funding an account and withdrawal?
A trader can use an ACH and Wire for deposits and withdrawal. Optimus Futures assists in all deposit and withdrawal requests.
***Trading futures and options involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Optimus Futures HIGHLY suggests to trade ONLY risk capital despite any opportunities perceived or suggested by others.
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