Explainer
NinjaTrader Market Replay vs a browser-based replay
NinjaTrader Market Replay plays recorded market data inside a desktop platform; the Trade Lab is a browser replay of 1-minute bars with nothing to install.
Updated
The short answer
NinjaTrader Market Replay is a desktop feature that plays back recorded market data, including tick data, through a simulated connection. The Trade Lab is a browser tool that replays 1-minute bars. They suit different levels of detail.
Facts about NinjaTrader are from its pricing page (ninjatrader.com/pricing) and its help guide for the Playback connection, read in October 2026. We run the Lab.
Side by side
Sources: ninjatrader.com/pricing and NinjaTrader’s help guide page on the Playback connection.
| Item | NinjaTrader Market Replay | CE Market Solutions Trade Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | NinjaTrader desktop platform | In the browser, nothing to install |
| Access | Pricing page says adding funds to a live account unlocks Market Replay | Free with an account and a verified email |
| Data | Market Replay data, or historical tick data through the Playback connection | 1-minute bars of NQ, ES and GC |
| Detail | Market Replay holds the exact sequence of Level I and Level II data, per its help guide | No tick, seconds, depth or order-flow data |
| Data supply | A limited amount of Market Replay data is free to download; you can also record your own | Hosted history, nothing to download |
| Moving backward | Pricing page says play, pause and rewind tick by tick | Forward only |
| Simulated trading | Free simulated trading, per its pricing page | Paper orders on the replayed bars |
What NinjaTrader says
The pricing page says to add funds to a live account to unlock tools such as real-time market data, Order Flow+ and Market Replay, and describes Market Replay as testing strategies against historical market data, with play, pause and rewind tick by tick. The same page lists free simulated trading among tools available without funding, and says NinjaTrader is free for charting, strategy backtesting and simulated trading.
Its help guide says you can play back either Market Replay data or historical tick data. Market Replay holds the exact sequence of Level I and Level II data. Historical tick data plays chart data without market depth, with accuracy that depends on your data provider. NinjaTrader offers a limited amount of Market Replay data free to download, and only the most common instruments are available. You cannot download replay data while connected to Playback.
What the Trade Lab does instead
There is nothing to download or record. You pick NQ, ES or GC and a start date and step forward one candle at a time. The server never sends a bar later than the current one. You can draw on the chart, journal each decision and place paper orders that fill on the revealed 1-minute bars.
That is coarser than tick replay. A rule that depends on what happened inside one minute, or on market depth, cannot be practised in the Lab.
What the Trade Lab does not have
The Lab replays history only. It has no live data, no real order is ever placed, and it covers three markets: NQ, ES and GC. Data is 1-minute bars, so there is no tick, seconds or order-flow data, and paper fills are modelled on those 1-minute bars and approximate real fills. A replay cannot be moved backward, and the Lab has no built-in indicators.
Each account can read 40 distinct 1-minute sessions and start 5 new runs per UTC day, and it needs a verified email. The Lab itself is free.
Which one fits
Decide by the detail you need.
- You trade off order flow, depth or tick timing: tick-level replay in a desktop platform is the closer match.
- You practise reads, entries and stops on 1-minute and higher charts and want no setup: a browser replay is quicker to start.
- You want both: practise the read in the Lab, then use tick replay for execution detail.
The deciding question is detail: tick and depth data, or 1-minute bars with nothing to install.
Questions and answers
Is NinjaTrader Market Replay free?
Its pricing page says adding funds to a live account unlocks Market Replay. It also says NinjaTrader is free for charting, strategy backtesting and simulated trading. Check the vendor for what your account includes.
Can I replay futures in a browser instead of NinjaTrader?
Yes. The Trade Lab replays NQ, ES and GC 1-minute bars in the browser for free, with no download.
Does the Trade Lab have tick data like Market Replay?
No. It uses 1-minute bars only, so fills are modelled on those bars and approximate real fills.
What is the difference between Market Replay data and historical tick data in NinjaTrader?
Its help guide says Market Replay data holds the exact sequence of Level I and Level II data, while historical tick data plays without market depth and depends on your data provider.