Copy trades from TopstepX to Tradovate when you trade your Topstep accounts on TopstepX and also hold futures accounts that run on Tradovate, such as evaluations at other prop firms or a NinjaTrader Brokerage account. Heron Copier picks up every entry, exit and bracket change on the TopstepX master and repeats it on each Tradovate slave in whole contracts.
The master connects through the ProjectX API, so you need the ProjectX API subscription from TopstepX and an API key from Settings, and the master has to be a Trading Combine or Express Funded account. The slaves are connected on Tradovate's own sign-in page, with no API add-on or market data subscription. Both platforms name contracts the same way, so MNQZ6 on TopstepX is MNQZ6 on Tradovate, and an alias such as NQ=MNQ|10 lets a slave trade micros instead. When you scale out on TopstepX, each slave closes the same share of its own position, rounded to whole contracts. When you add to a position, the slaves close it and open it again at the new size.
TopstepX and Tradovate accounts run in the Heron Copier cloud only. Nothing is installed on your computer, and the Tradovate accounts keep following while it is off.
How to set up TopstepX to Tradovate copying
- Add your TopstepX account as the master in the dashboard. Connect it with your TopstepX username or account email and a ProjectX API key.
- Add your Tradovate account as the slave and pick the master it copies from. Connect it with your Tradovate login on Tradovate's own sign-in page, so your password is never sent to Heron Copier.
- Choose a volume sizing method. Contract symbols are the same on both platforms; add an alias only if the slave should trade a different contract, such as micros instead of minis.
- Launch. Cloud accounts are usually online in under 60 seconds, and the dashboard shows every copied trade, balance and position live.
About TopstepX and Tradovate
TopstepX is Topstep's own futures trading platform, built on ProjectX. Topstep traders use it for Trading Combine and Express Funded accounts, and the ProjectX API lets outside tools such as Heron Copier connect.
Tradovate is a cloud-based futures platform owned by NinjaTrader Group. It runs in the browser, on desktop and on mobile, and also powers NinjaTrader Brokerage and many futures prop firm accounts.
For everything else about each platform, see the TopstepX Trade Copier and Tradovate Trade Copier pages.
TopstepX vs Tradovate
| Detail | TopstepX (master) | Tradovate (slave) |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Topstep (ProjectX) | Tradovate (NinjaTrader Group) |
| Markets | CME Group futures and micro futures traded in Topstep accounts | CME Group futures and micro futures such as ES, NQ, MES and MNQ |
| How Heron Copier connects | TopstepX username or account email and a ProjectX API key | Tradovate login on Tradovate's own sign-in page, so your password is never sent to Heron Copier |
| Position model | Net position per contract | Net position per contract |
| Trade size | Whole contracts | Whole contracts |
| Symbol names | Dated contracts such as ESZ6 or MNQH7 | Dated contracts such as ESZ6 or MNQH7 |
| API speed | Real-time order and position updates | Real-time order and position updates |
| Partial closes sent to slaves (as master) | Yes | Yes |
| Partial closes received (as slave) | Yes | Yes |
| Position resync on its slaves | Yes | Yes |
| Local version | No, cloud version only | No, cloud version only |
| EA / cBot hosting | No | No |
Things to check before you start
- Contract symbols are the same on both futures platforms, so ES on the master becomes ES on the slave. To trade another contract on the slave, map it with an alias, for example ES=MES|10 turns one ES contract into ten MES.
- Sizes are rounded to whole contracts. A calculated size below half a contract is skipped.
- Turn on Position Resync if you want the Tradovate slave to check that every copied position is still open on the master.
- You don't need the Tradovate API add-on or a market data subscription. The connection also covers NinjaTrader Brokerage accounts and prop firm accounts that run on Tradovate.
- Auto symbol mapping, additional TP/SL in pips and TP/SL offsets are not available on Tradovate and Rithmic slaves.
Frequently asked questions
Can one TopstepX master copy to several Tradovate accounts?
Yes. Add as many Tradovate slaves as you need, each with its own volume sizing, symbol mapping and risk limits. In the cloud every account uses one cloud seat.
Can I copy minis on TopstepX to micros on Tradovate?
Yes. Add a symbol alias with a lot multiplier on the slave, for example ES=MES|10 so one ES contract becomes ten MES. Without an alias, the slave trades the same contract as the master.
Can I copy from Tradovate to TopstepX instead?
Yes. Every trading platform Heron Copier supports can be a master or a slave. See the Tradovate to TopstepX trade copier.
What happens if a trade fails to copy?
Turn on failed trade copy notifications to get an e-mail alert. The account logs in the dashboard also show the reason, for example a symbol that doesn't exist on the slave or a size below the minimum.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, 7 days with 2 cloud accounts. During the trial a futures slave copies every trade at a fixed 1 contract; a paid license unlocks the other sizing methods.
