+1 to advantage. you get much lower rates and better service (if you need it). advantage is one of the best firms for day trading futures for people that are serious about it. no i don't work for them.
I guess you are referring to higher volume traders. For low volume traders, their published futures rates appear to be higher than IB under 100 contracts a month (and even under 1000 per month if you take into account that the platform is free at IB). http://advantagefutures.com/open-an-account/commissions/ 99 cents plus platform fees of say 50 cents adds up to $1.49 versus 85 cents for IB (including platform). Actually it says on the Advantage page: -Rates not applicable to options trading -Rates apply only to day traders so presumably their options and overnights rates are even higher. I am sure it is negotiable but an advantage of IB is that you do not need to negotiate. (Deep Discount Trading is 50 cents plus platform fee, options included at no extra cost, no minimum number of trades, no overnight fees). Or am I am missing something? Of course Advantage has other advantages, I am sure, but I am just wondering about commissions right now.
you aren't missing anything - DDT is another great firm (clears thru crossland). howard is known for great service - answering emails right away just like tom did from TOS before it was bought out.