Overview
Generic Trade is a small deep-discount futures broker based in Highland Park, Illinois, running since 2010. It's built for experienced, self-directed traders, and people trading alongside a mentor or trading school, who want a low flat rate and don't need hand-holding. It's registered with the CFTC and is a member of the NFA, and it takes clients from most countries.
Accounts and costs
Pricing is about as plain as it gets. Every account pays 59 cents per side in commission, whatever its size or how often it trades, and there's no minimum deposit. There are no salespeople and no rates to negotiate. Margins follow the exchange minimums, with lower margins for day trading. You can open individual, joint, partnership, corporate, trust and IRA accounts. The main fee to watch is $40 per withdrawal, and you won't get volume discounts if you trade a lot.
Platforms and markets
Generic Trade runs its own platforms: Generic Trader Desktop, Generic Trader Online in the browser and Generic Trader Mobile, all of which work on a Mac and iPhone. Orders sit on servers co-located with the exchange rather than on your machine, so a dropped connection won't stop a stop order from firing. You can trade futures, options on futures, spreads, security futures and event contracts. There's no stock trading. A free $50,000 demo lets you try it first, and phone support runs around the clock.
Money in and out
You fund by wire or ACH, or by transferring positions and cash from another futures account, and you can move money from inside the platform. ACH deposits can take several business days to land. Withdrawals go out by wire or check, with the $40 fee on each.
Good
- Flat 59 cent commission per side with no volume or balance requirement
- No minimum deposit
- Orders held on exchange-co-located servers, not your computer
- 24-hour technical and trading support by phone
- Mac-compatible desktop, web and iPhone platforms, plus a free $50,000 demo
Watch for
- Wire withdrawals cost $40
- Only futures and options on futures, no stocks
- Funding is limited to wire and ACH, and ACH can take several days
- No volume discounts or broker-assisted trading
- Platforms are basic next to dedicated futures software
Accounts and costs
What each account needs to open and what you pay to trade on it.
| Account | Min deposit | Pricing | Max leverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Futures and options account | None | 59 cents commission per side on every account, regardless of size or volume | Exchange minimum margins, with lower day-trading margins |
Regulation
Which entity holds which licence. Your protection depends on the entity you open an account with.
Platforms and markets
Platforms
Markets
Deposits and withdrawals
- Methods
- Bank transfer
- Minimum deposit
- None
What traders say
Scores from the sites traders use, and our summary of what they're saying, checked 6 October 2026.
Generic Trade has very little review evidence and no score anywhere in what we collected. There is no Trustpilot or Forex Peace Army page for it. The trader feedback that exists is on small sites like TopRatedFirms and Investimonials, a few r/FuturesTrading threads and an Elite Trader discussion, and most of it is several years old. Treat the picture below as a thin sample.
What traders like
Low, flat commissions. Reviewers on every site point to the flat 59 cent commission and low margins, with no pressure to trade more to earn a better rate.
No sales calls. Several TopRatedFirms and Investimonials reviewers like that there are no brokers trying to upsell them.
Stable platforms. Long-time clients describe the platforms as stable, and one Reddit user rates the mobile app highly for futures.
Problems handled well. One reviewer of nearly ten years says the few problems they had were dealt with well.
Common complaints
Customer service. One Investimonials reviewer calls the service the worst they have seen, and ties it to the low pricing.
Withdrawals. A TopRatedFirms reviewer lists no ACH withdrawal as a downside.
Platform lock-in. Elite Trader posters point out that Generic Trade introduces clients to Ironbeam, uses its own platforms with no third-party options, and charges exchange, data and routing fees on top of the commission.
Basic website. Some reviewers find the site and tools very bare.
Recently
Nothing in the evidence is dated within the last 90 days.
Where this comes from
TopRatedFirms: customer reviews, mostly positive.
Investimonials: customer reviews, mixed.
Elite Trader: a forum thread on how the broker is set up.
Reddit: a recent r/FuturesTrading thread.
Verified reviews
Reviews from traders who've connected an account at Generic Trade to Chartnaut, so you know they actually traded there. Opening soon.