How to Connect Multiple Rithmic Accounts in NinjaTrader: Every Method Compared

If you trade more than one Rithmic prop firm account, you have probably hit the same wall: getting all of those accounts working together inside NinjaTrader at the same time is harder than it should be. This guide compares the methods traders actually use, and where each one helps or gets in the way — especially if your goal is local copy trading.

The real goal: supported accounts together in one instance#

Most traders are not chasing a settings menu. They want several supported Rithmic prop firm accounts connected at the same time, inside one NinjaTrader instance, so the local copier they already run (Replikanto, Apex Copier, Affordable Indicators) can copy trades across them.

That is the lens for comparing the options below. A method that technically lets you “use more accounts” but keeps them in separate workspaces does not solve the copy trading goal, because a local copier can only manage accounts it can see in the same NinjaTrader instance.

Method 1: A separate NinjaTrader instance per account#

The classic workaround is to run a separate NinjaTrader instance for each account, often on a separate machine or virtual machine.

It works, and it keeps each account isolated. But it adds real overhead: more Windows environments to maintain, more resources to pay for, and accounts spread across separate workspaces instead of one. For local copy trading it is awkward, because a copier running in one instance cannot directly copy into accounts living in a different instance.

Method 2: Switching connections manually#

Some traders disconnect one account and reconnect another as they go. This keeps everything in a single NinjaTrader install, but only one account is active at a time.

That is fine for trading a single account in a session, but it is the opposite of what copy trading needs. To copy across accounts, the accounts have to be connected together, not one-at-a-time.

Method 3: Moving to a different platform#

Another path is to leave Rithmic or NinjaTrader entirely and move to a platform some traders find easier for multiple accounts. We cover that trade-off in detail in our Rithmic vs Tradovate for prop firm traders guide.

This is a legitimate choice, but it means giving up the Rithmic and NinjaTrader setup, charting, and copier workflow you may already depend on. If you want to stay on NinjaTrader with your Rithmic prop firm accounts, this method does not get you there.

Method 4: Connect the accounts in one NinjaTrader instance#

The remaining option is to solve the connection layer directly: make your supported Rithmic prop firm accounts available together inside one NinjaTrader instance, then let your existing local copier do the copy trading.

That is exactly what PropFirmConnector is built for. The workflow stays simple:

1. Connect your supported Rithmic accounts in NinjaTrader.
2. Keep them available together in the same instance.
3. Let Replikanto, Apex Copier, Affordable Indicators, or your preferred local copier copy across them.

Because the copying happens locally in the same instance, there is no third-party cloud copier sitting between your accounts.

Side by side#

Method	Accounts together in one instance	Extra machine or VM	Stays on NinjaTrader + Rithmic	Works with your local copier
Separate instance per account	No	Usually	Yes	Only within each instance
Switching connections manually	One at a time	No	Yes	No — not simultaneous
Moving to another platform	N/A	No	No	Depends on the new platform
PropFirmConnector	Yes	No	Yes	Yes

Which method should you choose?#

If you only ever trade one account at a time, switching connections is fine. If you are willing to leave the NinjaTrader and Rithmic ecosystem, moving platforms is on the table. But if your goal is to run several supported Rithmic prop firm accounts together and copy across them locally, the connection-layer approach is the one built for that job.

Start with the full walkthrough on connecting multiple Rithmic connections in NinjaTrader, and if you are still deciding whether two connections is even possible, read can you use two Rithmic connections on NinjaTrader.

Bottom line#

The methods traders compare — separate instances, manual switching, changing platforms, or connecting accounts in one instance — all answer different goals. For local copy trading across multiple supported Rithmic prop firm accounts, the setup that fits is the one that makes those accounts available together in a single NinjaTrader instance.