# PitBridge vs CrossTrade CrossTrade is the established automation suite for NinjaTrader 8. PitBridge is a local-first guardrail bridge. They overlap on exactly one job, connecting an AI agent to NinjaTrader 8, and they make opposite architectural choices about it. This page lays those out with sourced facts, including the ones that favor CrossTrade. Canonical page: https://pitbridge.com/compare/pitbridge-vs-crosstrade/ CrossTrade's hosted MCP server sits on its Elite plan at $99 per month ($949 per year) and runs in CrossTrade's cloud at app.crosstrade.io (https://crosstrade.io/pricing, verified 2026-07-09). PitBridge's MCP server is free and local; you pay when you unlock live execution, not to speak the protocol. > Their MCP safety is prompt instructions. Ours is a deterministic engine outside the model. CrossTrade's own MCP guide tells you to grant the mcp:trade scope only to agents you trust and to "always start your prompts with a safety frame" (https://crosstrade.io/mcp-trading, verified 2026-07-09). That is safety the model is asked to follow. PitBridge's limits run in code the model cannot reach, tested against prompt injection. ## Comparison | Property | CrossTrade | PitBridge | |---|---|---| | MCP access and price | Hosted MCP server on the Elite plan: $99 per month or $949 per year. Standard is $29 and Pro is $49, without MCP. | MCP is free in the open core, served locally over stdio. Pro ($49 per month) buys live execution, not MCP access. | | Order path | Cloud in the loop: the MCP endpoint is app.crosstrade.io, and agent instructions route through CrossTrade's servers to the add-on in NinjaTrader 8. | Local only: agent to daemon to add-on, on machines you own. No PitBridge server can sit in the order route. | | Guardrail enforcement on the agent path | OAuth scopes (mcp:read, mcp:trade) plus safety instructions written into the agent's prompt. Its own guide says to start prompts with a safety frame. | A deterministic engine outside the model: 12 default-on rules in the daemon, with no agent tool to weaken a limit, un-kill, or arm live. Tested against prompt injection. | | Audit trail | Trade journal and account monitoring. Its docs describe no tamper-evident audit log on the MCP path. | Append-only, hash-chained audit log of every decision. pitbridge audit verify proves the chain is intact. | | Open source | Proprietary. You cannot read the code that handles your orders. | Apache-2.0 open core: daemon, guardrail engine, and audit log are public. The live provider and rule packs are paid closed plugins. | | Mac support | Web dashboard works from any OS; the add-on and NinjaTrader 8 run on Windows. A hosted Windows VPS is offered. | The daemon runs natively on macOS, Windows, or Linux. Paired mode: daemon on your Mac, add-on next to NinjaTrader 8 on Windows, over your own network. | | NinjaScript authoring | Yes, and it is genuinely strong: the agent writes NinjaScript, compiles it, backtests through NT8's actual Strategy Analyzer, optimizes, and deploys. | No. PitBridge ships no NinjaScript authoring, backtesting, or strategy deployment. If that loop is your job, CrossTrade does it and we do not. | | TradingView webhooks | Yes, a mature ecosystem: webhook alerts, Strategy Sync, and alert routing on every plan. | No. PitBridge has no TradingView integration. The agent is the signal source, not webhooks. | | Tradovate | Yes, in beta: a cloud Tradovate destination is included with every plan, no desktop add-on needed. | No. NinjaTrader 8 is the only platform today; further platforms are demand-driven on the roadmap. | | Pricing model | Flat monthly tiers: $29, $49, $99. Not per-trade. 7-day trial. | Free open core (paper and read-only). Pro $49 per month or $470 per year; founder price $39 locked for life for the first 100 accounts. | CrossTrade details from https://crosstrade.io/pricing and https://crosstrade.io/mcp-trading on 2026-07-09. Pricing and features change; verify current details on crosstrade.io. ## Honest wins and honest losses What CrossTrade has that PitBridge does not: - The full NinjaScript loop over MCP: write, compile, backtest in the real NT8 engine, optimize, deploy - TradingView webhook ecosystem and Strategy Sync - A trade copier and an account manager with drawdown monitors and auto-flatten - A hosted Windows VPS and a Chicago relay option - Tradovate support in beta, on every plan - Years of shipping, docs, and an established user base What PitBridge has that CrossTrade does not: - A local-first order path with no vendor cloud in the loop - Guardrails as a deterministic engine outside the model, tested against prompt injection - A hash-chained, tamper-evident audit log with CLI verification - An Apache-2.0 open core you can read and run offline - A daemon that runs natively on macOS (paired mode with NT8 on Windows) - MCP for free; payment gates live execution, not the protocol ## FAQ ### Is CrossTrade cloud-based or local? Both, in a specific way. CrossTrade installs an add-on inside NinjaTrader 8 on your machine, and instructions route through CrossTrade's cloud to reach it. Its MCP server is explicitly hosted: AI clients connect to app.crosstrade.io. Execution lands locally while the control path passes through their cloud. PitBridge keeps both on your machines. ### How much does CrossTrade cost? As of 2026-07-09: Standard $29 per month ($279 per year), Pro $49 ($469), Elite $99 ($949). The MCP server is exclusive to Elite. Source: crosstrade.io/pricing. Pricing changes; verify before deciding. ### Can I connect Claude or ChatGPT to NinjaTrader 8 with either one? Yes. CrossTrade offers a hosted MCP server on its $99 Elite plan. PitBridge offers a free local MCP server inside a daemon you run. Both let an MCP client reach NinjaTrader 8. The differences are where the MCP server lives, what the safety layer is made of, and what you pay for it. ### What does CrossTrade have that PitBridge does not? Real things: the agent-driven NinjaScript write, compile, backtest, optimize, deploy loop against a real NT8 install, TradingView webhooks, a trade copier, a hosted VPS, and Tradovate in beta. PitBridge is deliberately a narrow safety layer and ships none of that. ### Does PitBridge replace CrossTrade? Not exactly. They aim at different jobs. CrossTrade is a broad hosted automation suite. PitBridge is a narrow local-first layer whose whole purpose is guardrails the order pipeline cannot skip. Some traders could reasonably run both. ## Fair use and sources NinjaTrader is a registered trademark of NinjaTrader, LLC. CrossTrade and other names on this page are trademarks of their respective owners, used only to identify and compare products. PitBridge is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of them. Facts about other products were taken from their public sites and documentation on 2026-07-09. PitBridge is trading infrastructure, not financial advice.