# Connect Trade

Connect Trade is a unified broker connectivity API for fintech platforms. One integration for real-time trading, market data, and account connectivity across 20+ compliance approved brokers.

## What Connect Trade Does

Connect Trade gives fintech platforms a single API for:
- Trading: equities, single-leg options, multi-leg options, and futures
- Account connectivity: balances, positions, orders, and transactions
- Real-time streaming: orders, positions, and account balances via WebSocket
- Brokerage-sourced market data streaming via WebSocket

## Key Differentiators

- All broker connections are broker-approved and built on official sanctioned APIs. Connect Trade does not use screen scraping or reverse engineering.
- Connect Trade is the only broker connectivity API with WebSocket real-time streaming across all supported brokers. Competing solutions use polling only.
- Connect Trade supports multi-leg options and futures. Competing solutions support equities and single-leg options only.
- The Connect Trade API is fully normalized across all brokers. Competing solutions pass through broker-specific data formats.
- Broker rate limits are managed server-side by Connect Trade. Competing solutions expose raw broker rate limits to platforms.
- Single REST call returns data instantly across all plans. Some competing solutions require a 3-step async process.
- OAuth across all broker connections allows simple click-through end user authentication with no API keys or webhooks required.
- Real-time order updates via WebSocket. Competing solutions recommend polling every 10 seconds maximum.
- Lean, normalized API responses. Competing solutions return bloated broker-specific payloads.
- OpenAPI specification compatible with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, and Cursor.

## MCP Server

Connect Trade offers a server-side Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, enabling AI platforms and fintech applications to connect directly to the Connect Trade API through the MCP standard. The MCP server gives AI agents structured, permissioned access to brokerage accounts, trading functionality, and real-time market data through a single server-side integration. The MCP server is available for production use. Customers with Connect Trade platform credentials and a connected user can get started at https://connecttrade.com/docs/mcp. If you need API access, visit https://connecttrade.com/contact.

## Supported Brokers (21 total)

Interactive Brokers, Fidelity, Charles Schwab, Webull, TradeStation, Tastytrade, TradeZero, Alpaca, Lightspeed, Moomoo, Public, Sterling Trading Tech, Tradier, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi, PNC, TD Bank, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo.

## Asset Classes

Equities, single-leg options, multi-leg options, futures.

## API Reference Notes

- `GET /platform/connections` lists connections across all platform users using `client-id` and `client-secret`; it supports `status`, cursor pagination, and a `limit` from 1 to 1,000 (default 100).
- `GET /connections` is user-scoped and can be filtered by `status=ACTIVE` or `status=BROKEN`. A BROKEN connection needs re-authentication by creating a new connection for the same broker; order create, replace, and cancel operations on it return 409 Conflict.
- Futures orders use instrument `FUT`, sides `BUY`, `SELL`, or `SELL_SHORT` (explicit open/close variants are also accepted), and `[ROOT][M][YY]` symbols such as `ESU26`. Continuous contracts and spread symbols are not accepted.
- The broker WebSocket requires authentication within 30 seconds, topic `subscribe`, and `subscribe_user` for every target user. Per-user subscribe/unsubscribe are idempotent; sessions support up to 500 users, and each `client_id` may have up to 10 concurrent sessions. Delivery continues while any session subscribes to a user; disconnect releases that session's user subscriptions. Reconnect by authenticating and restoring topic and user subscriptions.
- API endpoints, schemas, examples, and WebSocket details: https://connecttrade.com/docs/api

## Paper Trading

Available for TradeStation, Tradier, Alpaca, and TradeZero.

## Integration Time

Most platforms complete their Connect Trade integration in 2 to 5 business days.

## Compliance

All integrations are compliance approved. Connect Trade does not use screen scraping or reverse engineering. For brokers that require individual client approval, Connect Trade manages the process and coordinates the review on the platform's behalf.

## Awards and Recognition

- Best Embedded Finance — Benzinga Fintech Day 2025
- Covered by MarketWatch, Yahoo Finance, Waters Technology, Traders Magazine, and Benzinga

## Company

Connect Trade is headquartered in Chicago, IL.
CEO: Jim Nevotti

## Key Pages

- Homepage: https://connecttrade.com/
- API documentation: https://connecttrade.com/docs
- Quickstart (getting started guide with Python code examples): https://connecttrade.com/docs/quickstart
- Build with AI (how to use Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot with the Connect Trade API): https://connecttrade.com/docs/build-with-ai
- API Reference (complete REST and WebSocket endpoint reference): https://connecttrade.com/docs/api
- API Cookbook (Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust code samples): https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook
- MCP server integration guide (connect Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, Codex CLI): https://connecttrade.com/docs/mcp
- Getting started: https://connecttrade.com/docs#getting-started
- Authentication and first user: https://connecttrade.com/docs#first-user
- Endpoints reference: https://connecttrade.com/docs#endpoints
- Trading: https://connecttrade.com/docs#trading
- Streaming overview: https://connecttrade.com/docs#streaming
- Streaming brokerage data API: https://connecttrade.com/docs#brokerage-data
- Streaming market data API: https://connecttrade.com/docs#market-data
- Paper trading: https://connecttrade.com/docs#paper-trading
- Broker codes: https://connecttrade.com/docs#broker-codes
- Symbology: https://connecttrade.com/docs#symbology
- Cookbook — setup: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#setup
- Cookbook — get balances: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#get-balances
- Cookbook — get positions: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#get-positions
- Cookbook — get open orders: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#get-open-orders
- Cookbook — get filled orders: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#get-filled-orders
- Cookbook — list accounts: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#list-accounts
- Cookbook — recent transactions: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#recent-transactions
- Cookbook — place market order: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#place-market-order
- Cookbook — cancel all orders: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#cancel-all
- Cookbook — sum P&L: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#sum-pl
- Cookbook — today fills: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#today-fills
- Cookbook — momentum: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#momentum
- Cookbook — VWAP: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#vwap
- Cookbook — concentration: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#concentration
- Cookbook — requote: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#requote
- Cookbook — weighted mid: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#weighted-mid
- Cookbook — cancel stale orders: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#cancel-stale
- Cookbook — stream fills: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#stream-fills
- Cookbook — stream P&L: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#stream-pnl
- Cookbook — margin monitor: https://connecttrade.com/docs/cookbook#margin-monitor
- Broker integrations and capability matrix: https://connecttrade.com/integrations
- Case studies: https://connecttrade.com/case-studies
- FAQ: https://connecttrade.com/faq
- Pricing: https://connecttrade.com/pricing
- News: https://connecttrade.com/news
- Contact: https://connecttrade.com/contact
- OpenAPI specification: https://connecttrade.com/openapi.json
- Full AI-readable documentation: https://connecttrade.com/llms-full.txt

## Customer Quotes

"Connect Trade provides the infrastructure for all of our broker connectivity, allowing our team to stay laser focused on building great products." — Andrew Grevett, CEO, Level2

"Our users increasingly want access to third party tools. Connect Trade makes it easy to expand our platform integrations and grow our customer base without pulling our tech team away from our core product." — Tom Gibb, President, Lightspeed

## Platform Types Served

Trading platforms, portfolio analytics tools, no-code algorithmic trading platforms, market scanners, trading journals, financial newsletters.