VPS, spread and slippage
Why the EA should run on a VPS, and how spread and slippage change your result.
Why a VPS
The EA only works while MetaTrader 5 is open and online. A home PC sleeps, updates and loses connection; a VPS (a small server in a data centre) runs day and night. Choose one close to your broker's servers - most brokers list a recommended location.
We use Hyonix - a Windows VPS with 2 GB RAM or more is enough for several EAs. New to all this? The Start here page walks you through it.
Spread
The spread is the difference between the buy and sell price - what the broker charges on every trade. A breakout EA pays it on every entry, so a lower spread means a better result. Use a raw / ECN account where the broker offers one.
Slippage
Slippage is the gap between the price the EA asked for and the price it got. It grows with lot size and with fast markets. That is why every order is limited to 1.00 lot, and why the EAs stay out of thin markets around the daily rollover, Friday evening and big news.
Why results differ between brokers
Each broker has its own price feed, spread and execution. The same EA on two brokers places slightly different orders and gets slightly different fills - a backtest on one broker is a guide, not a promise for another.
More guides
How to get our EAs free
The partner programme in four steps: broker link, application, approval, download.
Read →Install the EA in MetaTrader 5
From the download to the first trade: files, WebRequest, chart and licence key.
Read →What the EA panel says
Every licence status on the panel and what to do about it.
Read →