Copy trading software splits into two models that rarely get compared side by side. cTrader Copy and MetaTrader's Trading Signals service both work across brokers: a strategy provider on one broker's server can be followed by an investor at a different broker, because the copying logic sits with the platform vendor, not with any single firm. eTrader Copytrading and Match-Trade's Social Trading app work the other way. Copying stays inside one firm, between that firm's own clients, with no cross-broker network to configure or monitor.
Neither model is the safer one by default. A broker offering cross-broker copying opens its clients to strategies hosted anywhere in the network; a broker offering single-broker copying keeps the whole chain, provider, follower and fee, on servers its own compliance and risk teams already watch. That is the real choice a broker is making when it picks a copy trading platform for brokers, and it is worth making on purpose rather than by accident.
1. eTrader Copytrading
eTrader Copytrading is native to eTrader, switched on from eTrader Business with no third-party plugin or bridge to install. A client of the firm publishes a strategy, publicly or by private link, and other clients of the same firm copy it with their own multiplier, for example 0.5x, 1x or 2x, on their normal trading accounts in the same terminals. Copying stays inside the firm by design: every provider and every follower is a client the firm already knows, on servers the firm already runs.
2. cTrader Copy
cTrader Copy is Spotware's own feature, and Spotware describes it as a cross-broker social trading system. Strategy providers publish strategies, investors split capital across several of them, and fees can combine a volume-based commission, a performance fee and a management fee. Because the system runs at the platform level, an investor on one cTrader broker can follow a provider hosted at another, which is the draw for a broker that wants its clients reaching strategies beyond its own book.
3. MetaTrader Trading Signals
MetaTrader's Trading Signals service lets a trader subscribe to a Signal Provider from inside MetaTrader 4 or 5 using an MQL5.community account. Deals copy automatically while the terminal stays connected to the server, and a provider may charge a subscription fee. Like cTrader Copy, it runs across the whole MetaTrader network rather than inside one broker, so the account behind a signal a client follows may sit at a different firm entirely.
4. DXtrade, through a Traders Connect integration
Devexperts does not build copy trading into DXtrade itself. Its own announcement describes a partnership with Traders Connect, a cloud-based trade copier Devexperts calls cross-platform: trades copy across multiple platforms with no software to install, alongside analytics, equity protection and alerts. A broker running DXtrade adds this as a partner integration rather than a feature already sitting inside the platform.
5. Match-Trade Social Trading / Copy Trading app
Match-Trade Technologies sells a Social Trading / Copy Trading app integrated with its Client Office, available on web, mobile and desktop as a Progressive Web App. A follower sets a Follow amount, can cap losses with a maximum-loss setting, and picks from a leaderboard of strategy providers Match-Trade calls Masters. Like eTrader Copytrading, it stays inside the firm's own client base rather than reaching into other brokers.
Why the split matters more than the feature list
Cross-broker copying puts a support load on a firm that single-broker copying does not. If a client's chosen provider trades at another broker, your desk cannot see that account, only your own client's side of it, and a dispute about a strategy's performance is partly outside your reach. Single-broker copying keeps every part of that chain on infrastructure your team already monitors. Read the full mechanics in our guide to broker copytrading and the wider copy trading guide, and check what regulators expect from copy trading before switching a model that clients are already using.
Copy trading platforms compared
| Platform | Provider | Cross-broker or single-broker | Fee model |
|---|---|---|---|
| eTrader Copytrading | SGHK | Single-broker, native | Client sets a multiplier; the firm switches the feature on from eTrader Business |
| cTrader Copy | Spotware | Cross-broker | Volume-based commission, performance fee and management fee, set per strategy provider |
| MetaTrader Trading Signals | MetaQuotes / MQL5.community | Cross-broker | Provider may charge a subscription fee |
| DXtrade + Traders Connect | Devexperts / Traders Connect | Cross-broker, via a partner integration | Not published in the partner announcement |
| Match-Trade Social Trading / Copy Trading app | Match-Trade Technologies | Single-broker | Follow amount and maximum-loss setting; no public fee schedule |
How to choose between the two models
A new broker with a small client base usually gets more value from single-broker copying: every provider is someone the firm can vet directly, and eTrader Copytrading or Match-Trade's app both ship the feature without a separate vendor contract. A firm whose clients already ask for named signal providers or a wider strategy pool is more likely to need cross-broker copying, through cTrader Copy, MetaTrader Trading Signals or a partner integration like DXtrade's. Some firms run both: a native single-broker system for their own community, plus a MetaTrader or cTrader server for clients chasing a specific outside provider. If you already run a CRM, SGHK's Broker CRM connects to eTrader, MetaTrader, cTrader, DXtrade and Match-Trader in one click, so adding a second copy trading model does not mean adding a second back office.
Ask any vendor the same three questions before switching: who can see a provider's real drawdown, how a follower exits a strategy mid-trade, and what happens to open positions if the provider's account is closed. Book a call if you want to see eTrader Copytrading running on your own instrument list.
"A follower should never have to guess whether the account they are copying sits inside the firm they trust or somewhere the firm cannot see."
— The SGHK Team
Key Takeaways
- cTrader Copy and MetaTrader Trading Signals both copy across brokers; eTrader Copytrading and Match-Trade's Social Trading app both stay inside one firm.
- eTrader Copytrading is native, switched on from eTrader Business, with no third-party plugin or bridge.
- DXtrade reaches copy trading through a Traders Connect partner integration rather than a built-in module.
- Cross-broker copying reaches a wider strategy pool; single-broker copying keeps the whole chain inside infrastructure the firm already monitors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between cross-broker and single-broker copy trading?
Cross-broker copy trading, such as cTrader Copy or MetaTrader Trading Signals, lets a client follow a provider whose account sits at a different broker, because the platform vendor runs the copying layer. Single-broker copy trading, such as eTrader Copytrading or Match-Trade's Social Trading app, only connects clients of the same firm.
Is eTrader Copytrading a plugin?
No. It is a native part of eTrader and of eTrader Broker, on the same accounts and in the same terminals as normal trading, switched on from eTrader Business.
Does DXtrade have its own copy trading feature?
Devexperts has not published a native copy trading module for DXtrade. Its own announcement describes a partnership with Traders Connect, a cloud-based, cross-platform trade copier that brokers add on top of DXtrade.
Can a broker run more than one copy trading model at once?
Yes. Many firms run a native single-broker system alongside a MetaTrader or cTrader server for clients who want to follow a provider outside the firm. SGHK's Broker CRM connects to all of them in one click, so the CRM does not need to change when the platform mix does.
About SGHK
SGHK is a FinTech company that designs and builds its own software for the trading industry: the eTrader trading platform, Launch your Broker and Launch your Prop Firm. Every product is written, hosted and supported in-house and licensed to trading firms, with the CRMs branded to them, all hosted by us in the cloud, managed by each firm and built to scale across clustered servers as our clients grow. Everything is encrypted, and each firm is the only one with access to its data and its clients' data.