A trader opening a position from a ticket fills in a symbol, a volume, a stop and a target, then clicks confirm. A trader trading from the chart drags a line to where they want the stop and lets go. Both end up with the same order. Only one of them had to think in numbers to get there. MetaTrader 5, cTrader, TradeLocker and eTrader all let a trader work directly on the chart to some degree, and the depth of that support is not the same on any two of them.
This is a genuine usability question, not a cosmetic one. A stop dragged half a pip too close during a fast market is a real mistake, and how forgiving a platform is about it, how clearly it shows what a drag will do before the trader releases the mouse, is part of what separates a comfortable terminal from a stressful one.
What chart trading means in practice
At its simplest, chart trading is placing and adjusting orders by clicking and dragging directly on the price chart instead of filling in an order ticket. A pending order becomes a line the trader drops at a price. A stop loss or take profit becomes a line they can grab and move. Some platforms extend the idea further, letting a trader open a market position with one click from a panel sitting on the chart itself, or attach an alert the same way a stop gets attached.
MetaTrader 5: dragging trade levels, one-click from a panel
MetaTrader 5's own documentation describes setting a position's stop loss and take profit by clicking the level line on the chart and dragging it up or down. As the line moves, a tooltip shows the potential profit or loss in the account currency and in pips if that level is hit. This only works when "Show trade levels" is switched on in the terminal settings, and a trader can turn it off with "Disable dragging of trade levels" if they would rather set levels from the ticket only. Separately, MT5's one-click trading panel lets a trader send a market order without the confirmation dialog once they accept the terms for it, sitting on the chart alongside the price. The two features work together: place the trade with one click, then adjust its stop and target by dragging.
cTrader: drag-to-trade with up to five take-profit lines
cTrader's help documentation describes a similar mechanic with more levels attached to it. A trader drags a stop loss line along the price axis to set it, and drags a take-profit line to add one, with cTrader supporting up to five take-profit levels on a single position; the last one always closes whatever quantity remains. Trailing stop loss is available the same way, moving automatically with the price once set and never stepping backward. cTrader Web documents this chart trading behavior explicitly as a way to create and modify orders, positions, stops, targets and price alerts without leaving the chart.
TradeLocker: TradingView charts with a risk calculator built in
TradeLocker built its terminal around TradingView's charting library rather than a proprietary chart engine, which is a deliberate pitch to traders who already chart on TradingView elsewhere. Alongside that, it includes a risk calculator that sizes a position from a chosen risk amount in money or as a percentage of the account, rather than asking the trader to work out lot size by hand. TradeLocker describes itself as newer than MetaTrader and cTrader, with its wider algorithmic trading tooling still growing, which is worth knowing if chart-based discretionary trading is what a firm's clients actually want rather than automation.
eTrader: no forms, drag everything
eTrader's chart trading design starts from the opposite direction: forms are the exception, not the default. Pending orders, stop losses, take profits and alerts are all lines a trader drags directly on the chart, with no ticket to fill in for the common case. A position can carry up to four take-profit levels, each shown as its own labeled, individually draggable line, so a trader scaling out of a winning trade sets four separate exits without opening four separate tickets. Drag a pending order across the current market price and eTrader converts it automatically between a limit and a stop, since a buy order above the market and a buy order below it are different order types even though the drag gesture is identical. One-click trading and plain-word warnings before an order goes in against a closed market or thin margin sit alongside the drag interface, so speed does not come at the cost of a trader missing why an order was rejected.
Chart trading, feature by feature
| Platform | Drag SL / TP on chart | Take-profit levels | Pending orders from the chart | One-click market orders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MetaTrader 5 | Yes, when trade levels are shown | One per position (workarounds needed for more) | Via the order dialog opened from the chart | Yes, from the one-click trading panel after accepting terms |
| cTrader | Yes, drag SL / TSL / TP lines | Up to five, last one closing the remaining size | Yes, chart trading controls place and adjust orders | Yes, from chart controls |
| TradeLocker | On its TradingView-based chart, with a built-in risk calculator for sizing | Not part of TradeLocker's stated feature set | Via the terminal built around TradingView charts | Not a feature TradeLocker publishes |
| eTrader | Yes, all lines including alerts are draggable, no forms | Up to four, each individually draggable | Yes, click the chart to place, drag to move, auto-converts limit/stop across market price | Yes, one click, with plain-word warnings before a bad-condition order goes in |
Where the real difference sits
MetaTrader 5 and cTrader both treat chart-based adjustment as an enhancement over an order ticket that still exists and still works fully on its own. TradeLocker leans on a charting library its target traders already know, paired with a calculator so sizing does not need mental math. eTrader is built the other way around: the ticket is the exception, and the whole flow from opening a position to scaling out of it with four take-profit lines is designed to be done by dragging, on web, Mac, iPhone or Android, without switching to a form at any point. Neither approach is wrong. A trader who thinks in numbers and wants precision typed in will prefer a ticket-first platform. A trader who thinks visually and wants to see the trade on the chart before it exists will get more out of a drag-first one. Firms choosing a platform for their client base should watch a real demo of both styles before deciding, since screenshots understate how different the two feel with a live price moving.
Multiple take-profit levels specifically, since cTrader and eTrader both now support several per position while MetaTrader 4 and 5 support one, get their own full comparison in our multiple take profits across platforms piece, and traders who want the basics of reading price action on a chart before touching any of these tools can start with our chart trading guide.
What this means for a firm setting up either platform
None of this is a reason to pick a platform on chart trading alone; execution, liquidity and cost structure matter more. But it is a real difference in how much support new traders will need, and in how many support tickets a firm gets about "how do I move my stop." Firms running eTrader alongside MetaTrader or cTrader can point discretionary, chart-first clients at eTrader specifically because the drag interface needs no explanation beyond a demo account and five minutes. Firms staying on a single platform should still walk new clients through whichever chart controls exist, since a dragged stop that lands somewhere unintended is one of the more common causes of an angry support call.
"If a trader has to open a form to move a stop, the chart is not doing its job. That is the whole design brief behind eTrader's chart."
— The SGHK Team
Key Takeaways
- MetaTrader 5 lets a trader drag stop loss and take profit lines on the chart when trade levels are shown, alongside a one-click trading panel for market orders.
- cTrader supports dragging stop loss, trailing stop and up to five take-profit lines directly on the chart.
- TradeLocker builds its chart on TradingView and pairs it with a risk calculator that sizes a position from a chosen risk amount.
- eTrader has no ticket for the common case: pending orders, up to four take-profit levels and alerts are all lines dragged on the chart, with automatic conversion between limit and stop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you drag a stop loss on the chart in MetaTrader 5?
Yes. MT5 lets a trader click a position's stop loss or take profit level on the chart and drag it to a new price, with a tooltip showing the resulting profit or loss, as long as trade levels are set to show in the terminal's chart settings.
How many take-profit levels can cTrader place on one position?
Up to five, set by dragging take-profit lines on the chart, with the final level closing whatever volume remains on the position.
Does TradeLocker use its own chart engine?
No. TradeLocker built its terminal around TradingView's charting library, alongside a built-in risk calculator for sizing a position from a chosen amount of risk in money or as a percentage.
How many take-profit levels does eTrader support per position?
Up to four, each shown as its own labeled line on the chart that a trader can drag independently of the others.
Does eTrader require an order ticket to place a trade?
No, not for the common case. Pending orders, stop losses, take profits and alerts are placed and moved by dragging lines on the chart, with plain-word warnings shown before an order goes in against a closed market or low margin.
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.