Copy trading sounds like one feature, but the three platforms most brokers and prop firms compare build it on three different foundations. Whether an investor can even find a given strategy provider depends on which broker and which server they happen to be on, and that answer is different on cTrader, MetaTrader and eTrader.
cTrader Copy: Spotware's own layer
cTrader Copy is Spotware's built-in social and investment layer, sitting inside the same cTrader environment as the trading terminal itself rather than as a separate community site. A strategy provider trades their account, and an investor allocates capital to that strategy, with every strategy an investor follows placed in its own separate copying account so its performance is easy to track on its own. Strategy providers can charge fees for access to their strategy, in whatever structure they choose.
The scope is set by the broker, not fixed by the platform. Spotware's own documentation states that "investors can allocate funds to strategies the providers of which are registered with different cTrader-affiliated brokers," and Spotware's cTrader Copy page for brokers describes the same choice from the other side: a broker can restrict Copy to its own clients only, or allow its clients to reach the wider cTrader Copy network of strategy providers at other cTrader-affiliated brokers. Either way, cTrader Copy stays inside the cTrader ecosystem: an investor is not reaching a strategy provider on MetaTrader or any other platform through it.
Sources: docs.spotware.com, cTrader Copy documentation and spotware.com/ctrader/copy.
MT5 Signals: subscribing through MQL5.community
MetaTrader's own copy trading is the Signals service, also called Trading Signals, run through MQL5.community rather than through any single broker's server. A trader subscribes to a signal provider's feed, and the provider's trades are automatically reproduced on the subscriber's account. Using it needs an MQL5.community account, and the subscriber's terminal and account have to stay connected for new deals to keep copying across. Providers can charge a subscription fee, and MetaQuotes screens signal providers under its own published rules before they can list.
Because Signals runs through MQL5.community rather than through one broker's infrastructure, a subscriber is not limited to providers on their own broker's server. Any MT5 account with Signals enabled can, in principle, subscribe to any listed provider, which is a genuinely different shape from a feature that lives inside one broker's own platform install.
eTrader Copytrading: staying inside one firm
eTrader Copytrading is native to the platform and switched on from eTrader Business. It works within a single firm only: a client copies another client of that same firm, either publicly listed or reached by a private link, at a multiplier the copying client chooses, such as 0.5x, 1x or 2x. Both accounts sit on the firm's own servers and trade in the normal eTrader terminal, with no separate copying account or bridge involved.
That single-firm scope is a deliberate trade-off, not an oversight. It keeps every copied trade inside the same account structure, dealing desk and risk tools the firm already runs on eTrader, rather than routing flow to or from a completely separate copy trading network the firm does not control.
Copy trading scope, side by side
| cTrader Copy | MT5 Signals | eTrader Copytrading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built by | Spotware, inside cTrader | MetaQuotes, via MQL5.community | SGHK, native to eTrader |
| Scope | Own broker's clients by default; broker can open it to other cTrader-affiliated brokers | Any MT5 account with Signals enabled, across brokers, via MQL5.community | One firm only, client to client |
| Requirement | Provider and investor both on cTrader | MQL5.community account, subscriber stays connected | Both clients hold accounts with the same firm |
| Fees | Strategy providers set their own fees | Providers may charge a subscription fee | Switched on by the firm; copying client sets a multiplier |
Why the scope difference actually matters
For a broker choosing between these, the scope question decides who a client can even see. MT5 Signals is the widest by design: because it runs through MQL5.community rather than any single broker, a subscriber can reach any listed provider regardless of which broker issued their account, subject to MetaQuotes' own screening. cTrader Copy sits in the middle, defaulting to a broker's own clients but able to open to Spotware's wider network of cTrader-affiliated brokers if the broker chooses to allow it. eTrader Copytrading is the narrowest and the most deliberate about it: copying stays inside one firm's own client base, which means every copied position is visible to that firm's own dealing desk and risk tools from the same account structure it already runs.
None of the three is simply better. A firm that wants its clients discovering strategy providers across a wider network, and is comfortable with that flow leaving its own book, is better served by MT5 Signals or an open cTrader Copy setup. A firm that wants copy trading to stay entirely inside its own accounts, servers and terminal, with no cross-broker exposure to manage, is the firm eTrader Copytrading was built for. See our broader copy trading guide for how to evaluate a copy trading feature beyond just its scope, and our notes on signal provider screening for what to check before a provider goes live. Firms deciding between these can also book a call to see eTrader Copytrading running on a live demo.
"Copy trading only works if a firm knows exactly whose flow is landing on its own book. That is why eTrader Copytrading stays inside one firm's own clients."
— The SGHK Team
Key Takeaways
- cTrader Copy defaults to a broker's own clients, but a broker can open it to strategy providers at other cTrader-affiliated brokers, per Spotware's own documentation.
- MT5 Signals runs through MQL5.community, needs a subscriber account and lets a trader reach a screened provider on any MT5 broker, beyond their own.
- eTrader Copytrading is native and single-firm only, with clients copying other clients of the same firm on the same servers and terminal.
- The right choice depends on whether a firm wants copy trading to reach beyond its own book or stay entirely inside it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a cTrader Copy investor follow a strategy provider at a different broker?
Only if the broker allows it. cTrader Copy can be restricted to a broker's own clients, or opened by the broker to strategy providers registered with other cTrader-affiliated brokers, per Spotware's own documentation.
Does MT5 Signals work across different brokers?
Yes. Because it runs through MQL5.community rather than a single broker's own infrastructure, a subscriber with Signals enabled can subscribe to any listed, screened provider regardless of which broker they trade through.
Can an eTrader client copy a trader at a different firm?
No. eTrader Copytrading works within a single firm only, so a client can copy another client of the same firm, either publicly listed or through a private link.
How is eTrader Copytrading switched on?
It is native and switched on from eTrader Business, with no separate plugin or bridge, and the copying client chooses their own multiplier.
Do MT5 signal providers charge a fee?
Some do. Providers may charge a subscription fee, and MetaQuotes screens providers under its own rules before they can list on MQL5.community.
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.