A developer who wants to code a trading strategy in C# and a discretionary trader who wants TradingView's charts in a live terminal are not shopping for the same platform, even if both land on the same broker's website. cTrader vs TradeLocker is really two checklists pointed at two different people, and most of the confusion in comparing them comes from grading one against the other's checklist instead of its own.
Below are both checklists side by side, followed by one honest paragraph on eTrader, a third platform we build at SGHK. Neither cTrader nor Spotware, nor TradeLocker, is ours, and this comparison treats them the way we would want a competitor to treat us: by what each publishes about itself.
The short version
| Platform | Made by | Built for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| cTrader | Spotware | Algorithmic trading in C# (cTrader Algo), cTrader Copy, cTrader ID, Level II depth of market, apps on Windows, Mac, web, iOS and Android | Mostly FX and CFDs; a firm still assembles CRM, feed and risk tooling around it |
| TradeLocker | TradeLocker | TradingView charts built into the terminal, a built-in risk calculator | Newer than MetaTrader and cTrader by its own account, algo tooling still growing |
The developer's checklist: cTrader
Start with the language. cTrader Algo runs on C#, a mainstream, statically typed language most developers with a .NET background already know, rather than a proprietary scripting language built only for one platform. That single choice is the reason cTrader keeps a following among traders who write and maintain their own strategies as software, with source control, unit tests and the rest of a normal development workflow, rather than as a one-off script.
- C# for strategies and indicators, with the tooling a .NET developer already has installed.
- Level II depth of market, for traders who watch order book depth as part of their strategy logic.
- cTrader Copy, for copy trading built into the platform rather than bolted on.
- cTrader ID, one login across every broker running cTrader.
- Apps on Windows, Mac, the web, iOS and Android, so a strategy built on a desktop is monitored from a phone.
What cTrader does not do for a firm: it does not ship a CRM, a data feed or risk tooling. Spotware's business is the trading platform. A broker still buys or builds a CRM, sources liquidity, and sets up its own dealing desk and risk management around cTrader, the same way it would around most platforms of this kind.
The chart trader's checklist: TradeLocker
TradeLocker starts from the opposite end: charting first, in a package built to feel familiar to the millions of people who already use TradingView daily. Its terminal embeds TradingView's charts directly, so a trader gets the drawing tools, layouts and chart behavior they already know without a separate charting site bridged in by the broker.
- TradingView charts inside the trading terminal itself.
- A built-in risk calculator, sizing a position from a set amount or percentage of account risk.
- A newer platform, by TradeLocker's own description, than MetaTrader or cTrader.
- Algorithmic trading tools that TradeLocker itself says are still growing.
For a discretionary trader who reads charts more than they write code, that list covers what matters most. For a developer who wants to deploy a C# strategy the way they would on cTrader, TradeLocker is not yet built around that workflow the way cTrader is, and TradeLocker's own materials are candid about the gap.
Matching the platform to the trader in front of you
A broker or prop firm rarely serves one type of trader exclusively, so the honest question is which type is underserved by your current stack. If your applicants keep asking about API access, backtesting a coded strategy, or depth of market, cTrader's checklist is the one your funnel is actually asking for. If your applicants are discretionary traders who already screenshot TradingView charts in their trade journals, TradeLocker's checklist matches their daily habits more closely.
Neither platform includes the surrounding business software a firm needs. Whichever you pick, or if you run both, a CRM such as SGHK's Broker CRM or Prop Firm CRM connects in one click to cTrader, TradeLocker and several other platforms, so client accounts, KYC and payouts stay in one system regardless of which terminal the trader opens. Our guide to algorithmic trading basics is a useful primer if you are weighing how much of your funnel is actually developer-led before committing to one platform over the other.
Where eTrader fits
eTrader, the platform we build, sits closer to the developer's checklist than the chart-first one, but with its own tools rather than either vendor's. Traders write robots and indicators in eTrader Code using Tide, eTrader's own language, test them on the firm's real price history, and run them in the cloud with the computer switched off. Traders who prefer not to code build AI Traders from blocks in eTrader AI instead. eTrader also has its own native charts, not TradingView's and not cTrader's, built for trading directly from the chart: dragging lines to place and reprice pending orders, stops, targets and alerts. The honest trade-offs: eTrader is newer than both platforms in this comparison, its third-party library of indicators and robots is smaller than cTrader's or MetaTrader's, and a C# strategy built for cTrader Algo has to be rewritten in Tide, not imported. A live demo next to cTrader and TradeLocker is the fastest way to judge the fit.
For most firms, the practical answer is to run a demo of each with a real applicant of the type you are trying to serve, watch how long it takes them to place their first trade or run their first backtest, and let that time tell you more than the feature list does.
"Ask what your applicants are actually asking for, a coding environment or a chart that feels like home. That answer, not a feature list, should decide between cTrader and TradeLocker."
— The SGHK Team
Key Takeaways
- cTrader is built around C# algorithmic trading, cTrader Copy, cTrader ID and Level II depth of market, across Windows, Mac, web, iOS and Android.
- TradeLocker builds around TradingView charts and a risk calculator, and says itself its algo tooling is still growing.
- Neither ships a CRM, feed or risk tooling; a firm assembles that around either platform, or connects both through one CRM.
- eTrader offers a third path with native charts, Tide for robots and eTrader AI for no-code AI Traders, newer than both with a smaller third-party library.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cTrader better than TradeLocker for algorithmic trading?
For most developers, yes. cTrader Algo uses C#, a mainstream language with mature tooling, and has been the platform's focus since launch. TradeLocker says itself that its algorithmic trading tools are still growing, so a developer-heavy applicant base is usually better served by cTrader today.
Does TradeLocker use real TradingView charts?
Yes, TradeLocker builds TradingView's charts into its own trading terminal, rather than linking out to a separate charting site. That is the platform's main selling point for traders who already chart on TradingView.
Do cTrader and TradeLocker include a CRM for brokers?
No. Both are trading platforms, not full broker stacks. A firm running either one still needs a CRM, a liquidity connection and risk tooling, built in-house or bought separately, or connected through a CRM that already integrates with the platform.
Can a broker offer cTrader and TradeLocker together?
Yes. Running both is common for firms serving developer-focused and chart-focused traders at once. SGHK's Broker CRM and Prop Firm CRM connect to both platforms as well as to MetaTrader, DXtrade, Match-Trader, NinjaTrader and eTrader, so one CRM can run several platforms side by side.
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.