TradeLocker says it itself: the platform is newer than MetaTrader and cTrader, and its algo tooling is still growing. eTrader is newer too. Both platforms are recent enough that neither carries the decades of trader habit MetaTrader does, so the choice between eTrader and TradeLocker comes down to what each one bet on instead of trying to out-age the incumbents.
TradeLocker bet on charting: it built its terminal around TradingView charts and a risk calculator that sizes a position from the amount or percent a trader wants to risk. eTrader bet on the firm side of the business: a price feed, a dealing desk, MAM / PAMM and copytrading built into the platform, with robots and AI Traders running in the cloud. Both are reasonable bets. This is a look at what each one actually gets a firm.
Two young platforms, two different bets
A trader opening TradeLocker gets a chart layout many already know from TradingView: the same drawing tools, the same indicator library feel, dropped inside a trading terminal instead of a standalone charting app. That familiarity is real value for discretionary traders who already do their analysis on TradingView and would rather not relearn a chart from scratch. TradeLocker's own risk calculator sits next to the order ticket and works out lot size from account risk, a feature aimed squarely at traders who size positions by percentage risk rather than by hand.
eTrader's charts are native, not TradingView-based: six chart types, tick charts, market depth from the firm's liquidity provider, up to four charts per screen, and drawing and Fibonacci tools built in. Traders drag stop losses, take profits, pending orders and alerts straight on the chart, with up to four take-profit levels per position. What eTrader adds beyond the chart is the rest of the firm's stack: the eTrader price feed (about 580 instruments with years of history), a built-in dealing desk with A-book, B-book and hybrid routing, and native MAM / PAMM and copytrading on the same accounts traders already hold.
The short version
| Area | TradeLocker | eTrader |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | TradeLocker | SGHK |
| Charting | TradingView charts and a built-in risk calculator | Native charts: six chart types, tick charts, market depth, drawing and Fibonacci tools |
| Age, by the vendor's own account | Newer than MetaTrader and cTrader, algo tooling still growing | Newest platform in most of our comparisons; robots rewritten in Tide, not imported |
| Automation | Growing algo tooling, per its own description | Robots in eTrader Code and AI Traders in eTrader AI, run in SGHK's cloud with no VPS |
| Firm-side stack | Terminal and charting; CRM, feed and risk tooling assembled around it | Price feed, dealing desk, MAM / PAMM and copytrading built into the platform |
| Apps | Web and mobile trading apps | Native apps for iPhone, Android and Mac plus a full trading terminal in any browser |
What a firm still has to assemble around TradeLocker
TradeLocker gives traders a terminal built around charts they may already know, which shortens the learning curve for firms recruiting from a TradingView-heavy audience. What a firm brings itself is everything around the terminal: a CRM, a data feed or liquidity connection, and risk tooling beyond the built-in calculator. That is the normal pattern for a platform focused on the trading experience rather than the firm's back office, and it is the same pattern MetaTrader and cTrader firms live with too.
What eTrader brings that TradeLocker does not publish
eTrader folds the firm-side stack into the platform itself. A prop firm can run evaluation accounts on demo servers using the eTrader price feed with no liquidity provider signed at all. A broker connects its own liquidity over FIX and splits flow A-book, B-book or by hybrid rule from the eTrader Dealing Desk, which also shows exposure and toxic flow scoring on the same dashboard. MAM / PAMM and copytrading run on the same accounts and in the same terminals traders already use, added as a monthly feature rather than a separate integration. New firms start on SGHK's Broker CRM or Prop Firm CRM with eTrader wired in from day one.
eTrader's honest trade-offs
eTrader is the newer of the two platforms across most of the comparisons in this series, and its third-party library of indicators and robots is smaller than what exists on platforms that have run for decades. Robots on eTrader are written in Tide, its own language, so a strategy built anywhere else has to be rewritten rather than imported. Windows desktop apps for the terminal, eTrader Code and eTrader AI are still coming; the browser terminal covers Windows today. TradeLocker, for its part, says its own algo tooling is still growing, so neither platform is the pick for a firm that wants a mature robot marketplace on day one. For that, see our wider list of MetaTrader alternatives.
How to choose between them
Pick TradeLocker if the priority is a terminal your traders already half-know from TradingView, and you are willing to build the CRM, feed and risk layer around it yourself. Pick eTrader if the priority is a platform that already includes the price feed, dealing desk, money-manager accounts and copytrading, and you would rather run automation in the cloud than manage a VPS. Firms that want to weigh both against the wider field can also read our comparison of MT5 vs TradeLocker. Test both live before deciding: place orders during a fast market, check how each risk tool actually behaves, and ask what you can export if you leave. Book an eTrader demo to see the dealing desk and MAM / PAMM in a real account.
"Two newer platforms means two firms without decades of legacy code to work around. TradeLocker used that freedom on charting. We used it on the firm's side of the business."
— The SGHK Team
Key Takeaways
- TradeLocker and eTrader are both newer than MetaTrader and cTrader, by TradeLocker's own description of itself.
- TradeLocker builds its terminal around TradingView charts and a built-in risk calculator.
- eTrader bundles the price feed, dealing desk, MAM / PAMM and copytrading with native charts, robots and AI Traders run in the cloud.
- eTrader's real trade-offs: newest platform in most comparisons, smaller third-party library, robots rewritten in Tide, Windows desktop app still coming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is eTrader or TradeLocker newer?
Both are recent compared with MetaTrader and cTrader. TradeLocker describes itself as newer than both of those platforms with algo tooling still growing. eTrader is also newer than MetaTrader and cTrader and is the newest platform across most of our comparisons.
Does eTrader use TradingView charts like TradeLocker?
No. eTrader has its own native charts: six chart types, tick charts, market depth, drawing and Fibonacci tools, plus custom indicators built through eTrader Code. TradeLocker builds its terminal around TradingView's charting suite instead.
Which platform is easier to launch a prop firm on?
eTrader includes the price feed, so an evaluation program can run on demo servers with no liquidity provider needed, and the Prop Firm CRM connects to it from day one. TradeLocker's terminal and charts are strong on the trading side; a firm still sources its own CRM, feed and risk tooling around it.
Can a TradeLocker robot run on eTrader?
Not directly. eTrader robots are written in Tide, eTrader's own language, so a robot built for TradeLocker or any other platform has to be rewritten. The eTrader Code editor flags mistakes as you type and backtests on your firm's real price history, and traders who do not code can build AI Traders from blocks in eTrader AI instead.
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.