Most traders do not watch a chart all day. They set a price, walk away, and expect a phone to buzz when the market gets there. That single feature, the price alert, is one of the oldest pieces of trading software and still one of the most used, and MetaTrader 5, cTrader and eTrader each handle the same basic job, an alert that fires and a phone that notifies, a little differently.
MetaTrader 5: alerts tied to the MetaQuotes ID
MetaTrader 5 supports price alerts inside the terminal, notifying a trader by sound, email or push notification when a set condition is met. The push side runs through the MetaQuotes ID system: a trader opens the mobile app, finds their MetaQuotes ID shown as a string like Android-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX or Apple-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX in the Messages section, and enters it into the desktop terminal's settings to link the two. Once linked, alerts and trade notifications reach the phone even when the desktop terminal itself is not the one generating them, and MetaQuotes has extended this over time, recent terminal builds add server-side push notifications for executed orders, deals and balance operations, so a trader is notified of trading activity even with the terminal closed, on a real account, since server notifications do not run on demo.
cTrader: alerts through the cTrader ID
cTrader's price alerts sit in the terminal and are configured against the bid or ask price, above or below a chosen level, with a pop-up and a sound signal when triggered. Delivery beyond the desktop runs through the cTrader ID: a trader manages email notification settings for price alerts from the cTID portal, and mobile push notifications work the same way once the cTrader ID is linked across devices, so an alert set on desktop still reaches a phone that is not currently open on that chart.
eTrader: alerts as lines on the chart, not forms
eTrader treats an alert the same way it treats a stop or a take profit: as a line on the chart the trader drags to where they want it, above or below the current price. Setting one does not open a settings dialog; it is a drag gesture, and repositioning an alert later, because the trader changed their mind about the level, is another drag rather than a re-entry. Push notifications reach the trader on iPhone, Android, Mac and the trading terminal in a browser, all from the one account that stays in sync across those devices, with an alarm sound for alerts specifically so they are distinct from other notifications on a busy phone. Trade notifications cover the events around an actual position too: fills, stops hit, targets hit, opens and closes, beyond the price alerts a trader sets manually, so a trader who steps away from the screen finds out about both a price reaching a level and a position actually closing because of it.
Price alerts, side by side
| Platform | How an alert is set | Push notification system | Trade event notifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetaTrader 5 | Configured in the terminal's alert settings | MetaQuotes ID, linked between mobile app and desktop terminal | Yes, server-side push for orders, deals and balance operations on real accounts |
| cTrader | Configured against bid or ask, above or below a set price | cTrader ID, managed from the cTID portal | Yes, alongside price alert pop-ups and sound signals |
| eTrader | Dragged as a line directly on the chart, repositioned the same way | One account synced across iPhone, Android, Mac and the browser terminal | Yes, fills, stops, targets, opens and closes, plus an alarm sound for alerts |
Why the setup step matters as much as the alert itself
The mechanics of firing an alert are not where these platforms differ much; all three will notify a trader reliably once configured. The difference is in what it takes to get to that configured state and to change it later. MetaTrader 5 and cTrader both route push notifications through a platform-level identity, the MetaQuotes ID or the cTrader ID, that has to be linked once between devices before notifications flow, which is a one-time setup cost rather than an ongoing one. eTrader skips the linking step because the account itself is already the same one across every device; setting an alert on a phone means it is live everywhere immediately; and repositioning it is the same drag gesture used for every other line on the chart, which lowers the friction of actually keeping alerts current rather than leaving a stale one from three weeks ago still active.
A trader managing many symbols at once runs into a different problem entirely: too many alerts firing, not too few. That is a workflow issue more than a platform feature, and our guide to managing alert fatigue and our piece on alert routing tools cover how to keep a growing list of alerts useful instead of just noisy, whichever of these three platforms is generating them.
What this means for choosing a platform
Alerts alone are rarely the reason a firm picks one platform over another, but they are one of the first things a new client tests, often within minutes of opening a demo account, and a clunky first alert leaves an impression that lingers past everything else the platform does well. Firms running eTrader can point clients toward the drag-based alert workflow as one of the fastest things to demonstrate live, since it needs no explanation beyond "drag a line where you want to know." Firms on MetaTrader 5 or cTrader should make sure new clients actually complete the MetaQuotes ID or cTrader ID linking step during onboarding, since an alert that silently never reaches a phone because the ID was never linked is a support ticket waiting to happen, not a platform failure.
"An alert should take one drag to set and one drag to move. Anything that needs a form in between is friction a trader did not ask for."
— The SGHK Team
Key Takeaways
- MetaTrader 5 delivers push notifications for price alerts and trade events through the MetaQuotes ID, linked between the mobile app and the desktop terminal.
- cTrader alerts trigger a pop-up and sound in the terminal, with email and push delivery managed through the cTrader ID.
- eTrader alerts are lines dragged directly on the chart, with push notifications and an alarm sound reaching iPhone, Android, Mac and the browser terminal from one synced account.
- All three platforms also notify on trade events, fills, stops and targets, beyond manually set price alerts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do push notifications work in MetaTrader 5?
A trader links their MetaQuotes ID, found in the mobile app's Messages section, to the desktop terminal's settings. Once linked, price alerts and, on real accounts, server-side trade notifications reach the phone.
Does cTrader support push notifications for price alerts?
Yes. cTrader triggers a pop-up and sound signal when an alert fires, and email or push delivery to mobile is managed through the cTrader ID from the cTID portal.
How do you set a price alert on eTrader?
By dragging a line onto the chart at the price you want to be alerted at, above or below the current market price. Moving the alert later is the same drag gesture used for stops and take profits.
Does eTrader notify for more than just price alerts?
Yes. Alongside price alerts with an alarm sound, eTrader sends trade notifications for fills, stops hit, targets hit, opens and closes, reaching iPhone, Android, Mac and the browser terminal from one synced account.
Which platform makes it easiest to manage many alerts at once?
All three will fire alerts reliably. eTrader's drag-to-set and drag-to-move workflow lowers the effort of keeping a growing list of alerts current, which matters most for traders watching several symbols who would otherwise leave stale alerts active out of inertia.
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.