cTrader vs MT4 for Prop Firms: 2026 Platform Guide
By Jordan Hayes
cTrader vs MT4 for Prop Firms: Which Platform Should You Choose in 2026?
Key Takeaways
MT4 is available at only a handful of prop firms in 2026, with ThePropFirmGuide counting just 4 that still support it, while cTrader is offered at 250+ brokers and prop firms including FundedNext, Funding Pips, and Alpha Capital Group.
FundedNext explicitly bans automated trading (EAs and cBots) on its cTrader accounts as of April 2026, which matters if you plan to run automation — MT4 or MT5 is the right call for bot trading at that firm.
cTrader's Smart Stop Out partially closes your positions during a margin breach, unlike MT4 which closes your largest position first — a difference that can determine whether you breach a prop firm's drawdown limit.
Platform choice at a prop firm isn't purely about UI preference. It affects which firms you can join, whether your automation runs, how drawdown limits interact with your open trades, and how much you pay to get started. MT4 has a 20-year head start in community, indicators, and Expert Advisors. cTrader has the execution transparency, charting depth, and long-term viability. Neither is universally better. The question is which one fits your workflow and which firms actually support it in 2026.
This comparison covers the practical differences: charting tools, automation environments, order execution mechanics, firm availability, and the specific cases where one platform wins over the other.
| Feature | cTrader | MT4 |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Spotware Systems (2011) | MetaQuotes (2005) |
| Timeframes | 28 (including tick charts) | 9 |
| Chart types | 9 | 3 |
| Depth of Market | Full Level II (ladder DOM) | Basic DOM only |
| Automation language | C# via cTrader Automate (cAlgo) | MQL4 (proprietary) |
| EA/cBot library size | Smaller, growing | Very large, 20+ years of builds |
| Stop out behavior | Smart (partial close) | Closes largest position first |
| Execution transparency | Full deal receipt (40+ data fields) | Standard order confirmation |
| Active prop firm support | Broad (FundedNext, Funding Pips, Alpha Capital, more) | Narrow (4 firms per ThePropFirmGuide as of March 2026) |
| Additional fee at some firms | Sometimes ($20 at Funding Pips) | Varies by firm |
| Platform status | Actively developed | Largely frozen since 2012 |
MT4's charting was impressive when it launched in 2005. Three chart types (line, bar, candlestick), 9 timeframes, and a library of community indicators that numbers in the thousands. For a large share of manual traders, that indicator library is still the deciding factor — if the specific custom indicator you've built your strategy around only runs in MQL4, that's the end of the debate.
cTrader runs 28 timeframes including real tick charts, offers 9 chart types, and ships with 70+ built-in indicators. For price action traders, the tick chart alone is a significant upgrade for entries and scalping. The interface is noticeably cleaner — detachable charts, multi-monitor support, and a more modern UI layout. cTrader also supports full Level II pricing, showing the actual depth of market across multiple liquidity levels, which MT4's standard DOM doesn't match.
For pure charting depth, cTrader wins. For traders who rely on a specific MT4 indicator ecosystem, that advantage doesn't matter.
This is where MT4's position has shifted dramatically. MetaQuotes has been pulling licenses from prop firms since 2023, and the effect is real. ThePropFirmGuide's March 2026 survey of 40+ firms found only 4 still supporting MT4.
Among PFMatrix's active firm list, cTrader has much broader support:
Firms offering cTrader (as of June 2026):
| Firm | cTrader Available? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FundedNext | Yes | MT4, MT5, cTrader, Match-Trader all available. EAs not allowed on cTrader accounts. |
| Funding Pips | Yes | cTrader carries an additional $20 fee per account. MT5 and Match-Trader are free. |
| Alpha Capital Group | Yes | MT5, cTrader, DXtrade, TradeLocker. US traders restricted to DXtrade only. |
| The 5%ers | Available on select plans | Confirm current platform menu on their official site before purchasing. |
Firms offering MT4 (as of June 2026, from active PFMatrix list):
| Firm | MT4 Available? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FundedNext | Yes | One of the few firms with full MT4 and MT5 licenses. EAs allowed with additional fee. |
MT4's availability has narrowed to a small set of firms that secured their MetaQuotes license before the prop firm restrictions kicked in. FundedNext is notable for holding both MT4 and MT5 licenses, which is uncommon. If MT4 is your non-negotiable, FundedNext is your best starting point on PFMatrix's active list.
For algo traders, the platform choice isn't just about availability — it's about language.
MT4 uses MQL4, a proprietary scripting language developed by MetaQuotes. It looks a bit like C, compiles into bytecode, and runs through an interpreter. The practical advantage: a 20-year ecosystem of ready-made Expert Advisors. Thousands of free and paid EAs on MQL5.com cover nearly every popular strategy type. If you want plug-and-play automation without writing code, MT4 wins on raw availability.
The downside is that MQL4 is proprietary and largely frozen. MetaQuotes has shifted development focus to MT5 and MQL5. New development on MT4 has essentially stopped.
cTrader Automate (formerly cAlgo) uses standard C# with full access to the .NET framework. For developers already working in C#, Java, or any C-style language, the ramp-up is short. The .NET framework integration means cBots can connect to databases, web APIs, and external services in ways MQL4 simply can't. The built-in code editor has IntelliSense, debugging tools, and a backtesting environment that many developers find more intuitive than MT4's Strategy Tester.
The gap: cTrader's cBot community is significantly smaller. You'll likely build more from scratch rather than adapting existing solutions.
One firm-specific caveat that matters: FundedNext, as of April 9, 2026, does not allow EAs or automated trading on its cTrader or Match-Trader accounts. MT4 and MT5 are the only platforms where bot trading is permitted at FundedNext. This is a firm-level rule, not a platform limitation, but it affects any trader who chooses cTrader at FundedNext specifically for automation purposes.
This is where the practical difference between platforms gets real for prop traders.
cTrader's Smart Stop Out behavior is the most underappreciated feature in a prop trading context. When your account approaches a margin call, cTrader partially closes your open positions to keep your margin alive. MT4 closes your largest open position in full, which often means blowing through your stop and triggering a drawdown breach in the same moment the platform is trying to save you.
At a prop firm where the difference between a funded account and a failed challenge is 0.1% of equity, how your platform handles a margin event matters. cTrader's partial-close approach gives you a window to respond. MT4's full-close-first behavior can turn a recoverable margin event into a hard breach.
Execution transparency is also different. cTrader generates a full deal receipt for every trade — 40+ data fields including entry price, closing price, matching time, slippage, and a market snapshot. MT4 gives you a standard order confirmation. For traders who want to audit their execution quality, especially on a simulated prop account where subtle fill degradation can add up, cTrader's receipts are useful evidence.
Both platforms support scalping, but there are real differences in tool quality.
cTrader was designed with STP/ECN execution in mind. Sub-millisecond order processing, server-side trailing stops that continue working even if your connection drops, one-click trading directly on charts, and the Quick Close All button for immediate full-position exit when you're approaching a drawdown limit. For scalpers managing tight entries and exits on a funded account, those quick-close tools are practical risk management, not just convenience.
MT4 supports one-click trading and has a robust third-party ecosystem of scalping tools and execution plugins. The limiting factor in 2026 is firm availability: if your preferred scalping EA only runs on MQL4, you need an MT4 firm, and the list is short.
For scalpers starting fresh without legacy tools, cTrader's tick charts, DOM depth, and fast execution infrastructure are a better fit. For scalpers with existing MT4 setups, the question is whether rebuilding that setup in cTrader's C# environment is worth the firm availability gain.
MT4 wins here, but for specific reasons.
The MT4 interface has been the retail forex standard for 20 years. YouTube tutorials, forum guides, broker educational content, and third-party course material all default to MT4. A trader making their first prop firm attempt who already has MT4 on their laptop from a retail account doesn't need to learn anything new.
cTrader has a steeper onboarding curve for manual traders new to the platform, and a steeper curve still for algo traders who need to learn C# before they can build anything. The payoff is a more capable long-term environment, but the short-term cost is real.
For a trader whose only goal is passing a prop challenge as quickly as possible using a known setup, MT4's familiarity is a genuine edge. For a trader building a long-term funded trading career, cTrader's broader support across prop firms in 2026 makes it the more practical investment of time.
Choose cTrader if:
You're starting fresh with no existing EA library tied to MQL4
You want the broadest choice of prop firms in 2026
Scalping with tick charts, DOM data, and fast execution is your primary style
You know C# or are willing to learn it for algorithmic development
Platform longevity matters — cTrader is actively developed, MT4 is not
Choose MT4 if:
You have legacy EAs coded in MQL4 that you're not ready to rebuild
You already know the platform and want to minimize variables during your first challenge
The firm you specifically want only supports MT4
You prefer the breadth of the existing MQL4 indicator marketplace
The edge case worth knowing: If you plan to run automated strategies at FundedNext, pick MT4 or MT5. FundedNext explicitly bans automated trading on its cTrader accounts, so choosing cTrader there for algo trading purposes would leave you without a working setup.
No. MT4 EAs are built in MQL4 and are not compatible with cTrader. cTrader uses cBots written in C#. There is no migration tool that converts EAs between the two environments. You would need to rebuild your strategy from scratch in C# to run it on cTrader.
Some firms charge an additional fee, typically around $20, for cTrader accounts because Spotware licenses the platform differently from MetaQuotes. Funding Pips applies this fee as of April 2026. Not all firms do — FundedNext and Alpha Capital Group include cTrader access without a surcharge. Always check the firm's pricing page before selecting your platform at checkout.
It's shrinking, not disappearing overnight. MetaQuotes has restricted new prop firm licenses, and ThePropFirmGuide found only 4 firms still supporting it across 40+ reviewed in March 2026. Firms that secured licenses before the crackdown can continue offering it, but new prop firms are not launching with MT4. If you're building a long-term funded trading setup, planning for a cTrader or MT5 workflow reduces the risk of platform disruption.
Yes. cTrader has built-in copy trading infrastructure. For prop traders, this is mainly useful for mirroring setups across multiple accounts. Check each firm's specific rules on copy trading before using it — most firms permit it within a single trader's accounts but restrict third-party signal copying.
MT4 wins for pure familiarity if the trader has any retail forex background. The platform is widely documented, tutorial-heavy, and straightforward. For a complete beginner with no existing MT4 habits, cTrader's cleaner interface and broader firm availability in 2026 makes it a reasonable starting point. The honest answer: use whichever one you have existing chart layouts and muscle memory for, because removing that variable during a challenge is worth more than any platform-specific edge.
MT4's main case in 2026 is its existing ecosystem: years of custom indicators, an enormous EA library, and trader familiarity built over two decades of retail usage. That's real value, and for traders with MQL4 tools they rely on, the platform is still a viable path at the small set of firms that still support it.
cTrader's case is about where the industry is heading. Broader firm availability, better execution transparency, smarter stop out behavior, and an actively developed platform built for STP/ECN trading environments give it more practical upside for traders building a funded trading setup from scratch. The C# automation environment requires more upfront investment than grabbing a pre-built EA, but the ceiling is higher.
If you're not locked into existing MT4 tools, cTrader is the more future-proof choice for prop trading in 2026. If you have a working MT4 setup and don't want to rebuild it, MetaTrader 4 still works — just verify which firms on your shortlist currently support it before purchasing a challenge.
Sources checked: FundedNext Help Center (platforms article, March 29, 2026; EA policy, April 9, 2026); Funding Pips platform review via BrokerAnalysis (April 2026); Alpha Capital Group review via BrokerAnalysis (April 2026); ThePropFirmGuide MT4 prop firms list (March 2026); cTrader vs MetaTrader algo comparison via newyorkcityservers.com (December 2025); BrokerAnalysis algorithmic platforms overview (January 2026); compareforexbrokers.com cTrader vs MT4 review (updated May 2026)
Last verified: June 4, 2026
What we couldn't verify: The 5%ers and City Traders Imperium cTrader/MT4 availability was not independently confirmed from official help centers — inferred from third-party sources. Confirm current platform menus on each firm's official site before purchasing. Funding Pips $20 cTrader fee confirmed via third-party review sources; verify on Funding Pips' official checkout before selecting the platform.
Written by: Jordan Hayes, Research Analyst Reviewed by: Lars Haugen, Senior Editor
PF Matrix independently verifies challenge rules, pricing, and firm data by checking official firm websites, help centers, and terms of service. We note when information could not be confirmed. Data such as pricing, rules, and discount codes can change without notice. Always verify current details on the firm's official site before purchasing.
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Jordan Hayes
Research Analyst
Jordan Hayes is a Research Analyst at PF Matrix with three years in trading analytics. He specializes in data-driven comparisons, fee breakdowns, and challenge metrics.
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