How to copy trades from one broker to another
Updated
Copying a trade to an account at the same broker is simple: same symbol, same contract, nearly the same price. Copying it to another broker is where most copy errors come from. The instrument may have another name, a lot may be a different amount of it, and the price is never exactly the same.
SnapCopier connects to each account’s own broker, so the master and the followers can be at any brokers and on MT4 or MT5. This guide goes through what differs between brokers and how each difference is handled.
What differs between brokers, and what is done about it
| Difference | Example | What the copier does |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol names | EURUSD, EURUSD.m, EURUSDm; GOLD for XAUUSD | Prefixes, suffixes and common aliases are matched; you can map a symbol by hand |
| Contract size | A gold lot of 100 ounces at one broker, 10 at another | The lot is converted so that the exposure stays the same |
| Account currency | A USD master and a EUR follower | Balances are compared in the follower’s currency, at the follower broker’s own rates |
| Cent accounts | A USC follower of a USD master | Converted automatically; no multiplier of 100 is needed |
| Volume step and limits | A minimum of 0.01 lot at one broker, 0.1 at another | The lot is rounded to the follower’s step; below the minimum it opens the minimum or skips, as you choose |
| Prices and spreads | A few points between two quotes for the same pair | A maximum slippage limits how far a late copy may be from the master’s entry |
Each of these has its own guide: symbol names, lot sizing, cent accounts and different prices and slippage.
Stop loss and take profit at another broker
Stop loss and take profit are not copied by default: the follower closes when the master closes. If you copy them, choose between the master’s exact price levels and the same distance from the follower’s own entry. Between brokers with different quotes the distance is usually the better choice, because the risk to the stop stays the same.
A stop that is valid at the master’s broker can be too close for the follower’s broker. The stops are sent after the entry, so a refused stop never costs the follower its trade; the refusal is shown in the copy log.
Broker rules the copier respects
- A closed market. When the follower’s broker answers that a market is closed, new copies on that symbol wait instead of being sent again and again; a close from the master is always sent.
- A limit on open positions. When a broker refuses new orders because the account is at its limit, the copier stops asking until a position closes.
- Not enough margin. With the margin guard on, a trade that would need more than 90% of the follower’s free margin is reduced or skipped, as you choose.
- A symbol the follower cannot trade. The trade is skipped and the reason is shown in the copy log, rather than guessed at with another instrument.
Before you go live
- 1Add both accounts to SnapCopier: each one searches its own broker’s server list. Supported brokers shows the servers we already know.
- 2Look at the follower’s lot settings: the sample calculation uses both accounts’ real balances and contract sizes.
- 3Check the symbol mapping for the instruments the master trades, especially gold, indices and oil, whose names vary the most.
- 4Open a small trade on the master and compare the copy’s symbol and lot in the copy log.
Questions
Can the master and the follower be at different brokers?
Yes. Each account connects to its own broker’s trade server, so any combination of brokers works, on MT4 and MT5.
Why did the follower open at a different price?
Two brokers quote the same instrument a little differently, and the market moves between the two fills. Different prices and slippage explains what you can control.
Do I need to know the follower broker’s symbol names?
Usually not: prefixes, suffixes and common aliases are matched automatically. Where the match is not what you want, map the symbol by hand once on the master or per follower.
Try it with your own accounts
Connect a master and a follower and watch the first copy appear in the log.
Join the free betaMore guides
- Symbol names across brokersBrokers name the same instrument differently: EURUSD.m, #US30, GOLD for XAUUSD. How a trade copier matches them, what it will not guess, and how to override it.
- Lot sizing when copying tradesBalance ratio, equity ratio, multiplier or fixed lot: how a trade copier sizes each follower’s trade, with worked examples, rounding and margin protection.
- Different prices and slippageWhy a copied trade fills at a different price than the master: two brokers, two spreads, a moving market. How max slippage, late copies and SL/TP modes handle it.