Traders and investors in different markets and assets have been using a wide range of platforms. However, two of the most popular in the market include MT4 and MT5. In this article, we will provide you with valuable information that would allow you to understand which are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these platforms.
Metatrader 4 (MT4) is used by many traders and has been considered the standard platform to trade in the FX market. However, there is another platform called Metatrader 5 – or MT5 – that can also be a good fit for you. In the next sections, you will see which are the main differences between the MT4 and MT5 trading platforms.
Disclaimer: All the information provided by AltSignals and its writers shouldn’t be taken as financial advice. The article has been created for educational purposes. Never invest more than what you are able to lose and only ask for advice to your personal financial advisor.
Metatrader 4 Platform
The Metatrader 4 platform is, as mentioned before, one of the most popular platform for traders in the world. It provides a wide range of financial instruments, including CFDs, futures, commodities and even cryptocurrencies, which many platforms do not support.
This platform has been specifically developed in order to provide data to both newcomers and expert traders that require a lot of information to perform their trading activities. Indeed, newcomers will find that this is a good way to get the data they need to start learning more about the entire market.
Beginners will also be benefited from the fact that you will get expert advice and also other functionalities that include copy trading. This is great for understanding how to better trade and start making some profits.
Meanwhile, experts will receive all the information they need to better execute their trades. There are built-in indicators and charting tools that will make it very easy to perform technical analysis.
Metatrader 4 is a great tool for users because they can deploy it in a fast and easy way, without facing major issues. Moreover, the services provided by Metatrader 4 include very user-friendly charts and interfaces so to make it even more comfortable for traders to understand the data they are reviewing.
Nonetheless, it is worth taking into account that it can be a sub-optimal solution for some traders that are trying to perform high-frequency trades. There are other platforms that may be better for these exigent traders in the market. In addition to it, the platform does not include custom timeframes for charts.
Despite the aforementioned issues, Metatrader 4 is delivered for free to trade FX markets and other instruments. At the moment, there are over 750 brokers that are using the platform and providing it to traders from all over the world.
- Good for beginners and expert traders
- Focus on FX markets
- Great user interface
- Not recommended for high-frequency traders
Metatrader 5 Platform
Metatrader 5 differs from the Metatrader 4 platform not only on its name but also in the focus of the platform. MT5 provides users and investors with a focus on stock and commodities trading. Metatrader 4 would be used more for users that want to trade in the FX market.
Although this might seem a small difference, it will certainly be noticeable for those that want to trade in specific markets. It is worth mentioning that the Metatrader 5 platform has not become as popular as the Metatrader 4 platform previously reviewed.
The MT5 platform is available for web users and it can be also found on online and mobile versions. Furthermore, this platform includes a great interface that would make trading activities much easier for all its users. At the same time, the platform includes financial news from international agencies and newsletters from a wide range of global events.
The Metatrader 5 platform offers other services such as trading robots, a database of strategy developers, copy trading – just like the MT4 platform – and more. If you are a user of the Metatrader 4 platform, it may take some time before you are able to enjoy the MT5 services. Indeed, these two solutions have two different programming languages.
In sum, this platform has been created for more advanced traders that perform day trading activities or work with swing trading strategies in the market.
- Good for expert traders
- Focus on Commodities and Stock markets
- Great user interface
- Better suited for swing and day traders
- It uses the MQL5 programming language