Tradify vs cTrader: the short answer
cTrader is the platform; Tradify is a workspace you can put on top of it. cTrader holds your account, places your orders with your broker, runs your cBots and gives you native apps on every device. Tradify connects to that account through cTrader's Open API and adds a specific set of things: MetaTrader 5 accounts in the same window, copying your own trades across both platforms, a trading plan checked at the order ticket, a journal that measures discipline, and built-in footprint and cumulative delta. If you trade one cTrader account and none of that list matters to you, cTrader on its own is the simpler choice.
The rest of this page sets out what cTrader already does — carefully, because understating it would make everything after it untrustworthy — then the gaps Tradify fills, then the areas where cTrader is plainly the stronger tool.
cTrader already does a lot
cTrader is Spotware's FX and CFD platform, offered by brokers as an alternative to MetaTrader. It is a complete trading environment in its own right, and any comparison that skips this is selling something.
| Area | What cTrader includes |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows, Mac, web, iOS and Android apps |
| Automation | cTrader Algo: cBots and custom indicators in C# or Python |
| Testing | Backtesting and optimisation of cBots in the Windows and Mac apps |
| Cloud execution | cBot instances that run in cTrader's cloud, started from any of its apps |
| Depth of market | Standard, Price and VWAP DOM; Price and VWAP DOM are tradable |
| Non-time bars | Tick, range and Renko bars |
| Copy trading | cTrader Copy, for following other traders' strategies (availability depends on broker and region) |
| Ecosystem | cTrader Store: third-party indicators, cBots and plugins |
| Languages | 23 interface languages |
What Tradify adds to a cTrader workflow
Tradify's additions are narrow and specific. None of them is "better charts in general" — they are things a single-platform terminal isn't built to do.
- MetaTrader 5 and cTrader in one window. If you hold accounts on both platforms — two brokers, or a prop account and a personal one — they sit side by side under one login, each pane on its own broker's prices.
- Copying your own trades across platforms. Place a trade on a cTrader account and mirror it onto an MT5 terminal, or the other way round, each copy sized from that account's own balance and risk %. Closes, partial closes and stop changes follow Elite.
- A trading plan the order ticket enforces. Risk per trade, daily and weekly loss limits, trades per day, minimum R:R, markets and sessions, plus checklists; a strict plan holds the order until the checklist is done Elite.
- A journal that measures discipline. Every cTrader trade arrives with the broker's real P/L, commission and swap, its setup and an adherence score, groupable by day, symbol, setup or plan, and exportable to Excel or an HTML report Elite.
- Built-in order flow. Footprint with Point of Control and imbalances, cumulative delta and a buy/sell volume split — on Tradify's own feed rather than on your cTrader account Elite.
- Order entry from a drawing. A Long, Short or Risk/Reward drawing becomes the order, sized from your risk and the stop distance.
How Tradify and cTrader work together
- Your cTrader account At your broker. Fills, margin and cBots stay here.
- cTrader Open API You approve Tradify once with your cTrader ID, on cTrader's own page.
- Tradify Charts, the order ticket, copy trading, plans and the journal, in the browser.
Because the connection is server-to-server, nothing of cTrader's has to run on your machine for Tradify to work, and the account stays connected with your PC off. It also means the two coexist: a cBot can keep trading the account in cTrader while you manage the same positions from Tradify, and both see the same trades. The cTrader trading platform guide walks through the connection step by step.
Where cTrader is the stronger tool
Three areas aren't close, and if any of them is central to how you trade, Tradify is a sideline at best.
Algorithmic trading. cTrader Algo lets you write cBots in C# or Python, backtest and optimise them on the desktop apps, and run them in cTrader's cloud. Tradify runs no trading bots at all: its script editor and built-in strategies plot signals on the chart, but they don't place orders, and nothing imports a cBot.
Trading from the depth of market. cTrader's Price DOM and VWAP DOM let you place and manage orders straight from the ladder. Tradify shows depth as part of its order-flow toolkit, on its own feed, but has no trading ladder.
Native apps and reach. cTrader has native apps for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, 23 interface languages and a store of third-party tools. Tradify is a browser app — installable on Android, Windows and iOS, but not native — in English and Persian.
Smaller gaps, for completeness: cTrader has range bars, which Tradify doesn't (both have tick and Renko), and cTrader Copy follows other traders' strategies, which Tradify doesn't attempt — Tradify's copy trading is only between your own accounts.
Tradify vs cTrader at a glance
How to read this table. Ticks and crosses would misrepresent the relationship, since Tradify sits on top of cTrader rather than opposite it, so the cells describe what each does. cTrader figures come from Spotware's own pages — ctrader.com and help.ctrader.com — checked in October 2026; much depends on your broker and region, so verify anything decision-critical at the source. The Best fit column is our read, and it names cTrader more often than it names us.
| Category | cTrader | Tradify | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker / account | The account lives here | None of its own — connects to yours | cTrader |
| Trade execution | Direct to the broker | Through cTrader's Open API | cTrader |
| Algorithmic trading | cBots in C# or Python | No trading bots | cTrader |
| Backtesting | Backtest and optimise cBots | Replay and paper trading, by hand | cTrader |
| Tradable DOM | Price DOM and VWAP DOM | No trading ladder | cTrader |
| Native apps | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, web | Browser, installable as an app | cTrader |
| Third-party tools | cTrader Store | None | cTrader |
| Following other traders | cTrader Copy | Not offered | cTrader |
| Non-time bars | Tick, range and Renko | Tick and Renko | cTrader |
| Interface languages | 23 | English and Persian | cTrader |
| Charting toolkit | Built-in indicators and drawing tools, plus the Store | 101 indicators, 86 drawing tools | Depends on your tools |
| Order from a drawing, risk-sized | Depends on your setup | Long / Short / Risk-Reward becomes the order | Similar — a matter of approach |
| Working without installing | cTrader Web | Browser | Similar |
| MT5 accounts in the same window | No | Side by side | Tradify |
| Copying your own trades across MT5 and cTrader | No | Sized per account Elite | Tradify |
| Trading plan enforced at the ticket | Not built in | Guardrails, checklists, strict mode Elite | Tradify |
| Journal with adherence and exports | History and statements | Automatic, scored, Excel / HTML Elite | Tradify |
| Footprint and cumulative delta | Through Store add-ons | Built in, on the Tradify feed Elite | Tradify |
Counting the Best fit column: cTrader takes ten rows, Tradify five, and three are similar or depend on your tools. That's the honest shape of it — Tradify adds a specific set of things to a platform that already does most of the job.
Who should simply use cTrader?
- You trade one cTrader account and have no MetaTrader 5 account to bring alongside it.
- Your edge lives in cBots, backtests and optimisation.
- You trade from the Price DOM or VWAP DOM.
- You want native desktop and mobile apps, or a language other than English or Persian.
- You already keep a journal you're happy with, and don't want a plan checked at the ticket.
Who should consider Tradify?
- You hold cTrader and MetaTrader 5 accounts and are tired of two terminals.
- You want to copy your own trades across brokers and platforms, each sized to its own account.
- You break your own rules and want the order ticket to hold you to them.
- You want a journal that fills itself in with your broker's real numbers and scores your discipline.
- You read footprint or delta and want the order ticket in the same window.
Can you use Tradify and cTrader together?
That's the only way Tradify works with cTrader — it needs your cTrader account. In practice traders keep cTrader for cBots, the DOM and trading on the go, and use Tradify for the multi-account desk, the plan and the review. Both see the same positions, so a trade opened in one shows up in the other. Pro is free and includes live execution on one connected account, so trying the combination costs nothing; Elite, at $29 a month, adds three accounts, copy trading, order flow and the journal.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tradify a replacement for cTrader?
No. Tradify connects to a cTrader account through cTrader's Open API; the account, the broker and the fills stay with cTrader. Tradify adds a browser workspace around it — and can hold MetaTrader 5 terminals in the same window.
Is Tradify better than cTrader?
Not in general. cTrader is stronger for cBots, backtesting, the tradable DOM, native apps and its store. Tradify adds MT5 and cTrader side by side, copying your own trades across both, a plan checked at the ticket, a journal that scores discipline, and built-in footprint and delta on its own feed.
Do I need cTrader running to use it with Tradify?
No. You need a cTrader account at a broker that offers it, but nothing of cTrader's has to be open — Tradify talks to the account through the Open API, so it stays connected with your PC off.
Can Tradify run cBots?
No. cBots and cTrader Algo indicators run in cTrader. A cBot can keep trading the account in cTrader while you chart and manage the same account from Tradify.
Can I copy trades between cTrader and MetaTrader 5?
Yes, in Tradify on Elite: a trade on one connected account is mirrored to the others you choose, each sized from its own balance and risk %. That's copying between your own accounts — different from cTrader Copy, which follows other traders' strategies inside cTrader.
Does Tradify have a DOM like cTrader?
Not a tradable one. cTrader offers Standard, Price and VWAP DOM views, and you can trade from the Price and VWAP DOM. Tradify shows depth in its order-flow toolkit on its own feed, but has no trading ladder.
How much does Tradify cost with cTrader?
Pro is free and includes live execution on one connected account. Elite is $29 a month and adds three accounts, copy trading, order flow, the journal, plans and setups. cTrader itself comes from your broker.
Try it on your own cTrader account
Connecting takes about a minute and changes nothing about the account. If the extra layer doesn't earn its place, remove the account and carry on in cTrader.
Pro free forever · Nothing to install · cTrader and MetaTrader 5 execution included
cTrader, cTrader Algo, cTrader Copy and cTrader Store are trademarks of Spotware Systems Ltd. MetaTrader 5 is a trademark of MetaQuotes Ltd. Tradify is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Spotware or MetaQuotes. cTrader capabilities described here are drawn from Spotware's own published materials as at the date shown and are paraphrased, not quoted. Nothing on this page is investment advice, and no trading outcome is implied or guaranteed.