IndependentFree trading software from MetaQuotes. Explore its tools, understand who builds it, and see how your broker connects your account.
18+ · Independent guide, not affiliated with MetaQuotes.
Broker links are affiliate links. Trading involves risk.
A terminal on your device.
A software company behind it.
MetaTrader 5 is a multi-asset trading terminal released in 2010 by MetaQuotes, a company established in 2000. It supports Forex, stocks and futures. The program is free for traders: MetaQuotes licenses the platform to brokers, rather than charging you for the terminal itself.
Installing it opens no account and moves no money. A broker provides the account number, password and server name used to connect. The software supplies the workspace; the broker supplies the instruments and trading service. That distinction matters more than the appearance of any chart.
The developer’s product history began with FX Charts in 2000, followed by MetaQuotes with the MQL language, then the MetaTrader family. Mobile editions for Windows CE and Palm arrived in 2003, the fourth-generation terminal in 2005, and MetaTrader 5 in 2010. MetaQuotes also develops TeamWox and Finteza.
You may see two company names in official sources: MetaQuotes Ltd in the website copyright and MetaQuotes Software Corp. in app-store listings. These are names used by the developer, not evidence that you have found a different trading platform. Check the publisher and the official distribution channel together.
“MetaQuotes is a software development company and does not provide investment or brokerage services.”MetaQuotes · Company information
*Developer specifications in the 29 Aug 2026 brief snapshot. Interface availability can change with releases.
MetaQuotes company history · Source snapshot: 29 Aug 2026; checked 22 Oct 2026.
Market Watch lists the instruments published by the connected broker. Navigator organizes accounts, indicators, Expert Advisors and scripts. The chart window shows price history; the Trade tab in the Toolbox lists open positions and pending orders.
Desktop MT5 offers 21 timeframes, 38 built-in indicators and 44 analytical objects, with up to 100 charts. These are tools for inspecting data. They do not determine which instruments your broker offers or what a trade will cost.
Market Watch and Navigator sit beside the chart. The Toolbox brings trading activity and account history below it. Open the full screenshot to inspect the real interface.
The platform supports two market orders, six pending-order types, two stop orders and Trailing Stop. Execution can be Instant, Request, Market or Exchange. Netting and hedging are account-level position-accounting systems; they are not a universal switch you can freely change.
The built-in Market distributes trading applications; the brief’s dated developer snapshot lists more than 2,500. Signals provides a copy-trading service, while Virtual Hosting runs a terminal remotely. Access, subscriptions and service costs are separate from the free terminal.
MetaTrader 5 platform and interface documentation · Source snapshot: 29 Aug 2026; checked 22 Oct 2026.
MetaQuotes develops the terminal and its analytical tools. It does not become your broker because its name appears on your screen.
Provides the server, prices and execution, sets account conditions, and handles deposits, withdrawals and trading disputes.
Has an account number, password, account currency and position-accounting mode. Demo and live accounts are separate connections.
A minimum deposit is a broker’s condition. Spreads, commissions, leverage, execution arrangements and withdrawal terms also belong to the broker. The same terminal connected to two servers can therefore show different instruments and account conditions.
MetaQuotes does not open a brokerage account for you, hold your trading funds or resolve a dispute over a withdrawal. Look for the exact legal entity behind the broker, then check the relevant public regulatory register and the written account agreement.
Check its legal entity, applicable licence, withdrawal terms, demo availability, installer source and dispute process. The presence of MetaTrader 5 is not a substitute for those checks.
Deposit terms, spreads and account types are set by the broker and shown on its own site.
See a broker that runs MT5Affiliate link · We may receive a commission.
MQL5 is the programming language built into the MetaTrader 5 ecosystem. MetaEditor is the accompanying development environment, used to write, compile and debug programs such as Expert Advisors and indicators. An Expert Advisor is code that follows its programmed rules; the name does not imply expertise or a dependable result.
The Strategy Tester runs an algorithm over historical price data. Its reports can help examine how the code behaves under the test’s settings. A result depends on the data, modelling assumptions, instrument specifications and costs used in that test. It does not establish what will happen on a future live account.
Actual execution and costs depend on the broker. Historical testing cannot promise future spreads, slippage or available liquidity. A chart of a past balance is evidence of that particular test, not a guarantee of returns. Our screenshots show the developer’s examples, not a strategy we have validated.
Ready-made applications are available through the built-in Market, including paid products. We do not recommend an Expert Advisor or supply trading settings. MetaQuotes’ separate Virtual Hosting service can keep a terminal running remotely; it is an additional service with its own terms and charges.
MetaQuotes algorithmic trading overview · Source snapshot: 29 Aug 2026; checked 22 Oct 2026.
Official MetaQuotes product imageryGet Windows and macOS installers from MetaQuotes. Linux uses the developer’s documented Wine installation route, not a native Linux build. MetaEditor and Strategy Tester are desktop tools.
Official desktop downloadsExternal link to the developer. No payment for the terminal.Three details connect the terminal.
None is a website account here.
Open a demo or live account with a broker that supports MT5. The broker supplies the account number, password and exact trading server name. In the terminal, choose Login to Trade Account and enter those details. A demo login belongs on the corresponding demo server, not an unrelated live server.
A master password permits trading operations. An investor password provides read-only access to account information; it cannot be used to place trades. If credentials stop working, check the account type and server information with your broker rather than sending passwords to an informational website.
An MQL5 community account is a separate profile for services such as Market, Signals and Virtual Hosting. It cannot replace a trading-account login. Installing the program, creating a community profile and opening a brokerage account are different actions. MetaQuotes is not the provider of the brokerage relationship.
Official MT5 account connection documentation · Source snapshot: 29 Aug 2026; checked 22 Oct 2026.
Use a broker’s demo account and the server details it provides. Confirm that the terminal is connected to the intended demo environment before you explore order entry. No deposit is needed just to install the software.
Open Market Watch and choose an available instrument. Open its chart and inspect the symbol name. Instruments and specifications come from the broker’s server, so the list is not identical everywhere.
Change the chart timeframe and add one built-in indicator through Navigator. This is a way to learn the controls, not a trading strategy or a signal that an instrument should be bought or sold.
Review volume, order type, Stop Loss and Take Profit in a demo ticket. Take Profit is a price-level instruction, not a profit-generating feature. Availability and execution depend on the symbol and the broker’s rules.
If you place a demo order, locate the position in the Trade tab of the Toolbox. Inspect its fields and use the demo environment to understand how a position is closed. Do not mistake simulated execution for live execution.
Identify your server, account type, current chart timeframe and the place where open positions appear. Familiarity with those controls is the aim of this first session; it does not remove the risks of live trading.
Affiliate link. Account availability and terms are set by the broker.
Understand the software before you connect an account.
MetaQuotes, a software company established in 2000. The company describes its role as software development rather than investment or brokerage services. The website copyright uses MetaQuotes Ltd, while the app-store publisher appears as MetaQuotes Software Corp. Those names occur in official sources. MT5 was released in 2010; the developer does not become your broker when you install it.
For traders, the terminal is free. MetaQuotes licenses the platform to brokers rather than selling activation keys for the terminal to end users. Optional applications in the built-in Market and Virtual Hosting are separate products with their own charges. Broker commissions, spreads and account conditions are also separate from the cost of downloading the software.
No. To connect a trading account, enter its number, password and server name, all supplied by the broker where the demo or live account was opened. A profile on MQL5.community serves community services such as Market, Signals and Virtual Hosting. It is not a trading account and cannot replace the broker-issued credentials in the terminal login window.
Take Profit is a field in an order ticket. It specifies a price level at which a position is intended to close under the applicable execution rules. It can be added when placing an order or by modifying an open position through the Trade tab. Stop Loss appears alongside it. These are order instructions, not guarantees of a particular financial result.
MetaQuotes describes MT5 as a platform for Forex, stocks and futures. Which instruments you can actually access is determined by the connected broker’s server. Market Watch displays that server’s instrument list, so two MT5 installations can look different when connected to different brokers. The software’s capabilities do not mean every broker offers every market or instrument.
Windows, macOS, Linux and browser access. Start at the official source.
Android, APK, iPhone and iPad. Know what fits in the smaller workspace.
Check the software source, the account provider and the relevant public register.
Six checks before registration. Understand servers, account types and deposit terms.
MetaTrader 5 brings charts, order tools and a development environment into one workspace. It can suit someone who needs a multi-asset terminal and wants to understand its analytical or coding tools. It cannot select a suitable broker, define your account terms or eliminate market risk.
The practical decision is about the company behind the connected server. Read its contract and verify the legal entity before opening a live account. A familiar interface is not evidence that the account itself is appropriate for you.
Trading on financial markets can lead to the loss of the funds you deposit. The terminal does not limit that loss or verify your broker. Historical tests do not predict future results. This independent website is not affiliated with MetaQuotes and does not provide investment advice.
Prepared by the editorial team at metatrader5.radio.fm. Updated 22 October 2026. Product figures are attributed to the developer snapshot in our brief, dated 29 August 2026; current core documentation and official imagery were checked on 22 October 2026.
We explain public product documentation. We have not tested live broker execution, ranked brokers or validated the return of any strategy. Product screenshots are official examples and can show historical data or older interfaces. We do not invent user counts or promise trading outcomes.