cTrader Copy is a fully integrated application and flexible investment platform that allows traders to copy strategies or share their own for others to follow.
It provides a reliable, easy-to-use solution with a transparent fee structure, clear strategy information, and detailed performance history, making copy trading simple and accessible for an enhanced trading experience.
General Copying Logic
In cTrader Copy, an investor allocates funds to copy a specific trading strategy under defined conditions.
The allocated funds are transferred from the investor’s account into a copy-trading account, which is a separate account under the same cTrader ID. This account can only be used for copying the chosen strategy.
When a strategy provider executes trades from their account, all investors linked to that strategy automatically replicate those trades in their copy-trading accounts.
Example: If a strategy provider modifies open positions (e.g., closes some trades), the same actions are automatically applied to the investor’s copy-trading account.
Key Terms
Strategy: the aggregated trading actions of a trader, made available for copying by investors under defined conditions.
Investor: a trader who allocates funds from their account to copy a chosen strategy.
Copy-trading account: an account created when funds are allocated from a trading account specifically to copy a strategy.
Strategy provider: a trader who shares their trading strategy for others to copy.
Additionally, cTrader Copy provides a powerful toolkit for partners, enabling them to share strategies, promote them across channels, earn investor fees, and gain referrals effortlessly.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Restricted Symbols: Trades involving stock and share symbols (e.g., AAPL, TSLA) are not copied to investors. Providers can still trade these instruments, but investors will not replicate them.
Automatic Adjustments: cTrader automatically adjusts trade volumes based on both the provider’s and the investor’s deposits or withdrawals. The equity-to-equity ratio is used as the model for copying.
Price Differences: The provider’s and investor’s execution prices may differ due to variations in trading conditions and execution times.
Accessing and Starting cTrader Copy
To access cTrader Copy, click the "Copy" section in the left part of your cTrader page. cTrader is available in the cTrader desktop applications, website, and mobile app:
cTrader Website:
cTrader Website:
cTrader Mobile App:
cTrader Mobile App:
When you begin copying a strategy, all existing open positions of the strategy are opened in your copy-trading account at the current market rates. From that point forward, all strategy actions are copied automatically.
EXCEPTIONS TO THE COPYING MECHANISM
In some instances, exceptions may occur:
Minimum trade volume: If the calculated trade size (based on the equity-to-equity ratio) is lower than the minimum volume allowed by the investor’s broker, the size will be adjusted to the broker’s minimum step.
Maximum ticket size: If the calculated trade size is higher than the maximum ticket size allowed by the broker, no position will be opened.
Market closure: If the market is closed for trading a particular symbol, the position will only be opened once the market reopens.
Insufficient margin: If the investor’s account does not have sufficient margin, the position will not be copied.
When Trades Are Not Copied
Trades from a strategy provider will not be copied if:
The investor’s account lacks sufficient funds.
The investor does not have access to the trading instruments used by the provider.
The investor’s leverage is lower than the provider’s, resulting in insufficient free margin to replicate trades.
Equity-to-Equity Ratio
The copying model in cTrader Copy is based on the equity-to-equity ratio. This means that the trade volume copied to an investor’s account is determined by comparing the investor’s equity with that of the strategy provider.
Formula: (Investor’s Equity ÷ Strategy Provider’s Equity) × Strategy Provider’s Volume
Example 1
Example 1
Strategy provider’s equity: USD 4,000
Investor’s equity: USD 1,000
Provider opens: 4 lots
Example 2
Example 2
An investor decides to copy a strategy with the following parameters:
Provider’s own funds: USD 100,000 – the balance on the strategy provider’s trading account (this amount may change depending on deposits and withdrawals).
Minimum investment: USD 100.
The investor allocates USD 1,000 to begin copying the strategy. From this point on, all new trades opened by the strategy provider will be copied proportionally into the investor’s copy-trading account according to the equity-to-equity ratio.
After several trades, the investor decides to stop copying. The trading history for both the strategy provider and the investor will look as follows:
Strategy history | Investor history |
USD 1,000,000 → Buy EURUSD Entry 1.12261 - Close 1.12261 (com -0.10) = -0.06 USD 999,999.94 | Not copying yet |
USD 999,999.94 → Sell EURJPY Entry 121.161 - Close 121.175 (com -9.00) = -20.55 → USD 999,979.39 | Starts copying: USD 1,000 → Sell EURJPY Entry 121.161 - Close 121.175 (com -0.06) = -0.19 → USD 999.81 |
USD 999,979.39 → Buy EURJPY Entry 121.145 - Close 121.175 (com -9.00) = 98.19 → USD 1,000,077.58 | USD 999.81 → Buy EURJPY Entry 121.145 - Close 121.175 (com -0.06) = 1.15 → USD 1,000.96 |
USD 1,000,077.58 → Buy EURJPY Entry 121.268 - Close 121.248 (com -9.00) = -25.50 → USD 1,000,052.08 | USD 1,000.96 → Buy EURJPY Entry 121.268 - Close 121.248 (com -0.06) = -0.25 → USD 1,000.71 |
Deposits and Withdrawals in cTrader copy
All deposits and withdrawals are taken into account, and position sizes are always kept relative to the amounts invested by both the strategy provider and the investor.
⚠️ WARNING
If a strategy provider deposits or withdraws funds while there are open positions on their account, this can cause losses for investors’ copy-trading accounts.
This happens because equity is recalculated every time the account balance changes, and all open positions and future trades are adjusted according to the equity-to-equity model.
INVESTOR DEPOSITS AND WITHDRAWALS
Investors may add or remove funds from their copy-trading accounts at any time while copying a strategy.
These actions will also affect the volume of copied positions and future trades.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
When copied positions are recalculated due to deposits or withdrawals (by either the provider or the investor), the volume fee is not charged.
The amount deposited by an investor in a copy-trading account must always remain equal to or above the minimum investment requirement while copying is active.
Investors can only withdraw amounts exceeding the minimum investment.
To withdraw all funds, including the minimum investment, investors must stop copying the strategy and then remove their remaining funds.
cTrader Application:
cTrader Application:
