What is cTrader and how does it work: a guide for funded traders

cTrader is a trading platform developed by Spotware Systems for trading forex, indices, commodities and other CFDs on Windows, Mac, the browser or your phone. It brings charting, market depth, advanced orders, copy trading and automation in C# or Python together in one ecosystem. You don’t sign up for it directly: brokers and prop firms provide it and give you access with your account. Alongside DXtrade, it’s one of the most widely used platforms among forex prop firms.

What is cTrader and who develops it?

cTrader is the flagship product of Spotware Systems, a fintech company registered in Cyprus that has worked with brokers since 2010. Spotware isn’t a broker: it builds the software, infrastructure and support, and each broker or prop firm offers it with its own instruments, spreads and conditions.

It’s an ecosystem with four parts: cTrader Trade (manual trading), cTrader Algo (coded bots and indicators), cTrader Copy (copy trading) and the cTrader Store, where free and paid indicators, cBots and plugins are published. Everything is tied to a single login, the cTrader ID (cTID), which works with any broker that uses the platform.

cTrader for forex and CFDs

cTrader works in lots and pips, and lets you display volume in units or lots: 1 standard lot of EUR/USD equals €100,000. The instruments (forex, indices, gold, oil or other CFDs) and the leverage are set by each firm, not by the platform.

cTrader versions in 2026: Windows, Mac, Web and mobile

All four versions share the same account, positions and most trading features. The difference lies in automation and add-ons:

Version	Where it runs	Best for	Limitations
cTrader Windows	Windows PC	Full analysis, local cBots, backtesting and optimization, Store indicators, native Python	Requires installation
cTrader Mac	Mac (native app)	The same as Windows, no virtualization needed	Some new features land on Windows first
cTrader Web	Any browser	Trading from any computer with nothing to install	No backtesting or custom Store indicators
cTrader Mobile	iOS and Android	Monitoring positions, moving stops and placing orders on the go	Small screen for analysis

In 2026 the mobile app added charting improvements, an equity view and a candle-close countdown (versions 5.6 and 5.7). If you’re unsure, start with the web version and move to desktop when you need backtesting or your own indicators.

How cTrader works under the hood

Charts, timeframes and templates

cTrader offers candlestick, bar, line and dot charts, with timeframes from 1 minute to 1 month. It also supports tick bars (1 to 1,000 ticks per bar), Renko, range and Heikin Ashi, which are useful if you trade short moves and want to filter out time-based noise.

There are three screen modes (single chart, multi-chart and free-floating resizable charts) and templates: the desktop version comes with three presets (Range, Trend and Volatility) and lets you save your own with indicators, scale and style. Set up your working template once and apply it to every new chart.

Order types and protections

• Market: fills at the best available price.
• Limit: buys or sells at a set price or better; it may never fill.
• Stop: becomes a market order when price touches the level.
• Stop-limit: when price hits the stop level, it places a limit order at the price you set. It avoids fills far away from your level in violent breakouts.

On any order you can set a stop loss and take profit in pips (relative to entry) or as an exact price. Advanced protections are cTrader’s strong suit: a trailing stop at a fixed pip distance, breakeven that moves your stop to entry once price has moved the amount you specify, and an advanced take profit with up to five levels, each closing part of the volume. Pending orders can have an expiration date and time.

Quick Trade and trading from the chart

The Quick Trade buttons sit at the top of the chart with a preset volume. In one-click mode, buy or sell sends a market order instantly; in double-click mode, it asks for confirmation or opens the order window. Right-clicking on a price creates limit, stop and stop-limit orders, and you can drag your stop and target along the price axis, even with the position open.

On an evaluation account, double-click is the safer choice: one extra click is a trade outside your plan.

Depth of Market: three views of liquidity

DoM type	What it shows	Can you trade from it?
Standard DoM	Each price with its available liquidity	No, view only
Price DoM	Detailed price ladder	Yes: limit and stop orders, and position management
VWAP DoM	Expected volume-weighted average price for the size you choose	Yes; useful to estimate fills on large orders

Risk-reward tool

You draw it on the chart with entry, stop and target, and it works in three modes: Risk, Reward or Size. If you set your risk as a percentage of balance or equity, the platform calculates the volume; then you send the order straight from the drawing with the stop and target already in place. It came to Mac with version 5.4 (August 2025) and is also documented for Windows, Web and iOS.

cTrader Algo: cBots in C# and Python

cTrader Algo lets you code cBots (automated strategies), indicators and plugins. Since version 5.4 it supports Python natively on Windows, in addition to C#. cBots can run on your computer or in the cTrader cloud, which runs 24/7 (on demo accounts, instances stop after seven days).

Backtesting (Windows and Mac) uses server tick data, 1-minute or 1-hour bars, or your own CSV, with configurable commission and spread and a visual mode. Before running a cBot on a funded account, read the firm’s rules: a bot that opens and closes within seconds or changes size abruptly can break them.

cTrader Copy

In cTrader Copy, investors copy a strategy provider’s trades into a separate account, with volume proportional to equity: with $1,000 against the provider’s $4,000, a 4-lot trade is copied as 1 lot. At Emerge Profit, copy trading is allowed only between your own accounts.

The cTrader tools you’ll use most on a funded account

Tool	What it does	Why it matters on a funded account
Risk-reward	Calculates volume from your risk	Keeps a miscalculated lot from blowing through the daily loss limit
Breakeven	Moves the stop to entry	Protects your drawdown once the trade has moved in your favor
Advanced take profit	Up to 5 partial exits	Locks in part of the target without closing everything
Chart templates	Saves indicators and style	The same market read every day
Quick Trade (double-click)	Fast entry with confirmation	Speed without accidental orders
Account panel	Live balance, equity, margin and P&L	Tracks your distance to the account’s limits

Worked example: an order with stop, target and lot sizing

Say you have a 25K EmergeFX Instant Funding account, with a $450 daily loss limit and a $1,500 static drawdown. You decide to risk at most $150 per trade, a third of the daily limit, so you can take three losses in a row without breaking the rule.

1. Plan: buy EUR/USD at 1.0850, stop at 1.0820 (30 pips) and target at 1.0910 (60 pips). A 1:2 reward-to-risk.
2. Pip value: on EUR/USD, 1 standard lot is worth $10 per pip.
3. Lot size: $150 ÷ (30 pips × $10) = 0.50 lots (50,000 units). Each pip is worth $5.
4. Margin: €50,000 × 1.0850 = $54,250 notional; at 1:100 equivalent margin it ties up about $542.50.
5. Possible outcome: if the stop is hit, −$150; if the target is hit, +$300 (before commissions and spread).

How to enter it in cTrader: draw the risk-reward tool in Risk mode, set entry at 1.0850, stop at 1.0820 and target at 1.0910, and check that the calculated volume is 0.50 lots. If you prefer the order window, type 50,000 units, a 30-pip stop and a 60-pip take profit. Optional: a breakeven that triggers at +30 pips, or two targets (half at 1.0880 and half at 1.0910) using advanced take profit.

On pairs like USD/JPY, the pip value changes with the exchange rate: let the tool calculate the volume. The full walkthrough is in how to trade on cTrader step by step.

cTrader pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Native versions for Windows, Mac, Web and mobile	Fewer brokers than MetaTrader and fewer third-party indicators
Breakeven, trailing stop and up to 5 take profits built in	Trailing and breakeven are set in the order window, not on the chart
Risk-reward tool that calculates volume	More features means a steeper learning curve than DXtrade
Three DoM types plus tick, Renko and range charts	Backtesting and Store indicators on desktop only
Algo trading in C# and Python, with cloud hosting and tick backtesting	cBots require coding skills or a Store purchase
Built-in copy trading	Instruments, spreads and leverage depend on each firm

cTrader vs MetaTrader and DXtrade

MetaTrader is still the retail benchmark for number of brokers and indicators. cTrader answers with C# and Python, a native Mac version, a tradable DoM and built-in advanced protections. DXtrade bets on simplicity: web and mobile, no trader bots.

Criteria	cTrader	DXtrade	MetaTrader (benchmark)
Developer	Spotware	Devexperts	MetaQuotes
Versions	Windows, Mac, Web, mobile	Web and mobile	Desktop, web and mobile
Programming	C# and Python	No trader bots	MQL
Partial exits and breakeven	Built in	Manual	Depends on version or add-ons
Best for	Technical traders who want fine control	Simple manual trading	Traders who rely on MQL indicators

At Emerge Profit, the forex platforms are cTrader and DXtrade. For the detailed comparison, read cTrader vs MetaTrader for funded traders and what is DXtrade and how it works.

Is cTrader free?

Downloading cTrader and using it on a demo account costs the trader nothing. Trading costs (spread, commission and swap) are set by each broker, and the cTrader Store has both free and paid products. With a funded account, the platform is included: you trade in a simulated environment and your maximum risk is what you paid for the account.

Common mistakes when using cTrader on a funded account

• Mixing up units and lots: typing 100,000 thinking it’s 0.10 lots multiplies your risk by ten. Check in your settings how volume is displayed.
• One-click Quick Trade without checking volume: the preset volume carries over from your last trade.
• Opening a buy and a sell on the same pair: many prop firms prohibit hedging.

You’ll find the full list in common cTrader errors and the recommended settings in how to set up cTrader correctly.

cTrader for funded accounts with Emerge Profit

At Emerge Profit, EmergeFX is the simulated trading account for forex, indices and commodities, traded on cTrader or DXtrade. There are two paths:

• EmergeFX Evaluations (from $68): 1-Step (10% target, 3% daily drawdown, 6% max, 1:30 margin) or 2-Step (8% and 5%, 5% daily drawdown, 10% max, 1:100 margin), with 5 minimum days and no time limit. Static drawdown and weekend holding allowed.
• EmergeFX Instant Funding (from $120): no evaluation phase, accounts from 5K to 250K, static drawdown, 1:100 equivalent margin and overnight positions allowed.

Three rules affect how you trade on cTrader: hedging is prohibited, every trade must last at least 10 seconds, and sudden changes in position size aren’t allowed. News trading is allowed. If you’re still comparing options, see our guide to forex funded accounts.

cTrader FAQ

Sources

• cTrader – Platforms FAQ and general FAQ (accessed November 2026).
• Spotware – cTrader and trading tools (November 2026).
• cTrader Help Center – Orders, orders in cTrader Web and chart trading (November 2026).
• cTrader Help Center – Depth of Market, chart toolbar and risk-reward tool (November 2026).
• cTrader Help Center – Backtest a cBot and cTrader Copy (November 2026).
• FX News Group – Spotware releases cTrader 5.4 with native Python support (August 2025) and cTrader mobile 5.7 (January 2026).
• Spotware – cTrader Mobile 5.6 (January 2026).
• Finance Magnates – cTrader adds five-level take profit across all apps (May 2026).

EmergeFX · Simulated trading

Put what you learned into practice in a simulated funded account

Lowest cost

EmergeFX Evaluation

from $68

1-step or 2-step evaluations on cTrader or DXtrade, with clear rules and no time limit.

View evaluations

Most popular

EmergeFX Instant Funding

from $120

Instant access on cTrader or DXtrade, with no evaluation phase.

View Instant Funding

✔ 4 years in the market · Dedicated support · Instant activation

Emerge Profit provides simulated trading accounts for educational and evaluation purposes. We are not a broker and we do not manage client funds. Prices shown are promotional and may change.