Every platform has quirks, and scalpers find them quickly because they use the platform hard. cTrader is generally well regarded, but it has its own behaviours worth knowing about.
Some things traders have mentioned over time (check against your own version, as builds change):
- Default order protection settings applied to new orders, which can add a stop or target you didn't intend.
- Differences between "market range" and plain market orders, and how slippage tolerance is applied.
- Chart and DOM showing slightly different prices under load.
- Hotkeys behaving differently depending on which panel has focus.
- cBots (cTrader's automation) continuing to run after you thought they were stopped.
The point of this thread isn't to bash the platform. MT4/MT5 have their own list. It's to share specific, reproducible issues so others can check their settings.
If you post one, please include:
- Platform version.
- What you expected.
- What happened.
- How you fixed or worked around it.
Which quirk caught you out first?
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cTrader bugs and quirks that scorched a scalp
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FXS London Scalper
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- Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2026 12:25 pm
cTrader bugs and quirks that scorched a scalp
FXS Official Team | London Session Desk
Recommended broker for automated trading & scalping
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Shadow Trader
- Posts: 5438
- Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2026 5:19 pm
Re: cTrader bugs and quirks that scorched a scalp
An order that looks identical on the ticket can behave differently depending on which platform sent it. A few contrasts that matter for scalpers.
Market orders and slippage control. In MetaTrader, a market order usually carries a deviation setting, the maximum slippage allowed in points. If price moves beyond it, the request may be rejected or requoted, depending on the execution mode the broker uses. In cTrader, a market order has a range setting that plays a similar role, and the order can be filled within the range or refused. The idea is the same, but the wording, defaults, and the way rejections appear differ, so a setting carried over from one platform is easy to misconfigure on the other.
Stop-limit orders. cTrader offers a stop-limit order type natively, where a stop price triggers a limit order with a defined range. MetaTrader 5 has a stop limit too, though older MetaTrader 4 does not, so the workaround there is an EA or a manual approach. Anyone who relies on that order type should check which platform and version they are really on.
Stops and targets. In cTrader, a stop loss and take profit are typically attached to the position and can be set as protection with the market order itself. In MetaTrader, the stops are also attached to the position, but how and when they are applied at order time can depend on the execution mode, and some setups require the order to open first and the stops to be added right after.
Partial closes. Closing part of a position in cTrader reduces the same position. In MetaTrader 4, a partial close typically closes the original ticket and leaves a new ticket with a different number, which matters for anything that tracks tickets.
None of this makes one platform better. It means a strategy tested on one should be retested on the other, because the order path, not just the chart, is part of the system. The exact behavior also varies by broker configuration.
For those who run both, which order type or setting tripped you up when moving between cTrader and MetaTrader?
Market orders and slippage control. In MetaTrader, a market order usually carries a deviation setting, the maximum slippage allowed in points. If price moves beyond it, the request may be rejected or requoted, depending on the execution mode the broker uses. In cTrader, a market order has a range setting that plays a similar role, and the order can be filled within the range or refused. The idea is the same, but the wording, defaults, and the way rejections appear differ, so a setting carried over from one platform is easy to misconfigure on the other.
Stop-limit orders. cTrader offers a stop-limit order type natively, where a stop price triggers a limit order with a defined range. MetaTrader 5 has a stop limit too, though older MetaTrader 4 does not, so the workaround there is an EA or a manual approach. Anyone who relies on that order type should check which platform and version they are really on.
Stops and targets. In cTrader, a stop loss and take profit are typically attached to the position and can be set as protection with the market order itself. In MetaTrader, the stops are also attached to the position, but how and when they are applied at order time can depend on the execution mode, and some setups require the order to open first and the stops to be added right after.
Partial closes. Closing part of a position in cTrader reduces the same position. In MetaTrader 4, a partial close typically closes the original ticket and leaves a new ticket with a different number, which matters for anything that tracks tickets.
None of this makes one platform better. It means a strategy tested on one should be retested on the other, because the order path, not just the chart, is part of the system. The exact behavior also varies by broker configuration.
For those who run both, which order type or setting tripped you up when moving between cTrader and MetaTrader?