Demo versus live on the same EA: what to compare and why they differ
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2026 1:39 pm
Running the same EA on demo and live with identical settings is the cheapest way to see what live trading costs you. The metrics to put side by side: trade count, win rate, profit factor, and average slippage on entries and stops.
A hypothetical EURJPY example of what the gap can look like:
A practical rule follows: require a demo profit factor comfortably above your minimum, by a margin you've measured on your own pair of accounts, because live will pull it down.
Has anyone measured the demo-live gap on their EAs? I'd like to know what margin is typical.
A hypothetical EURJPY example of what the gap can look like:
- Demo: 218 trades, 61% win rate, profit factor 1.38, no slippage.
- Live: 204 trades, 57% win rate, profit factor 1.12, slippage −0.3 pips on stops and −0.1 on entries.
- Trade count. A spread filter can block signals live that pass on demo, if demo spreads are tighter, which is common in Tokyo hours.
- Fills. Demo often fills at the exact price. Live doesn't.
- Partial closes. A partial close can fail live because of minimum volume.
A practical rule follows: require a demo profit factor comfortably above your minimum, by a margin you've measured on your own pair of accounts, because live will pull it down.
Has anyone measured the demo-live gap on their EAs? I'd like to know what margin is typical.