An MT5 to Tradovate trade copier turns CFD trades into futures trades. It suits traders who analyse and trade on MT5, often with an EA, but want the same exposure in a futures account on Tradovate, such as a prop firm evaluation. Heron Copier reads the MT5 master and opens the matching futures position on the Tradovate slave.
The two sides do not trade the same instruments, so the copier needs to know what to map. Symbol aliases link each CFD to a contract, for example NAS100=MNQ, and a lot multiplier in the alias tunes the ratio per symbol. Sizing is the other difference. MT5 trades in lots, usually in 0.01 steps, while Tradovate only trades whole contracts. Your volume sizing method calculates the size, then it is rounded to the nearest contract, with the Fixed Risk methods rounding down. A trade that works out below half a contract is skipped. Test with the smallest size before going live.
Tradovate accounts run in the Heron Copier cloud only, so this pair is cloud only. Your MT5 account runs there too, with nothing to install.
How to set up MT5 to Tradovate copying
- Add your MT5 account as the master in the dashboard. Connect it with your MT5 account number, password and broker server.
- Add your Tradovate account as the slave and pick the master it copies from. Connect it with your Tradovate login on Tradovate's own sign-in page, so your password is never sent to Heron Copier.
- Choose a volume sizing method and add symbol aliases such as NAS100=MNQ, so each CFD symbol maps to a futures contract. Sizes are rounded to whole contracts.
- Launch. Cloud accounts are usually online in under 60 seconds, and the dashboard shows every copied trade, balance and position live.
About MT5 and Tradovate
MetaTrader 5 is MetaQuotes' successor to MT4, released in 2010. It adds more timeframes, a depth of market view and exchange-traded instruments, and runs Expert Advisors written in MQL5.
Tradovate is a cloud-based futures platform owned by NinjaTrader Group. It runs in the browser, on desktop and on mobile, and also powers NinjaTrader Brokerage and many futures prop firm accounts.
For everything else about each platform, see the MT5 Trade Copier and Tradovate Trade Copier pages.
MT5 vs Tradovate
| Detail | MT5 (master) | Tradovate (slave) |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | MetaQuotes | Tradovate (NinjaTrader Group) |
| Markets | Forex, CFDs, and at some brokers stocks and exchange-traded futures | CME Group futures and micro futures such as ES, NQ, MES and MNQ |
| How Heron Copier connects | MT5 account number, password and broker server | Tradovate login on Tradovate's own sign-in page, so your password is never sent to Heron Copier |
| Position model | Hedging or netting, set by the broker per account | Net position per contract |
| Trade size | Lots (usually 0.01 lot steps) | Whole contracts |
| Symbol names | Broker-specific, often with suffixes such as EURUSD.raw or NAS100.cash | Dated contracts such as ESZ6 or MNQH7 |
| API speed | 500+ requests per minute | Real-time order and position updates |
| Partial closes sent to slaves (as master) | Yes | Yes |
| Partial closes received (as slave) | Yes | Yes |
| Position resync on its slaves | Yes | Yes |
| Local version | Yes, plus the cloud version | No, cloud version only |
| EA / cBot hosting | Yes, .ex5 Expert Advisors | No |
Things to check before you start
- CFD lots and futures contracts differ a lot in size. Map every symbol you trade with an alias and a lot multiplier, then test with the smallest size before you go live.
- Turn on Position Resync if you want the Tradovate slave to check that every copied position is still open on the master.
- Trades opened by your EAs are copied too. Use the magic number whitelist or blacklist on the slave to copy only some EAs.
- You don't need the Tradovate API add-on or a market data subscription. The connection also covers NinjaTrader Brokerage accounts and prop firm accounts that run on Tradovate.
- Auto symbol mapping, additional TP/SL in pips and TP/SL offsets are not available on Tradovate and Rithmic slaves.
Frequently asked questions
Can one MT5 master copy to several Tradovate accounts?
Yes. Add as many Tradovate slaves as you need, each with its own volume sizing, symbol mapping and risk limits. In the cloud every account uses one cloud seat.
Can I copy from Tradovate to MT5 instead?
Yes. Every trading platform Heron Copier supports can be a master or a slave. See the Tradovate to MT5 trade copier.
What happens if a trade fails to copy?
Turn on failed trade copy notifications to get an e-mail alert. The account logs in the dashboard also show the reason, for example a symbol that doesn't exist on the slave or a size below the minimum.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, 7 days with 2 cloud accounts. During the trial a futures slave copies every trade at a fixed 1 contract; a paid license unlocks the other sizing methods.
