Short answer: yes, FTMO allows Expert Advisors. FTMO itself states that it does not restrict discretionary trading, algorithmic trading or EAs. There are conditions, though – and some of them matter especially for EAs bought from third parties. Here is what you need to know before letting an EA trade an FTMO account.
What is allowed
- Automated trading with your own or purchased EAs on MetaTrader, as long as it is legitimate and in line with proper risk management.
- Your trading style should be replicable on live accounts. Strategies that only work in a simulated environment won't pass.
- FTMO does not require a stop loss – it is still a good idea.
Technical server limits
- at most 200 open orders at a time,
- at most 2,000 positions per day,
- more than 2,000 server requests per day (opening, modifying, closing) count as "hyperactive" and are forbidden.
An EA that keeps modifying orders can reach this limit faster than you think. FTMO may ask you to adjust its logic or settings.
What is forbidden
FTMO's Forbidden Trading Practices apply to humans and EAs alike. Especially relevant for EAs:
- Exploiting pricing errors or delayed quotes, software that gives an unfair advantage, "ultra-high-speed" tools.
- Opposite positions across accounts or providers to manipulate outcomes.
- Third-party access: nobody but you may operate your account or trade for you. So the EA must run on your own platform – not with someone who logs in with your credentials.
- Gap trading: FTMO uses this term for opening trades when major news, macroeconomic events or earnings that may move the market are scheduled, or two hours or less before a market closes for at least two hours.
- Unusual risk behaviour: position sizes or trade counts far outside your own pattern, or growing exposure in one instrument.
Possible consequences range from removed trades to disqualification from the evaluation and termination of all agreements.
The rule that matters for purchased EAs: the capital limit
FTMO limits total capital per trader or strategy to USD 400,000 across all accounts and products (before scaling). And FTMO states explicitly: if identical or substantially similar trading is detected across multiple FTMO accounts – including trades copied from or based on the same third-party source – FTMO may suspend the affected accounts if their combined capital exceeds the limit.
In practice: an EA that many people buy trades the same way on many accounts. If the combined capital of all those accounts exceeds the limit, FTMO can step in – even if you only have one account yourself.
This applies to the Constans Engine as well. All members receive the same trading decisions. We say this openly because it belongs to an honest picture: the rule is FTMO's decision and we cannot lift it for you. Ask us in the help chat before you buy and we'll explain how we handle it.
Checklist: vetting an EA for FTMO
Based on FTMO's own guidance:
- Transparency: do you know how the EA decides and how many positions it opens to reach a result?
- Drawdown: do historical drawdowns stay well below 10%? Otherwise the overall limit is at risk.
- No martingale: does the EA double up after losses? Then it needs more capital than an FTMO account offers.
- Costs: with scalping, spreads and commissions eat the profit; with very long holding times, swaps add up.
- Stops: an EA without a stop, or with a tiny one, makes an unexpected spike expensive.
- News: does the EA have a news filter? If not, you need a Swing account on the FTMO Account.
- Honest numbers: polished track records are common. Look for a public live account with every trade, and simulations clearly labelled as such.
- Your control: does the EA run on your platform, and can you stop it at any time?
In short
- EAs are allowed at FTMO.
- Server limits and forbidden practices apply to EAs too.
- For purchased EAs, the USD 400,000 capital limit per strategy applies – including across accounts of different traders.
- A Swing account is a must if your EA ignores economic releases.