MQL5 Virtual Hosting vs a Dedicated MetaTrader VPS: DLLs, Multi-Terminal Costs, and What Actually Runs

Every MetaTrader terminal has a VPS option built in. A few clicks, a monthly fee, and your expert advisor runs on a MetaQuotes server. For some traders that is the right answer and they need nothing else. For others it stops working the moment their EA needs a DLL or they add a second account. Here is how to tell which group you are in, based on what the official documentation says.

Where MQL5 Virtual Hosting is a good fit

The built-in service is simple. You rent it from inside the terminal, and migration copies your charts, EAs, signal settings and account connection to the virtual platform. There is nothing to install or administer. MetaQuotes advertises servers close to many brokers, with the current prices shown below. If you run one simple EA without a DLL on one account, or you only copy a signal, it is hard to beat for convenience.

The hard stop: DLLs

The MetaTrader 5 help is blunt about this: "DLL calls are completely forbidden in the virtual platform." An EA or indicator that depends on a DLL will not do its job there. That includes some commercial EAs whose license check or news filter goes through a DLL. Check your EA's documentation or ask the vendor before you pay. If you see #import "something.dll" in the source, or the EA asked you to tick "Allow DLL imports", you have your answer.

The cost of more than one account

The price at the time of writing is $15 per month on the monthly plan, falling to $10 per month on the 12-month plan. A subscription is set up from a terminal for the account logged in there and migrates that terminal's environment, so plan on one subscription per account, and confirm this on the order screen if it matters to you. On that basis, two to four accounts at the monthly rate come to $30 to $60 per month.

A VPS of your own charges for the server rather than the account. Our MetaTrader VPS plans run from one terminal at $7 per month to four at $15 and six at $25, and you can mix MT4 and MT5.

No screen to look at

The documentation says the virtual platform "has no user interface". You follow it by requesting the platform and EA logs from your local terminal. Two practical results:

• If your EA draws a panel with buttons, there is nobody to click them on the server, and you cannot see what it draws.
• Migration has rules that can surprise you. Charts without an EA are ignored even if a custom indicator is on them, scripts are not transferred, and charts with non-standard symbols or timeframes are not transferred.

Changes are made in your local terminal and then migrated again, so remember that step each time you change an input.

WebRequest and email

These are allowed but need setting up before migration. An EA using WebRequest needs the permission set and all trusted URLs listed on the Expert Advisors tab. An EA that sends email needs the mail settings filled in. If an EA talks to a web service and goes quiet after migration, look here first. Accounts that use one-time password login cannot be used on the virtual platform at all.

Side by side

Which should you choose?

• MQL5 Virtual Hosting: one account, no DLL, no need to see the chart.
• A managed MetaTrader VPS: DLL-based EAs, several accounts, or you want the real screen and alerts without looking after a server.
• Your own Windows VPS: you need other Windows software or full control, and you are happy to maintain it. Our guide on why EAs stop trading on a VPS covers what to watch.

Latency is often the deciding argument for the built-in service, and it deserves a real test. See how much VPS location matters for your broker.

See MetaTrader VPS plans

Sources

• MetaTrader 5 Help: Migration to the virtual platform (DLL calls, charts, scripts, WebRequest, one-time passwords)
• MetaTrader 5 Help: Virtual hosting
• MQL5 VPS: plans and prices

Frequently asked questions

Trading carries a high risk of loss. This article is about running software and is not trading or investment advice.