MetaTrader 5 only trades while a terminal is running and logged in. Close the laptop and your Expert Advisor stops, your alerts stop, and your pending logic stops. The standard answer is to rent a Windows VPS. It works, but it is a second job. Here is the honest comparison.
Why MT5 needs something that stays on
An MT5 terminal is a desktop application. Expert Advisors, scripts and alerts run inside it, so when the terminal closes, everything that depended on it stops. That is the whole reason traders end up renting a remote Windows machine: a place where the terminal can stay open.
What a VPS actually asks of you
The monthly fee is the visible part. The rest is upkeep:
- Setting it up. Provisioning Windows, installing MT5, logging in, enabling algo trading, installing and licensing the EA.
- Keeping it alive. Windows updates restart machines. Terminals crash. Brokers drop connections and a terminal does not always reconnect cleanly.
- Knowing when it died. Most people find out when a trade did not happen.
- Access and security. Remote Desktop exposed to the internet is a standing target, and your broker login sits on that machine.
- One machine per few accounts. Each terminal costs memory, so more accounts means a bigger VPS or more of them.
None of that is hard, and none of it is the thing you wanted to do, which was trade a rule.
The alternatives, honestly
| Route | Best when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Your own PC, left on | Testing | Sleep, updates, power and Wi-Fi all become your trading risk |
| Rented Windows VPS | You run EAs that must live inside MT5, or need a server close to a specific broker | Cost, upkeep, and you own the monitoring |
| Hosted terminal (chartTrigger) | Your logic is rules on levels, indicators and sessions, not a bespoke EA | Rules run in chartTrigger's engine, not as MQL5 code; you cannot upload your own EA |
| cTrader over its Open API | Your broker offers cTrader | A different platform from MT5, with no terminal at all |
What “hosted” means here
When you add an MT5 account to chartTrigger, it starts an isolated terminal for that account on its own infrastructure, signs it in, and supervises the process: if the terminal stops it is restarted, and if the broker drops the connection it reconnects. Each account gets its own terminal, folder and login cache, so accounts do not share a session. Your rules are evaluated by the engine beside that terminal — not in your browser — which is why you can close the tab and the rule keeps working.
Two facts worth stating plainly: your broker password is encrypted at rest and used to sign that terminal in, and chartTrigger holds no funds and has no withdrawal access. And if a terminal is struggling, its state, memory and last error are visible rather than hidden.
Does location matter?
For a scalper racing the spread, the physical distance to the broker's server can matter, and a VPS placed next to it is a real tool. For rules judged on closed H1 or H4 bars, or a level on a daily chart, tens of milliseconds are irrelevant next to the decision of whether the rule is any good. Be honest about which one you are. Each fire also records the engine's own share of the delay, so you can look at the number rather than guess.
How to choose
- You run a purchased or self-written EA that must execute inside MT5: you need a VPS (or a terminal you control).
- Your strategy is "when this level or condition happens, alert or trade": a hosted rule removes the machine entirely.
- You are not sure yet: start with alert-only rules, which need no broker connection at all (free price alerts), and decide about hosting once a rule has earned it.
Common questions
Do I need a VPS to run MT5 24/7?
You need something that keeps a terminal running and logged in. That can be a VPS, a PC you never turn off, or a hosted terminal run for you. If your logic is rules rather than an EA, a hosted service removes the machine entirely.
Can I run my own Expert Advisor on a hosted terminal?
Not on chartTrigger. Rules there are evaluated by its own engine rather than as uploaded MQL5 code. If you must run a specific EA inside MT5, a VPS you control is the right tool.
Is a hosted MT5 terminal safe for my broker login?
The password is encrypted at rest and used only to sign that account's terminal in. chartTrigger does not hold your funds and has no withdrawal access. Review any provider's practices before you hand over a login.
Does a VPS location affect my rules?
It can for scalping, where milliseconds against the broker's server matter. For rules judged on closed bars on H1 and above it makes no practical difference.
Skip the server, keep the rule
Add an MT5 account, or authorise a cTrader one, and close the laptop. Start alert-only if you would rather watch first.
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Risk note. This article is educational material about how chartTrigger works. It is not investment advice, not a recommendation to trade any instrument, and nothing here forecasts results. Trading leveraged products carries a high risk of loss. Any historical simulation referred to is exactly that — a run over past bars under stated spread and slippage assumptions, not an indication of future performance.