How to Set Up a VPS for Forex EA Trading
How to Set Up a VPS for Forex Trading
A step-by-step guide to running your Expert Advisor 24/5 without interruption. Choose the right VPS, install MT5, and keep your EA running while you sleep.
⚡ Quick Answer
A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is a remote computer that runs your EA 24 hours a day, 5 days a week — even when your home PC is off.
You need one if you're running any EA that requires constant market connection — especially scalpers, grid systems, and martingale strategies.
Budget around $15–30/month for a reliable forex VPS. Setup takes about 20 minutes.
Don't want to do it yourself? Spend $300+ at CheaperForex and we'll set up your VPS and install all your EAs for free.
In This Article
- Why you need a VPS for EA trading
- How to choose the right VPS
- VPS providers compared
- Step 1 — Order your VPS
- Step 2 — Connect via Remote Desktop
- Step 3 — Install MetaTrader 5
- Step 4 — Log into your broker account
- Step 5 — Install your EA
- Step 6 — Attach the EA to a chart
- Step 7 — Verify everything is running
- Optimise your VPS for performance
- Pre-launch checklist
- FAQ
Why You Need a VPS for EA Trading
If you're running an EA on your home computer, you're taking unnecessary risk. Your WiFi drops for 30 seconds and your EA can't manage an open trade. Windows decides to restart for updates at 3 AM. Your laptop goes to sleep. Your power goes out. Any one of these turns a managed trade into an unmanaged one — and that's how accounts get blown.
A VPS solves all of this. It's a remote Windows computer that runs in a data centre with enterprise-grade internet, backup power, and 99.9% uptime. Your EA runs there 24/5. You connect to it from your phone, laptop, or tablet whenever you want to check in.
You definitely need a VPS if your EA uses trailing stops (these only work while MT5 is connected), opens and closes trades frequently (scalpers, grid systems), manages multiple open positions (martingale, hedging strategies), or if your home internet is unreliable.
The only time you might not need one is if your EA trades once or twice a week on higher timeframes with fixed stop losses — since those orders live on the broker's server regardless of your connection.
How to Choose the Right VPS
Not all VPS providers are equal. For forex trading, three things matter more than everything else: latency, uptime, and resources.
Latency is the time it takes for data to travel between your VPS and your broker's server. For scalping EAs, you want under 5ms. For most other strategies, under 20ms is fine. The key is choosing a VPS in the same city as your broker's server — usually London, New York, Amsterdam, or Tokyo. If your broker is IC Markets (servers in New York and London), pick a VPS in one of those locations.
Uptime should be 99.9% or better. That means less than 45 minutes of downtime per month. Any decent forex VPS provider guarantees this. Cheap generic hosting providers often don't.
Resources — for running 1–2 MT5 instances with a few EAs, you need at minimum 2GB RAM, 1 CPU core, and 30GB SSD storage. If you're running 3+ MT5 instances or heavy backtesting, go for 4GB RAM and 2 cores.
Many brokers offer "free VPS" if you maintain a certain balance or lot volume. These are almost always underpowered shared servers with high latency and frequent downtime. They're marketing tools, not trading infrastructure. Spend the $15–30/month on a proper VPS — it's the cost of a few pips and it protects your entire account.
VPS Providers Compared
These are the providers I see most often among serious EA traders. I have no affiliate deals with any of them — this is based on what I've seen work over 18 years.
| Provider | Starting Price | Server Locations | Best For | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ForexVPS.net | $30/mo | NY, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo | Scalpers needing lowest latency | <1ms to major brokers |
| AccuWeb Hosting | $12/mo | NY, London, Mumbai, Singapore | Best value for most traders | 1–5ms |
| Contabo | €5/mo | Germany, US, Singapore, Japan, Australia | Budget option, good specs | 5–15ms |
| TradingFX VPS | $25/mo | NY, London | Pre-installed MT4/MT5 | 1–3ms |
| Vultr / DigitalOcean | $12–24/mo | 25+ locations worldwide | Tech-savvy traders who want control | Varies by location |
| Free Broker VPS | $0 | Usually unknown | Not recommended | 10–50ms+, unreliable |
For most CheaperForex customers running 1–3 EAs, AccuWeb or Contabo hit the sweet spot of price and performance. If you're running a high-frequency scalper where every millisecond matters, ForexVPS.net is the gold standard.
Order Your VPS
Sign up with your chosen provider and select a Windows VPS plan. Key settings to choose:
Operating System: Windows Server 2019 or 2022 (most providers offer this). Some offer Windows 10 — that works too. Don't choose Linux unless you know what you're doing — MT5 doesn't run natively on Linux.
Location: Pick the city closest to your broker's server. If unsure, London and New York cover most major brokers (IC Markets, Pepperstone, FP Markets, OANDA, Forex.com).
Specs: Minimum 2GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 30GB SSD for a single MT5 instance.
After ordering, you'll receive an email with your VPS IP address, username (usually "Administrator"), and password. This usually arrives within 5–30 minutes.
Connect via Remote Desktop (RDP)
This is how you "log in" to your VPS — it's like looking at another computer's screen through your own.
On Windows: Press the Windows key, type "Remote Desktop Connection", and open it. Enter your VPS IP address, click Connect, then enter your username and password.
On Mac: Download "Microsoft Remote Desktop" from the App Store. Add a new PC, enter your VPS IP, username, and password.
On iPhone/Android: Download "RD Client" (Microsoft Remote Desktop). Same process — add a PC with your VPS IP and credentials.
Change the default password immediately after first login. Right-click the Start menu → Computer Management → Users → right-click Administrator → Set Password. Use a strong password — your VPS is internet-facing.
Install MetaTrader 5
Once connected to your VPS, open the browser (Edge is pre-installed on Windows Server) and download MT5.
Option A — From your broker: Go to your broker's website and download their branded MT5 installer. This automatically connects to their servers.
Option B — From MetaQuotes: Go to metatrader5.com and download the standard installer. You'll add your broker's server manually when logging in.
Run the installer. Accept defaults. It takes about 2 minutes. MT5 will open automatically after installation.
If you're running multiple EAs on different broker accounts, install separate instances of MT5. During installation, change the install folder to something like "C:\MT5-ICMarkets" and "C:\MT5-Pepperstone" to keep them separate.
Log Into Your Broker Account
When MT5 opens, go to File → Login to Trade Account. Enter your account number, password, and select your broker's server from the dropdown. If your broker doesn't appear, click "Add new broker" and type your broker's server name (found in your broker's account emails).
Once logged in, you should see your balance in the bottom-left of the Terminal window and the charts should be loading live data.
Click the "AutoTrading" button in the MT5 toolbar — it should show a green icon (not red). Without this enabled, your EA will load but won't place any trades. This is the single most common mistake people make after setting up a VPS.
Install Your EA
If you bought the EA from CheaperForex: Your EA is installed directly from the MQL5 Marketplace through your MT5 terminal. Go to the Market tab in the toolbox at the bottom of MT5, find the EA in your "Purchased" section, and click "Install." It downloads and installs automatically.
If you have .ex5 or .mq5 files: Copy them to the correct folder. In MT5, go to File → Open Data Folder → MQL5 → Experts. Paste the EA files there. Then restart MT5 or right-click in the Navigator panel and select "Refresh."
Your EA should now appear in the Navigator panel on the left side under "Expert Advisors."
If the EA came with .set files (preset configurations), copy those to File → Open Data Folder → MQL5 → Presets. You'll load them in the next step when attaching the EA to a chart.
Attach the EA to a Chart
Open the correct chart for your EA. For example, if your EA trades XAUUSD on M15, open a XAUUSD M15 chart. Then drag the EA from the Navigator panel onto the chart (or double-click it).
A settings dialog will appear with two important tabs:
Common tab: Make sure "Allow Algo Trading" is checked. If the EA needs web requests, check "Allow WebRequest" and add the required URLs.
Inputs tab: This is where you configure lot sizes, risk settings, and strategy parameters. If you have a .set file, click "Load" and select it. Otherwise, enter the developer's recommended settings from the EA's documentation.
Click OK. You should see a smiley face icon in the top-right corner of the chart — this means the EA is active. If it's a frowning face, AutoTrading is disabled or there's an error in the Experts tab.
Verify Everything Is Running
Before you disconnect and walk away, check these things:
1. AutoTrading is enabled — green icon in the toolbar, not red.
2. The EA shows a smiley face — top-right of the chart.
3. Check the Experts tab — click the "Experts" tab at the bottom of MT5. You should see initialization messages from the EA. No red error messages = good.
4. Check the Journal tab — this shows all MT5 activity. Look for any errors or warnings.
5. Place a test trade (optional) — if you're on a demo account, manually check that the EA can open and close trades. Some EAs have a "test trade" button on their panel.
Once you're satisfied, you can close the Remote Desktop window. MT5 and your EA will continue running on the VPS. You're live.
Optimise Your VPS for Performance
A fresh Windows VPS comes with a lot of unnecessary services running. Here's how to squeeze maximum performance out of it for EA trading.
Disable Windows Updates Auto-Restart
Windows Updates are the number one cause of unexpected VPS restarts. Go to Settings → Windows Update → Advanced Options and set active hours to cover the full forex trading week (Sunday 5 PM to Friday 5 PM ET). Better yet, set updates to "Download only, notify to install" so you can control when restarts happen — ideally over the weekend when markets are closed.
Disable Screen Saver and Sleep Mode
Your VPS should never sleep. Go to Settings → System → Power & Sleep and set everything to "Never." Also disable the screensaver in Settings → Personalization → Lock Screen → Screen Saver Settings.
Disable Visual Effects
Right-click This PC → Properties → Advanced System Settings → Performance → Settings. Select "Adjust for best performance." This disables all animations and visual effects, freeing up RAM and CPU for your EA.
Set MT5 to Start Automatically
If your VPS restarts (updates, maintenance), you want MT5 to launch automatically. Press Win+R, type shell:startup, and press Enter. Create a shortcut to your MT5 terminal.exe in this folder. Now MT5 will start automatically on login.
Auto-Start MT5 After VPS Restart
Enable Auto-Login
For MT5 to start unattended after a reboot, the VPS needs to auto-login. Run netplwiz from the Run dialog, uncheck "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer," and enter your credentials. Now the VPS logs in automatically after restarts, which triggers the MT5 startup shortcut.
Pre-Launch Checklist: Before You Walk Away
- VPS IP, username, and password saved securely
- Default password changed to something strong
- MT5 installed and logged into broker account
- AutoTrading enabled (green icon in toolbar)
- EA installed and showing in Navigator panel
- EA attached to correct chart with correct timeframe
- EA shows smiley face — no errors in Experts tab
- Correct settings or .set file loaded
- Lot sizes appropriate for account balance — use the lot size calculator
- Windows auto-restart disabled or scheduled for weekends
- Screen saver and sleep mode disabled
- MT5 added to Startup folder for auto-restart recovery
- High-impact news events checked on economic calendar
- Remote Desktop tested from phone (can check in anytime)
Related Free Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a forex VPS cost?
Expect to pay $12–30 per month for a decent forex VPS. Budget providers like Contabo start around $5–6/month but may have higher latency. Forex-specific providers like ForexVPS.net start at $30/month but offer sub-millisecond latency to major brokers. For most EA traders, $15–20/month gets you a reliable setup.
Can I run multiple EAs on one VPS?
Yes. A 2GB RAM VPS can comfortably run 2–3 MT5 instances with one EA each. If you need more, upgrade to 4GB RAM. Each MT5 instance uses about 300–500MB of RAM depending on the number of charts open and how resource-intensive the EA is. Monitor your RAM usage in Task Manager for the first few days.
What happens if my VPS restarts?
If you've set up MT5 to auto-start (Step 7 in the optimisation section), MT5 will relaunch automatically after a restart. Your EA will re-initialise and continue trading. Any trades that were open before the restart will still be there — they live on the broker's server, not your VPS. The only risk is unmanaged trailing stops during the downtime.
Do I need a VPS for every broker account?
No. You can run multiple MT5 instances on the same VPS, each logged into a different broker. Just install MT5 multiple times in different folders. One VPS with 4GB RAM can handle 3–5 broker connections comfortably.
Can I check my VPS from my phone?
Yes. Download the Microsoft Remote Desktop app (free on iOS and Android). Add your VPS using the same IP, username, and password. You can check your charts, EA status, and account balance from anywhere. Some traders also install TeamViewer for easier mobile access.
Should I use Windows or Linux for my VPS?
Windows. MetaTrader 5 is a Windows application. While it's technically possible to run MT5 on Linux using Wine, it's unreliable and not worth the hassle. Some providers charge slightly more for Windows (the license cost), but it's the only sensible option for EA trading.
Can someone set up the VPS for me?
Yes — if you spend $300 or more at CheaperForex, we'll set up your VPS, install MetaTrader 5, load all your purchased EAs, configure your settings, and verify everything is running correctly. Completely free. Just contact us after your purchase with your VPS login details and we'll handle the rest.
My EA works at home but not on the VPS. What's wrong?
Common causes: AutoTrading not enabled on the VPS instance, the EA license is tied to your home computer's hardware ID (contact the developer for a reset), DLLs are blocked (check the EA's Common tab settings), or the chart is set to the wrong symbol suffix (some brokers use EURUSD.raw instead of EURUSD). Check the Experts tab for specific error messages.