An MQL5 Telegram copier is an Expert Advisor sold or rented on the MQL5 Market that places trades in your MT5 terminal from signals posted in Telegram. Most of them need a second piece, a companion program that reads Telegram for the EA, and both have to keep running on a Windows computer or VPS for trades to copy.
That second piece surprises a lot of buyers. This page explains why it exists, what the terminal settings involve, and the questions worth asking a seller before you pay.
How a Telegram to MT5 copier on MQL5 works
An Expert Advisor is a program written in MQL5 that runs on a chart inside your MetaTrader 5 terminal. It can open, modify and close orders on the account that terminal is logged into. That part is easy for an EA.
Reading Telegram is the hard part. An EA can't sign in to Telegram the way your phone app does. So sellers solve it in one of two ways:
- The EA asks the Telegram Bot API for new messages over the internet, using MT5's WebRequest function.
- A separate desktop program signs in to Telegram as your user account, reads the channel, and passes each message to the EA on the same machine, usually through a local file or a local connection.
Once the EA has the message text, it parses it (finds the symbol, direction, entry, stop-loss and take-profits), sizes the lot from its inputs and sends the order.
So a signal like this:
XAUUSD BUY 2385-2380
SL 2374
TP 2390
TP 2400
travels from Telegram to the companion app or the Bot API, then to the EA, then to your broker. Every link in that chain sits on your computer, apart from Telegram and the broker.
Why the Bot API route rarely works for VIP channels
A Telegram bot only sees messages in chats it has been added to. In a channel, it only sees posts if the channel admin adds it as an administrator.
That is fine if you run the channel yourself. It doesn't work for a paid VIP channel run by someone else, because the admin won't add your bot. If an MQL5 copier says it reads Telegram through a bot token from BotFather, assume it only works on channels you control or where the admin cooperates. We cover this in more detail in copying from a private Telegram channel.
Why many MQL5 copiers ship a separate desktop app
The MQL5 Market's product rules don't allow products to call DLLs, which are the Windows libraries a program would normally use to talk to other software. A Telegram user login needs a full Telegram client, and an EA can't carry one inside MQL5 code alone.
So the usual design is an EA from the Market plus a companion app you download from the seller's own website. You install the app on Windows, log in to Telegram inside it, pick the channels, and the app hands messages to the EA.
That has a few consequences:
- The app comes from outside the Market, so MetaQuotes doesn't review it. You are trusting the seller with your Telegram session on your own machine.
- The app usually runs only on Windows. On a Mac you need a Windows VPS or a virtual machine. Our Mac guide goes through those setups.
- Updates come in two parts. The EA updates through the Market, the app through the seller. If Telegram changes something, the app is the part that breaks.
The settings MT5 needs before the EA can trade
Even with the right files, nothing copies until the terminal is set up. The common steps:
| Setting | Where in MT5 | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Algo Trading button on | Toolbar | Without it, no EA can place orders |
| Allow algorithmic trading | Tools, Options, Expert Advisors | Needed for automated orders |
| Allow WebRequest for listed URL | Same tab, add the URL the seller gives you | Only for EAs that call the internet directly, such as the Bot API route |
| EA attached to one chart | Drag from Navigator | One chart is usually enough, the EA trades every symbol |
| Correct symbol suffix in inputs | EA inputs | Your broker may call gold XAUUSD.m or GOLD |
Miss one of these and the EA sits on the chart doing nothing, often with only a quiet line in the Experts tab to say why.
The terminal has to run 24/7
An EA works only while the terminal is open, connected and logged into your account. Close the laptop lid, let Windows install updates overnight, or lose the home internet, and signals posted in that window are missed. The companion app has the same problem.
That is why most MQL5 copier users end up renting a Windows VPS. MetaQuotes also sells a built-in virtual hosting service, but answers on the mql5.com forum say third-party products that use DLLs can't run on it, and a companion desktop app won't run there either. A regular Windows VPS can run both. Our VPS guide compares the options and what they cost.
What to check before buying a copier on the MQL5 Market
Use the free demo, read the reviews, then ask the seller these questions in a message before paying:
- How does it read Telegram? Bot API, or a companion app with a user login? If it's a bot, it won't read someone else's VIP channel.
- Where does the companion app come from, and what does it store? Your Telegram session will sit on your machine inside their software.
- Does it follow replies and edits? "Close half", "move SL to entry" and an edited stop-loss matter as much as the first signal.
- How does it handle several take-profits? One trade per TP, partial closes, or only TP1?
- Can it size by % risk, and is there a max-lot cap?
- What happens to messages that arrive while the terminal is offline? Some copiers open old signals at the current price after a reconnect, which is how you get a buy 40 pips above the entry.
- When was it last updated? Look at the version history on the product page.
The free demo on the MQL5 Market runs in the Strategy Tester. It shows you the inputs, but it can't read real Telegram messages, and WebRequest doesn't work in the tester. Ask the seller if there is a live trial, or rent for the shortest period to test on a demo account. Our free copier guide has more on demos and rentals.
Buy, rent or use a cloud copier?
MQL5 copiers suit some people well. If you already run MT5 on a Windows VPS for other EAs, adding one more costs little, and the trades go out from the same machine as everything else.
A cloud copier is easier when you don't want to look after a computer. MT5 Telegram Copier runs on our servers. You connect your Telegram account in the browser with your phone number and the login code Telegram sends you, and you add your MT5 account with its login, master password and server. It connects through MetaApi, a cloud MetaTrader service, so there is no EA, no companion app, no WebRequest list and no VPS. Your computer and phone can be off.
| MQL5 copier EA | Cloud copier | |
|---|---|---|
| What you install | EA, usually a companion app too | Nothing |
| Runs on | Your Windows PC or VPS | The vendor's servers |
| Mac or phone | Needs a Windows VPS | Browser only |
| Who holds the Telegram session | Your machine | The vendor's server |
| Who holds the broker password | Nobody, you log in to MT5 yourself | The vendor or its MetaApi-style service |
| Typical cost | Purchase or rental, plus a VPS | Monthly subscription |
The trade-off is access. With a cloud copier, a third party runs the connection to your account. Ours sends the MT5 password to MetaApi and doesn't store it, and the Telegram session is stored encrypted and deleted when you press Disconnect. Our plan is EUR 24.99 a month for one Telegram account, one channel and one MT5 account, and each extra channel plus MT5 account is EUR 24.99 a month. It works with MT5 only, not MT4.
Whichever you pick, test it on a demo account against your own channel for a week. A copier copies bad signals as faithfully as good ones, and trading leveraged products can lose you money.
MQL5 Telegram copier FAQ
Can an MQL5 EA read Telegram on its own?
Only through the Telegram Bot API, using WebRequest, and a bot only sees channels where it has been added as an admin. To read a VIP channel you merely joined, the EA needs a companion app that signs in as your user account.
Why does my MQL5 copier need a separate program?
MQL5 Market products can't call DLLs, so the Telegram login lives in a desktop app from the seller. The app reads the channel and passes each message to the EA.
Can I test an MQL5 Telegram copier for free?
The Market demo runs in the Strategy Tester, where it can't receive real Telegram messages. Ask the seller for a live trial, or rent it for a short period and run it on a demo account.
Does an MQL5 copier work on MT5 for Mac or a phone?
The MT5 phone apps don't run EAs, and most companion apps are Windows-only. You would need a Windows VPS. A cloud copier works from any browser.
Does MT5 Telegram Copier use an EA?
No. It runs on our servers and connects to your MT5 account through MetaApi. Nothing is attached to a chart and nothing is installed.
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