How much does a custom Expert Advisor cost, and what drives the price?
By Praveen Divvala · · 4 min read
Short answer
The cost of a custom Expert Advisor depends mainly on how complex its rules are: the number of entry and exit conditions, the risk and filter features, how many symbols it trades, how much testing it needs and whether you receive the source code. A simple single-rule EA is at the low end; a multi-symbol system with prop-firm risk guards costs several times more. A written specification is what turns a guess into a firm quote.
The five things that set the price
Two EAs can look similar in a sentence and differ a lot in effort. These are the factors a developer is actually pricing:
- Rule complexity: one indicator crossing is quick; several conditions across timeframes take longer
- Risk and trade management: trailing, breakeven, partial closes, daily loss and drawdown guards
- Filters: news avoidance, sessions, spread checks
- Scope: one symbol and timeframe, or many symbols traded together
- Testing and deliverables: depth of back-testing, demo forward-testing, and whether source code is included
What affects the timeline
Simple single-entry strategies are usually quickest. Multi-condition, multi-symbol systems take longer, mostly in testing rather than coding. The fastest projects are the ones whose rules are written down clearly before development starts.
How to get an accurate quote
Write your strategy as rules: what must be true to enter, how a trade exits, how big each trade is, and when the EA must not trade. Include the platform (MT4 or MT5), symbols and timeframe. A developer can then turn that into a specification and quote a fixed scope instead of an estimate.
Be wary of very cheap or "guaranteed" offers
A low price often means no specification and little testing, so the EA compiles but does not trade the way you meant. Any offer that promises profit is a red flag: an Expert Advisor executes rules, it cannot guarantee results.
General information about software and trading platforms, not investment advice. Trading leveraged products carries a high risk of loss. See the risk disclosure.