What to check before you buy an EA

EA Trade Tester Demo lab How we test For AI agents

Published 11 November 2026 · methods v2.5 · by TrueTest

Most sold EAs come with a great backtest, a high win rate and a few screenshots. None of that tells you whether the EA has an edge. Here is a short checklist, with a free way to check each point before you pay.

Check an EA free See a full example first

Drop your .mq5/.mq4 code, a Python bot or an MT5 report on the home page. The first read takes seconds and needs no sign-up; the lab verdict is free too. Only the detailed technical report is paid (the full PDF report is GBP 49). The price shown is the total price: no VAT is added. TrueTest is not VAT-registered in the UK. We read your code as text and never run it as given; an outside AI service drafts the rule card only if you tick the box (see Security). Not financial advice.

The checklist

#	Question	How to check it
1	Is the backtest long, with every year shown?	at least several years, with the losing years visible (year by year)
2	Were real costs used?	spread at the hours it trades, commission, swaps (EA costs)
3	How many versions were tried to get it?	ask; then use the luck bar (calculator)
4	Is it a grid or martingale?	win rate above 80% with large rare losses, growing lots (signs)
5	Does every trade have a stop?	a basket target with no stops is a grid shape
6	Is there a live or forward record?	a record that started after the rules were frozen; upload a statement to the record check
7	Does it work on your broker's clock?	session hours and GMT settings (server time)
8	Is the result plausible?	a profit factor above 5 or over +1 R a trade usually means look-ahead or missing costs (look-ahead)
9	Can you see the code, or only a compiled file?	with source code we read it for faults; with an .ex5 only, test its tester report
10	What happens if it does not work?	read the seller's refund terms before paying

What if I only have a demo or the vendor's report?

Run the demo in the MT5 Strategy Tester on your own broker's history with your own spread, save the report, and upload it to our free record check. It reads the trades and gives a verdict in plain words.

Do we sell or rate EAs?

No. We never sell EAs, indicators, signals or courses, and we never take payment from EA vendors or brokers for a verdict.

More guides: Free forex EA tester online · How to test a gold (XAUUSD) EA properly · How many backtests? Overfitting explained · EA costs: spread, commission and swap · MQL5 / MQL4 EA code checker · EA trading at the wrong hour? Server time · Why live results are worse than the backtest · Does my EA repaint or look ahead? · Can a scalping EA make money after costs? · Does my EA make money every year? · Will my EA pass a prop-firm challenge?

Questions people ask

Is a high win rate a good sign?

On its own, no. A win rate above 80% paid for by rare large losses is the typical grid or martingale shape.

Is a tracked live account enough?

It is better than a backtest, but check how long it ran, its drawdowns and whether deposits made it look better. The record check reads the trades.

Can you test an EA I have not bought yet?

If you have its tester report, yes: run the free demo in MT5 and upload the report.

Is this financial advice?

No. It is a checklist for judging evidence. Not financial advice.