TrueTest vs StrategyQuant, Forex Tester, MT5

EA Trade Tester Demo lab How we test For AI agents

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

These tools do different jobs, and each does its own job better than TrueTest does. This page is about choosing the right one. The descriptions of other products come from their own websites and listings as we read them in November 2026; check their sites for the current details. None of them pays us for this page, and we do not sell their products.

Try the free retest 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.

What is each tool for?

Tool	What it is for	What it does better than TrueTest
MT5 Strategy Tester (built into MetaTrader 5)	Running your own compiled EA on your broker's history, with an optimiser	Runs your real EA, with every tick and your broker's own symbols; free and on your computer; optimises settings; tests any symbol your broker offers
StrategyQuant X	Generating and optimising strategies on your computer	Builds new strategies for you; Monte Carlo and walk-forward tools; exports code; works on the data you choose
Forex Tester	Practising manual trading by replaying past prices	Trading practice bar by bar; hands-on study of a manual method; its own history data
TrueTest	An independent second opinion on an EA, bot, indicator or trading record	Reads the code for faults, writes the rules out for you to check, retests its own rebuilt copy with recorded costs and extra costs, counts the versions you tried for the luck bar, and watches new prices every day

When should I use the MT5 Strategy Tester?

Always, while you build. It runs your exact EA, which we never do: our result is a backtest of our own rebuild of your rules. If your EA uses something our rule engine cannot express, MT5 can still test it and we cannot.

When does an independent retest help?

When you are about to buy an EA, or trade real money, and the only evidence is a backtest from the same person who made it.
When you have optimised a lot and need to know whether the best result is more than luck (count your tries).
When the tester's spread was fixed or low and you want hour-by-hour recorded costs and extra costs (EA trading costs).
When the code may read the wrong clock, ignore a setting or size trades like a martingale (code checker).

What can TrueTest not do?

It does not run your compiled .ex5 / .ex4; it checks the report of one instead.
It tests 8 main symbols over up to 16 years, not every symbol your broker has (21 more FxPro pairs from 12 September 2022, shown for information only (they have no periods A and B', so they never decide a verdict)).
Bars are 15 minutes: inside one bar we assume the stop was hit before the target.
It does not build strategies for you, and it does not place trades.

More guides: Is my EA martingale or grid? How to tell · 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? · What to check before you buy an EA

Questions people ask

Can I use TrueTest and the MT5 tester together?

Yes, and it helps: send your MT5 report with the code and we compare our rebuild's trades with yours (the parity check).

Is TrueTest a strategy builder?

No. It tests strategies you already have; it never builds or sells strategies.

Why do your results differ from my MT5 backtest?

Different costs, different data, a fixed 0.01 lot and our rebuild of your rules. The lab lists where our rebuild differs from your code.

Do you take money from these companies or from EA vendors?

No. We do not take payment from EA vendors or brokers for a verdict.