MT4 vs MT5 on Tickmill: Why 73% of APAC Picks MT4

MT5 has been live for over a decade. It is more modern, supports more asset classes, has more timeframes, and ships with a better strategy tester. By every feature checklist, it should have replaced MT4 by now.

It has not. Across Tickmill APAC accounts opened during 2025, MT4 still accounts for roughly 73 percent of new platform selections, MT5 about 26 percent, the remaining 1 percent split between the Tickmill web platform and TradingView integration.

The reason is not ignorance — it is a specific math. For the discretionary forex trader, MT4's mature EA library, single-currency strategy tester, and broker-script ecosystem still beat MT5 in practical terms. The math reverses for systematic traders, hedgers, and anyone trading futures or stocks alongside forex. This page tells you which math applies to you.

What this page covers

A 50-word answer up front: MT4 wins for discretionary forex traders with established EAs and indicators. MT5 wins for systematic traders, multi-asset traders, and anyone running hedging-disabled netting accounts. Seven feature differences that actually matter, the migration math, and what 73 percent of APAC traders know that the marketing pages do not say.

Section 1 — The Problem, With Actual Numbers

The MT4 versus MT5 question is asked as if it has a single answer. It does not. Tickmill supports both, the data integrity is identical, the order routing is the same — the choice is purely about platform features, your strategy, and what you have invested in tooling.

Across new Tickmill APAC account openings during 2025 (audited via ChiefIdea contact form responses):

MT4 selected (around 73 percent). Reasons cited: existing EA portfolio, familiar UI, lighter resource footprint, broker-script library compatibility, simpler chart layouts.
MT5 selected (around 26 percent). Reasons cited: futures and stocks alongside forex, depth-of-market data needed, strategy tester multi-currency requirement, partial close and netting workflow.
Other (around 1 percent). Tickmill web terminal or TradingView API.

The 73-26 split has been remarkably stable across APAC for three years. New traders default to MT4 because their educators use MT4, their YouTube tutorials use MT4, their EA marketplace listings are 80-plus-percent MT4, and the local trading communities they join discuss MT4. Network effects compound. The question for you is whether the seven feature differences that favour MT5 outweigh those network effects for your specific strategy.

The seven differences that matter:

Asset coverage. MT5 supports stocks, futures, options, and bonds alongside forex on broker-permitted feeds. MT4 is forex-and-CFD-only.
Timeframes. MT5 has 21 timeframes. MT4 has 9. If your strategy uses M2, M3, M6, M10, M12, M20, H2, H3, H6, H8, you need MT5.
Strategy tester. MT5 supports multi-currency and multi-symbol backtesting natively. MT4 backtests one symbol per run.
Netting vs hedging. MT5 supports both account modes; MT4 is hedging-only. Some regulators require netting for retail accounts.
Depth of market. MT5 displays Level 2 order book where the broker provides it. MT4 does not.
Programming language. MT5 uses MQL5 (object-oriented), MT4 uses MQL4 (procedural). A developer fluent in C++ adapts to MQL5 faster.
EA library. MT4 has a vast accumulated library (10+ years), MT5 a much smaller but growing one. If your strategy depends on a specific MT4-only EA, the platform choice is made for you.

🎯 Expert Tip — The Five-Question Decision Tree

Answer in order, stop at the first decisive answer. (1) Do I trade stocks, futures, or options alongside forex? If yes, MT5. (2) Does my strategy require timeframes outside M1, M5, M15, M30, H1, H4, D1, W1, MN? If yes, MT5. (3) Does my strategy require multi-symbol or multi-currency backtesting? If yes, MT5. (4) Am I using a specific EA that exists only on MT4? If yes, MT4. (5) Is my entire trading network and learning material on MT4? If yes, default to MT4 unless (1)-(3) overrides.

Section 2 — The Five Migration Decisions

1. If you are starting fresh, default to MT5

A new trader with no existing EA portfolio, no indicator library, no network commitment to MT4 should start on MT5. The platform is more capable, MQL5 is more modern, and asset coverage is broader. The only argument for starting on MT4 is the network-effect of community resources, and that argument weakens every year.

⚠️ Concern — Do Not Migrate Mid-Strategy

Migrating from MT4 to MT5 mid-strategy is the most common cause of self-inflicted execution problems. The platforms have different MQL languages, different chart-data structures, different trade-history formats. An EA tested on three years of MT4 data does not behave identically on MT5 — the backtest will be different, the live performance will be different, and you will spend three months re-validating something you previously trusted. If you have a working MT4 strategy and no specific MT5 feature need, do not migrate.

2. Multi-asset traders should be on MT5, period

If you trade indices, commodities, stocks, or futures alongside forex on Tickmill, you need MT5. MT4 does not natively support those classes; the workarounds (CFDs only, no real underlying) limit your strategy options.

3. Account-mode matters and most traders never check

MT5 supports both hedging mode (multiple positions same instrument) and netting mode (one net position per instrument). MT4 is hedging-only. Some regimes require netting and the trader does not realise until they try to open a hedge and the platform refuses. Confirm your account mode at signup.

💡 Pro Tip — Run Both for One Month Before Committing

Tickmill allows multiple demo accounts in parallel. Open one MT4 demo and one MT5 demo on the same Tickmill profile. Trade your normal strategy on both for a month. Compare workflow, charting, order entry speed, and platform stability. The decision after a month of side-by-side use is more reliable than any feature-comparison table.

4. VPS-hosted EAs should be on MT5

If you run EAs on a VPS, MT5's architecture is more efficient — lower CPU usage per chart, better multi-thread support, faster strategy-tester throughput on multi-core boxes. MT4's single-thread legacy makes a difference once you run more than a handful of EAs.

5. Stay on MT4 if your strategy is forex-only and EA-driven

If you have a tested MT4 EA portfolio you are happy with, your timeframes are within MT4's nine, you do not need depth-of-market or netting, and you are not adding multi-asset trading — there is no reason to migrate. MT4 is mature, stable, well-supported, and will be on Tickmill for the foreseeable future.

Section 3 — Insights From the Usage Data

EA marketplace inertia is the largest factor. Roughly 80 percent of paid EAs in the major marketplaces are MT4-only. If your strategy depends on a purchased EA, the platform choice was made when you bought it.

The MT5 indicator library has caught up. By 2026, the most-used indicators are available on both platforms. The indicator gap that existed in 2018 is mostly closed. The EA gap remains.

Strategy tester quality is decisively in MT5's favour. MT4's tester accepts one symbol, no multi-thread, and a tick model the documentation acknowledges as approximate. MT5's tester runs multi-symbol, multi-thread, with real-tick data. If your work involves backtesting, MT5 is the better tool by a meaningful margin.

⏰ Insider Note — The MT4 Sunset Question

MetaQuotes has not announced an MT4 sunset date as of early 2026, and Tickmill has committed to supporting MT4 for the foreseeable future. But the trajectory is clear: MetaQuotes' development effort is overwhelmingly on MT5, and at some point in the late 2020s or early 2030s, MT4 will reach legacy-only status. New traders with five-plus-year horizons should weigh that. Active traders making decisions today still have years of MT4 runway.

FAQ

Can I move my MT4 trade history to MT5? No. The trade history formats are incompatible and the data structures differ. You can manually import statement data for journaling but cannot replay or re-test history on the other platform.

Does Tickmill charge differently on MT4 vs MT5? No. Pricing is identical across platforms — the difference is platform-feature, not cost.

Which platform has faster execution on Tickmill? Order-routing speed is identical because the underlying LP connection is the same. Platform-side rendering is marginally faster on MT5 due to multi-thread support.

Should I migrate if I am happy on MT4? No. Migrate when you have a specific reason — multi-asset trading, multi-currency backtesting, netting-mode requirement — not because MT5 is "newer."

Bottom Line

🔥 Watch-Out — Five MT4-vs-MT5 Decisions That Cost Time

✗ Migrating an EA portfolio without recompiling and re-validating in MT5 — same source code does not produce identical behaviour.

✗ Choosing a platform without checking whether your educator or community uses the same one.

✗ Buying a paid EA without verifying it has an MT5 build before committing to MT5.

✗ Setting up MT5 in netting mode when your strategy requires hedging.

✗ Backtesting MT4 strategies on MT4's tester only — the tick model is approximate.

Avoiding these saves the three months of re-work most cross-platform migrators end up doing.

Both platforms work. The question is which works for your specific strategy and tooling. Discretionary forex on existing MT4 tooling: MT4. Multi-asset, multi-currency, systematic, netting-required, or depth-of-market: MT5. Tickmill supports both with identical pricing and execution quality.