Glossary
Expert Advisor (EA)
An Expert Advisor is an automated trading program that runs in MetaTrader 4 and places trades for you based on coded rules.
An Expert Advisor (EA) is a program that automates a trading strategy in MetaTrader 4. Attached to a chart with AutoTrading on, it opens, manages, and closes trades by itself according to its coded rules — no clicking required.
EAs are written in MQL4 and run only on the desktop terminal (not mobile). Before going live, they should be backtested and demo-tested, and ideally run on a VPS for 24/5 uptime.
EAs carry real risk — they follow their rules even when those rules are wrong — and no EA guarantees profit. Read our full MT4 Expert Advisors guide.
Related terms
Back to the full MT4 & forex glossary. Trading is high-risk — see our risk warning.