At a glance
The two are not the same kind of product. Match-Trader is sold to prop firms as a package; MetaTrader 5 is a trading platform you reach through a licence or a broker, with your prop software alongside it.
| Aspect | Match-Trader | MetaTrader 5 |
|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Licensed to prop firms by Match-Trade Technologies, which says it is not a broker and does not hold client funds 1. | Your own licence from MetaQuotes, or access through a broker that holds one 2 3. |
| Cost | Published packages: $2,500 a month (basic white label), $4,000 (turnkey), $5,000 (server) 1. In our experience, also a setup fee and two months paid in advance. | No published price. In our experience about $10,000 to $15,000 a month, with a broker backing you or a licence of your own; a Saint Lucia licence is accepted. |
| Prop features | Prop CRM for challenges, evaluation rules and trader management, multi-phase challenges, competitions and Match2Pay crypto payments 1. | A trading platform. Challenge rules, the trader dashboard and payouts usually come from separate prop software. |
| Hosting | Cloud hosting included in every package 1. | With your own main-label licence you run your own server, as Instant Funding does 3; through a broker, it runs on the broker's. |
| Your traders | Less familiar to traders coming from MetaTrader; firms can offer the full TradingView front-end instead 1. | The terminal many traders already know, which lowers the barrier to a first purchase. |
| Access risk | The vendor can end the licence: in 2024 Match-Trade gave SurgeTrader notice, and SurgeTrader closed 5. | In February 2024 brokers cut several prop firms off MetaTrader with little or no notice 2. |
Getting access: licence, broker or vendor
Match-Trader is sold to prop firms directly. You sign with Match-Trade Technologies, which states that it is not a broker and does not hold client funds 1, and its prop packages include the platform, a prop CRM and hosting.
MetaTrader 5 is harder. In February 2024 brokers that gave prop firms MetaTrader under grey-label licences, including Blackbull Markets and Purple Trading, cut them off; the affected firms cited active US accounts, and MetaQuotes did not publicly confirm its role 2.
Firms have since come back in two ways: their own main-label licence from MetaQuotes, as Instant Funding did, or a new broker partnership, as MyFundedFX did with Seacrest Markets 3. When Funding Pips returned in March 2025, an industry source told Finance Magnates that MetaQuotes accepts prop firms that license directly and do not serve US clients 4.
What each costs
Match-Trader publishes its prop packages: $2,500 a month for a basic white label, $4,000 for turnkey and $5,000 for a server licence, with pricing structured per account 1. In our experience there is also a setup fee, and Match-Trader asked for two months paid in advance.
MetaQuotes publishes no price. In our experience MT5 costs about $10,000 to $15,000 a month, and you need a broker backing you or a dedicated licence of your own; a Saint Lucia licence is accepted. On top of that comes the prop software that MT5 does not include.
Run your own numbersThe cost estimator turns the platform fee, payments, KYC and your payout reserve into a launch budget.Open the cost estimatorWhat prop firms use
Of the 194 prop firms we track, 59 list Match-Trader and 80 list MetaTrader 5 (MetaQuotes) on their own websites; 27 offer both.
Offering more than one platform is common. It widens the audience and gives the firm a fallback if a platform provider stops serving it.
What prop firms are built onEvery platform side by side, for all the prop firms we track, each linked to the firm's own page.See the full tableWhich to choose
- Match-Trader if you are launching your first forex or CFD firm, want challenges, a prop CRM and hosting from one vendor, and do not have a licence or a broker partner.
- MT5 if your target traders insist on MetaTrader, you can get a direct licence or a broker partnership, and your budget covers the licence plus separate prop software.
- Both once you have volume: many firms add MT5 later as a second platform rather than a launch one.