ECN, STP and market-maker accounts: what should an EA user compare?

Account labels describe a broker’s offering, but they do not tell you every detail of a particular order’s route. For an EA, observable symbol rules and execution conditions are more useful than assuming a label guarantees better fills.

Start with the tradeable quote

Record Bid, Ask and the time of the quote around your strategy’s active session. Compare the same instrument specification: two gold symbols may differ in contract size, trading hours or minimum volume.

Compare the complete cost

A narrow displayed spread plus commission can cost more or less than a wider spread without a separate commission. Use the same hypothetical lot and holding period, including overnight financing where relevant. Do not add spread twice to realised fills.

Ask questions that can be answered

Ask the broker which execution modes and filling policies apply, whether stop distances change and how rejected or partially filled requests are handled. Read the account’s execution policy rather than treating an advertising term as a technical guarantee.

Keep your comparison reproducible

Build a table of server, symbol, contract, spread observations, commission and execution mode. MQLume source projects give you a place to inspect how requests are formed and adapt symbol handling; they cannot make different broker environments identical.

Reference and further reading

Start with a free editable EA project · Explore MQLume source code

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