Free trade copier: where the cost shows up
Free trade copiers exist, and for one pair of accounts some of them are fine. The useful question is where the cost shows up instead of the invoice.
Where a free copier's cost shows up
Free trade copiers exist, and for one pair of accounts some are fine. The cost moves somewhere other than the invoice.
- A machine that stays on
- Desktop copiers need a computer awake every session, or a rented VPS
- Your time
- A local process that stops doesn't announce it, so you keep checking
- Account limits
- Free tiers often stop at one leader and one follower
- Commission rebates
- Some are paid for by broker routing, so the price sits in your fills
When free is enough, and when it stops being
Two accounts, one platform, and you at the desk while you trade: a free desktop copier handles that.
Add a third account, funded accounts of different sizes or a strategy that fires overnight, and free starts needing a server, monitoring, or both.
- Wrong size on a 50K evaluation costs the evaluation fee
- Per-account sizing is what free tiers tend to leave out
Test any copier before you pay
Works on a free tool or a paid one.
- 01
Run it on sim
Point it at simulated accounts through real sessions, not a few test trades.
- 02
Fill in pieces
Place an order large enough to fill in parts. Check every follower at each step.
- 03
Mute one account
The rest should carry on, and the muted one should still be configured afterwards.
- 04
Stop it mid-position
If it closes anything you didn't close, rule it out.
- 05
Close your laptop
If copying stops, add a server to the real cost.
Quanify is paid, and here is what it costs
Copy Trader is $35/month for up to 3 follower accounts, $50 for up to 10 and $100 for unlimited. Yearly billing is 10× monthly, so two months are free.
Before copying to funded accounts, run the same setup on a simulated account or a Quanify paper account. The calculators on this site are free and need no account.
See pricingCommon questions
Short answers to what traders ask first. Anything else, the Help Center has it.
Is there a free trade copier for futures?
Yes, several, mostly desktop applications with a free tier limited to one leader and one follower. For two accounts on one platform while you're at the desk, that's often enough.
Is Quanify free?
No. Copy Trader is $35/month (up to 3 followers), $50 (up to 10) or $100 (unlimited), with two months free on yearly billing. You can test on a simulated account first, and the calculators here are free.
What is the catch with free trade copiers?
Usually one of four: the software runs on your machine so it must stay awake, the free tier caps at one follower, you do the monitoring yourself, or commission rebates put the cost in your fills.
Do I need a VPS for a free trade copier?
If it's desktop software and you trade while away from your desk, yes, or a computer of your own that stays on and connected every session.
When should I pay for a trade copier?
When you have more than two accounts, when they're different sizes, or when trades fire while you're away.
Can I test a paid copier without paying?
Point it at simulated or evaluation accounts and run it through real sessions. The configuration stays the same when you later point it at a funded account.
More on copy trading
Start on a simulated account. Go live when it earns it.
- Set up in minutes
- Nothing to download
- Paper account for testing
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