Free crypto EAs
The crypto collection lists files named for Bitcoin, Ethereum and crypto in general. These are MetaTrader robots trading a broker's crypto CFD, which is a different animal from a bot on an exchange. This post explains the difference and what forex strategies survive the move to BTCUSD.
What you are trading
On MetaTrader, BTCUSD is a contract for difference priced from exchange feeds. You never hold coins, you can short freely, and the broker sets the spread, the swap and the trading hours. Most brokers now quote crypto 24/7 including weekends, but some pause at the weekend, and the gap on Monday can be large. An EA written for exchange APIs cannot run here; only MQL EAs can, which is what this collection contains.
Three costs that change everything
- Spread. BTCUSD spreads are typically $20 to $60 at a retail broker, which is 0.05% or more of price. Scalping strategies from forex do not survive that.
- Swap. Overnight financing on crypto CFDs is often high and charged daily, including weekends. Any strategy that holds for days pays for it.
- Lot value. One lot of BTCUSD is usually one bitcoin. At 0.01 lots a $1,000 move is $10; at 0.1 it is $100. Set lots from the stop distance, never from forex habits.
What transfers from forex
| Strategy | On crypto CFDs |
|---|---|
| Trend following on H4 and D1 | Works best; crypto trends are long and violent |
| Volatility breakout with ATR stops | Works; fixed-pip stops do not |
| Grid and martingale | Dangerous; 20% days are common |
| M1 to M5 scalping | Spread kills it |
| Session breakout | Weak; there is no session structure |
Weekend risk
If your broker pauses crypto over the weekend, positions cannot be managed while the underlying market moves. If it trades through, liquidity is thin and spreads widen. Either way, the safest habit for a crypto EA is a rule that reduces or closes exposure late Friday, which is one time-filter block in the EA Builder.
Testing a crypto EA
- Use your broker's own history; crypto CFD prices differ noticeably between brokers.
- Include a crash month and a rally month. Both exist every year.
- Set the tester spread to the real average and add swap.
- Size the deposit to the equity drawdown in a crash month.
For the strategy families that suit crypto, see the trend and breakout collections.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run these EAs on Binance or another exchange?
No. They are MetaTrader programs and trade the crypto CFDs your MT4 or MT5 broker offers, not exchange accounts.
Does a crypto EA trade on weekends?
Only if your broker quotes crypto at the weekend. Check the symbol specification for trading hours and the EA for a weekend filter.
What lot size for BTCUSD?
Work backwards from the stop: decide the money you can lose on one trade, divide by the stop distance in dollars, and that is the lot size. Crypto lots are much larger in value than forex lots.
Do forex grid EAs work on crypto?
Rarely. A 20 percent daily move blows through most grids. Trend and breakout systems with ATR stops transfer much better.