Free MT4 expert advisors
The free MT4 EAs collection is every .ex4 robot in the channel. MetaTrader 4 stopped getting new features years ago, yet the pool of free MT4 robots is still larger than MT5, because a decade of EAs was written for it. This post explains why that matters, what ages badly, and what to check before trusting an old file.
Why MT4 still dominates free EAs
MQL4 was the language of the retail EA boom. Thousands of scalpers, grids and martingales were written, sold, cracked and shared between 2010 and 2020, and they never get ported to MT5 because the authors moved on. When someone shares an old favourite, it is almost always an .ex4. If you want breadth, MT4 has it.
What ages badly in an old .ex4
- Build compatibility. Files compiled before MT4 build 600 (2014) will not run on a current terminal at all. Files from that era often show "old version" in the Experts log.
- Hard-coded spreads and stops. An EA tuned for a 2-pip EURUSD spread on a 4-digit broker can misbehave on a 5-digit ECN account. Look for a "digits" or "point multiplier" input.
- Licence and expiry checks. Many commercial EAs carry an account-number or date lock. A free copy may silently refuse to trade after a date. The tester will show zero trades.
- DLL calls. If the EA asks to allow DLL imports, it depends on an external library that is probably missing. Most legitimate strategies never need a DLL.
Where to run MT4 today
Most brokers still offer MT4 alongside MT5, though a few have stopped opening new MT4 accounts. If your broker is MT5-only, the choice is to find the MT5 build of the same strategy in the MT5 collection, rebuild the idea in the EA Builder (which outputs both), or keep a second broker for MT4.
Using the collection
- Search the name or scan by month. Newest posts are on top.
- Open the file page for install steps and related files, or tap the arrow to jump to the Telegram post.
- Install into MQL4/Experts: the install guide.
- Test with "Every tick" modelling and a realistic spread before demo.
For strategy-specific lists that include MT4 files, see scalpers, grids and gold.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert an .ex4 to .ex5?
No. Compiled files cannot be converted. Only source code (.mq4) can be ported to MQL5, and that is a rewrite, not a conversion.
Why does an old EA show "old version" in the log?
It was compiled for a MetaTrader 4 build before 600 and cannot run on a modern terminal. There is no fix without the source.
Do I need a 4-digit broker for old EAs?
Not usually, but check for a point-multiplier or digits input. On a 5-digit broker, a pip is 10 points and old EAs sometimes treat it as 1.
Is MT4 going away?
MetaQuotes no longer develops it, but brokers still run it and it works. Expect fewer new MT4 files over time and more MT5 ones.