Does Sextant run with every MT5 broker?

Sextant is an MT5 program from the MQL5 Market and in principle runs with every broker that offers MetaTrader 5, on hedging and netting accounts. Algo Trading has to be allowed. It does not run with MT4-only brokers.

Do I need a hedging account?

For the full feature set, yes. A netting account holds one position per symbol, so splitting into up to three positions, hidden stops and lock are not available there, and while a position on the symbol is open, Sextant refuses a new entry – close or reverse it first. Risk sizing, lines, trade management and the guard work on netting as well.

How do I enter the commission?

As commission per lot. If in doubt, use the full round-turn commission (opening and closing), because both are charged when the stop is hit. The panel then errs on the cautious side. Our IC Markets fact box, for example, says: 3.50 USD/lot/side (MT, 7 USD round turn).

Why does Sextant refuse trades on my small account?

When the calculated lot size is below the minimum lot. With 1,000 USD, 0.5 % risk and a 60-pip stop on EURUSD the result is 0.008 lots – less than the usual minimum of 0.01. Sextant does not round up; it tells you why. Fixes: a tighter stop, accepting more risk, or an account with smaller lot units (cent or micro account).

When does the day start for the daily loss limit?

At midnight of your broker's server time, not your local time. You can see the server time in the MT5 Market Watch window and in Sextant's INFO tab. Prop firms also have their own definition of the trading day – compare the two.

Is Sextant suitable for prop-firm accounts?

If the prop firm offers MT5 and allows utilities, yes – the guard with daily loss limit, equity floor and lockable values is built for exactly that. Check the firm's rules on third-party tools and on how the daily loss is calculated before you rely on it.

Brokers for the Sextant Trade Panel (MT5)

This page also contains partner links to brokers; we receive commissions for them.

A trade panel like Sextant sizes the position from your risk – and the ingredients of that calculation come from the broker: pip value, commission, minimum stop distance, volume step, server time. A broker that is good for an Expert Advisor is usually good for a panel too. A few points weigh more here than usual, though. This page goes through them one by one and ends with the reviewed brokers we recommend.

MetaTrader 5 is a must

Sextant is an MT5 program. A broker that only offers MT4 is out. Most brokers in our reviews offer MT5; the table below shows which. You have to allow Algo Trading in the terminal. Whether a broker allows EAs without restrictions is in the fact box of every review under "EAs / scalping / hedging"; some prop firms add their own limits on third-party programs.

Hedging or netting

MT5 has two account modes. In hedging mode a symbol can hold several positions, including opposite ones. In netting mode all trades on a symbol are merged into one position.

For Sextant this means: on netting, splitting into up to three positions with a target ladder, hidden stops and lock are not available. Sextant also refuses a new entry on netting while a position on the symbol is open – close or reverse it first. If you want those, open a hedging account. Many brokers run MT5 accounts in hedging mode, but some accounts are netting – Sextant shows the mode in the INFO tab under "Account".

Commission per lot belongs in the risk input

On raw or ECN accounts you pay a commission per lot on top of the spread. When the stop is hit, it is part of the loss. Sextant can include it in the lot size – but then you have to enter it correctly.

Two examples from our fact boxes: IC Markets charges 3.50 USD/lot/side (MT, 7 USD round turn), Fusion Markets 2.25 USD/lot/side (Zero, 4.50 USD round-turn). If in doubt, enter the full round-turn commission (opening and closing), because both are charged. The panel then errs on the cautious side.

What it changes: with 10,000 USD, 1 % risk and an 18.6-pip stop on EURUSD you get 0.53 lots without commission. With an assumed 7 USD round turn per lot it is 0.51 lots. The tighter the stop, the bigger the commission's share of the loss: with a 5-pip stop, 7 USD of commission comes on top of 50 USD of price loss per lot. How the lot size is built is explained in the guide position sizing and risk per trade.

Stops level and freeze level: they matter for tight stops

The stops level is the minimum distance a stop or target must keep from the current price. The freeze level is the distance within which an order may no longer be modified. The broker sets both per symbol.

For a panel with tight stops, break-even and trailing, a stops and freeze level of 0 is ideal. If it is higher, Sextant refuses a stop that is too tight before sending, and break-even or trailing can only move the stop once there is enough distance to price. You can see both values in the INFO tab and in the MT5 symbol properties. Check them on a demo account with the broker, for the symbols you trade.

With hidden stops, the stops level does not apply to the hidden stop – it is not at the broker. It still applies to the safety stop at the broker.

Volume step and minimum lot: decisive on small accounts

Sextant rounds the lot size down to the volume step. On small accounts that quickly becomes a limit. Two calculations on EURUSD (10 USD per pip and lot):

1,000 USD, 1 % risk, 30-pip stop: 10 USD ÷ 300 USD per lot = 0.033 → 0.03 lots. Actual risk 9 USD.
1,000 USD, 0.5 % risk, 60-pip stop: 5 USD ÷ 600 USD per lot = 0.008 → below 0.01 lots. Sextant refuses the trade instead of rounding up.

With a minimum lot and step of 0.01, this means: below roughly 1,000 USD there is little room for wide stops, and rounding eats a noticeable part of the planned risk. Cent or micro accounts with smaller lot units solve that; which accounts a broker offers is in our reviews. Sextant shows minimum lot, step and maximum in the INFO tab.

Server time: when the guard's day starts

The guard measures the daily loss limit from the balance at the start of the day, and the block after a hit lasts until the server day changes. "Day" here means the broker's server time. Many brokers run their servers in a different time zone from yours. The new day then starts at server midnight, not at midnight on your clock.

That is not a drawback, you just need to know it: if you trade late at night your time, the server day can change in the middle of your session – and the limit resets. Sextant's INFO tab shows the server time.

Swap

If you hold positions overnight, the broker books swap. It is not part of the lot size – it depends on how long you hold. It does change your result, though, and on positions that run for several days it can add up. Sextant shows swap long and short in the INFO tab. Whether a broker offers swap-free accounts is in its fact box; for IC Markets, for example: yes (Islamic).

Prop-firm accounts on MT5

The guard is built with prop-firm rules in mind: daily loss limit, equity floor, max open risk, lockable values and the limit check before the trade: it does not let a trade through if the stops of all open positions, together with its stop-out, could break the daily limit, and while a position without a stop is open it refuses new trades. Three things you still have to check yourself:

Platform: does the prop firm offer MT5?
Third-party tools: does it allow utilities and EAs from the MQL5 Market?
Calculation: is its daily loss based on balance or equity at the start of the day, and when does its day start? Set the guard a little tighter than the firm's rule.

Our prop-firm reviews are under prop firms reviewed, the basics in the guide passing a prop-firm challenge with an EA.

Is the terminal running? The VPS point

Hidden stops, break-even, partial close, trailing and the guard run in the terminal, not at the broker. If your computer is off, none of it works. Some brokers provide a free VPS above a certain volume. What a VPS has to do for a panel, and when the broker's free VPS is enough, is in the guide VPS for a trade panel.

Which brokers we recommend for Sextant

The cards show our partner brokers in a fixed editorial order – this is advertising, and the expandable note explains how the order is built. All of them offer MT5. The rating next to each is produced with the same criteria for every broker. The table below lists every reviewed broker with MT5, including those we have no partnership with.

Advertisement · Our recommendations

Our broker recommendations (partners)

The brokers we use for EA trading ourselves and have an affiliate partnership with — in editorial order. The rating next to each is produced with the same criteria for every broker.

How this order is builtpartners first · as of 01 October 2026

Selection: only the 6 brokers we have an active affiliate partnership with. Every other reviewed broker is in the table further down.
Order — partner influence: yes: A fixed editorial order of our recommendations, any further partners after that by rating. If you open an account via a partner link we earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Rating — partner influence: no: Weighted average of Costs 20%, Execution 20%, Algo suitability 20%, Regulation 15%, Conditions 15%, Deposits & support 10%, the same for every broker. Commissions do not count, and no rating is raised for partners. Methodology →
As of: 01 October 2026

IC MarketsPartner
4.6
Regulation
ASIC, CySEC, FSA
Min. deposit
0 USD
Commission
3.50 USD/lot/side
Read review Visit broker
BlackBull MarketsPartner
4.4
Regulation
NZ FSP register, FSA
Min. deposit
0 USD
Commission
3.00 USD/lot/side
Read review Visit broker
RoboForexPartner
4.3
Regulation
FSC Belize
Min. deposit
10 USD
Commission
20 USD per 1M USD volume per side — round turn ≈ 4 USD per lot
Read review Visit broker
Fusion MarketsPartner
4.4
Regulation
ASIC, VFSC, FSA
Min. deposit
0 USD
Commission
2.25 USD/lot/side
Read review Visit broker
Vantage MarketsPartner
4.3
Regulation
FSC Mauritius, FSCA, ASIC +1
Min. deposit
50 USD
Commission
3.00 USD/lot/side
Read review Visit broker
EightcapPartner
4.1
Regulation
CySEC, ASIC, FCA +1
Min. deposit
100 USD
Commission
3.50 USD / 2.75 EUR / 2.25 GBP per lot per side
Read review Visit broker

What the recommendations bring to a panel, per our fact boxes:

IC Markets (rating 4.6): commission 3.50 USD/lot/side (MT, 7 USD round turn); EAs, scalping, hedging: unrestricted; free VPS: yes (IC VPS from 15 lots FX/metals per month, Global entity).
BlackBull Markets (rating 4.4): commission 3.00 USD/lot/side (6 USD RT, ECN Prime; Prime+ with rebate); EAs, scalping, hedging: unrestricted; free VPS: yes (from 2,000 USD deposit & 20 lots/month, otherwise 25 USD/month).
RoboForex (rating 4.3): minimum deposit 10 USD; EAs, scalping, hedging: unrestricted; free VPS: yes (from 300 USD equity + 3 lots/month; otherwise 5 USD/month).
Fusion Markets (rating 4.4): commission 2.25 USD/lot/side (Zero, 4.50 USD round-turn); EAs, scalping, hedging: unrestricted.
Vantage (rating 4.3): commission 3.00 USD/lot/side (RAW ECN, 6 USD round turn); EAs, scalping, hedging: EAs explicitly supported · scalping/hedging not explicitly addressed on the official pages.
Eightcap (rating 4.1): commission 3.50 USD / 2.75 EUR / 2.25 GBP per lot per side (Raw, 7 USD round turn); EAs, scalping, hedging: EAs and scalping permitted (EU) · latency arbitrage prohibited.

Hedging or netting, stops level and volume step are not in our fact boxes, because they can differ by account and symbol. Check them on a demo account with Sextant's INFO tab before you deposit real money.

All reviewed MT5 brokers

Advertising notice: our recommendations come first — brokers we have an affiliate partnership with (marked "Partner"). If you open an account via such a link we earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. The star rating is independent of this and uses the same weighted criteria for every broker. Choose "Rating" to sort purely by score.