Snapback Pro EA is a grid EA that trades up to 20 pairs from one chart. It waits until price runs far beyond the previous day's range, enters against it on the first pullback and works the basket until it can be closed in profit with a trailing stop. Almost all of that – grid orders, basket stop, drawdown reduction – is done by the EA itself, and only while the terminal is running. That is why it belongs on a VPS.
What the EA does around the clock
- Watching: on the signal timeframe (H1 by default) it checks whether a pair closes beyond its stretch level.
- Virtual entry order: it does not sit at the broker, only inside the EA, and trails price at the pullback distance.
- Grid: if price runs against an open basket, it adds positions at fixed steps.
- Basket stop: once the basket is far enough in profit, it places a stop on all positions and trails it.
- Drawdown reduction: three methods close the worst entry with the profit of newer positions.
- Every pair: a timer checks all pairs of the set every second (1,000 ms by default), even when no tick arrives on the chart symbol.
What happens when the terminal is offline
| While the terminal is offline | Consequence |
|---|---|
| New entries | do not happen; the virtual entry order only lives inside the EA |
| Grid orders | are not placed – the basket does not grow, but it is not managed either |
| Basket stop | a stop that already sits at the broker stays, but is not trailed |
| Drawdown methods | do not run |
| Equity stop (if switched on) | is not monitored |
| Open positions | stay open and move with the market – without a stop loss per position |
The last row is the important one: the positions of a grid basket have no stop loss, and the set files use no equity stop. If the terminal is offline during a strong move, nothing can step in.
Optionally there is an emergency stop per position at the broker ("Broker-side emergency stop per position"), which also works while the EA is offline. It is off by default and not set in the sets; if you switch it on, it closes grid positions at a loss and so changes how the grid behaves. Test that in the Strategy Tester first.
Three options: MQL5 VPS, your own VPS, the broker's free VPS
MQL5 VPS from the terminal
MetaTrader 5 offers its own virtual hosting, which you rent directly from the terminal. Charts and programs are migrated there and keep running on a copy of the terminal. For an EA you start and leave alone, that is convenient.
For Snapback it has a catch: the virtual terminal has no interface you can click. The dashboard buttons – PAUSE, CLOSE BUY, CLOSE SELL, CLOSE ALL and the per-pair switches in the portfolio table – are not available there. If you want to be able to switch a pair off or close a basket by hand, a Windows VPS with Remote Desktop is the safer choice.
Your own Windows VPS
A Windows server at a hosting provider, running your terminal, which you connect to via Remote Desktop. You see the dashboard and the portfolio table just as you would at home – except that the terminal keeps running when you close the window.
Independent providers start at $6.50 a month (Hyonix, Windows licence included). Which providers we recommend for MetaTrader is in the forex VPS comparison.
The broker's free VPS
Many brokers provide a free VPS once you meet a deposit or volume threshold. Technically it is your own Windows VPS, just tied to that one broker account. The conditions per broker, verbatim from our fact boxes:
| Broker | Rating | VPS per fact box |
|---|---|---|
| IC Markets | 4.6 | yes (IC VPS from 15 lots FX/metals per month, Global entity) |
| Axi | 4.4 | yes (15 lots in the previous month or 500 USD starting deposit, on request) |
| BlackBull Markets | 4.4 | yes (from 2,000 USD deposit & 20 lots/month, otherwise 25 USD/month) |
| Fusion Markets | 4.4 | yes (more than 20 lots FX/metals within 30 days — fee is charged up front and refunded) |
| FxPro | 4.4 | VIP accounts only (typically from ~50,000 USD deposit), otherwise 30 USD/month |
| IC Trading | 4.4 | yes (IC VPS from 15 lots FX/metals per month) |
| Pepperstone | 4.4 | pro clients with minimum volume only (EU/DE: ≥ 1M USD notional in 60 days) |
| Darwinex | 4.3 | no — VPS via partner BeeksFX (LD4, cross-connected) |
| RoboForex | 4.3 | yes (from 300 USD equity + 3 lots/month; otherwise 5 USD/month) |
| Vantage Markets | 4.3 | yes (from 1,000 USD deposit + 0.5M USD monthly volume: up to 25 USD refund; from 1M USD: up to 50 USD) |
| Admirals | 4.2 | yes, from 5,000 EUR equity in the live account (Equinix data centres) |
| Tickmill | 4.2 | via partner / volume-based (no permanent in-house free VPS) |
| Eightcap | 4.1 | no (no proprietary free VPS documented) |
| FP Trading | 4.1 | available (London data centre, sign-up via form; costs/free-use conditions not stated) |
| IG | 4.1 | yes, from 6,000 EUR MT4 account balance (otherwise 50 EUR/month), hosted by Beeks in London |
| VT Markets | 4.1 | refund from 1,000 USD deposit: ≥ 0.5M USD monthly volume up to 25 USD, > 1M USD up to 50 USD |
| Ultima Markets | 4.0 | yes (from 1,000 USD deposit + 1M USD monthly volume, refund up to 50 USD) |
| XM Group | 4.0 | free from 500 USD balance + 2 round-turn lots within 30 days, otherwise 28 USD/month – VPS terms of XM Global Ltd (version 11/2024, still published unchanged on 30 Sep 2026); the EU website does not advertise a VPS |
What is behind the thresholds and when a paid VPS is the better deal is explained in brokers with a free VPS.
How big does the VPS need to be?
Snapback runs as one EA on one chart, even when it trades up to 20 pairs. By default it checks entries and the grid on a new bar only. A small VPS is enough for one terminal with Snapback; if other terminals or EAs run on it, size it for those. The sizes are in VPS for Expert Advisors.
More important than size:
- Guaranteed resources rather than oversold cores, so the terminal does not freeze in hectic markets.
- Proximity to your broker's trading server. Grid orders and closes are market orders. Where the brokers' servers are is shown in our overview of broker server locations.
- Stability: schedule Windows updates in a maintenance window and have the terminal start automatically after a reboot.
Setting it up in seven steps
- On the VPS, install your broker's MetaTrader 5 and log in to the trading account (hedging account, save the login).
- Install Snapback Pro EA from the MQL5 Market in that terminal.
- Show all pairs of your set in Market Watch so the terminal loads their prices.
- Open one CADJPY chart (M15), attach Snapback, tick "Allow Algo Trading" and load the set file for your account size.
- Switch on "Algo Trading" in the toolbar and check that the portfolio table lists every pair of the set.
- Set up push notifications in the terminal if you switch the equity stop on – it then reports a stop to your phone.
- Close the Remote Desktop session, do not log off – otherwise Windows shuts the terminal down.
If you later want to move the terminal to another server, portable mode makes it easy. When moving: the set runs on one chart only, so switch the old instance off before the new one starts.
Bottom line
Snapback Pro EA manages grid baskets without a stop loss per position – that must not depend on whether your PC happens to be on. A small Windows VPS or your broker's free VPS is enough for one terminal with one chart. The provider comparison is under best forex VPS, the matching brokers in best brokers for Snapback Pro EA.
Snapback Pro EA on MQL5· 99 USDOur own product · not a partner link, we earn from salesRead next: Snapback Pro EA explained · VPS for Expert Advisors