# Broker compatibility

URL: https://docs.fxapis.com/guides/broker-compatibility

> fxapis works with any MetaTrader 5 broker or prop firm, demo or live: what you need to connect an account, how the server search works, what differs from…



fxapis works with **any MetaTrader 5 broker**: demo and live accounts, retail
brokers and prop firms. There is no list of supported brokers to check and no
broker partnership behind it. If an account can sign in to the MetaTrader 5
app with a login, a password and a server name, fxapis can connect it the
same way.

## What you need [#what-you-need]

Three things from the account, the same ones you would type into MetaTrader 5:

|                      | What it is                                                                                                                                                                  |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Login**            | The MT5 account number, digits only. Not the email you use at the broker's client portal.                                                                                   |
| **Trading password** | The account's main (master) password. The **investor** password is read-only: the account connects, but every order is refused.                                             |
| **Server name**      | The broker's trade server the account lives on, exactly as MetaTrader shows it, including capitals, hyphens and any number at the end. Demo and live are different servers. |

How to find the server name on desktop, mobile and in the broker's email:
[Connect MT5 accounts → Server](/guides/connect-accounts#server-exactly-as-metatrader-shows-it),
and the blog posts
[How to find your MT5 broker server name](https://fxapis.com/blog/find-mt5-broker-server-name)
and [MT5 investor password vs trading password](https://fxapis.com/blog/mt5-investor-password-vs-trading-password).

On a free trial, only **demo** accounts can be connected; live accounts need a
paid plan.

## The server search [#the-server-search]

The console's connect form and
[`GET /v1/brokers/servers`](/accounts#get-v1brokersservers) suggest servers as you type a broker's
name or the start of a server name. The suggestions are the servers accounts on
fxapis have logged in to, plus the servers MetaQuotes' broker directory returns
for the broker you search for.

**If your server does not appear, type it exactly and connect anyway.** The
search only suggests; it never refuses a name. Brokers add and rename servers,
and a new one may not be in the directory yet. If the name turns out to be
wrong, the account shows the broker's other servers to choose from, and you can
move it to the right one without entering the password again. See
[Accounts → States](/accounts#states).

## What varies by broker [#what-varies-by-broker]

The API is the same for every broker. These are the broker's settings, and
fxapis reports them rather than changing them:

* **Symbol names.** The same market has different names: `XAUUSD` at one broker, `XAUUSD.m`,
  `XAUUSDm` or `GOLD` at others. Send the broker's own `symbol`, or a standard `instrument` and let
  fxapis find the broker's symbol. See [Instruments](/instruments).
* **Netting or hedging.** A hedging account holds one position per order; a netting account holds one
  position per symbol, so an opposite order reduces it. The account's `marginMode` says which.
  Copy trading works between hedging accounts only. See [Accounts](/accounts) and
  [Trading](/trading).
* **Trading hours.** Each broker sets its own sessions per symbol, and its server clock is often not
  UTC. Read them with [Market hours](/instruments#market-hours).
* **Minimum lot and lot step.** `volumeMin`, `volumeStep` and `volumeMax` come from the broker for each
  symbol ([A broker's symbols](/instruments#a-brokers-symbols)). A volume outside them is rejected by
  the broker.
* **Login requirements.** Accounts that need two-factor sign-in or a client certificate are reported
  as `needs_2fa` or `needs_certificate` when they connect. Some brokers disable trading on a login,
  reported as `trading_disabled`. See [Accounts → States](/accounts#states).

## Broker and prop firm terms [#broker-and-prop-firm-terms]

Some brokers and prop firms restrict third-party software, API or Expert
Advisor access, or logins from datacenter IP addresses. fxapis runs MetaTrader 5
for you in our EU cloud, so the broker sees the login coming from our servers,
not from your computer. **Check your broker's or firm's terms; they decide.**
Our [Terms](https://fxapis.com/legal/terms) ask you to connect only accounts
whose broker allows access through third-party software or an API.

Try a **demo** account at the same broker first: it shows the server, the
symbols and the account type before any real money is involved.

## MT4 is not supported [#mt4-is-not-supported]

fxapis is MetaTrader 5 only. MetaTrader 4 accounts cannot be connected.

## Related [#related]

* [Connect MT5 accounts](/guides/connect-accounts) — login, password, server, and checking them at once.
* [Instruments](/instruments) — one name for a market at every broker.
* [Accounts](/accounts) — modes, states and the server search.