MetaTrader 4 is the most widely used retail forex trading platform in the world — used by millions of traders across hundreds of brokers globally. Launched in 2005 by MetaQuotes Software, it has become the industry standard for retail forex trading and the foundation on which the entire retail automated trading ecosystem has been built over the past two decades.

The platform’s MQL4 programming language allows traders to build custom expert advisors — automated trading robots that execute strategies without human intervention. The MetaTrader Market and MQL5 community provide access to thousands of free and paid EAs and indicators created by the global trading community. For traders who want to automate their strategies or access the largest ecosystem of community-built tools, MT4 remains the default choice in 2026.