cTrader for prop firms: access, features and costs

What cTrader is

cTrader is made by Spotware, which describes itself as a developer of FX and CFD solutions for brokers and says its stack serves both brokers and prop firms. The platform runs as native Windows and macOS apps, iOS and Android apps, and a web version that needs no installation.

Around the trading screen, Spotware lists cTrader Algo for automated trading with cBots written in C#, cTrader Copy for copy trading, and a set of APIs: Open API, FIX API, a Reporting API, a Manager's API and a WebServices API. Those APIs are how a CRM or trader dashboard connects to the platform.

How a prop firm gets access

Spotware sells to brokers. Per its white label page, cTrader brokers can issue fully branded white labels, covering desktop, web, iOS and Android, to companies that want to run on an established broker's infrastructure. Spotware says this route is sometimes more cost-effective than being a direct Spotware customer.

For prop firms specifically, Spotware has announced partners that resell a cTrader prop white label. One example is B2Broker's cTrader White Label Prop Trading solution, which Spotware describes as including the cTrader infrastructure, a client cabinet, a liquidity or data feed, crypto processing and payment system integration. Naming a reseller here is for illustration only. Compare what each one includes before you sign.

Spotware's own guide to starting a prop firm lists back office features it offers firms, including account grouping, exposure analysis and automatic account suspension when a drawdown limit is breached.

Strengths and trade-offs

• Separate from MetaQuotes. cTrader access is set by Spotware and its brokers, so the MT5 licensing changes do not apply to it. Its own terms still do.
• Automation and copying are built in. cBots and cTrader Copy are part of the platform. Your rules need to say what you allow, for example on expert advisors and copy trading.
• Documented APIs. Several APIs are listed publicly, which helps when you connect a CRM and a trader dashboard.
• Access runs through a third party. With a white label, your firm depends on the broker or reseller that issued it. Their terms, pricing and stability become part of your risk.
• No public price list. Setup and monthly fees are quoted per deal, so you need written quotes from more than one provider.

Questions to ask the provider

• Who issues my white label, and does their agreement with Spotware allow prop firm use?
• Which countries can I serve, and are there restrictions on US traders?
• What is included: platform only, or also the client cabinet, risk engine, data feed and payment connections?
• How are my daily loss and trailing drawdown rules enforced, and in real time?
• Is the mobile app published under my brand?
• Can I export all trader and trade data if I leave?

What it costs

Spotware does not publish prices, so these are industry estimates: an estimated $3,000 to $31,000 to set up, and an estimated $2,000 to $5,000 a month. The spread is wide because packages differ in what they bundle. The cost table on this page shows each figure's source and the date we checked it. For a full budget, including your CRM, payments and KYC, use the launch cost calculator.

Where Prop Firm Studios fits

Prop Firm Studios does not build or resell trading platforms. On the Full Scale plan, we help a client choose a platform (for CFD firms, MT5 (through a license holder), cTrader, Match-Trader, TradeLocker or DXtrade; for futures firms, Rithmic, Tradovate, NinjaTrader or ProjectX), then set up and integrate the providers they choose, from the platform to the CRM, payments and KYC. Every provider bills the client directly. To compare cTrader with MT5, Match-Trader, TradeLocker and DXtrade, start from the tech stack overview, or read how to start a prop firm in 2026.