PropExecutor vs cTrader: the honest comparison for a new prop firm
cTrader is a genuinely good terminal - but its prop-firm setup is a monthly white-label fee, a third-party rule engine you bolt on, and your own liquidity to arrange. Here is how it stacks up against one payment.
The PropExecutor Team · · Updated · 9 min read
Frequently asked questions
- How much does cTrader cost for a prop firm?
- cTrader is licensed to firms, not sold outright, and Spotware publishes no price for prop firms (spotware.com/prop-firms, checked 3 October 2026). Pricing is by quote, so ask Spotware or a cTrader partner for a written figure that covers setup, any monthly minimum and any volume fee, and add the cost of a challenge engine on top.
- Does cTrader include a prop firm challenge engine?
- No native one. cTrader is the trading platform; the challenge logic - profit target, daily loss, drawdown enforcement - is added through a third-party engine such as Brokeree Prop Pulse or built yourself on the cTrader Open API. That is an extra vendor and an extra cost on top of the platform fee.
- How is PropExecutor different from cTrader for a startup firm?
- PropExecutor is one payment from $129 that already includes the rule engine, the trader dashboard, branding, bulk provisioning and the API. cTrader is a monthly platform fee plus a separate rule engine plus your own liquidity arrangement. The cTrader route is more moving parts and a recurring bill; PropExecutor is a single finished product.
- Do I need to arrange my own liquidity with cTrader?
- Generally yes. cTrader is a platform only, so you supply your own broker or liquidity relationship, a bridge and market data. For the evaluation phase that is overhead a firm running simulated challenges does not necessarily need, and it is one more monthly relationship to manage.
- What is the cheapest way to start, cTrader or PropExecutor?
- PropExecutor, at the entry point. A cTrader start is a quoted licence plus a challenge engine, before liquidity, and Spotware publishes no price. PropExecutor's Starter plan is $129 once for 50 accounts with no monthly fee and the rule engine included.
- Is cTrader's terminal better than PropExecutor's?
- cTrader has a polished, well-regarded terminal and a large existing trader base. PropExecutor gives traders a full web and mobile terminal with charts, an order ticket, live P&L and fill history, plus the prop dashboard inside every account. For running evaluations, having the dashboard and rules native in the same login matters more than terminal prestige.
- Can I get a branded mobile app on both?
- cTrader ships native iOS and Android apps as part of its offering; ask Spotware what branding them costs, since it publishes no price. On PropExecutor, a mobile app is included from the Basic plan and white-label-ready on Growth, without a separate app-store setup line.
- Does PropExecutor have an API like cTrader's Open API?
- Yes. PropExecutor ships a REST and WebSocket API on every account on every plan, with no tier gate, for provisioning and automation. Unlike building challenge logic yourself on cTrader's Open API, the rule engine is already there - you use the API to drive the platform, not to reconstruct it.
- What is the per-account cost on PropExecutor versus cTrader?
- Spotware does not publish how cTrader is priced for prop firms, so ask whether a quote is per account, per traded volume or a monthly minimum. PropExecutor's account packs are one-time and fall to about $0.64 per account at volume, so cost tracks the accounts you actually create.
- Who should still choose cTrader?
- A firm that specifically wants cTrader's terminal and its trader ecosystem, already has a liquidity relationship, and is comfortable running a monthly platform fee plus a separate challenge engine. For a founder optimising for low fixed cost and the fewest moving parts, PropExecutor is the simpler and cheaper start.
cTrader has a good reputation, and it deserves it - the terminal is clean, the Open API is capable, and there is a real trader base on it. So this is not a "the competitor is bad" post. It is a "count the parts and add up the bill" post, because for a prop firm the cost of cTrader is not one number, it is three or four.
What running a prop firm on cTrader involves
cTrader is licensed to you as a platform. To turn it into a prop firm you assemble a few pieces:
- The platform, licensed by quote. Spotware publishes no price for prop firms (spotware.com/prop-firms, checked 3 October 2026), so ask for a written figure covering setup, any monthly minimum and any volume fee.
- A challenge engine, because cTrader does not enforce prop rules itself. You add a third-party engine such as Brokeree Prop Pulse, or build the logic on the Open API. Either way, more cost and another vendor.
- Liquidity and a bridge, because cTrader is an execution platform and expects you to bring your own broker or LP relationship and market data.
None of that is unreasonable for a well-funded broker. For a founder starting a prop firm, it is a stack of monthly relationships to sign before the first trader arrives.
What running a prop firm on PropExecutor involves
One purchase. The Starter plan is $129 once and includes 50 trading accounts, the rule engine, the branded terminal on your own domain, the prop dashboard in every account, bulk provisioning, credential rotation and the API. There is no monthly platform fee, no separate challenge engine to license, and no liquidity relationship required for the evaluation phase because accounts are simulated.
| cTrader route | PropExecutor | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Licence by quote (not published) | $129 once |
| Setup | Not published | $0 |
| Challenge / rule engine | Third-party add-on or self-built | Included |
| Liquidity | You arrange it | Not needed for evaluations |
| Dashboard | Build or integrate | Included, every account |
| API | Open API (build your logic) | REST + WebSocket, every plan |
| Billing shape | Recurring | One-time |
The point that decides it
cTrader's cost is a licence you renew, on terms you negotiate. Whatever the quote, it recurs, and the challenge engine is added on top, month after month. PropExecutor's cost is a purchase. You pay once, you own the capacity, and when you need more accounts you buy a one-time pack whose per-account price falls to about $0.64 at volume.
One payment, rule engine included, no liquidity to arrange. Start from $129. Launch your firm from $129
Where cTrader genuinely shines
If your firm's identity is built around cTrader specifically - its charts, its community, its algo tooling - and you already have liquidity in place, it is a strong platform and traders respect it. That is a real reason to choose it. It is just not the low-fixed-cost, few-moving-parts choice, and for most new firms that is what matters in year one.
The verdict
For terminal polish and ecosystem, cTrader is excellent. For starting a prop firm at the lowest cost with the fewest parts, PropExecutor wins clearly: the rule engine and dashboard are already built, there is no monthly fee, no separate challenge vendor, and no liquidity to arrange for evaluations - all from a single $129 payment.
Fewer parts, no subscription, live today. See the price list
Keep reading: PropExecutor vs MetaTrader 5, PropExecutor vs Match-Trader, or the full prop firm platform comparison. Ready now? See the plans.
Sources and price check
What each vendor publishes about its own pricing, from its own page. Where a vendor publishes no price, this article says so rather than estimate one; ask the vendor for a written quote.
- cTrader (Spotware): publishes no price list; pricing is on request. spotware.com, checked October 3, 2026.
- MetaTrader 5 (MetaQuotes): publishes no price list; pricing is on request. metatrader5.com, checked October 3, 2026.
- Match-Trader: Not published; $2,500/month (white label, basic), $4,000/month (white label, turnkey with prop CRM), $5,000/month (server). match-trader.com, checked October 3, 2026.
PropExecutor's prices are on the pricing page, next to every sourced competitor price.
Written by
The PropExecutor Team
Product and engineering
We build PropExecutor: prop firm software that lets anyone launch a fully branded firm from $129, paid once, with a real-time rule engine and a dashboard in every trading account. These guides come from the same product we ship. About PropExecutor
