Soft4FX — Manual Backtesting Plugin for MetaTrader 4 & 5
Soft4FX is the most popular third-party manual backtesting plugin for MetaTrader. It transforms the Strategy Tester’s visual mode into a full manual backtesting environment by adding a trading panel, trade management, and analytics overlay. Two versions: Forex Simulator and Multi Timeframe (MTF).
Platform: MetaTrader 4 / MetaTrader 5 plugin | Price: $99 one-time
Key Features
Trading Panel
This is the main value-add over bare MT visual mode:
- One-click buy/sell buttons
- Market, limit, stop, stop-limit orders
- Adjustable lot size (micro, mini, standard)
- SL/TP by price, pips, or drag on chart
- Trailing stop
- Partial close
- Break-even button (move SL to entry)
- Close all positions
- Risk calculator (% of account per trade)
- Multiple simultaneous positions
- Real-time equity/balance/margin display
Replay Controls
- Uses MT4/MT5 visual strategy tester as the replay engine
- Play/pause via strategy tester controls
- Speed adjustment via slider
- Step forward with F12 (pause + next bar)
- Jump to specific date at session start
- No rewind (Strategy Tester limitation)
Multi-Timeframe Version
- Open multiple charts at different timeframes during replay
- All charts synchronized in time
- Trade from any timeframe
- Higher timeframe analysis + lower timeframe entry workflow
Data Quality
- Uses broker’s historical data from MetaTrader
- MT4: 1-min OHLC (tick interpolation). Real ticks possible with Tick Data Suite
- MT5: Real tick data available natively
- Spread simulation via historical spread data or fixed setting
Analytics & Journaling
- Win rate, profit factor, expectancy
- Equity curve and drawdown statistics
- Trade log with entry/exit details
- Export to HTML report
- Monthly/daily P&L breakdown
- Notes on trades
- Compare sessions
Supported Instruments
Whatever your MT4/MT5 broker offers — forex, indices CFDs, commodities, crypto CFDs, stocks CFDs. Instrument availability equals your broker’s symbol list.
Pricing
- $99 one-time (discounts up to 35% off available)
- Pay once, use forever
- Free demo available
- Free updates included
- 14-day money-back guarantee
- No data fees (uses MT broker data)
Pros
- One-time purchase — no subscription
- Full trading panel with risk management tools
- Works within familiar MetaTrader environment
- All MT indicators and templates supported
- Multi-timeframe version for advanced analysis
- Good analytics and session reports
- Risk calculator built-in
- Break-even and trailing stop automation
- Large MT community means easy setup
Cons
- Requires MetaTrader desktop (Windows only)
- No rewind (Strategy Tester limitation)
- MT4 data quality issues without Tick Data Suite
- Setup requires understanding Strategy Tester configuration
- Can be confusing for beginners (EA installation, visual mode)
- UI inherits MetaTrader’s dated look
- Cannot switch instruments mid-session
- Speed control is imprecise (MT slider)
- Multi-timeframe version costs extra
Soft4FX vs Free Alternatives
| Feature | Soft4FX | MT Visual Mode (free) | StrategyTune |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $99 one-time | Free | Free |
| Trading Panel | Full dedicated panel | Basic (manual lots) | Basic buy/sell |
| Risk Calculator | Yes | No | No |
| Partial Close | Yes | No | No |
| Multi-Timeframe | MTF version | No | No |
| Analytics | Good (equity, drawdown) | Minimal | Trade history + CSV |
| Platform | MT4/MT5 (Windows) | MT4/MT5 (Windows) | Web browser |
| Rewind | No | No | Yes |
Who Should Use Soft4FX?
Soft4FX is the best choice for traders already using MetaTrader who want manual backtesting without switching platforms. The trading panel and risk calculator are worth $99 if you backtest regularly.
If you want free manual backtesting with rewind, try StrategyTune. For a dedicated desktop app with more analytics, see Forex Tester. For web-based replay, use TradingView Replay.