Does it still make sense to build on MT4

 

Hello everyone,

I've been struggling with a stupid problem for a few days now, and I've come to the realization that MetaTrader 4 simply doesn't offer a way to update .hst files so that functions like iClose() can always read the latest candlesticks from the file. Somehow, the iClose function keeps returning the same number from a cache, and you can only solve this problem by constantly opening and updating the offline chart to the .hst file, etc. There are so many illogical problems with MetaTrader, and when you try to build a decent trade copier, you realize that there are no functions available, so you either have to run an EA on a chart all the time or use other tricks with DLL. However, I've been convincing myself for years that I have to build everything on both platforms because MT4 users are often more numerous than MT5 users, but isn't that foolish? Is it still the case today? Isn't it just unnecessary work to build everything on both platforms?

What can you do with MT4 that MT5 can't? Nowadays, doesn't MT5 offer everything that MT4 already can and more? So, to what extent does it even make sense to build something for MT4 anymore? It almost feels like the old days when you constantly tried to build your websites to work properly in Internet Explorer, always encountering problems and difficulties because the browsers work differently, but who still uses Internet Explorer today? Somehow, this MT4 and MT5 thing doesn't make sense anymore. Why should we still build everything additionally for MT4?

 

The day MT4 will die for good I will open a good bottle of Champagne

I will just say it as I feel it : I hate this software.

The only reason to still code for it is because too much potential customers are still stick with it.

 
Alain Verleyen #:

The day MT4 will die for good I will open a good bottle of Champagne

I will just say it as I feel it : I hate this software.

The only reason to still code for it is because too much potential customers are still stick with it.

I agree. It’s time they pulled the plug on mt4  they should just get on with it there is never going to be a right time because new traders still keep going to mt4 because it’s available 
 
I think the reason why MT4 have still been supported was because in MT5 they did only offer such a order structur where all trades become one position and people dont liked that, but nowdays also MT5 have the same order structur like MT4 if you want and beside of that there was no other real reason to use MT4, maybe also because many people have indicators and EAs on MT4 but they should translate them all to MT5
 
Alain Verleyen #:

The day MT4 will die for good I will open a good bottle of Champagne

I will just say it as I feel it : I hate this software.

The only reason to still code for it is because too much potential customers are still stick with it.

unfortunately that day will never come. Thousands are broker, millions of users and the sales coming from MT4 marketplace including freelance and products makes it unbeatable however the day may come when MT5 may be less used, regardless continuous updates and countless effort by team. This is based on my experience and data. You can check any marketplace seller who has more sells on mt4 product only. Sometimes even if the system is advanced people prefer to stick to what they are used to. People born on 80s still love the old songs that they heard on 90s regardless how modern the sound is in 2023, regardless how much technology for music production has improved. well I also code in mql5 only but have to forcefully adapt for coding in mql4 too based on user demand, what options i have left when user strictly asks to code for mql4 only? Most of users are still using Windows XP even its support officially ended, those people wont uninstall MT4 ever, even I saw the new generation of trader preferring mt4. 

 
Arpit T #:

unfortunately that day will never come. Thousands are broker, millions of users and the sales coming from MT4 marketplace including freelance and products makes it unbeatable however the day may come when MT5 may be less used, regardless continuous updates and countless effort by team. This is based on my experience and data. You can check any marketplace seller who has more sells on mt4 product only. Sometimes even if the system is advanced people prefer to stick to what they are used to. People born on 80s still love the old songs that they heard on 90s regardless how modern the sound is in 2023, regardless how much technology for music production has improved. well I also code in mql5 only but have to forcefully adapt for coding in mql4 too based on user demand, what options i have left when user strictly asks to code for mql4 only? Most of users are still using Windows XP even its support officially ended, those people wont uninstall MT4 ever, even I saw the new generation of trader preferring mt4. 

I think the reason why mt4 is still used so much is not because of nostalgy, not because people like the name mt4 and the music in the 80s and 90s was also good music with other vibes then nowdays, so people which hear that music can have a bennefit.

but i think the reason why mt4 is still so much used is because when mt5 come out they did not build it so that everybody can use his mt4 programs on the mt5 platform directly without need to translate it all. maybe it was a marketing trick or it was just a mistake, but it was a big reason for everybody to still use mt4, all people have build programs on mt4 for years which they wanted to use so why should they move to mt5 where they can not use them old programs.

and there was also this big problem with order structur of mt5, they did put all trades into one positions and such things, this was also to much different then mt4, but nowdays they also have order structur like mt4.

overall if metaquotes would have build mt5 in a way that all mt4 users can use mt5 like mt4 then why would anybody still use mt4, when mt5 have more power, nobody will use nowdays a old smartphone with 3g internet connections and slow browser if you can  use a new smartphone with better technic

 
I boldly assume that for the brokers, who pay, MT4 is cheaper than MT5. But that would also mean that less reputable brokers prefer MT4 over MT5. But if MT4 suddenly becomes more expensive than MT5 (for the brokers), MT4 will probably disappear very quickly.
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