Why we need a real Free Trial option for Market utilities & EAs - page 4

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People made free trial EAs already in the form of limiting the lot size to a specific micro lot size, or else making a time expiry on it. But I don't think that creating product time expiries in an EA is allowed.
 
Conor Mcnamara #:
People made free trial EAs already in the form of limiting the lot size to a specific micro lot size, or else making a time expiry on it. But I don't think that creating product time expiries in an EA is allowed.

That's a big 10-4 regarding expiration time. The following Market Rules provide a plethora of grounds for such a violation:

8. The Seller shall not publish multiple copies of Products, which are based on the same idea and differ only in input parameter settings, symbols, and/or timeframes. Creation of similar Products having slightly changed descriptions and/or design shall be considered as spam and lead to the removal of all detected copies from the Market showcase, while the Seller shall be banned from all paid MQL5.com services.

9. The Seller shall not limit Product functionality under separate demo versions. To demonstrate all the features of paid products (including trading panels and analytical applications), Sellers can:

    • add videos in the description;
    • provide a one-month product rental option for a small fee;
    • provide Expert Advisor monitoring results via the "Signals" service.

The following products will be considered as spam:

    • products having words Demo, Free, Trial, Light or similar in their name;
    • products displaying a link to another fully functional Product in the description or on a chart during operation;
    • products with functional restrictions.
(https://www.mql5.com/en/market/rules).

Given the amount of ink devoted to this topic in the Rules, I wouldn't have high hopes for a change thereto.

As a side note, limiting lot sizing is likely a violation based on the same grounds too. I've even seen links to Market products in the CodeBase. Rules are one thing... Enforcement is quite another.

 
Evgeniy Ilin #:
You have just very skillfully described why you need more free/demo products, but I did not see any real justification for this stance. What made you think that the robot's or indicator's interface requires additional versions? Rather, it leads me to believe that this simply makes the product easier to crack. Don't talk nonsense; no one is going to give you such an opportunity. If you have no money, kindly proceed to the free software section.

Hi Evgeniy,

I think you may have misunderstood my position. I am speaking here as a product developer on the MQL5 Market, not as a buyer looking for free software.

My goal—and the goal of many serious developers here—is to increase conversion rates, build trust, and provide a seamless buyer experience for paid products.

Here is why a Strategy Tester demo fails for interactive utilities and why a native Free Trial benefits sellers:

  1. Interactive Utilities vs. Automated EAs: Automated EAs can be evaluated in the Strategy Tester. However, interactive trading panels, manual execution tools, and visual chart utilities require live user interaction (button clicks, drag-and-drop, real-time GUI response) on an active chart. The Strategy Tester simply cannot replicate this UI experience.

  2. Security & Licensing: A native Free Trial managed directly by MetaQuotes would utilize the same EX5 protection and platform encryption already used by the Market. It wouldn't expose code any more than current Market products do. In fact, a centralized system tied to verified MQL5 accounts or Hardware IDs would prevent unauthorized trial resets far better than custom workarounds.

  3. Driving Paid Sales: Free trials are standard practice across the entire modern software industry (SaaS, trading platforms, IDEs) not to give away work, but to convert hesitant visitors into paying customers. Removing payment friction allows serious buyers to verify real-time performance on their own broker's raw feed before committing to a purchase.

This isn't about asking for free tools—it's about advocating for modern merchant tools that help transparency-focused developers sell more effectively on this platform.

 
Conor Mcnamara #:
People made free trial EAs already in the form of limiting the lot size to a specific micro lot size, or else making a time expiry on it. But I don't think that creating product time expiries in an EA is allowed.

Hi Conor,

You are completely right to be skeptical about those workarounds. As Ryan mentioned above (quoting Market Rules #8 and #9), both time expiration limits and feature/lot-size restrictions in separate demo builds are explicit violations of MQL5 Market policies.

Attempting these custom workarounds creates two major problems for developers:

  1. Account & Product Risk: Publishing restricted versions under "Demo", "Free", or "Lite" names—or putting functional caps on products—can get all your paid products flagged as spam and result in a seller ban.

  2. Lack of Security & Seamlessness: Custom time-expiry logic compiled into code is often vulnerable, messy to manage, and still doesn't provide a clean, standardized experience for the end buyer.

This is precisely why we need a native, platform-level Free Trial mechanism managed directly by MetaQuotes. A built-in system would handle licensing and time limits securely under the existing EX5 encryption, protecting sellers while allowing buyers to legally test interactive products on live charts.

 

Hi everyone,

As this discussion has grown across multiple pages with invaluable input from both developers and buyers, I wanted to summarize the core points, perspectives, and potential solutions raised so far before we move to a quick community vote.

1. Why the Current Demo/Strategy Tester Approach Falls Short

Interactive Utilities vs. Automated EAs: While automated EAs can be evaluated in the Strategy Tester, interactive tools (manual execution panels, visual risk calculators, chart utilities) require real-time chart interaction (drag-and-drop, GUI clicks, live feeds) that the Strategy Tester cannot replicate.

Buyer Hesitation: Many potential buyers hesitate to commit to a full purchase or even a 1-month rental without verifying if an interactive tool fits their specific workflow and broker setup.

2. Clarifying Rules & Why Workarounds Are Risky

Rule #8 & #9 Compliance: As highlighted in the thread (quoting MQL5 Market Rules), creating separate "Lite", "Demo", or "Time-Limited" builds outside the official system—or restricting lot sizes in secondary files—is strictly prohibited and risks product removal or seller bans.

Security & Licensing: Custom time-expiry code embedded directly into EX5 files by individual developers is often prone to bypasses and hard to manage securely compared to native, platform-level protection.

3. Proposed Solutions Discussed

Native Platform Free Trial (e.g., 3 to 7 Days): A time-bound trial managed directly by MetaQuotes using the standard EX5 encryption and account/hardware authorization.

Improved Demonstration Tools: Better video guides, live signal monitoring, or low-cost 1-month rentals (as recommended by current market rules).

Community Poll Invitation:

To gather clear feedback for MetaQuotes, I have set up a Poll in a separate post:

Should MetaQuotes introduce a native, time-limited Free Trial option for MQL5 Market products?

Please take a moment to vote on whether you support a native, platform-managed Free Trial option for Market products. Your participation and feedback are greatly appreciated!
 

Update:

The separate community poll thread was removed by moderators as a duplicate.

Instead of a separate poll, please share your vote (YES or NO) and your perspective directly as a reply to the next post!

📊 Note: I will periodically tally and update the poll results directly in this thread so MetaQuotes can see the community’s consensus.

 

Question for the community:

Should MetaQuotes introduce an official, native Free Trial option (e.g., 3–7 days) for Market products?

  • Reply YES if you support having a native Free Trial.

  • Reply NO if you prefer keeping the current system (Strategy Tester / Rentals only).

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