How much does it cost to build a trading bot?
Typical price ranges for custom EAs, Python bots and TradingView scripts, what actually drives the cost, and how to brief a developer so the quote is accurate.
The honest answer is “it depends”, which is useless when you are trying to budget. So here are real ranges, what moves a project from the bottom of a range to the top, and how to brief a developer so the price you are quoted is the price you pay.
Typical price ranges in 2026
These are rough ranges for independent developers and small studios, based on published rate cards and marketplace budgets. They are not quotes. Marketplace gigs can be cheaper, and agencies usually cost more.
| Project | Typical range (USD) | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Simple MT4/MT5 EA: one symbol, one rule set | $150 to $500 | 3 to 7 days |
| EA with filters, trade management and risk limits | $400 to $1,200 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Multi-symbol, grid/basket or dashboard EA | $800 to $3,000+ | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Pine Script indicator or strategy | $100 to $600 | 2 to 7 days |
| Pine Script to MQL4/MQL5 conversion | $150 to $800 | 4 to 10 days |
| Python bot for one broker or exchange | $500 to $3,000 | 1 to 4 weeks |
| Multi-account systems and business tools | $3,000+ | Milestones |
For comparison, my own starting prices are on the pricing page: a simple EA starts $250, and a Python bot starts $500.
What you are actually paying for
Writing the entry signal is usually the smallest part of the job. The time goes into:
- Turning your rules into an unambiguous specification. “Enter on a pullback” needs a definition before it can be coded.
- Trade management: sizing, stops, trailing, partial closes and what happens when orders are rejected.
- Edge cases: gaps, restarts, disconnects, broker differences, news.
- Testing: realistic backtests, checks on data the settings were not tuned on, and a demo run.
- Revisions and support once you see it trade.
What makes a project cost more
- More conditions and indicators in the entry and exit logic.
- More symbols or timeframes at once, which multiplies testing.
- Complex trade management: baskets, hedging, scaling in and out.
- External data: news calendars, other platforms, web APIs.
- A user interface: on-chart panels and dashboards are real work.
- Python over MQL: a bot also needs a server, monitoring and reconnection logic that MetaTrader gives you for free.
- Prop-firm rules, which need careful guards and testing against daily limits.
Why cheap bots often end up expensive
A $50 EA is tempting. The common problems: you receive only a compiled file and can never change it, nothing was tested beyond one flattering backtest, edge cases crash it on a live account, and the developer has moved on when you need a fix. Paying twice, once for the cheap version and once for the rebuild, is the most expensive option.
How to get an accurate quote
Write your rules down before you ask for prices. It does not need to be formal, but it should answer every question a developer would otherwise have to guess. Something like this:
1Platform: MT5 (hedging account), broker: …2Symbol / TF: XAUUSD, M153Entry long: 21 EMA crosses above 55 EMA on a closed bar,4 and price is above the H4 50 EMA5Exit: stop 1.5 x ATR(14); target 2R; move stop to6 break-even at 1R7Sizing: 1% of equity per trade, max 2 lots8Filters: 07:00-20:00 server time; no trades 30 min9 around high-impact USD news; max spread 35 pts10Risk limits: stop for the day at -4%; stop all at -8%11Other: one position at a time; close all Friday 21:00With a brief like this, a good developer can quote a fixed price. Without it, you get a range, or a low price that grows.
Questions to ask any developer
- Do I get the full source code, and do I own it?
- How will you test it: which data, which costs, and is any of it out of sample?
- How many revisions are included, and what counts as a new feature?
- How long do you fix bugs after delivery, and how do I reach you?
- Will you sign an NDA before I share the strategy?
- Can I see an example of your code and a report you delivered?
Anyone who promises the bot will be profitable is answering a question you should not need to ask. Nobody can promise that.