How price feeds work in MetaTrader 4.

MetaTrader 4 receives prices on the server side. A feed module or another authorized integration brings quotes into the trade server; the server then applies its own source priority, symbol settings, filters, and schedules before clients see an update.

That separation matters. A healthy source connection does not guarantee that a symbol will update, and a visible price does not prove that the preferred source supplied it.

Start with the question you need to answer

The MT4 and MT5 comparison is the shorter route if you operate both platforms or are deciding where a new feed should land.

The quote path in one view

1. An authorized provider or pricing service publishes a quote.
2. A server-side feed, gateway, bridge, or controlled API integration presents it to MT4.
3. MT4 decides which eligible source has priority for the symbol.
4. The symbol’s settings determine whether the update is accepted and whether the quote session is open.
5. Connected terminals and downstream components receive the resulting price.

The client terminal sits at the end of this path. It is useful for confirming what a trader sees, but feed diagnosis normally requires server-side status, journals, and tick evidence as well.

Keep platform controls and pricing policy separate

MT4 is good at applying platform rules to an incoming stream. It does not replace a pricing policy that compares independent markets, builds a synthetic instrument, detects a plausible-but-wrong source, or keeps primary and backup delivery endpoints in agreement.

Those decisions belong in the pricing layer. See how a custom price feed works , market data aggregation , and quote protection for the upstream side.

Treat exact behavior as build- and module-dependent

Server builds and third-party feed modules differ. Field names and supported options can also vary. Use these pages to prepare a review, then confirm the active build, module version, symbol settings, and failover behavior in a test environment.

MetaTrader, MT4, and MT5 are products of MetaQuotes Ltd. Their names are used for identification only and do not imply partnership, certification, or endorsement.