SteadyPips EA

Q: Does it work on MT5?

Yes. Both MT4 (.ex4) and MT5 (.ex5) builds are available from the download page — pick whichever platform you use.

Forex trading carries a high risk of loss. Nothing on this page is personalised investment advice — see our Risk Disclosure.

SteadyPips is the baseline trend-follower in this suite: a single 12/26 EMA crossover, gated by a 200-EMA directional filter so it only takes trades in the direction of the larger trend, and skipped entirely when ATR shows the market is too quiet to bother. Where TripleAlign stacks three EMAs and an ADX threshold before it will fire, SteadyPips deliberately keeps the entry logic to one crossover — fewer conditions to satisfy means more signals, at the cost of catching a few weaker moves along the way.

SteadyPips is free to download for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, one of several distinct types of automated trading algorithms we publish. ATR-based stops and a trailing exit round out the position management once a trade is open.

Developer disclosure: We built SteadyPips. This page is our own technical assessment, not an independent third-party review. We do not yet publish a measured backtest table for SteadyPips — the equity curve above is an illustrative simulation of the strategy’s shape, not a result set. See our backtest methodology and results for the EAs we do have tested figures for, including the July 30, 2026 correction to our testing pipeline. Demo-test SteadyPips for several weeks before running it live.

What Is Trend Following?

Trend following is a strategy that enters in the direction of the prevailing move and exits when the move reverses. It does not try to predict tops or bottoms — instead it waits for the market to confirm a direction, joins it, and trails a stop until the trend ends. A handful of strong trends per year is typically enough to cover many small losing trades, which is why trend followers accept a win rate well under 50% by design.

How It Works

Trend detection — Calculates 12 EMA and 26 EMA on the working timeframe
Direction filter — Requires price above the 200 EMA for longs (below for shorts)
Volatility filter — Skips signals when ATR is below the configured threshold
Entry trigger — Enters on EMA crossover in the direction of the 200 EMA
Dynamic exits — ATR-based stop and target with trailing stop as the trade extends

Entry Conditions

Buy signal:

Fast EMA (12) crosses above Slow EMA (26)
Price is above the 200 EMA (uptrend confirmed)
ATR is above the minimum threshold (market is active)

Sell signal:

Fast EMA (12) crosses below Slow EMA (26)
Price is below the 200 EMA (downtrend confirmed)
ATR is above the minimum threshold

Key Features

Feature	Details
Strategy	EMA(12/26) crossover with EMA(200) filter
Timeframe	H1 (recommended)
Pairs	EURUSD, GBPUSD, USDJPY, AUDUSD
Indicators	EMA (12, 26, 200), ATR (14)
Risk per trade	2% (configurable)
Stop-loss	1.5× ATR (dynamic)
Take-profit	2.0× ATR (≈ 1:1.33 R:R)
Trailing stop	1.0× ATR
Platform	MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5
Price	Free

Configuration

Parameter	Default	Range	Description
RiskPercent	2.0	0.5–5.0	Account % risked per trade
FastEMA	12	8–20	Fast EMA period
SlowEMA	26	20–40	Slow EMA period
TrendEMA	200	100–250	Direction-filter EMA
SL_ATR_Multi	1.5	1.0–3.0	Stop-loss as ATR multiple
TP_ATR_Multi	2.0	1.5–3.5	Take-profit as ATR multiple
TrailATR	1.0	0.5–2.0	Trailing stop ATR distance
MaxTrades	3	1–5	Concurrent open positions
MaxDailyTrades	5	1–10	Daily entry cap

Risk Controls (Built In)

These settings limit how much a single configuration can lose; they do not make automated trading safe.

ATR-based stops — Stop-loss and take-profit adapt to current market volatility
Trailing stop — Locks in profits as the trend extends
Volatility gate — No entries during dead markets (avoids whipsaws)
Position limit — Max 3 concurrent open trades
Daily trade limit — Max 5 entries per day to prevent overtrading
Automatic lot sizing — Position size derived from account balance × risk %

Best Pairs, Timeframes, and Account Size

Timeframe: H1 (1-hour) is the sweet spot — enough signals per week without H4-style lag or M15 noise
Pairs: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, AUD/USD — major pairs with clean trends and tight spreads
Avoid: Exotics and minors during news — wide spreads erode the 1:1.33 risk/reward
Accounts: $500+ balance for the default settings to size cleanly

Account size	RiskPercent	MaxTrades	SL_ATR	TP_ATR
$200 – $500	1.0	2	2.0	2.5
$500 – $2,000	2.0	3	1.5	2.0
$2,000 – $10,000	2.0	3	1.5	2.0
$10,000+	1.5	3	1.5	2.5

Smaller accounts use a tighter risk percent (lower drawdown tolerance) and a wider ATR stop (fewer noise stop-outs). Larger accounts prioritize capital preservation over compounding speed.

Very small accounts ($100–$300): switch to fixed lots — set UseFixedLot = true and FixedLotSize = 0.01 so a single stop-out can’t take an outsized bite while the balance is tiny.

Strengths and Risks

Strengths

Simple, transparent logic that is easy to audit and reason about
Captures large directional moves with the trailing stop
Stays flat in ranges thanks to the ATR filter, avoiding most chop
Works identically on MT4 and MT5 with the same settings

Risks

Whipsaws during low-volatility ranges produce a string of small losses
Reversals against an established trend can hit the trailing stop before the EA exits cleanly
News-driven gaps can blow through the ATR stop on illiquid pairs
Like any trend follower, expects a 40–50% win rate — the math relies on average win > average loss

Getting Started

Open a free XM account if you don’t have one
Fund it with $200 or more — the minimum the EAs are designed for (deposit walkthrough)
Register your account to activate the EA
Download SteadyPips EA (both MT4 .ex4 and MT5 .ex5 are provided)
Install on MetaTrader following our step-by-step guide
Attach to an H1 chart of EURUSD or GBPUSD and confirm “AutoTrading” is enabled

Note: In MetaTrader, enable WebRequest for api.steadypips.net (Tools → Options → Expert Advisors → “Allow WebRequest for listed URL”) so the EA can validate its free license. Test on a demo account for 2–4 weeks before going live.

Download SteadyPips EA — Free

How SteadyPips Compares to Our Other EAs

	SteadyPips	GridMaster	BreakWave	TripleAlign
Style	EMA trend	Grid trading	Breakout	Multi-EMA trend
Best market	Trending	Ranging	Range → breakout	Strong trends
Entry logic	EMA crossover	Fixed grid levels	BB squeeze + ADX	Triple EMA + ADX
Risk:reward	1:1.33	Variable	1:1.33	1:2
Trade frequency	3–8 / week	Continuous	2–5 / week	1–3 / week

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SteadyPips EA really free? The EA itself costs nothing. Running it does require a live XM account opened through our link — we earn a commission from XM on that account, and that is what funds the EA.

What’s the minimum deposit? XM allows accounts with as little as $5, but we recommend $500+ for the EA’s position-sizing math to operate cleanly.

Can I use it with other brokers? The EA is designed and tested for XM. Account verification is required through our registration system.

Does it work on MT5? Yes. Both MT4 (.ex4) and MT5 (.ex5) builds are available from the download page — pick whichever platform you use.

How is SteadyPips different from TripleAlign? Both are trend-following, but SteadyPips uses a simpler EMA crossover for more frequent signals, while TripleAlign demands three aligned EMAs plus ADX confirmation and trades less often but with higher selectivity. Use SteadyPips if you want more trades; use TripleAlign if you only want to be in the market during the strongest trends.

What is the typical trade frequency? On H1 you can expect roughly 3–8 trades per week per pair, depending on volatility and how often the 12/26 EMA cross. Quiet weeks may see zero entries — that is the ATR filter doing its job.

Do I need a VPS? Recommended. SteadyPips makes signal decisions at every bar close, so a connection drop at the wrong moment can miss an entry or a trailing-stop adjustment. A $5–$10/mo Forex VPS removes that risk. See our VPS guide.