Do I need a VPS to run a trading bot?

This follows directly from where the code executes. An EA runs inside the MetaTrader terminal on your machine, not on the broker's servers, so the machine is part of the trading infrastructure whether you think of it that way or not. Close the lid and the system stops.

The consequence is not only missed entries. A position already open when the terminal stops stays open with no supervision — the server-side stop loss still protects it, which is a strong argument for using server-side stops rather than exit logic held in the EA.

Latency is the benefit VPS providers advertise most and it matters least here. A server near the broker saves tens of milliseconds, which is meaningful for high-frequency systems and irrelevant for a strategy entering on confirmed structure on M1 to M15 bars. Uptime is the whole case.

When you can skip it

If you already leave a desktop running permanently on a wired connection, that machine is a VPS with worse power redundancy. Set Windows active hours to prevent automatic restarts and confirm MetaTrader relaunches after a deliberate reboot — the failure most people meet is an overnight update, not a crash.

Many brokers also provide a free VPS above a deposit or monthly volume threshold, which is worth checking before paying for one separately.

What we include

Our Desktop plan assumes you supply the machine — it trades while your PC is on. The Mobile + PC plan includes a VPS, because the alternative is asking someone to leave a computer running permanently, and because the bot cannot run on a phone at all. See can I run a trading bot on my phone and pricing.

If you run your own, budget around 2GB of RAM for a single terminal and expect to meet MT5 disconnected on the VPS at least once.