MT4/MT5 automated trading (EA) needs stable 24/7 uptime. This guide rigorously compares “VPS” and “Home PC (on-premise)” by cost, stability, latency, and operational overhead, and includes a PC electricity cost estimate in USD.
Who This Article Is For
- Anyone who wants to see total cost including VPS monthly fees vs. home PC electricity
- Undecided about whether to subscribe to a VPS
- Wants to keep MT4/MT5 EAs running 24/7 reliably
- Concerned about latency for scalping/news strategies
- Wants to reduce home-PC risks (stops, reboots, internet outages)
Summary (For Readers Who Want the Answer First)
- Continuous multi-account/multi-EA operations and low latency matter → VPS generally wins
- Testing-focused, short-duration runs, few accounts → Home PC is viable (estimate stop risk and electricity)
- Scalping/arbitrage → Choose VPS (distance = speed)
- Electricity reality: a light-load laptop (2–3 MT5 terminals) in the U.S. is roughly US$2–4/month; a small desktop/mini-PC is around US$7–8/month. A VPS doesn’t raise your household bill; you pay a fixed monthly fee instead.
Comparison Summary Table
| Metric | VPS | Home PC (On-premise) |
|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | △ (VPS signup and setup required) | ○ (Familiar PC; easy to operate) |
| Stability/Uptime | ◎ (Data-center grade; redundancy) | △ (Impacted by power, ISP, OS updates) |
| Latency | ◎ (Broker-proximate locations possible) | △–× (Often geographically disadvantaged) |
| Upfront Cost | ◎ (Almost none) | △ (PC + UPS + SSD, etc.) |
| Monthly Cost | △ (Subscription) | ◎ (Mainly electricity: a few dollars/month) |
| Ops Overhead | ○–◎ (Remote-first; easier auto-recovery) | △ (More hands-on work) |
| Security | ○ (RDP control, 2FA, allowlists, VPN) | △ (Physical/home use; risks with open RDP) |
| Scalability | ◎ (Snapshots; easy vertical/horizontal scale) | △ (Physical expansion; heat/space constraints) |
| Best-fit EAs | Scalping, news, multi-account | Swing, testing, short-term/small-scale |
Evaluation Axes and Detailed Comparison
1. Difficulty
VPS: You must subscribe and connect via Remote Desktop. If connection issues occur, you may need to contact support.
1. Stability & Uptime
VPS: Designed for UPS, multi-line internet, and monitoring. Easier to implement auto logon + auto-launch of MT after reboot.
Home PC: Susceptible to power cuts, ISP faults, router problems, and Windows updates. Night-time failures cause painful opportunity loss.
Related article: EA power-outage risks and countermeasures: run safely with VPS/UPS/stop-loss
2. Latency (to the trade server)
VPS: Choose locations close to brokers (LDN/NY/SG) to cut latency by milliseconds.
Home PC: Depends on residence and line quality; overseas brokers often mean higher latency.
Related article: Choosing low-latency VPS locations: Equinix, NY4/LD4/TY3 basics, and impact on stop-type EAs
3. Cost Structure (Upfront/Monthly/Hidden)
VPS: Fixed monthly fee (power, cooling, bandwidth included).
Home PC: Include the PC, UPS, electricity, replacement on failure, and opportunity loss when stopped.
4. Performance (Concurrent terminals / CPU/RAM/SSD)
VPS: 2 vCPU / 4GB RAM / SSD is enough for light EAs; you can scale up instantly when needed.
Home PC: Flexible, but beware heat, noise, and lifespan for 24/7 operation.
5. Ops Overhead (Maintenance/Monitoring/Auto-Recovery)
VPS: Easy to automate with Task Scheduler and monitoring (email/Discord).
Home PC: More manual work: power settings, Windows updates, UPS, etc.
Related articles:
VPS operations basics: keep it running and light
Practical guide to running MT5 EAs 24/7 on a home PC (for beginners)
6. Security (Accounts/Devices/Network)
VPS: Harden with RDP port control, 2FA, IP allowlists, and VPN.
Home PC: Physical theft, family use, and open RDP can be weak points.
7. Availability (Power/Line outages, Remote while away)
VPS: High availability; you can connect quickly from a phone.
Home PC: Hard to fix issues while away. UPS + auto-recovery helps but has limits.
8. Scalability (Accounts/EAs up/down, scaling)
VPS: Cloning, snapshots, vertical/horizontal scaling are easy.
Home PC: Physical expansion with ongoing space/cabling/thermal concerns.
Electricity and Total Cost Comparison (VPS vs Home PC)
Concept: A VPS fee includes power, cooling, and bandwidth, so your home electricity bill doesn’t increase. A home PC cost is power draw (W) × runtime × local kWh rate.
Assumptions & Formula
- Formula: Electricity cost = (W ÷ 1000) × 24h × 30 days × kWh rate
- Typical PC power draw:
- Laptop (screen off, no external monitor; 2–3 MT5 terminals, light–medium) … 15–25W
- Small desktop / efficient mini-PC (conservative) … around 60W
- Many terminals (e.g., 10 MT5, medium load) … around 120W
- For accuracy, use a watt meter and average over 24–48 hours.
By Scenario: Monthly Cost in USD + USD Reference
Local unit example: $0.19/kWh, USD unit: $0.191/kWh (for reference).
| Scenario | Continuous Power | Monthly Energy Use | Monthly Estimate (local) | USD (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop – light load (2–3 MT5 terminals) | 20W | 14.4 kWh | ≈$2.75/mo | ≈$2.75/mo |
| Laptop – medium load (many indicators) | 40W | 28.8 kWh | ≈$5.50/mo | ≈$5.50/mo |
| Small desktop / mini PC (maintenance) | 60W | 43.2 kWh | ≈$8.25/mo | ≈$8.25/mo |
| Multi-instance (e.g., 10 MT5 terminals) | 120W | 86.4 kWh | ≈$16.50/mo | ≈$16.50/mo |
Note: Actual costs vary with EA load, number of charts, peripherals, and OS settings.
While a VPS doesn’t raise household electricity usage, it reduces stop risk and latency. Balance that value against the monthly fee for an overall decision.
For VPS pricing benchmarks, see the article below.
Related article: Choosing the “cheapest” VPS for EA operations: low latency × stability × value (global)
Best Choice by Use Case
When VPS Has the Edge
- Scalping / news trading / thin-liquidity hours
- Multi-broker, multi-account, multi-EA operations 24/5–24/7
- Overseas brokers where you need to shorten distance (latency)
When a Home PC Is Fine
- Mainly swing trading with limited sensitivity to execution speed
- Testing/development phase (backtests / short forward tests)
- Willing to accept stop risk (e.g., night off, daytime only)
Examples: Configuration Templates
Template 1: Safe & Standard (VPS)
- OS: Windows Server
- Plan: 2 vCPU / 4GB RAM / 80–100GB SSD
- Use: 2–3 MT5, several light EAs, monitoring tools
Template 2: Low-latency Focus (VPS)
- Location: Near broker (LDN/NY/SG)
- Plan: 3–4 vCPU / 6–8GB RAM
- Use: Scalping & fast execution
Template 3: For Testing (Home PC)
- OS: Windows 10/11
- Spec: i5 or better / 8GB RAM / NVMe SSD
- Use: Backtests, daytime-only forward
- Tips: Disable sleep; for desktops consider a UPS
If You’re Unsure: 3-Minute Checklist
- Scalping or news-driven? → YES → VPS
- Will you run at night/early morning? → YES → VPS
- Often away and can’t recover instantly? → YES → VPS
- Planning to add more accounts/EAs? → YES → VPS
- Primarily testing for now? → Start on Home PC → move to VPS for serious 24/7 ops
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. What VPS specs should I start with?
A. 2 vCPU / 4GB RAM / 80–100GB SSD is a safe starting point. Scale gradually with terminal count and EA load.
Q2. How do I estimate my home PC’s electricity cost?
A. (W ÷ 1000) × 720h × kWh price. A laptop running 2–3 MT5 terminals is typically 15–25W; in the U.S. that’s roughly US$2–4/month. Heavier/more terminals run 60–120W, leading to around US$7–15+.
Q3. How much does latency reduction matter?
A. It’s material for scalping and fast-fill EAs. Choosing a VPS near the broker can significantly cut latency.
Q4. What most often stops a home PC?
A. Windows updates, power outages, ISP issues, router faults. Build in auto-recovery and monitoring (auto logon, auto launch, alerts).
Q5. Is starting on a home PC and migrating to a VPS later OK?
A. Practical and rational. Document EA/account/settings reproduction steps before migration for a smooth switch.
Conclusion
- If you value stability, low latency, and scalability, VPS is the default choice.
- For testing, short-run, small-scale use, a home PC can suffice.
- Use electricity cost visibility to weigh “VPS monthly fee vs. home PC cost + stop risk.”
- Execution hinges on ops automation (auto logon/launch/monitoring) and rapid incident response.