cTrader Store: buying a cBot without getting caught out on a challenge
The cTrader Store is the official cTrader marketplace. It offers cBots, indicators and plugins created by independent developers, free or paid. It is convenient, but a bought bot can also make you fail a challenge for a reason that has nothing to do with its performance. Here is how it works, and what to check before using it with a prop firm.
In short: the Store is the simplest way to install a cBot or an indicator in cTrader. But many prop firms ban off-the-shelf bots used by large numbers of traders. Read your prop firm's rules before buying.
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What you will find on the Store
- cBots: trading bots that place orders automatically.
- Indicators: analysis tools displayed on your charts.
- Plugins: extensions to the cTrader interface.
- Copy trading strategies.
Products are sold by third-party developers whose identity is verified. The Store states that it is not a broker: it sells tools, not investment services.
Free, one-off purchase or subscription
A product can be free, sold as a one-off purchase, offered as a trial limited in time or in features, or, since July 2026, as a weekly, monthly or annual subscription. A subscription renews automatically and cancellation takes effect at the end of the current period.
On refunds, the official pages contradict each other: the help centre announces 14 days for all paid products, while the buyer FAQ refers to case-by-case handling. Check the policy shown on the product page before paying.
Installing a product
- Log in with your cTrader ID and click "Install" on the product page.
- The product is linked to your cTrader ID and syncs to your cTrader apps.
- A cBot can run in the cloud (cTrader Web or Mobile) or locally on cTrader Desktop. Desktop indicators and plugins only work on Windows and Mac.
- The product works on your demo and live accounts linked to the same cTrader ID.
For a cBot that needs to run non-stop on cTrader Desktop, a trading VPS avoids interruptions from your own computer.
The challenge trap: shared bots
A bot sold to hundreds of traders produces the same trades on hundreds of accounts. Prop firms detect this, and several ban it:
- The5%ers requires you to own the source code and bans off-the-shelf bots whose trades are replicated by other traders.
- E8 Markets may close an account if the same bot is used by other traders.
- FundedNext bans bots on cTrader and bots designed to "pass challenges".
- FTMO allows bots, but warns that a third-party bot exposes you to its rules on maximum allocation and replicability.
Before buying, ask yourself whether the bot will be used as is by many other buyers. An indicator, which does not place orders, causes far fewer problems than a cBot. The details for each firm are in our comparison of prop firms that accept bots.
Before using a bought cBot on a challenge
- Test it for several weeks on demo with the exact account size and limits of the challenge.
- Check that it respects the daily loss, and add your own limit if possible.
- Check the number of orders and modifications per day: FTMO and E8 Markets cap this at 2,000 server requests per day.
- Be wary of promised profits: no bot guarantees that you will pass a challenge.
Challenges are paid evaluations and most participants fail. Only buy a challenge with money you can afford to lose. Read the risk warning