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Moving Your Trading Strategy Between Pepperstone and IG

Updated 14 July 2026 · 8 min read · PipTax education

Moving your trading strategy between Pepperstone and IG sounds simple until you actually try to do it — the platforms, order types, and cost structures aren't identical, and a strategy that's profitable on one setup can quietly bleed money on another if you don't check the details first. This guide walks through the practical steps of migrating a strategy, whether you're switching brokers entirely or just running the same system on both.

Why Moving a Strategy Between Brokers Isn't Plug-and-Play

Pepperstone and IG are both FCA-regulated and well established in the UK market, but they're built differently under the bonnet. Pepperstone leans heavily on MetaTrader (and cTrader on many account types), which means EAs, custom indicators and one-click scripts tend to carry across with minimal fuss. IG offers its own proprietary platform alongside MetaTrader access on certain account types, so if your strategy relies on IG's native charting tools, order types, or app integrations, that logic won't automatically exist inside MetaTrader — and vice versa.

Before moving anything, work through this checklist:

• Platform compatibility — does your strategy depend on a specific platform's order types (e.g. guaranteed stops, DMA, one-click close-all)?
• Execution model — market execution vs instant execution can change how your stop-loss and entry logic behaves in fast markets.
• Symbol naming and contract specs — MetaTrader symbol suffixes, lot sizing and tick values can differ between brokers and even between account types at the same broker.
• EA or script dependencies — anything hard-coded to a broker's server name, spread assumption, or swap calendar needs rechecking.
• Regulatory wrapper — confirm which entity you're actually onboarded with (FCA vs an offshore arm) since leverage and protections differ.

None of this is exotic, but skipping it is the single biggest reason "the same strategy" performs differently after a broker switch.

Comparing the Core Building Blocks

Before you touch a live account, map out how each broker's core building blocks differ. This isn't about which is "better" — it's about knowing what changes so your strategy's assumptions still hold.

| Element | What to check | |---|---| | Platforms | Pepperstone: MetaTrader 4/5, cTrader (confirm current availability). IG: proprietary platform plus MetaTrader on select account types. | | Execution | Market vs instant execution, and how slippage is handled around news events. | | EA/algo support | Whether automated strategies are permitted on the account type and platform you're using. | | Regulation | Both are FCA-regulated for UK clients — confirm which legal entity your account sits under. | | Leverage | FCA rules cap retail leverage at 30:1 on major FX pairs, regardless of broker. | | Costs | Spreads, commissions and swaps vary by account type and instrument — never assume they match across brokers. |

Don't guess on the cost line. Run both setups through PipTax's [cost tool](/audit.html) so you're comparing real, current numbers rather than memory or marketing pages.

Rebuilding Your Strategy Logic Step by Step

Once you understand the differences, rebuild methodically rather than copy-pasting and hoping.

1. Export your rules in plain language first — entry, exit, stop, target, position sizing — separate from any code so you're not tied to one platform's syntax. 2. Recreate on the new platform in demo — if moving from IG's platform to Pepperstone's MetaTrader (or the reverse direction), rebuild indicators and alerts natively rather than relying on screenshots of old settings. 3. Match position sizing to the new lot/contract conventions — a "1 lot" on MetaTrader and a position size on IG's platform aren't always expressed the same way. 4. Reapply risk parameters manually — don't assume default stop distances or trailing stop behaviour transfer identically. 5. Test order types side-by-side — place a small demo order on each platform and compare fill behaviour, especially around spread widening at news times. 6. Log everything — keep a simple spreadsheet of trades taken on both setups during the transition so discrepancies show up early, not after a month of live trading.

Testing on Demo Before You Go Live

A demo account is the only honest way to know if your rebuilt strategy behaves the same. Treat it as a real test, not a formality:

• Run at least 4-6 weeks or a statistically meaningful number of trades, not just a handful.
• Trade the same instruments and sessions you'll use live — demo results on illiquid pairs won't tell you much about your usual majors.
• Watch for execution differences during volatile periods, not just calm markets.
• Compare average slippage and requote frequency between the two demo setups.
• Check that automated strategies (EAs) are actually permitted to run unattended on the account type you intend to fund.

If your strategy is discretionary rather than automated, demo testing is still worth doing — muscle memory around order entry differs enough between platforms that mistakes happen in the first few live sessions if you skip this step.

Checking the Real Cost of the Move

This is where strategies quietly fail after a broker switch — not because the logic changed, but because the all-in cost of trading changed underneath it.

• Spread and commission structure may shift your break-even win rate.
• Swap/rollover costs matter enormously for anything held overnight or longer, and these are broker- and instrument-specific.
• Currency conversion fees apply if your account base currency doesn't match the instruments you trade.
• Inactivity or platform fees, where applicable, can erode returns on lower-frequency strategies.

Don't rely on marketing copy or old forum posts for any of these — figures change and vary by account type. Use PipTax's [cost impact tool](/cost-impact.html) to model how a shift in spread or swap affects your specific strategy's expectancy, and check the [brokers page](/brokers/index.html) for current, verified details on each provider.

Handling MetaTrader Migration Specifically

If both legs of your move involve MetaTrader — say, Pepperstone MT4 to Pepperstone MT5, or Pepperstone MetaTrader to IG's MetaTrader offering — the mechanics are fairly consistent:

• Export your EA files, custom indicators and set files from the old terminal's MQL4/MQL5 folder.
• Install them in the new terminal's matching folder structure.
• Reconnect to the new broker's server list (found in the platform's login screen) — Pepperstone and IG each publish their own MetaTrader server names.
• Re-attach EAs to charts and reconfirm parameter settings, since default lot sizing or magic numbers can behave differently on a new account.
• Run a short forward test before committing real capital, even if the strategy performed identically in backtests.

Always confirm current platform availability (MT4 vs MT5 vs cTrader) directly on each broker's site, since offerings do change over time.

Final Checks Before Trading Live

Moving your trading strategy between Pepperstone and IG can be done cleanly, but only if you treat it as a proper migration rather than a copy-paste job. Before switching capital over:

• Confirm your account type, regulatory entity and leverage limits in writing from the broker.
• Re-verify all-in costs using the [cost tool](/audit.html) rather than assumptions carried over from the old broker.
• Complete a full demo cycle with logged results.
• Review the [PipTax school](/school/index.html) for background on execution models and order types if any terminology above was unfamiliar.

Trading is risky, and no broker switch changes that — verify the details, test properly, and only then commit real money.

Keep going: Audit Cost Impact Index Index