History of MetaTrader 4 in Timeline

MetaTrader 4 (MT4) is a widely used electronic trading platform developed by MetaQuotes Software in 2005. It is primarily used by retail foreign exchange traders for online speculative trading. The platform consists of a client-server model, with brokers running the server component and providing the client software to their customers. Traders utilize the client software to access real-time price feeds, view charts, execute trades, and manage their trading accounts.

2002: Early MetaTrader Versions

Before MT4, MetaQuotes Software had released several versions of the MetaTrader platform, starting in 2002.

2005: Enhanced MT4 Release

MetaTrader 4, a significantly enhanced version compared to its predecessors, was released in 2005.

2007: MT4 Gains Popularity Among Brokers

Between 2007 and 2010, many brokerages started adding MT4 as an optional trading platform due to its popularity among traders and the availability of third-party scripts and advisors.

October 2009: MetaTrader 5 Beta Testing

A significantly re-coded MetaTrader 5 entered public beta testing in October 2009.

2009: MetaTrader 5 Introduced

MetaQuotes introduced MetaTrader 5 in 2009.

September 2010: First Live MT5 Account

InstaForex launched the first live MetaTrader 5 account in September 2010.

2010: MT4 Reaches Peak Adoption Among Brokers

By 2010, MT4 had gained significant traction, with brokerages widely adopting the platform as an alternative to their existing trading software.

2010: MetaTrader 5 Launch and Slow Adoption

MetaQuotes released MetaTrader 5, the successor to MT4, in 2010. However, adoption was slow, and MT4 remained the popular choice among brokers.

2012: Third-Party Plugin Restrictions and Lawsuits

In late 2012 and early 2013, MetaQuotes Software began restricting third-party plugins for its software. They took actions such as suing and warning developers and brokers to remove these plugins from the market.

April 2013: MT4 Remains Dominant, Lacks Official Mac Version

By April 2013, despite the availability of MT5, most brokers continued to use MT4. While no official Mac OS version of MT4 existed, some brokers offered their own custom-developed versions for Mac.

2013: Increased Restrictions on Third-party Plugins

MetaQuotes continued its efforts to remove third-party plugins, creating controversy within the trading community.

2013: MQL4 Programming Language Revision Begins

The MQL4 programming language underwent a complete revision between 2013 and 2014, aiming to reach the level of MQL5.

2014: MQL4 Programming Language Revision Completed

By 2014, the revision of the MQL4 programming language was finalized, making it comparable to MQL5 in terms of features and capabilities.

September 2019: MT4 Remains Most Popular Forex Platform

Despite the introduction of MT5, a study in September 2019 found that MetaTrader 4 remained the world's most popular Forex trading platform.

September 24, 2022: MT4 and MT5 Removed from Apple's App Store

On September 24, 2022, Apple removed MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 from its App Store, while they remained available on the Android Play Store. While there were allegations of the removal being linked to international sanctions on Russia, MetaQuotes's origin country, the company stated that it was due to non-compliance with App Store guidelines.