Calculations

A trader's calculator for copy trading

There is more than one trader's calculator here: nine tools work out position size and risk per trade, the full cost of a subscription for a year, a candidate's score, the drawdown of a losing run and portfolio correlation.

Which calculator answers which question

The tools do not replace one another: each closes one fork where subscribers usually go wrong. The table is here so that you do not have to open all nine in turn.

ToolThe question it answersWhat you need to enterWhat you get
Size and riskWhat size will the trade open at for me, and will the account survive a losing runDeposit, lead trader's lot, copying mode, stop in pipsYour size, risk per trade in per cent, and what is left after ten losses in a row
ReturnWhat will be left of the lead trader's stated percentages on my accountDeposit, lead trader's return, fee, term, costsThe account total by year and the actual return after all deductions
FeesWhich fee model is cheaper at my particular depositDeposit, return, subscription rate, share of profit, turnoverThree models in money for a year and the difference between them
The trade's pathWhy my entry price differs from the lead trader'sPlatform and broker latency, spread, slippage, sizeThe gap in pips and money for each of the three legs
Candidate scoringWhether this trader is worth a test periodSix metrics from the card: track record, trades, drawdown, profit factor, win rate, martingaleA score out of a hundred and a verdict: test, watch or reject
Metric scaleWhether my metric value is normal or already badOne number for any of the six metricsThe risk zone, and which neighbouring figure devalues this one
Drawdown simulatorWhat the drawdown looks like on the strategy I am about to copyWin rate, risk per trade, number of trades, martingale and the cap on doublingsThe account curve, the maximum drawdown and the outcome of the run
Portfolio correlationWhether my four subscriptions are a portfolio or one trade at four times the sizeInstruments and shares for each lead traderA matrix of links and the actual size of the combined risk
Glossary of termsWhat a word from the subscription terms meansA search query against the listThe term's definition and the concepts related to it

The order in the table matches the order of calculation: size first, then money, then the choice of lead trader and the portfolio's composition.

Three mistakes that make a calculation diverge from reality

The formulas themselves are simple; the mistakes are usually in the inputs. Three cases occur more often than the rest.

mistakeTaking the showcase return at face value The lead trader's card shows their account's result before your fee, without your costs, and often as a percentage of the deposit's lowest value over the period. Putting that figure into a return calculation means computing someone else's result, not yours. The lead trader's return has to be entered on its own, with the fee and the costs as separate fields — which is how the calculator is built.
mistakeMeasuring drawdown in money rather than as a percentage of the peak A fall from 10,000 to 8,000 dollars and one from 5,000 to 3,000 are the same 2,000 dollars, but 20 % and 40 % of risk. A lead trader's metrics are comparable only as a percentage of the account's achieved peak, which is how every tool here computes them.
how it should beCheck the pip value for your own instrument The default is about 10 dollars on a standard lot of a major currency pair. On crosses, metals and indices the pip value differs, and every money figure changes in proportion. This field is a slider precisely because it has to be taken from your broker's contract specification rather than from a generic table.

How each figure is computed and which assumptions apply is set out in the calculation methodology.

Copy trading calculator: where to start counting

The order in which these tools make sense: size first, then costs, and only then the choice of lead trader.

STEP 01Work out the size

Until you know what lot your trade will open at, the rest of the arithmetic is meaningless. Start with the size and risk calculator.

size and risk →
STEP 02Add up a year of costs

Subscription, share of profit, per-volume charge and spread. At a modest return they eat the whole result.

fees →
STEP 03Check the candidate

Six metrics from the lead trader's card and a verdict on risk. Martingale zeroes the result regardless of the other figures.

scoring →
STEP 04Build a portfolio

Several subscriptions are a portfolio only at low correlation. Otherwise it is one trade in several copies.

correlation →

Frequently asked questions

Is data from the calculators sent anywhere?

No. All calculations run in your browser in JavaScript; the server only supplies the page file. We do not collect the figures you enter and do not ask for registration.

Where do the default values come from?

They are model figures chosen so that the result is illustrative: a typical deposit, a typical lot for a lead trader, typical costs. Replace them with your own — the relationships in the calculations are linear and transparent.

How accurate is the cost calculation?

It is as accurate as the inputs you supply. The quantities that used to be hard-wired into the model are now sliders: pip value, entry slippage and the martingale doubling limit. The defaults match a standard lot of a major currency pair.

Can a trader be chosen from these calculations?

The calculations show risk and costs but do not replace checking the history. Scoring covers four filters out of eight: the shape of the curve, behaviour in stress periods and the test period are worked out by hand.

Which calculator do you need before your first subscription?

The size and risk calculator. Until you know what lot the lead trader's deal will open at for you, the other calculations have nothing to stand on.

Do you need to register in order to calculate?

No. There is no registration at all: every calculation runs in the browser, and the figures you enter are sent nowhere.

Do the calculators work on a phone?

Yes, all nine are adapted to a narrow screen. Sliders and tables behave on mobile exactly as they do on desktop.

Can a calculation be saved or shared?

There is no separate save function, but a link to the page plus your own inputs reproduces the calculation by hand in seconds — the formulas are transparent and set out in the methodology.

Do these calculations suit crypto and stocks?

The mechanics are the same, but the pip value and the costs differ: they have to be taken from your own instrument's specification. The defaults assume a major currency pair.

Why do the calculators give no "copy or not" verdict?

Because such a verdict would be personal investment advice. The calculations show risk and costs; the decision stays with you.

DiagramWhat to compute first: from position size to portfolio composition
Trader's calculator: the order of calculations before subscribing — position size, annual costs, lead trader scoring, portfolio correlation
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The ACTF editorial teamWe take forex copy trading apart: we check platform terms against primary sources and calculate the subscriber's result on our own MT4 and MT5 accounts.Who writes this and how we verify the dataData verified: 29.08.2026