Is MT4 going to retire at some point and will the use of MT5 become inevitable?

 
Eleni Anna Branou:
I am wondering if we will be forced to drop MT4 at some point in the future or it will work alongside MT5 for some years?
I think it may take more years 
 
Eleni Anna Branou:
I am wondering if we will be forced to drop MT4 at some point in the future or it will work alongside MT5 for some years?
Yes, I think it is unavoidable in the medium term (six months??? one year??? , nobody knows) . But it is obvious. Regards.
 

It would be better if there was a clear timetable published, but there has been a logical progression over a number of years towards the inevitable phasing out of MT4. Products cannot be supported indefinitely.

MT5 developed --> nobody forced to the platform

MT4 language updated with backwards compatibility --> start the migration of MT4 users to MT5

MT5 issues fixed (like hedging) --> make it more appealing

Older MT4 unable to compile on newer builds --> force the reluctant ones to catch up

MT4 removed from MetaQuotes site --> an indirect statement of intent

No more development or bug fixes on MT4 --> encourage customers (the brokers) to move over to MT5. Brokers bear the brunt of customer support

Brokers will need to make the final migration, but MetaQuotes have made their intentions clear IMHO. These are the twilight days of MT4.

 
There are over 4000 MT4 signals in MQL5.com website and only 180 MT5 signals. That fact by itself is a statement I think of traders' intention of moving to MT5 in the near future.
 
Jose Francisco Casado Fernandez:
Yes, I think it is unavoidable in the medium term (six months??? one year??? , nobody knows) . But it is obvious. Regards.
Try to sell this message to those who bought the MT4 server license recently.
 
Eleni Anna Branou:
There are over 4000 MT4 signals in MQL5.com website and only 180 MT5 signals. That fact by itself is a statement I think of traders' intention of moving to MT5 in the near future.
In 1998 most people were still using Windows 95 and only a few used Windows 98.
In 2002 almost everyone was still using Windows 98. Only a few used Windows XP.
In 2008 most people were still using Windows XP. Only a few were using Windows 7.
In 2010 only a few used Windows 8. Most still used Windows 7.
Today I do not know anyone who uses Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows XP. Less than a half are still using Windows 7 and more than a half use Windows 8 or Windows 10. But the difference is that Windows 7 still has official support and updates. MT4 not.

People do not usually like the changes. They are often resisted until they need new features that were not available in previous versions or until the developer stops supporting that old software.

When the MT4 servers are disconnected, what do you think will happen with those 4000 MT4 signals ??

Regards.
 
Ovo Cz:
Try to sell this message to those who bought the MT4 server license recently.

I don't sell anything. I only say what looks like obvious. I think, most of the brokers purchased their MT4 licenses many years ago. Currently MetaQuotes is selling more MT5 licenses than MT4 licenses. MT4 is a mature market, not a growing market. Almost all brokers already have their MT4 license, therefore, MetaQuotes will sell very few MT4 licenses in the near future.

Regards.

 
I believe mt4 material will be portable to mt5 , whether in signals products or source code.
 
Jose Francisco Casado Fernandez:

I don't sell anything. I only say what looks like obvious. I think, most of the brokers purchased their MT4 licenses many years ago. Currently MetaQuotes is selling more MT5 licenses than MT4 licenses. MT4 is a mature market, not a growing market. Almost all brokers already have their MT4 license, therefore, MetaQuotes will sell very few MT4 licenses in the near future.

Regards.

The word is, they cannot stop servers within 6 months or a year without a fool-proof migration program for million users. And AFAIK they do not have such a program. There is neither any message from MQ they would stop the MT4 servers, so I wonder how you come to that 6 months or a year estimate.

 
Eleni Anna Branou:
There are over 4000 MT4 signals in MQL5.com website and only 180 MT5 signals. That fact by itself is a statement I think of traders' intention of moving to MT5 in the near future.

Once brokers start shutting off MT4 servers (which will happen - why would brokers want to provide a 3rd party product to their customers (traders) that is unsupported?) people will move to the other platforms being offered by the brokers.

The die-hards may jump over to another broker still offering MT4 but that is simply delaying the inevitable and ultimately they will run out of the brokers willing to work with an unsupported product.