Forex backtesting with realistic spread and timing

Choose the engine that matches the forex strategy

Use MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester when the deliverable is an MQL5 Expert Advisor that will run in MT5. Use TradingView Strategy Tester when the strategy is expressed in Pine Script and the chart workflow fits the test. The engines use different data, order models, settings, and code runtimes, so matching parameters does not make their results interchangeable.

Model forex-specific costs and sessions

Record the broker or data source, bid and ask treatment, variable or fixed spread, commission, swap, account currency, leverage assumption, and trading hours. Check how weekend gaps and news-period liquidity affect orders. MetaTrader documents tester settings for historical data, tick generation, delays, account settings, commissions, and forward periods; those choices belong with the saved result.

• Preserve symbol specification and account settings.
• Use a spread and cost model appropriate to the test.
• Record tick-generation and execution-delay settings.

Confirm the final rules on unseen data

Repeatedly tuning a currency pair and period can fit one regime. Freeze the EA or Pine Script, run an untouched period, and compare several relevant pairs only when the strategy claim is meant to generalize. Follow with a broker simulation to observe spreads, order rejection, session changes, and execution behavior.