Automated tradingUpdated 2 min readBy the FXNOD team
Why does my bot work on demo but not on a real account?
A bot that works on demo and not on a real account is usually facing one of four differences: the real balance is far smaller than the demo's, the real account needs its own approval or has different limits, the demo test was too short to include a bad stretch, or you behave differently when the money is yours.
If it will not start on the real account
- A separate permission. On FXNOD, Deriv asks you to allow the automated-trading connection the first time a bot runs on a real account.
- Currency. A real account in another currency may have different minimum stakes and decimal places.
- Verification or account restrictions at the broker.
- Not enough balance for the first stake.
If it starts and loses
| Difference | What it does |
|---|---|
| Balance | A demo with 10,000 funds a ladder that a real 50 cannot. The same bot hits a wall after a few losses |
| Sample size | Fifty winning demo trades did not include the streak that the next fifty did |
| Stake scaling | A stake that was 0.1% of the demo balance is 20% of the real one |
| Your behaviour | You stop it early, restart it, and change settings in ways you never did on demo |
| Selection | You moved to real money after the best demo run, not an average one |
Is the real account priced differently?
Traders often suspect this. The simpler explanations above account for nearly every case, and they can be checked. Compare a few hundred trades on each account with identical settings and stake: if the win rates are within normal variation of each other, the account is not the cause.
How to make demo results mean something
Treat the demo as your real balance
Decide the real amount and stop the test when the demo has lost it.
Use the real stake
The exact figure you will trade.
Run several hundred trades
Across several sessions.
Record the worst stretch
The longest losing run and the deepest drawdown are what you are buying.
Go live at the minimum stake
And compare the first hundred trades with the demo numbers.
In FXNOD
A bot follows the same rules on a demo and a real account, and it keeps trading the account it was started on whatever you select afterwards. Starting with real money is a separate, clearly labelled action. The run page shows each trade, so the two can be compared directly.
Questions people ask
- Is demo trading rigged to make you win?
- A short winning demo run is explained by chance and a large balance. Test several hundred trades at your real stake before drawing a conclusion.
- Why does my bot not start on a real account?
- Check the approval for automated trading, the minimum stake for the account's currency, and the balance, in that order.
- How do I move a bot from demo to real safely?
- Same settings, minimum stake, a stop loss, and a comparison of the first hundred live trades against the demo record.
Run a bot that keeps its limits
FXNOD's bots run on its servers and will not start without a stop loss, so your limits hold when your device is off. Build one in Bot Forge or start a ready-made one in Auto Hub, on your Deriv demo account first.
Get started