Copy trading 101
Desktop or cloud trade copier: where should your copies come from?
A desktop copier runs on your PC; a cloud copier runs on someone else’s server. The honest pros and cons of each.
Trade copiers come in two shapes. A desktop copier is an app on your own computer. A cloud copier runs on the vendor's servers and you use it in a browser.
| Desktop | Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your broker logins live | On your PC | On the vendor's servers |
| Where follower orders come from | Your own connection | The vendor's servers |
| Needs your PC on | Yes, while you trade | No |
| Use from a phone | No | Usually yes |
When desktop makes sense
You trade from your PC anyway, you want your broker passwords to stay on your own machine, and you want follower orders to come from your own connection. A Windows VPS gives you the same thing with a machine that is always on, where your prop firm allows it (some, like Topstep, require orders from your own device).
When cloud makes sense
You want copying to continue while your computer is off, or you manage accounts from a phone.
Where Replica fits
Replica is a desktop copier today: it runs on your Windows PC and sends orders straight to your brokers. Your broker passwords and API keys are stored encrypted on your Windows profile.