Short answer: slippage in copy trading is the difference between the price the trader got and the price your copied trade got. It is one reason, rarely the main one, why your result differs from the trader's profile. On RoboForex, bigger gaps usually come from sizing (volumes rounded or skipped on a small balance), account differences (type, currency, leverage), what is not copied (pending orders, unsupported instruments) and the performance fee. Most of these you can reduce before you subscribe.
Ideal for: copiers whose month looks different from the trader's and want to know why. · Avoid if: no trade is copied at all: that is a set-up problem, see copy trading not working.
What slippage means, in one paragraph
In trading, slippage is the gap between the expected price of an order and the price at which it is filled. In copy trading there is a second layer: the trader's trade is executed first, then the copy is executed on your account. If price moves between the two, your entry or exit differs a little. In calm markets that gap is often negligible; around news or fast moves it can widen. RoboForex's pages we checked do not publish a copy delay figure, so we do not quote one.
Seven reasons your result differs from the trader's
1. Your volume was rounded
In Proportional and Classic modes, copied volumes are calculated, then rounded. RoboForex's example: with "Round down the copied volume" enabled, 0.119 becomes 0.11; disabled, it becomes 0.12. Over many trades, a consistent rounding direction moves your result away from the trader's.
2. Some trades were skipped
If round-down is on and the volume is too small (RoboForex's example: 0.0011), the trade is not copied, and Skipped Transactions shows "The volume is less than the required minimum". If your copy settings call for more volume than your funds allow, trades can be skipped too. A trader's best trade may be the one your account missed.
3. Your account is too small for the trader
The platform floor is 100 USD, but each trader has a minimum that lets the copy follow their smallest lots. On the traders hub we show it in one step. Example (snapshot 7 Nov 2026): Solnce, Standard 3,660 USD | ProCent 366 USD, smallest lot 0.03. Below the minimum, reasons 1 and 2 kick in more often.
4. Cent lots on a Standard account
Our TEPFX fiche flags a specific case: on a Standard account, copied lots are divided by 100, so a 0.26 cent lot can fall below the usual 0.01 Standard minimum and may not copy. The fix is the account type, not patience: stay on ProCent for that trader.
5. Different account type, currency or leverage
RoboForex says leverage does not have to match, but different leverage and account currencies can lead to different margin requirements and results. Spreads and commissions also differ between account types. Several traders in our list run in EUR; matching the trader's account settings where possible keeps your copy closer.
6. Pending orders and unsupported instruments
Only executed trades are copied; pending orders are not. Trades on instruments that your account type or platform does not support are skipped, and you cannot choose or exclude instruments yourself. ProCent, for example, supports specific assets such as currency pairs and metals.
7. The performance fee
The trader's profile shows the account's result; your account pays a share of profit at the end of each period of 1, 2 or 4 weeks. With Kuropatkin's 25% of profit every week, a week that makes 100 USD of profit on your account leaves about 75 USD after the fee, before any other cost. Mechanics: copy trading fees.
Start with settings that copy closely
Open the account with partner code hmqe, then a sub-account on the trader's platform, type and currency.
Open RoboForex account (code hmqe) Affiliate link. Capital at risk.How Proportional sizing works (official formula)
RoboForex gives the formula: copied volume = coefficient set by the investor × the trader's trade volume × (your equity ÷ the trader's equity). Its own example: coefficient 2.5, trader's equity 8,000 USD, your equity 2,000 USD, trader's trade 2.00 lots, so 2.5 × 2.0 × (2,000 ÷ 8,000) = 1.25 lots. With a coefficient of 1, the same trade would copy as 0.5 lots. The size follows equity, which is why a small account against a large trader produces tiny volumes that get rounded or skipped. All three modes are compared in Proportional vs Classic vs Fixed.
How to measure your own gap, without guessing
- At the end of each month, write down the trader's monthly result from the public profile.
- Write down your account's monthly result, after fees.
- Open Skipped Transactions (MT4) and count skipped trades and their reasons.
- If the gap is large and skipped trades are many, the cause is sizing; if trades are all copied but entries differ, it is execution timing.
Two or three months of this tells you whether the gap is a setting you can fix or a cost you accept.
Checklist to reduce the gap
| Setting | Closer copy |
|---|---|
| Amount | At or above the trader's one-step minimum (Standard or ProCent) |
| Account type | As close as possible to the trader's; ProCent for cent-lot traders |
| Currency | Same as the trader's account |
| Leverage | Close to the trader's, to keep margin behaviour similar |
| Round down | Know what it does; on small balances it skips more trades |
| Traders per account | One, so the balance used for sizing is not shared (Silo strategy) |
Frequently asked questions
What is slippage in copy trading?
It is the difference between the price the trader got and the price your copied trade got, caused by price movement between the two executions. It is one of several reasons your result can differ from the trader's.
Why is my copy trading profit lower than the trader's?
Most often: the performance fee per period, rounded or skipped volumes on a small balance, a different account type or currency, and pending orders that are not copied. Slippage adds a smaller layer.
Can I avoid slippage completely?
No. Any two executions at different moments can get different prices. You can reduce the larger gaps by matching the trader's account settings and copying at or above the trader's minimum.
Where do I see skipped copied trades on RoboForex?
On MT4, the Skipped Transactions page shows trades that were not copied and the reason, for example a volume below the required minimum.
Next step
Create account · code hmqe→ One-step minimums for the 18 traders
→ Copy trading with 100 USD: what copies
→ Account types for copy trading
Reminder: a profile shows the trader's account, not yours. Expect a gap and measure it. Copy10X is education and may be paid through affiliate links. Risk Disclosure · Methodology.