How to Copy a Trading Leader (and Become One)

Category: Copy Trading | Last updated: 2026-10-05 | Reading time: 7 min read

What Is Peer-to-Peer Copy Trading?

Peer-to-peer copy trading lets one Signal Trade App user copy the trades of another. The trader being copied is a Trading Leader. The trader copying is a follower. Every order the leader places on a shared account is sent to the follower's own broker account, so you trade a strategy you did not have to build yourself.

This is different from a normal copy group, where one person copies their own leader account to their own follower accounts (for example across several prop firm evaluations). With peer-to-peer copying, the leader and the follower are two different people with two separate logins. Each side keeps full control of their own broker connection, and neither one sees the other's credentials.

Peer-to-peer copy trading is enabled now on the Traders page.

Coming Soon: Trading Leaders Will Be Able to Charge Followers

Coming soon: Trading Leaders will be able to charge followers a fee to copy their trades. This is not available yet. Today every peer-to-peer copy is free, and there is nothing to configure for payments. When paid leaders launch, we will announce the details here and on the Traders page.

How a Copy Works

• Size. The follower's order size is the leader's order size multiplied by the follower's ratio. A leader order for 2 contracts is a 2-contract order for a follower at ratio 1 and a 4-contract order for a follower at ratio 2. Followers are never sized from the positions anyone currently holds.
• Orders, not just entries. The follower's account copies what the leader does with orders: new orders, modifications and cancels.
• Approval. A leader must approve every follower. Either side can stop the copy at any time. Stopping ends new copies; positions the follower already holds are not closed for them.
• Privacy. Other traders see only the leader's nickname and the last four characters of the account name, never a real name or email.

How to Copy a Trading Leader (Follower Steps)

1. Connect your own broker account on Connections. Followers need an active Signal Trade App plan to start a copy: a paid plan or the 5-day trial, which requires a card.
2. Open the Traders page and stay on the Browse traders tab. Each card shows the leader's nickname, broker and environment, follower count and, if they chose to share it, 30-day results: net P&L, win rate, profit factor, max drawdown and trade count. Click a card for an equity curve over 7 days, 30 days, 90 days or all time.
3. Click Request to copy. The leader gets a notification. Leaders who show results only (not open for copying) have no request button.
4. Wait for the answer. When the leader accepts, the request shows Accepted, ready to start under the Copying tab and you get a notification.
5. On the Copying tab, pick the account to Copy into and set your Ratio, then click start. Start with a ratio of 1, or lower than the leader's account size suggests if your account is smaller.
6. Watch the Positions panel under the copy. It shows the leader's position next to yours and flags any contract that is not in line.

Good to know before you start:

• An account can copy only one leader at a time, so it cannot also follow one of your own copy groups or copy another account.
• You cannot copy into an account that others are allowed to copy.
• You can change the ratio later, but only while both the leader's and your account are flat.
• The leader can see the positions on the account you copy into. Use a dedicated account.

How to Become a Trading Leader

1. Connect the broker account you trade on at Connections.
2. Open Traders, then Sharing settings and set a public Nickname (3 to 24 characters) and an optional short bio about what you trade and how.
3. Under Your accounts, turn on Show results to publish your stats, and Allow copying to accept copy requests. You can allow copying and keep results private. Click Save.
4. When someone asks to copy you, the request appears on the My followers tab. Click Accept or Reject. You can see each follower's positions next to yours and stop a copy at any time.

An account that is itself a follower of a copy group, or that is copying another trader, cannot be offered for copying, because followers would receive copies of copies. Share a leader or standalone account instead.

Risks to Understand Before You Copy

• Past results do not guarantee future results. Check the drawdown, not only the profit.
• Copies are sent as market orders when the leader's orders fill, so a follower can get a slightly different price than the leader, especially in fast markets.
• Your risk limits still apply on your own account. Prop firm rules (daily loss, max contracts, trailing drawdown) are yours to respect, so size your ratio against your own account, not the leader's.
• Check your prop firm's rules before copying someone else. Some firms restrict copying strategies that other people also trade.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is peer-to-peer copy trading free?

Yes. Copying a Trading Leader is free right now, on top of your Signal Trade App plan. Leaders being able to charge a fee is coming soon, and it is not available yet.

Can I copy another trader without sharing my broker login?

Yes. You connect your own broker account to Signal Trade App. The leader never receives your credentials, and you never receive theirs.

Which brokers work?

Peer-to-peer copying runs on the same copy engine as copy groups, so it works with the brokers Signal Trade App supports for trading: Tradovate and Rithmic accounts, including their prop firm accounts. A follower can be on a different broker than the leader. See How to Connect Brokers and Platforms.

What if the leader stops or I want to stop?

Either side can stop a copy at any time from the Traders page. New trades are no longer copied. Positions you already hold are left as they are, so close them yourself.

Can I use my own copy groups at the same time?

Yes, with one rule: the account that copies a leader may itself lead one of your own copy groups, so you can copy a trader into one main account and fan that out to your other accounts. See Cockpit guide and the Risk Management guide.

Overview and FAQ: peer-to-peer copy trading for futures. Choosing a leader: how to copy another trader's futures trades. Ready to try it? Open the Traders page, or start a trial if you do not have an account yet.

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Signal Trade App lets you copy one trade across unlimited futures accounts in under 50ms. Sign up free with a 5-day Pro trial (credit card required, no charge during trial).