# Copy trading: allowed, with one condition

> Trade copiers are allowed on every StarTrading account. You can copy your own trades across several accounts or follow an external signal, as long as every account trades in the same direction. Opposite positions across accounts are hedging and lead to a permanent ban. Each account still has its own limits and consistency rule.

Source: https://startrading.io/rules/copy-trading · Updated 2026-09-08

## Is copy trading allowed?

Yes, on every account type, evaluation or funded. A trade copier can mirror a master account into [other accounts you hold](https://startrading.io/accounts/compare), or place trades from an external signal provider. The condition is direction: every account involved must be on the same side of the market.

## What is the one condition?

No opposite positions across accounts at the same time. Long ES on one account and short ES on another, whether copied or manual, is [hedging](https://startrading.io/rules/prohibited-practices) and a permanent ban on every account involved. This applies to correlated products too, such as ES and MES or NQ and MNQ.

Allowed and not allowed

-   Master 100K Cycle long 2 ES, copied as long 1 ES on a 50K Cycle and long 3 ES on a 150K Clear: allowed.
-   Master long 2 ES, copied inverted as short 2 ES on a second account: hedging, ban.
-   Following a signal service that goes long NQ on your account while it goes short on a friend’s account: hedging, ban.

## What stays per account?

Each account keeps its own rules: [Max Loss Limit](https://startrading.io/rules/max-loss-limit), [Daily Loss Limit](https://startrading.io/rules/daily-loss-limit), position limit, [consistency rule](https://startrading.io/rules/consistency-rule), [flat time](https://startrading.io/rules/flat-time). A copier that sizes the same trade on a 25K (2-mini limit) and a 150K (10-mini limit) has to respect both.

## What are you responsible for?

Everything the copier does. A missed flat time, a resting order into a news window on a funded Stream account, a position that exceeds the limit: the account owner answers for it, not the tool or the signal provider.

## Which tools work?

Any copier that connects to Rithmic or Tradovate: platform-native copiers, third-party trade copiers and broker-side multi-account order routing. See the platform pages for setup.

## Common mistakes

-   Enabling an “inverse copy” option to test a strategy both ways.
-   Copying a master’s full size into a 25K that only allows 2 minis.
-   Leaving the copier running on a funded Stream account into a red-folder release.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I copy trades between my own accounts?

Yes. A copier that mirrors one master account into others in the same direction is allowed. Each account keeps its own Max Loss Limit, Daily Loss Limit, position limit and consistency rule, so size the copy per account.

### Can I copy someone else’s signals?

Yes. You are responsible for every trade the copier places on your account, including hold times, flat time and news windows on funded Stream accounts. A signal that hedges puts your account at risk of a ban.

### Does copy trading affect the consistency rule?

Not directly. Each account is checked on its own. A copier that scales a master trade up on a larger account can create an outsized day on that account, so keep the ratio in view per account.