In Japan, many financial brokers tend to build their own apps in-house, rather than licensing third-party apps. However, reputable brokers often also provide access to popular advanced trading platforms such as MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader. This is because these apps are very useful in online financial trading and cover a diverse set of assets offering fast execution and advanced tools to analyze markets on the go. Let’s briefly analyze the most popular and useful trading apps in Japan that are available for Android smartphones and tablets.
What do professional traders look for in trading apps?
Advanced mobile apps such as cTrader, provide all the capabilities that are critical for experienced traders and beginners should also focus on the same functionality to select only the best apps. Here are what professional traders seek:
- Multi-asset access – Support for multi-asset classes including Forex pairs, commodities, indices, cryptos, and stocks.
- Advanced charting and tools – Supports technical indicators, custom indicators, Expert Advisors, custom layouts, multi-chart views, and diverse drawing tools.
- Fast order execution – One-tap trading and fast execution are critical for scalping and timing entries. cTrader and other apps have multiple order types and offer fast execution.
- Customizability – Create and edit watchlists, customizable chart designs, and dashboards.
- Alerts – Critical to get alerts when certain conditions happen. cTrader and other apps in this list have a custom alert feature built-in.
- Security – Constant updates and superior protection like 2FA authentication to ensure your data is safe.
- Local language support – Supports Japanese UI/text to operate smoothly.
As we can see, experienced traders seek many features in trading platforms, which narrows down our list of best apps. In-house apps rarely offer all the features and flexibility that advanced apps do.
1. cTrader
We can not discuss professional-grade Forex and CFDs platforms without mentioning cTrader, a modern advanced platform with needed features. The platform’s adoption has started to grow lately due its robust features and customization.
Here are all the strengths of the cTrader platform:
- Level II pricing – Offers depth of market to see buyers and sellers, which can give crucial information about current whereabouts.
- Detachable charts – Traders can move around charts and even use several charts at the same time, which is flexible.
- cAlgo support – Supports custom indicators and automated trading systems similar to MT4 and MT5.
However, the mobile app does not offer automated trading and custom indicators, only the desktop version does.
cTrader supports multiple order types, chart types, and timeframes.
2. MetaTrader 5 (MT5)
MT5 is slightly better when it comes to smartphone trading. The app was recently upgraded and new features were introduced to make it even more useful and robust. The platform is an upgraded successor to MT4 but offers even broader market support. Here are the main pros of the MT5 mobile app:
- Multi-asset support – MT5 mobile app enables stock, crypto, FX, CFDs, commodities, and indices trading on the go.
- Indicators – Supports 80+ technical indicators, built right into the platform.
- Fast execution – Fast trade execution enables scalpers to instantly open and close trade with one tap.
While the desktop platform supports custom indicators and Expert advisors (EAs), the mobile app does not.
3. MetaTrader 4 (MT4)
MT4 is a legendary trading platform. It is available for Android devices as a mobile app that offers all the needed features to trade on the go. The platform has several advantages:
- Indicators – Offers more than 30 built-in indicators and even more tools for technical analysis including drawing tools, Fibonacci, and so on.
- Real-time quotes – Live FX quotes executed through partnered brokers.
The platform is similar to MT5 but is slightly inferior in its features. Like MT5, it also offers customization and supports hedging and scalping strategies with its fast execution.
4. TradingView
TradingView is a powerful trading app that offers almost the same features on all devices including web, desktop, and mobile. The platform is a multi-asset, aggregating pricing data from a plethora of sources, and offering real-time prices. Here are its main advantages:
- Indicators – Shared base of built-in and custom indicators across all platforms! Traders can use custom indicators on their mobile TradingView app, which makes the platform more powerful than others.
- Social features – Idea sharing, live streams, and strategy testing are available.
The only downside of TradingView is that it is supported by few brokers and for most features traders need to subscribe to monthly payment plans.
5. NinjaTrader
NinjaTrader is different from the rest of the apps mentioned in this guide as it is designed for futures trading. The platform is very advanced offering custom indicators and automated trading capabilities for futures traders. Here are some of its advantages:
- DOM – Depth of market, tick charts, and advanced backtesting.
- Superior futures trading experience – Many futures brokers offer the platform.
The platform is also powerful for trading futures instruments on the go with its built-in indicators and tools. It is available for all devices as well.
