Heron Copier offers you the flexibility to choose between two deployment methods: Local and Cloud. With your subscription, you get access to both versions - there’s no need to choose just one! This guide will help you understand the differences, advantages, and ideal use cases for each approach.
🎉 Dual Access: Every paid subscription includes access to both local and cloud versions. You can use them simultaneously or switch between them based on your needs.

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The Evolution Story

Heron Copier began its journey as a local-only trade copier. As a prop trader myself, I initially developed it to solve my own need for copying trades between my cTrader accounts. The local approach made perfect sense at the time - it gave me complete control over the environment, unlimited accounts, and the ability to customize everything to my exact requirements. However, as the trading community grew and I received feedback from users worldwide, I realized that many traders faced significant barriers with the local setup:
  • Technical complexity: Setting up VPS environments, managing installations, and troubleshooting issues
  • Infrastructure costs: Monthly VPS expenses, especially for traders with 2-4 accounts
  • Reliabilty concerns: Not all VPS providers offer the same level of stability and performance, some shared VPS can give traders trouble with copying trades in real-time due to the high CPU steal time or unoptimized environment. Just like any other softwares, Heron Copier’s reliability is only as good as the VPS provider’s performance.
This led to the development of our cloud version - a complete paradigm shift that removes these barriers while maintaining the core functionality that makes Heron Copier powerful. Our cloud copier is an evolution of the local version, built and maintained by the same development team. Rather than being a separate product, it’s an enhanced version that leverages our proven technology. We’ve built it entirely in-house using our own technology stack, without depending on any third-party services. What sets us apart from other semi/hybrid “cloud” copiers is that we offer a true cloud solution where all the copier instance for all platforms (including MT4/MT5) are entirely run on our cloud infrastructure, literally zero downloads or installations needed from the user’s end.

Cloud Version

  • Require much less technical expertise
  • Zero installation required
  • Instant setup (< 60 seconds)
  • No VPS management
  • 4 free accounts (Open Beta)
  • Automatic updates

Local Version

  • Require more technical expertise
  • Unlimited trading accounts
  • Full environment control
  • Custom configurations
  • Your own infrastructure
  • Complete data privacy

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Technical Architecture

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Cloud Infrastructure

Our cloud version runs on high-performance servers with optimized connectivity to major broker servers. It is completely scalable, with automatic failover and load balancing. Every instances of trading platform connected to the cloud version is assigned a unique, isolated environment. While they share the same physical infrastructure, they are logically isolated from each other.

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Local Infrastructure

The local version runs on your own VPS or PC. It compromises of a Connector app and sets of individual copier apps for each trading platform. They do still connect to our backend for monitoring and logging purposes, but all the trade copying happens within your own network. The user can still benefit from the dashboard and remote logging features. It is recommended to use a dedicated VPS for the local version to ensure optimal performance and stability.

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Making Your Decision

The beauty of Heron Copier is that you don’t have to choose just one. Your subscription includes both versions, allowing you to:
  1. Start with cloud to get familiar with the system
  2. Experiment with local when you’re ready for more control
  3. Use both simultaneously for different purposes
  4. Switch between them as your needs evolve
Remember, the goal is to find the setup that best serves your trading strategy and technical comfort level. Whether you choose cloud, local, or both, you’ll have access to the same core trade copying capabilities that make Heron Copier a powerful tool for traders worldwide.