Genuine and Verified: what we check

Two badges, two questions

Every listing answers two questions before it can carry a badge. Genuine answers “Is this the real software, and is it being sold with permission?” Verified answers “Does this release load and run on a current terminal, and does the documentation match it?” Neither badge answers “Will this make money?” — no check can, and we do not pretend otherwise.

Genuine

1. Vendor licensing confirmation

Before listing, we sign a written distribution agreement with the author or their authorised vendor. It identifies the tool, the versions covered, the update and support obligations of both sides, and the author's warranty that they own the code. We verify the author's identity and their public presence (their own site, marketplace profile or code-signing identity) against the agreement. Agreements are kept on file and reviewed annually or when a takedown notice is received.

2. File integrity checksums

Each release file the author delivers is hashed with SHA-256 the moment it enters our system. The hash is stored with the release, shown on your Downloads page, and re-checked against the stored file every time a download link is generated. If storage and record ever disagree, the download is refused and the release is flagged for review. You can compute the same hash locally to confirm what you downloaded is byte-for-byte what the author shipped.

3. Malware scan

Uploaded archives and documents are scanned before they can become the active release. A release that fails scanning is never distributed.

Verified

4. Installation test on a current build

We install the release on a clean MetaTrader 4 or 5 terminal running the current public build, on a demo account with a mainstream broker. We confirm that the tool compiles no errors in the Experts log, attaches to the documented symbols and timeframes, exposes the inputs described in the documentation, and — for Expert Advisors — places, modifies and closes test orders on the demo account without invalid-stop or trade-context errors. The build number we tested is recorded on the product page. When MetaTrader publishes a new build we re-run this test on affected products and publish a compatibility note.

5. Documentation review

The product page must accurately state platform, account types, symbols, timeframes, minimum deposit assumptions, activation limits, update policy and known limitations. Installation steps must work as written. Risk notes must be present. Where the author supplies performance data, it must carry the correct source label and be reproducible in principle (a backtest report must include its settings and modelling quality).

What is not checked

• Profitability. We do not evaluate whether a strategy is sound or whether its historical results will continue. Backtests are labelled and explained, not endorsed.
• Broker suitability. Execution, spreads, symbol specifications and rules vary by broker and account type; only testing on your own demo account answers this.
• Prop-firm rule compliance. Rules differ between firms and change over time. Our guide explains what to check.
• Source code audit. We test compiled behaviour; unless a product states otherwise we do not review source code.
• Future builds. A verification is a statement about the build number shown at the time.

Ongoing obligations

Verification is not a one-time event. Each new version passes checks 2 to 5 again before becoming the active release, and existing owners are notified with the changelog and tested build. If an author breaches their agreement, stops responding to defect reports for more than 30 days, or we receive a substantiated takedown notice, the listing is suspended and the badge removed until the issue is resolved.

Sample listings

While the catalogue contains demonstration products they are marked “Sample listing”; their badges illustrate the layout and do not represent completed checks. Sample performance and reviews are labelled “Sample data” and are excluded from ratings.

Questions

If you have a question about how a specific product was verified, open a ticket or use the Contact page. If you believe a listing does not meet these standards, tell us; we would rather remove a listing than keep a badge we cannot stand behind.