Product
Choosing a data source
mttick has real ticks from two sources: Dukascopy and Exness. For the same EA over the same period, a different source gives a different result. The cause is the spread and the quotes, not an error on either side.
The two sources
Dukascopy: the historical ticks Dukascopy publishes. We hold 52 symbol series; XAUUSD starts in 2015-08 and the rest in 2023-10, still being filled backwards.
Exness: the historical tick archive Exness publishes, recorded separately by account type. What we hold now is the Standard account, 55 symbol series, mostly starting in 2015-08 for forex, gold and silver.
"Data source" in the backtest settings: Automatic (the Exness Standard account), Dukascopy, or an Exness account type.
实测
On gold, the two spreads are very different
For the same symbol, XAUUSD, the two sources have two kinds of spread:
- about 0.4–0.8Dukascopy's gold spread (USD)Moves with the price, wider and narrower
- about 0.16–0.26Exness Standard account gold spread (USD)Hardly moves
Measured on 2026-10-15 by us, from the ticks stored in our library. This is our measurement, not a promise by either company; spreads change with time and the market, and your broker's spread is yet another number.
A different result is not an error
The cost of every open and close in a backtest includes the spread. On gold Dukascopy's spread is roughly twice as wide as the Exness Standard account's, and it varies, so the same EA gives different results on the two sources; the difference is larger for short-term and scalping strategies.
Quotes are not identical either: we compared the two sources, and on forex the mid price differs by about 0.14–0.23 pips on average. Both are real records of their own source, and neither is "wrong".
How to choose
Your broker is an Exness Standard account
Choose the Exness Standard account (Automatic is that). Its spreads and quotes are closest to your account.
Another broker
Run each source once and compare. Then lean on it with the two spread cards "A bit stricter" and "Much stricter", and see at which level the strategy stops holding up.
Other Exness account types
The spreads of Pro, Raw and Zero differ from the Standard account. Their data is added over time as needed; once added, choose the matching type under "Data source".
A source's quotes will not match your broker's exactly. A backtest is still a simulation of historical data. It does not predict the future and does not guarantee the same result in live trading.
Next
See the data there is now, or why the spread changes the result.