Detailed Comparison With Official MetaTrader5 Python API

This page compares the official MetaTrader5 Python package function set published on MQL5 Python Integration with the current pymt5 client as checked on 2026-03-17.

What Is Being Compared

The official package talks to a locally installed desktop terminal. pymt5 talks to the public MT5 Web Terminal over the reverse-engineered WebSocket protocol. Because of that, the names now line up closely, but some semantics do not:

Official package: synchronous module-level functions such as mt5.initialize() and mt5.order_send()
pymt5: async instance methods such as await client.initialize() and await client.order_send({...})
Official package: terminal-managed snapshots, namedtuples, and array-like return types
pymt5: dicts, lists, and dataclasses, with some views reconstructed from push streams or local formulas

Status Labels

Direct: backed by a confirmed Web Terminal command or response path
Derived: built from another command, cached push data, or local filtering
Best-effort: exposed publicly, but not backed by a dedicated Web Terminal RPC with fully equivalent semantics

Connection, Session, and Terminal Metadata

Official function	`pymt5` mapping	Status	Notes
`initialize()`	`MT5WebClient.initialize()`	Direct	Maps to `cmd=29` session init. Unlike the desktop package, it does not launch a terminal executable or choose local data paths.
`login()`	`MT5WebClient.login()`	Direct	Logs in through the Web Terminal protocol. `pymt5` returns `(token, session)` and also exposes Web-specific fields such as URL, OTP, and lead-tracking parameters.
`shutdown()`	`MT5WebClient.shutdown()`	Direct	Closes the WebSocket session instead of detaching from a desktop terminal process.
`version()`	`MT5WebClient.version()`	Best-effort	Returns `(500, build, release_date)` from `cmd=3` plus locally observed public build metadata. Unknown builds keep an empty date string.
`last_error()`	`MT5WebClient.last_error()`	Best-effort	Tracks compatibility-layer failures in `pymt5`. It is not a byte-for- byte clone of the desktop terminal’s internal error buffer.
`account_info()`	`MT5WebClient.account_info()`	Direct	Alias for `get_account()` over `cmd=3`. Returns a dict rather than the desktop package’s typed record.
`terminal_info()`	`MT5WebClient.terminal_info()`	Best-effort	Exposes only the server/build/timezone/trade-right subset that the Web account config can prove. Desktop-only filesystem and community fields are intentionally omitted.

Symbols, MarketWatch, and DOM

Official function	`pymt5` mapping	Status	Notes
`symbols_total()`	`MT5WebClient.symbols_total()`	Direct	Counts cached symbols or fetches the Web symbol list directly.
`symbols_get()`	`MT5WebClient.symbols_get()`	Direct	Backed by `cmd=34`/`cmd=6` with client-side wildcard group filtering.
`symbol_info()`	`MT5WebClient.symbol_info()`	Direct	Uses `cmd=18` when available and falls back to the basic symbol cache.
`symbol_info_tick()`	`MT5WebClient.symbol_info_tick()`	Derived	Returns the latest cached `cmd=8` tick push. No dedicated tick snapshot command has been confirmed in the current public frontend.
`symbol_select()`	`MT5WebClient.symbol_select()`	Derived	Implemented as tick subscription management, not persistent desktop MarketWatch visibility.
`market_book_add()`	`MT5WebClient.market_book_add()`	Direct	Uses `cmd=22` book subscription.
`market_book_get()`	`MT5WebClient.market_book_get()`	Derived	Returns the last cached `cmd=23` DOM snapshot. It becomes useful only after a book stream has been observed.
`market_book_release()`	`MT5WebClient.market_book_release()`	Direct	Removes the symbol from the current DOM subscription set.

Bars and Ticks

Official function	`pymt5` mapping	Status	Notes
`copy_rates_range()`	`MT5WebClient.copy_rates_range()`	Direct	Thin wrapper over `cmd=11` bar history.
`copy_rates_from()`	`MT5WebClient.copy_rates_from()`	Derived	Fetches a bar range through `cmd=11` and slices the trailing `count` locally.
`copy_rates_from_pos()`	`MT5WebClient.copy_rates_from_pos()`	Derived	Reconstructs current-bar-relative access by requesting enough history and slicing in client code.
`copy_ticks_from()`	`MT5WebClient.copy_ticks_from()`	Derived	Returns cached tick history assembled from observed `cmd=8` pushes. It is not a server-side historical tick query.
`copy_ticks_range()`	`MT5WebClient.copy_ticks_range()`	Derived	Same cached-stream model as `copy_ticks_from()`, with inclusive end-of- second handling for integer timestamps.

Orders, Positions, History, and Calculations

Official function	`pymt5` mapping	Status	Notes
`orders_total()`	`MT5WebClient.orders_total()`	Direct	Built on the current pending-order view from `cmd=4`.
`orders_get()`	`MT5WebClient.orders_get()`	Direct	Supports `symbol`, `group`, and `ticket` filters in client code after loading the `cmd=4` order state.
`positions_total()`	`MT5WebClient.positions_total()`	Direct	Built on the current open-position view from `cmd=4`.
`positions_get()`	`MT5WebClient.positions_get()`	Direct	Supports `symbol`, `group`, and `ticket` filters in client code.
`history_orders_total()`	`MT5WebClient.history_orders_total()`	Direct	Counts locally filtered historical orders from `cmd=5`.
`history_orders_get()`	`MT5WebClient.history_orders_get()`	Direct	Supports `date_from`, `date_to`, `group`, `ticket`, and `position` filters over `cmd=5` history.
`history_deals_total()`	`MT5WebClient.history_deals_total()`	Direct	Counts locally filtered deals from `cmd=5`.
`history_deals_get()`	`MT5WebClient.history_deals_get()`	Direct	Supports `date_from`, `date_to`, `group`, `ticket`, and `position` filters over `cmd=5` deal history.
`order_send()`	`MT5WebClient.order_send()`	Direct	Wraps `cmd=12` and normalizes official-style request dicts, including stop-limit mapping. Returns `TradeResult` instead of the desktop package’s result record.
`order_check()`	`MT5WebClient.order_check()`	Best-effort	Local pre-flight validator only. It checks symbol rules, stops, expiration, fill mode, and margin sufficiency without a dedicated server `order_check` RPC.
`order_calc_margin()`	`MT5WebClient.order_calc_margin()`	Best-effort	Uses local formulas plus cached FX conversion quotes. Common forex/CFD/ futures/stock/bond modes are covered; broker-specific margin tiers remain approximate.
`order_calc_profit()`	`MT5WebClient.order_calc_profit()`	Best-effort	Same local-formula model as `order_calc_margin()`. Bond modes `37`/`39` use `face_value` and `accrued_interest` from the expanded `cmd=18` schema.

No Official Equivalent In The Desktop Package

pymt5 also exposes Web-Terminal-specific or protocol-level helpers that do not have a direct official desktop-package counterpart:

Account onboarding and verification: request_opening_verification(), submit_opening_verification(), open_demo_account(), open_real_account()
OTP and verification helpers: verify_code(), enable_otp(), disable_otp()
Web-only broker/UI commands: trader_params(), send_notification(), get_corporate_links()
Protocol escape hatches: send_raw_command(), send_bootstrap_command_52()
Async stream callbacks: on_tick(), on_book_update(), on_trade_result(), and the other push-handler registrations
High-level trade ergonomics: buy_market(), sell_market(), buy_limit(), sell_limit(), buy_stop(), sell_stop(), buy_stop_limit(), sell_stop_limit(), close_position(), close_position_by(), modify_position_sltp(), modify_pending_order(), cancel_pending_order()

Practical Conclusion

At the interface level, pymt5 now covers the same official function names that matter for trading, symbols, positions, orders, rates, ticks, history, and terminal/account metadata. The real differences are semantic:

the official package is desktop-terminal IPC, while pymt5 is Web Terminal WebSocket transport
some official snapshot APIs are modeled as cached views in pymt5
some terminal-side calculations are modeled as local best-effort formulas
return shapes are Pythonic dict/list/dataclass structures rather than official namedtuple or array-oriented results

For a shorter status-only summary, see Official Python API Compatibility.