Margin is a one of the older and most comprehensive Bitcoin trading bots on the market. It features a wide set of options and highly configurable GUI allowing users to fine tune it to their preferences.
As other top bitcoin bots, Margin.de makes automated bitcoin trading a breeze by offering emotionless trading around the clock.
One of the major differences to other bitcoin bots is the fact that Margin is a downloadable software that runs on your local machine (or rented VPS).
This crypto bot also supports a wide range of top cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, Bitfinex, Bitstamp, Coinbase Pro, Gemini, Huobi, Kraken, KuCoin, and Poloniex.
Getting started with Margin.de is a straightforward process: you choose the plan you want the buy on their site, download the software, enter the API keys of your chosen exchange and start deploying your chose trading strategies.
If you are looking to take a free spin on the platform before shelling out money for a paid plan, it’s possible to download a demo version of Margin and test it extensively before upgrading to paid membership.
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Contents
Rebranding from Leonardo
Margin used to be known under a moniker Leonardo, a bitcoin trading bot launched back in 2014. However, that bot went off the market in 2017 and was revived under the Margin.de brand in 2018, with improved interface and a host of old and new features.
Bielefeld based company behind the Margin bot is reputable and very transparent about their team and structure.
Key members of the team include co-founders Jonathan Maycock, Christof Elbrechter, and René Tünnermann.
Where can I run Margin bitcoin bot?
The bot can be run on all major operating systems: Windows, macOS and Linux.
As for the bot features, it comes with an array of most common and popular technical indicators such as MACD, RSI, EMA, VWAP and Bollinger Bands.
Before picking up the check and coughing out a solid chunk of money for Margin, you can put it to the proof and run a demo version which can be downloaded and tested extensively.
After upgrading to one of the paid plans, you receive access to two popular and proven algorithms, namely the Ping Pong strategy and the Margin Maker strategy. These are pre-made strategies that ease you into the whole platform which is especially beneficial to new users.
Key Features
- Functionality – Margin is a desktop trading software which can operate on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.
- Technology – This bot integrates with around 17 cryptocurrency exchanges via API keys. Margin hosts a range of user-friendly features including visual trading, drag and drop order functionality, in chart RSS feeds, a smart order router, and API encryption and hashing.
- Trading tools – This automated trading platforms comes with the previously popular trading algos Ping Pong and Margin Maker. Standard market and limit order are also available along with technical indicators such as Bollinger Bands, the Moving Average Convergence/Divergence (MACD), the Relative Strength Index (RSI), Volume Weighted Average Strength (VWAS), and the Exponential Moving Average (EMA).
- Different Pricing Plans – Free trial version of the bot can be downloaded and used for free, while the cheapest plan is available at a price of $129 and is called Starter.
Next plan up is the so called Standard plan which is available for $259 and provides access to an unlimited number of bots as well as all technical indicators and supported exchanges.
Top plan comes with a hefty price tag and is called Professional Plan. It is priced at $2999 and includes features such as unlimited balances and multiple APIs across exchanges. - Customer Support – The team offers a ticket support system and is very responsive to user queries. They can also be reached via their Twitter account, Discord group, and Facebook. The official website also includes an extensive FAQ Section a lot of video tutorials with tips on how to use the program.
Getting Started on Margin
1) Sign up for an Account
Signing up for an account on Margin.de is a standard procedure: you enter your email, choose a password and add details about your name and location before moving on to the next step which is an activation link you need to click in an email from Margin.de
Once this is done, you will gain access to the download link.
2) Download the Demo
Once you get the download link, you need to choose the version for your OS and start the installation process.
Margin.de recommends having at least 4GB RAM, Core 2 Duo processor and HD display for the program to run smoothly. You can run margin on weaker machines (e.g. 2GB RAM with a 720p display) but it will restrict the number of trading pairs/bots that can be run effectively.
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Free demo version gives access to:
- Margin’s advanced bots: Bollinger Band, EMA, mArginmaker and ping pong
- Dashboard with drag-and-drop orders and multi-window trading views
- Technical indicators: Bollinger Bands, MACD, RSI, EMA, VWAP etc.
- Free full featured paper trading practice facility
3) Switch to Paid
In order to start using one of the paying plans, you will need to choose a license you want to buy. Once you do that, you can then create API keys on your chosen exchange (most of them have detailed instructions on how to do this) and enter them into the bot (first half of the secret key)
When you have entered your API keys, you need to select the exchange you want to trade on and then input your full API key and secret to login.
Margin also has a detailed video tutorial on getting started.
Margin Price Plans
As we already mentioned, there is a free demo version that can be used as a test ride before you decide which one of the other 3 plans you will go for.
The plans differentiate in their offer and are limited by the amount of funds you will be trading with. For example, cheapest plan can be bought and used for trading only up to $10k per exchange. If you have more funds you want the bot to use, you will need to switch up to the next plan that sets the limit to $100k.
- Starter plan is going to cost you $129 and it offers unlimited number of bots and all technical indicators for use on one exchange with a maximum balance limit of $10,000.
- The Standard plan costs $259 and comes with an access to an unlimited number of bots, all technical indicators and all supported exchanges with a maximum balance limit of $100,000 per exchange.
- The Professional Plan is aimed at the most dedicated traders and is priced at $2999 and improves on the Standard plan by including features such as unlimited balances and multiple APIs per each exchange.
You can pay for the bot via couple of methods including Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal.
How Safe is Margin?
After witnessing so many exchange and wallet hacks, crypto investors are highly sensible to security measures certain service offers.
Security measures of Margin include the use of SHA 256 encryption on all data transfers including API keys that can be encrypted and hidden by clicking on the lock icon in the login screen and following the instructions.
Additionally, Margin only stores half of the hashed and encrypted API-key pair on their servers.
This mitigates risks of any hack attack since this partial data is useless to the cyber robbers.
And that is not all since none of your orders goes through company servers as Margin connects directly to exchange accounts via an Application Programming Interface (API) which allows all of the exchange functions through Margin interface.
This leaves no information honey pots as no one at Margin has any knowledge of your trading amounts or patterns, and the only cases where the team require communication between your Margin tool and their servers are as follows:
Trade while you sleep with two of the cryptocurrency bots on the market - Cryptohopper or Tradesanta.
- To check if you are on the correct payment plan
- To retrieve history data which is not available from the exchanges
- To check whether there is an updated version of Margin available
No funds are held on Margin servers, all your coins don’t move out of the exchange wallets + API keys you use to connect Margin and chosen exchange only have trading permissions (no withdrawal permission).
Finally, you can run your bot on a VPS or VPN and use Microsoft Remote Desktop to connect to your preferred VPS or VPN instance. If you run it on VPS, you can use any device to connect to that rented server and continuously monitor Margin’s trading.
How Beginner Friendly is Margin?
It is a bit more complicated than cloud based bots since you need to download the software and install it on your local machine. However, Margin has an extensive knowledge database with article and video resources available to help guide people through the process. There are also, active Telegram and Discord groups where you can seek help from the team members and other traders who can also be very helpful with their experience.
You can also test the bot with free demo before deciding if it fits your needs.
Margin’s user interface is very friendly with a configurable GUI and drag and drop options that you can use to adjust the dashboard the way you like.
However, if you are a total noob, you might have issues with Margin.de as I would say it is more aimed at more advanced users. As we already said, it is a very powerful tool with the ability to have access to up to 25 markets simultaneously on a second screen, and smart order routing.
How to Use the Static Ping Pong Bot
The Ping Pong Strategy is a very popular trading strategy that Margin transferred over from the old brand, Leonardo.
It is a simple strategy where the bot places limit orders and you can get started by simple clicking on the strategy button (chess knight with +) to make a new bot.
The strategy has an initial default to an effective gain of 0.1% around the spread. You can change this by clicking and dragging the buy and sell price lines up and down to choose your own price gain. The bot will then wait until its order is fully filled before switching actions to then place a limit order on the opposite side, hence Ping-Pong name.
It’s worth noting that the bot will keep trading until you explicitly stop it.
How to Use the Margin Maker Bot
The Margin Maker Strategy is another popular trading strategy and the margin maker bot is a dynamic bot that places limit orders. This bot is more advanced in nature, and allows you to set a number of parameters, for example, the ‘time window’ is set by dragging the long vertical blue line (the thin blue line in the middle of the chart running from top to bottom) to determine the desired time period.
The vertical height of the time window is given by the lowest and highest priced trades that occurred during that time.
The relative buy and sell margins (dashed red horizontal lines) can be set inside this window, and the vertical height of the window changes accordingly, as the lowest and highest trade price changes over time.
This also means that the buy and sell margin prices will change, and as the market contracts, the prices get closer to each other. This also means that the initial Eff. gain* shown in the centre of the time window will also change.
The Min. effective gain [%] parameter applies to both buy/sell and sell/buy cycles here. It is always active, with the default value being 0.0%. In order to ensure that the bot makes a gain once trading fees have been subtracted, a positive value must be given. It’s worth noting that a bot order can get stuck at a particular price so as to not violate the Min. effective gain.
A Stop loss can be enabled and then adapted in the chart, and when a stop-loss event occurs, the bot will accept the loss by triggering a spot sell order and then stopping its trading activity.
Pros
- Transparent Company and Team
- Modern and Configurable GUI
- Extensive Exchange Support
- Free Demo Version
- Wide Range of Options for Advanced Traders
Cons
- The Application Must be Downloaded
- May be Complex for Beginners
Conclusion
Margin is a serious option for anyone looking to immerse themselves into the world of automated Bitcoin trading. The company and team behind the project are fully transparent, and have made their identities and various social media/LinkedIn profiles publicly available.
They also provide a comprehensive and professional service, and their operations are construed in accordance with and governed by German law, and as a result Margin is a viable choice for anyone looking for a secure solution with a well designed trading interface, and a wide range of options at a reasonable price.
The application is dedicated to trading over 3000 cryptocurrencies across a range of leading exchanges which will suit some traders, while anyone interested in trading a wide range of altcoins will be forced to look for an alternative option.
Margin integrates with over 15 leading exchanges including Binance, Coinbase Pro, Gemini, and Kraken, and also incorporates a variety of cutting edge features such as a visual trading, drag and drop order functionality, in chart RSS feeds, a smart order router, and a configurable GUI.
A good number of these features alongside the range of technical indicators and trading bots available to use will suit intermediate and more advanced traders and the platform is set up to allow more dedicated traders to make the most of their trading activities.
However, the team have made a number of resources available to help guide users through the process of using Margin to make automated trades and these include both written and video guides. Crucially the team are also on hand to discuss any issues in their Telegram and Discord groups alongside more experienced community members which is a valuable resource for anyone still learning.
The need to download and install the application may prove to be a turnoff for some, and there are other trading platforms that can be easily accessed from a web browser such as 3Commas and Cryptohopper, however, the team incorporate a number of sensible security protocols and allow users of Windows, Mac, and Linux to use their protocol.
Once up and running, the popular Ping Pong strategy is quite straightforward to use, and anyone still new to automated trading can get to grips with it in a short space of time.
Most importantly, the demo version can be downloaded and used for free which allows anyone to take as much time as necessary to test out the platform and decide whether it is suitable for them. As ever, it makes perfect sense to engage in paper trading and run numerous simulations with virtual funds before graduating to a live account.
The paid plans on offer are also competitive as they involve one off payments and the Starter and Standard plans amount to around $10.75 and $21.60 a month if you were to use Margin for just one year.
The average cost obviously declines the longer you use the platform and the team aim to attract and retain more dedicated traders who will be happy to fork out for a considerably more expensive Professional plan.
Due to the relatively low costs involved in getting started with Margin, the platform will essentially pay for itself if it helps you to generate even quite moderate profits on a regular basis.
As a result, Margin suits anyone ready to dive deep into the world of automated Bitcoin trading, and take the time to set up and configure the platform in the way that suits them best.
Anyone looking to give learning how to trade Bitcoin a go can download the demo and get started, while more experienced traders can do the same to gain a deeper understanding of how Margin can help them to enhance their current trading activities.
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