Is SnapTrade Safe? How Connecting Your Broker Works

The most common question new copy traders ask is some version of "do I have to hand over my login or my money?" The answer is no, and SnapTrade is the reason. SnapTrade is the regulated connection layer that lets RelayTrades talk to your brokerage account securely, so the trades you choose can be routed for you without anyone taking control of your funds.

What is SnapTrade?

SnapTrade is a brokerage-connectivity service: a secure middle layer that connects investing apps to brokerage accounts through official, authorized channels. If you have ever linked a bank account to an app using Plaid, the model is familiar. You authorize the connection once through the broker, and the app receives a limited, revocable token, not your password.

How the connection actually works

• You start the connection from RelayTrades and pick your broker (such as Webull, Charles Schwab, Moomoo, or Alpaca).
• You log in and authorize the link on the broker’s own secure page, not inside RelayTrades, so your broker credentials are entered only with your broker.
• SnapTrade returns an authorized connection token that lets the app read your positions and place orders you approve, scoped to that account.
• Your money stays in your own brokerage account the entire time. The connection cannot move cash out or withdraw funds.
• You can revoke the connection whenever you want, from RelayTrades or directly in your broker’s connected-apps settings.

What the connection can and cannot do

The access is read-and-trade, not custody. RelayTrades can see your holdings and balances (so it can size copied trades to your account) and place the orders you have authorized through copy settings or manual approval. It cannot withdraw money, transfer funds to another account, or change your bank links. Your capital never leaves your broker, and RelayTrades is automation software, not a broker-dealer or money manager.

Your broker password is never shared with RelayTrades. You authorize the link on your broker’s own page, the app receives only a limited, revocable trading token, and you can cut the connection at any time.

How to keep your connection secure

• Turn on two-factor authentication at your broker, it protects the underlying account no matter what is connected.
• Use the server-side risk limits in RelayTrades (max position size, total exposure, daily-loss caps) so even an authorized connection can only ever act within your rules.
• Review your broker’s connected-apps list periodically and revoke anything you no longer use.
• Keep the kill switch in mind: it halts all automation and flattens open positions on your account instantly.

The bottom line

SnapTrade is designed so you can automate trades without giving up custody or your credentials. It does not remove market risk, copying a trader can still lose money, but it does mean the connection itself is limited, revocable, and built around you keeping control of your own account. Past performance is not indicative of future results.