Best Forex Brokers for 2023.
Edward Kendy and his team review the best forex brokers every year. Foreign exchange market industry competition is fierce. Therefore we at BestOnlineForexBroker.com have been commited to review the best forex brokers for you every single year for more than a decade! Choosing the best forex broker requires some serious skills. Each broker’s trading platform was tested thoroughly by our team of expert forex traders.
We compared: range of offerings, platforms & trading tools, customer service, and commisions & fees.
Below is a list of what we think are the best forex brokers for 2023.
Pepperstone – Awarded as the “ Top Forex Broker Overall “ OctaFX – Top Recommended FX Broker for Asia based traders XM – Best MT4/MT5 Forex Broker eToro – Best Social Trading Platform XTB – Best CFD Broker Forex.com – Best Broker for US Traders.
Best Brokers for Forex Trading.
#1) Pepperstone – Best Overall Forex Broker.
AUD/USD EUR/USD GBP/USD USD/CAD USD/CHF USD/JPY 0,17 Pip 0,09 Pip 0,59 Pip 0,31 Pip 0,35 Pip 0,25 Pip.
Account Currencies: SGD, USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CHF, HKD, NZD, JPY Non-dealing desk broker Access to over 80 currency pairs Knowledgeable customer service Forex spreads from 0.0 Pips (Razor Account) Account Types: Razor, Standard, Islamic, MAM/PAMM Demo Account Free CFDs on Stocks, CFDs ETFs, Indices, CFDs on Commodities Hedging / Scalping trading strategies allowed MT4 / MT5 / cTrader platforms.
Only Forex and CFDs Stocks trading only as CFDs Not available to USA traders.
XM.COM – Best for Trading Experience.
XM Group is a daughter company to Trading Point Holding, which is a global CFD broker that was established back in 2009.
Nonetheless, XM also has a global footprint and is regulated by Tier 1 financial authorities: the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), Tier 3 financial authority International Financial Services Commission of Belize (IFSC). XM Group is one of the safest trading platforms to trade on.
XM also features one of the lowest minimum deposit requirements in the whole industry of just $5 . Additionally, no deposit bonus of $30 is available in case you are residing outside of EU/UK territory. Opening an new trading account is very fast and easy to do. It also comes with a variety of online educational tools to help build your trading skills.
XM’s product portfolio is quite limited, as it only offers forex and handful of CFDs on cryptocurrency for its clients. You may be charged an inactivity fee if you do not trade for more than 3 months in a row.
Account Currencies: USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CHF, AUD, HUF, PLN, RUB, SGD, ZAR. No requotes, No slippages policy Minimum deposit $5 No deposit bonuses $30 (not for EU) 56 currency pairs available Low spreads from 0 Pips Fast trade execution Support in 25 languages Excellent customer service Competitive bonuses Scalping is allowed MT4 / MT5 or Webtrader Choose from 11 base currencies.
Focused mostly on forex Not available for USA traders No forex options No real stocks available (only CFDs)
XTB – Best for Beginners & High Quality Education.
X-Trade Brokers also known as XTB allows you access to a wide range of financial markets, including forex, CFD cryptocurrencies, CFD indices, thousands of real shares without commision, CFD on precious metals, and commodities. X-Trade Brokers trace their origin back to central Europe in Poland. The XTB company is regulated by the Tier 1 FCA ( Financial Conduct Authority ). XTB is also publicly listed on the Polish Stock Exchange.
XTB’s forex spreads have consistently been better than average. Their xStation 5 is a multiple award winning platform and allows you access from both mobile and desktop.
XTB broker made his way into top 3 ranking thanks to its state of the art xStation 5 platform that is far better than Meta Trader 4 for most traders. The dedication of the whole team behind XTB to provide high quality educational webinars is phenomenal.
Account Currencies: USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CHF, AUD, HUF, PLN, RUB, SGD, ZAR. No requotes, No slippages policy Minimum deposit – $0 Great broker for European traders 56 currency pairs available Low spreads from 0 Pips Fast trade execution Good customer service.
Focused mostly on forex Not available for USA traders No forex options No real stocks available (only CFDs)
How to Choose a Forex Broker.
What are the best forex brokers ?
The answer is there isn’t one which is the best for everyone but if you take into consideration the points below when choosing one, you will find the best forex trading company that will accomodate to your trading style.
Let us save you lot of time searching and headache! We did the research for you, you will thank us later for!
1) Regulation & License.
Despite the regulation, there are still many crooks in this business, which can cost you lot of money!
If you trade with a regulated broker, you will gain protection in terms of the safety of your money and the broker will have guidelines on the way your account is dealt with to ensure you get the best service and you can contact the regulatory to settle any disputes you may have.
For example, if you are European Union resident, then you should know that any reputable company that operates on European union market should be licensed at least by Cyprus Cysec regulatory or by the FCA UK.
Besides Cysec, the NFA in the USA and the FCA regulated brokers registered by the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom are widely seen as the most serious forex companies in the world like Saxo bank. Although there are now many others, as regulation spreads to more areas of the world. Another well respected regulatory body is the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (asic.gov.au), we can say that ASIC regulated brokers are one of the most reliable companies and usually offer the lowest spreads on the market and the fastest trade execution times, this is mainly due to the fact that Australian retail foreign exchange market is extremely competitive.
Always aim to choose a regulated forex broker. For example in case you are residing in Dubai, then go with the best forex broker in UAE that is DFSA regulated.
KEY TAKEAWAY: ” There is no need to deal with unregulated forex brokers so please don’t even consider them! “
2) Customer Service.
Find out what kind of customer service forex broker provides.
Do they hide behind anonymous mailboxes or have a real support center in your mother tongue that you speak? Is their support center located in the same time zone as you,is it somewhere in Europe or on the opposite side of the globe ? Do they have a customer support telephone line where they can be contacted for technical problems? Do they provide online chat support? Will you be assigned a personal advisor to whom you can contact with trading questions at any time?
For example, eToro provides based on our experience really high quality customer service in 24 languages, including free online forex training.
3) Negative Balance Protection.
In case you posses losing trading positions in your fx trading account, this protects your whole forex trading account against negative balance. It protects you as a retail trader on a per account basis. Meaning, your account will not go into debt, which could potentially happen to many inexperienced traders. Since the forex market can become very volatile in a matter of minutes, the NBT allows you to better manage volatility without having to worry about going into debt!
However you can relax in case you signed up through any of the recommended forex trading companies on this website because ….
As of 1st August 2022 the negative balance protection is mandatory for all retail trading accounts for forex companies that are regulated by the European regulators like Cysec or British FCA!
4) Your Previous Experience and Trading Style.
First of all, you should think about your trading style and choose a platform accordingly:
Are you a complete newbie in Forex? Will you trade the most popular currency pair of EURUSD or exotic currencies? Do you have large capital or do you require a mini / micro account? Do you use mobile phone for trading? Do you depend on forex signals? Are you going to scalp the market? In case you are about to start trading forex in Hong Kong you will most likely prefer Hong Kong forex broker . German residents usually open an account with BaFIN regulated online brokers in Germany .
5) Broker’s Financial Standing.
How much capital does the forex company have behind it – in other words – how strong is its balance sheet? You should take this into consideration when choosing a broker and also the length of the time they have been in business. A broker with a strong balance sheet which has been in business for many years is probably going to be a good broker to deposit your money with. You should always deposit your hard earned cash with a financially strong brokerage only.
6) Trading Platforms.
The forex trading platform is also a consideration in terms of its smoothness of operation, reliability, number of currency pairs offered and other extras such as news and technical charting tools. You can easily find out how good the trading platform is by simply opening a demo account and seeing if you like the services.
〉〉 Webtrader and iOs Android Trading Apps.
Almost each forex broker offers its own Webtrader platform and mobile app for trading. These platforms are containing very basic trading functions and basic charting possibilities. On the other hand, it runs under almost any internet browser and requires no download and installing. The only thing you literally needs is a PC/Mac with Internet connection or smartphone with installed App.
〉〉 Metatrader 4.
If you are really serious about trading on the foreign exchange market, then you should definitely look for the best forex broker that is allowing you to trade with Metatrader. For instance Interactive brokers, Saxo bank, MetaTrader is a standard industry platform and is the most well known and most commonly used and offers security, reliability and a number of analytical features and most brokers will allow you to use it.
Metatrader 4 is used mostly by forex traders, while 5 includes besides fx also ETF, commodities etc.
〉〉 Social trading (copytrading )
While many traders want to trade themselves there are many who want to get help and there has recently been a huge rise in social fx trading .
There are many social trading platforms and the concept is simple – you can follow other traders in the network and copy their trades and hopefully make money following their trading signals.
Traders online have been swapping ideas and trades in forums, blogs and social networks for a long time and the idea of following successful traders in a trading network is a logical progression and the growth of this segment of the trading industry is huge and the number of traders participating and the dollars amounts transacted are staggering – let’s take a look at a couple of examples.
Etoro social network is huge with over 2 million traders using it. These platforms are two of the biggest but the idea of following other traders is growing at a rapid rate and new platforms are coming online all the time.
Most forex brokers claim their trading platform is the best but in terms of the top platforms there is not to much between them and which you like will come down to the services you specifically require as a trader.
TIP: The best way to find out how good a platform is you should try it on a practice demo account!
7) Maximum Leverage.
The leverage brokers offer vary but they all give you more leverage than you really need and 500:1 leverage is not an advantage! Most experienced Forex traders only trade with leverage of 10:1 and all the top brokers, will give you this level of leverage. For example in Asia there are some Malaysia forex brokers even offer 888:1 maximum leverage. On the other hand, forex corretores in Brazil usually offer between 300:1 to 400:1 as this is the most frequently required leverage on Brazilian foreign exchange market. Forex brokers in Japan restrict the maximum leverage to only 25:1 due to FSA regulatory requirements.
However the ESMA (European Security Markets Authority) has announced the restrictions on leverage that affects all retail traders residing in European Union. As of 1st August of this year no retail forex trader from EU will have more leverage than 30:1 for major currency pairs and 20:1 for.
8) Price Quotes and Pip Spreads.
〉〉 PIP Spread.
Most of the top trusted forex companies will give you tight pip spreads on all the majors, although there may be more variance on the cross currency pairs. If you are day trader, pip spreads need to be tight, if you are a long term trend follower where a pip a trade will not impact on profitability. You can also check out the quotes offered and price feed but most of the brokers we recommend on this site will have excellent quotes and tight pip spreads.
〉〉 SWAPs.
Sometimes you will have to pay so called SWAPs overnight fees for keeping the trade open overnight. The cost will depend on the interest rates etc and varies by currency pair and the type of trade whether you go LONG or SHORT. If you are of islamic faith, you can get SWAP free islamic account! Many of the best forex brokers in Singapore offer that option.
〉〉 Other fees.
Some companies charge you account inactivity fees, or withdrawal fees (usually around $20-$50 per withdrawal up to a certain threshold).
9) Forex Demo Account.
Always check whether they will allow you to open a forex demo account where you can check how their platform works and get to know it. It is important to know when their demo is valid, some companies only provide a demo platform for a fixed period , that is, the platform is automatically deactivated for example after 30 days. Some companies will allow you to trade on your demo account indefinitely, and you can start trading sharply just when you feel that you know the platform perfectly.
10) Minimum Deposit.
The minimum deposit will vary between online forex brokers some require $100 dollars minimum deposit and some will want you to deposit thousands and you need to pick a broker in line with your amount of risk capital. Bigger accounts can of course offer you tighter pip spreads than smaller ones but generally, the difference is not too big and both large and small traders can find a company which will give them a competitive service.
11) Deposits and Withdrawals of Cash & Support.
Check the deposit and withdrawal features and how quick and easy it is to top up your trading account and also support in terms of operation of your trading account and its best its 24 hour support which all the big forex brokers do. When it comes to money, safety of your funds comes first. Forex brokers like Interactive Brokers or Saxo bank are insured up to a million per account.
12) Forex Bonus.
Many brokerages offer a forex bonus in relation to your deposit but be careful with these because, many have conditions attached to them which mean you have to make a certain number of trades in a set period to qualify for the bonus and many we have seen, make the amount of trading signals you have to transact so big, you are unlikely to make any money! If you are a serious trader, who offers the best trading bonus on your deposit, should not be a major consideration, however in case you are interested we encourage you to check Hotforex review and XM offers.
13) Market Maker vs ECN/STP.
According to a lot of traders, market makers steal your money but if they are regulated this is not the case, the trader is normally just upset he lost. Market makers, don’t have to steal a clients money because they work on the odds that 90% of traders lose money over time so there profits are good over the long term.
ECN brokers UK are yet another type of brokerages who utilize electronic communication network which can guarantee interbank exchange rates and tight spreads.
Market makers can offer great spreads and services which are as good as a broker who offsets so if the market maker is regulated and you like them, by all means trade with them.
14) News, Research and Trading Signals.
There are many brokerages who set themselves up as FX brokers for beginners and try to tempt traders to deal with them by offering dealer support, research and even trading signals and systems to give the trader trades – do not take this into consideration when choosing a brokerage or the best UK spread betting brokers.
The research is generally terrible and reflects the herd and companies who give you trades, are unlikely to make you money, as they have a conflict of interest – they make money when you trade or lose. The trading systems and signals are the same as a broker assisted account only automated and will not make you any money either. So help in the form of trading currency pairs from a broker is a complete waste of time.
In Conclusion…
If you follow the above tips for choosing the best forex platform, you will find one which can give you a window to global currency markets and allow you, to apply your strategy in the world’s most exciting investment – trading global currencies for profit!
Risk Disclaimer: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 69-78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
DISCLAIMER: All content on this website is for studying purposes only. Information provided on this website is not an investment advice!
RISK WARNING: CFD instruments involve a significant risk of loss to your capital. Between 64-87% of retail CFD accounts lose money. It is not suitable for everyone. You are strongly advised to trade with money that you can afford to loose.
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