Trading de Forex ou de opções binárias: Forex trading platforms 7

Best Forex Brokers and Platforms.

Forex trading involves high stakes and even higher risks. This article aims to help you differentiate between a scammer and a forex broker that can actually help you profit.

Tim Fries.

Tim Fries is the cofounder of The Tokenist. He has a B. Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the University .

Reviewed by.

Shane Neagle.

Meet Shane. Shane first starting working with The Tokenist in September of 2022 — and has happily stuck around ever since. Originally from Maine, .

Updated January 09, 2023.

All reviews, research, news and assessments of any kind on The Tokenist are compiled using a strict editorial review process by our editorial team. Neither our writers nor our editors receive direct compensation of any kind to publish information on tokenist.com. Our company, Tokenist Media LLC, is community supported and may receive a small commission when you purchase products or services through links on our website. Click here for a full list of our partners and an in-depth explanation on how we get paid.

Warren Buffet was famously quoted for saying, “I always knew I was going to be rich. I don’t think I ever doubted it for a minute.” This kind of confidence is necessary if you plan to play the foreign exchange or forex markets.

Currency trading is an exact science in some cases, and most traders focus on EUR/USD pairs. While Warren Buffett only gets involved in currency markets occasionally, he provides some insights via this interview on forex trading. In addition, it’s also about understanding clusters of good luck and bad luck.

But before you dive head-first into the wild world of fx trading, it’s important to ask yourself a few questions:

Do you want to bet on Euro and USD?

Do you want to look into other currencies?

The forex market offers a lot of benefits to traders who want a very liquid market. You can trade 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday. Are you ready and able to be switched on at all hours of the day?

In order to trade forex, you need an account with a brokerage that offers forex trading access. The best brokers for forex offer more benefits and trading tools specifically tailored to understand volatile currencies.

The best forex brokers have a customizable dashboard that lets you track each and every currency that matters to you. We’ve tested the top 38 forex broker platforms in the US and around the world, and put together this short list of our most-recommended brokers.

Based on low costs, trading tools, currency evaluation, and real-time data, we chose the following as the best forex trading platforms.

Top Forex Broker Online Platforms.

Here’s our top pick of the best brokers based on fees, usability, and more:

FOREX.com Best Overall IG Group Best Premium Service Interactive Brokers Best Investment Selection OANDA Best for Veteran Traders TD Ameritrade Well-Rounded Platform for US Traders Only Pepperstone Best for Tight Spreads eToro Best for Copy Trading Saxo Bank Best App and Web Platform CMC Markets Best Budget Option.

The Best Forex Brokers – Our Reviews.

Since the global foreign exchange market is the largest in the world and most actively traded, there are different ways to rate each brokerage.

One type may be the best forex broker for beginners while others are better for advanced users. The most important factors include fees for spreads and commissions, trading platform software, charting tools, customer support, education, currency research, and reliability.

1. FOREX.com: Best Overall.

The FOREX.com online platform is designed to provide its users with safe and low-cost forex trading.

There are so many options to trade on FOREX.com. With a number of different trading tools and lots of research options, FOREX.com is the perfect platform for both new and advanced forex traders alike.

Pros.

Very safe, publicly traded company with four tier-1 jurisdictions Variety of assets including most currency pairs, cryptocurrency, CFDs, and stocks Earned numerous awards for mobile trading, education, and low costs Competitive pricing for spreads and volume, which benefits active forex traders Includes advanced trading platforms and MetaTrader.

Cons.

Slow customer service Pushes you towards agency execution and higher cost services.

Visit FOREX.com on FOREX.com’s website.

Established in 2001, FOREX.com is a renowned name in the industry. The brokerage boasts strong regulatory licenses, being regulated by four tier-1 regulators, and currently has over 140,000 clients.

FOREX.com gives clients access to 80 currency pairs, as well as 20 stock index CFDs, 380 stock CFDs, 20 ETF CFDs, and 29 commodity CFDs, as well as 9 cryptocurrencies. Unfortunately, clients in the US and UK won’t be able to trade crypto with this broker, and US residents are likewise banned from trading CFDs.

However, with those two small caveats out of the way, all in all, FOREX.com’s selection of investments is quite wide. Typical spreads for FOREX.com via MetaTrader were 1.4 pips on the EUR/USD using the most recent data available (at the time of writing).

There was also an average spread of 1 pip during the third quarter for EUR/USD, but only for the non-MT4 platforms. If you are a high-volume trader, FOREX.com has five tiers of pricing to suit your needs, which is highly customizable and praised by users.

Level one has a spread of 1.2 pips on EUR/USD exchange for traders who can maintain a balance of at least $10,000. Spreads are reduced as you upgrade to each level, so a level five must maintain a $500 million balance and that brings the spread down to 0.84 pips on EUR/USD pairings.

As far as platforms go, FOREX.com offers traders access to the venerable and evergreen MetaTrader 4, as well as its slightly younger cousin, MetaTrader 5. Although both of these platforms are solid choices, the investment offerings available to clients using MetaTrader 5 are rather limited, so we’d recommend avoiding it.

Apart from the MetaTraders, FOREX.com also has its own proprietary web-based platform. It comes with over 70 technical indicators, 50 drawing tools, as well as an alert/notification feature. The proprietary platform is quite customizable, user-friendly, and supports plenty of advanced order types.

Both MetaTrader 4 and FOREX.com’s own platform have their own mobile versions. While both are easy to use, intuitive, well-designed, and offer a fair bit of functionality, they lack order time limits and a two-step login feature.

FOREX.com also provides dealer execution , and it never relies on third parties to make the trades. You can get higher quality trades because FOREX.com operates this way.

In addition, the platform added STP Pro accounts for US traders. Active traders in the US get higher discounts with this type of account as well.

FOREX.com is also one of the leading brokerages when it comes to research. Users will gain access to well-produced third-party research, as well as a weekly webinar, a headline stream from Reuters, as well an economic calendar. FOREX.com’s in-house research team also produces written material each day, with articles that broach a variety of subjects.

FOREX.com’s minimum initial deposit is 100 of your base currency – for US traders, that would amount to $100 – however, no matter where you are from, the initial deposit is quite reasonable. As far as fees go, traders who haven’t been active for more than 12 months will have to pay a monthly fee of $15.

Wire transfers over $10,000 are executed free of charge – however, anything less than that and you will have to pay either $25 for a domestic wire transfer, or $40 for an international transfer. Although these two non-trading fees are pesky, they’re quite low and shouldn’t cause much of an issue to traders.

The brokerage also offers access to a 30-day demo account, allowing prospective clients to give their platforms a test run before committing. If what we’ve presented sounds appealing, consider opening a demo account – or take a look at our in-depth review of FOREX.com if you’d like to learn more about this broker.

Investor Warning: Please note that foreign exchange and other leveraged trading involves significant risk of loss. 73% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading with this provider. It is not suitable for all investors and you should make sure you understand the risks involved, seeking independent advice if necessary.

2. IG Group: Best Premium Service.

The IG Group online broker platform improves the Forex trading experience with its advanced trading tools.

Pros.

Advanced web-trading platform Considered safe, and is regulated by the FCA in the UK, and more globally Low spreads for popular forex pairs Over 16,000 markets.

Cons.

No copy/social trading platform Steep inactivity fee after 2 years U.S. clients can only trade forex.

Visit IG Group on IG’s website.

Whether you are interested in trading CFDs or currencies, IG has a huge selection of over 16,000 markets . With the ability to trade forex, cryptocurrency, individual equities, stock sectors, and commodities—IG’s large investment selection is enjoyed by many traders.

U.S. residents can only trade forex with IG – however, the broker’s powerful tools and low costs make it a formidable contender in the U.S. market.

IG has been around forever, and interestingly, was the first of its kind at the time. Today, IG is a leading forex provider, with competitive fees, superb educational material and research, and a huge variety of assets. If you’re a trader outside the U.S. who is interested in other instruments, such as trading CFDs, IG has you covered.

After the company’s expansion to the U.S. in February 2022, U.S traders can now access IG U.S.’s tools and services, however, the product selection is currently focused on forex only – CFDs are not currently offered to U.S. clients. IG U..S is regulated by the CFTC and the NFA.

However, IG U.S. does offer 80 currency pair s, and the broker’s low spreads make it an appealing option for U.S.-based forex traders. The company breaks down the offered currency pairs into six categories – Major pairs, Minor pairs, Australasian, Scandinavian, Exotic, and Emerging Markets.

The broker caters specifically to forex traders in several ways, including offering higher volume forex traders access to an aggressive rebate program. IG U.S. is also the only brokerage in the U.S. to offer ProRealTime , a package of charting software that supports over 100 indicators.

U.S.-based clients can choose between IG’s well-designed and user-friendly web platform and mobile/tablet apps and the venerable MT4. Both offer advanced tools, as well as a news stream from Reuters and an economic calendar.

One final note to U.S.-based investors before we move on to the company’s international offerings – IG U.S. is currently not available to residents of Arizona and Ohio.

IG has a minimum of 0.6 pips for EUR/USD trading, which is relatively low in comparison to the industry average of 70 pips. With this, you can trade on forex, cryptocurrency exchanges, individual equities, all stock sectors, bonds, and commodities.

You can also trade on interest rates through their mobile and browser-based platform. But note: there are steep, monthly inactivity fees after two years. See our IG broker review for more about their fee structure.

In the UK, the company’s L2 Dealer offers professional forex traders direct market access (DMA) that bypasses IG’s dealing desk. This platform is easy to use and customizable.

In addition to being a leading forex broker, IG is the largest CFD dealer due to its trading revenue numbers. IG is known for its reliable reputation, as it is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK.

Most of the UK has a large number of financial spreads in CFDs. IG also offers six cryptocurrencies to trade as CFDs or spread bets but bitcoin has a 40-pip spread which is above the industry average.

Regardless of their place of residence, traders can relish in the company’s extensive educational material. DailyFX Forex University offers informative and accessible information for all traders of all levels. Its touch of humour allows traders to easily broach what can be a complex subject. Traders can take enjoyment out of articles with titles including, Meet Your Subjects in reference to forex pairs, and How to Stay in School, a piece about risk management.

The IG Academy can help develop any trader’s knowledge of CFDs, spread betting, and forex trading. The courses can be completed in your own time and include interactive exercises and quizzes to liven it up and test your ability.

IG’s webinar archive includes an array of previously aired sessions, allowing you to catch up on ones that catch your eye, and if you want to add some into your schedule in the future you can visit the company’s webinar calendar to see all their upcoming sessions.

Customer support is helpful and friendly and can be contacted by phone, live chat, email, and social media, including Twitter. New clients and existing contacts have separate numbers, and the team is available 24 hours a day Monday to Friday.

There is no social/copy platform available, or any client positioning data for forex, CFDs, or spread bets but traders should note that forex positioning data is available within the IG Client Sentiment at DailyFX.com.

Overall, IG is suited to both smaller traders and professional traders . There is a minimum deposit required if/when funding by card depending on the country and currency.

As one of the top U.K. forex trading platforms, the minimum deposit for U.K. traders is £250, and for U.S traders it’s $250. If you’d like to give the platform a test drive, IG offers a demo account, or alternatively, you can sign open a forex account in just 3 simple steps and get started on your forex journey.

Risk warning: Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a HIGH LEVEL OF RISK, and may not be suitable for all investors. Before deciding to trade foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. You could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose.

3. Interactive Brokers: Best Investment Selection.

Interactive Brokers offers the largest investment selection among all top forex brokers.

Defining the number one forex broker isn’t easy — but Interactive Brokers (IBKRs) helps quite a bit. Their powerful platform and diverse investment offerings make it a favorite among all types of traders — because with all things considered, no one else comes close.

Let’s take a deeper dive to see why IBKRs sits at our top forex broker position.

Pros.

Advanced trading platform Extremely safe and well-regulated Large and diverse offering of investments Competitive commissions Superior research tools available to help traders Available in the U.S.

Cons.

Not the best option for low-volume traders Complexity of the platform takes time to learn.

Visit Interactive Brokers on Interactive Broker’s website.

IBKRs has been a trailblazer for quite a long time. Founded in 1978, this broker boasts licenses in 6 tier-one jurisdictions and currently has over $8 billion in equity capital. Needless to say, their regulatory safety is the best you will find in the forex market.

The broker’s trading platform, Trader Workstation , is an incredibly powerful tool. It is highly customizable and supports advanced charting, as well as 20 different order types. TWS is a powerful piece of software – so powerful that it may prove too complex for absolute beginners.

Although IBKRs doesn’t publish its spreads, their fees are quite low – particularly if you’re a high-volume trader. Customers are offered prices that are aggregated from 17 global banks that deal in the foreign exchange market.

While you won’t be charged for spreads, the broker does have commissions that vary from $16 to $40 per million round turn.

One of the rare drawbacks of this broker is the monthly fees, should they be applicable. IBKRs charges a monthly maintenance fee of up to $10, but this will be $0 if $10 in commissions were generated that calendar month or your account has a net liquidation value of at least $100,000.

In practice, this means that active, high-volume traders won’t be paying any such fees. Market data fees may also apply – but they don’t amount to too much, and they can also be waived if you pay a certain amount in commissions.

One of the things that sets IBKRs apart is the sheer magnitude of their investment offerings . The brokerage currently offers over 100 currency pairs, bitcoin futures, as well as over 7,400 CFDs.

❗ Interactive Brokers is a huge name in the brokerage industry – and for many good reasons. The company offers competitive fees, plenty of high-quality research tools, easy-to-use-apps, and cutting-edge tools.

The broker offers a wide variety of well-produced educational content as well. It’s clear that IBKRs understands how daunting their platform can be – quite a lot of the educational content consists of platform tutorials aimed at beginners.

IBKRs also offers a fantastic amount of research and news. The most prominent news sources include Dow Jones, Morningstar, and Thomson Reuters.

Some of the research tools, however, are not free. Despite this, the broker merits high marks in this regard – IBKRs offers almost limitless research possibilities given their offering.

Although IBKRs has commonly come under fire for the quality of their customer support, we’re happy to report that the situation has improved drastically. Wait times are much shorter than before, now averaging 1 to 2 minutes, and the helpful IBot mobile virtual assistant is also a very handy feature.

If you want to learn more, our complete Interactive Brokers review goes into much greater detail.

4. OANDA: Best for Veteran Traders.

OANDA’s low-cost online trading services provide great opportunities for experienced forex traders.

If you have been forex trading in the US, then you know OANDA. It’s one of just two brokerages available in the US. It also serves customers in Asia, EMEA, and Latin America. In addition, it has the reputation of being the most trusted retail forex platform.

Pros.

Open a trading account with just $1 Very safe and regulated under FCA, CFTC, IIROC, ASIC, and Monetary Authority of Singapore Offers a traditional broker spread and on average a less expensive raw spread.

Cons.

Slow support response on average Little to no new education resources, very disorganized Research and trending news is fragmented.

Visit Oanda on Oanda’s website.

Oanda has been around since the beginning of retail forex. While it was developed within academia, the company has grown and built a reputation for being a trustworthy exchange.

As a forex broker, it has more product offerings, better technology, and a dedicated customer base that spans the globe. Since Oanda has been around since the 1990s, they have the most historical data and offer the latest trading technology for forex traders .

You don’t need to have an account minimum to trade with Oanda. The quality of trade executions is considered high by most traders, and it has clear pricing and fee structures, which make it more trustworthy overall as a forex broker. You can access a variety of apps online and via mobile, including their MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 apps.

Many traders find Oanda to be trustworthy, as it is regulated by a number of tier-1 agencies, including the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK.

5. TD Ameritrade: Well-Rounded Platform for US Traders Only.

TD Ameritrade enables Forex brokers to low-cost trade with a great number of currency pairs.

You can trade with nearly 80 currency pairs on TD Ameritrade, but it’s the tools, research, and streaming data on the thinkorswim platform that makes this a top choice for US forex traders.

Pros.

Very stable and trusted platform, founded in 1975 Best in class rating for platform and tools, mobile trading, and research Low-cost competitive pricing for forex traders.

Cons.

US traders only No copy trading Does not offer MetaTrader compatibility.

The cost to trade on forex with TD Ameritrade is based on spread alone. The broker recently removed all trading commissions for stocks and ETFs in October 2022. However, TD Ameritrade also provides a calculator that helps you estimate the cost to carry different currency pairs. This largely depends on the direction of the trade and order size.

Since TD Ameritrade uses GAIN capital, which is the owner of FOREX.com, the spreads for EUR/USD contracts averaged at 1.06 pips. This is based upon data from October 2022 to September 2022. There is no minimum initial deposit, and you can access thinkorswim platform without a subscription.

The thinkorswim platform is TD Ameritrade’s best desktop-based program. With so many tools and research capabilities, you can streamline your trading and upgrade your skills.

You can use the Forex Trader module to display rates for six different pairs or add more. There are 75 different forex pairs to choose from, and you can customize your dashboard as you like.

There are 382 technical indicators available for the charting tools. This is the most in the industry, and explains why TD Ameritrade is a favorite among U.S. clients.

There are also over 80 different strategies that trigger trading signals when a custom condition is set. You can also test trades in their simulator platform.

6. Pepperstone: Best for Tight Spreads.

Pepperstone’s low fees, tight spreads, and trustworthy reputation make it a top-notch forex broker.

Pepperstone’s customizable nature and low fees make it an appealing choice for novices and veterans alike.

Pepperstone is an award-winning brokerage that combines low fees and spreads with several highly-customizable platforms. These, in conjunction with their platforms, make Pepperstone stand out in the Forex market.

Pros.

Extremely tight spreads and minimal fees Large number of currency pairs Variety of platforms available Great customer service Reliable, with strong regulation Copy trading features.

Cons.

Not available in the US, Canada, or Japan Lackluster amount of CFDs.

Visit Peppersone on Pepperstone’s website.

Pepperstone was founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 2010. It is regulated in two tier-1 jurisdictions by the ASIC and the FCA and has experienced meteoric growth and industry acclaim since its inception. Pepperstone also has licenses through BaFin, CySec, DFSA, SCB, and CMA.

So, what is the secret? A combination of laser-focused investment offerings, a wide variety of customizable platforms and tools, and low fees and tight spreads. The last point being the most important one – Pepperstone offers incredibly competitive spreads to clients.

Pepperstone does not charge inactivity and withdrawal fees , and there is no minimum deposit amount. The broker also offers a free demo account which allows you to get acquainted with the platform of your choosing.

Speaking of platforms, Pepperstone gives you quite a bit of choice in this regard. You can choose between three options – MT4, MT5, and cTrader . All of them are solid choices – and Pepperstone also provides a bevy of premium add-ons for their platforms.

However, once all is said and done, we have to give a slight edge to cTrader. This platform has an advantage over the MTs when it comes to charting tools, and offers a slightly more intuitive user interface. However, the difference isn’t massive – all of the platforms are solid choices, and so are their mobile versions – the choice mostly boils down to personal preference.

This ECN platform has more than 70 technical indicators, as well as the cutting-edge cTrader Automate feature , which makes this platform the best choice for algorithmic trading.

Pepperstone also offers access to social and copy trading platforms, including DupliTrade.

Some of these platforms require minimum deposits and incur higher commissions, but they are nevertheless useful tools to have on disposal. We’d give the edge in copy trading to eToro – but Pepperstone can definitely hold its own in this regard.

The brokerage offers a good amount of currency pairs – 62, but the offering of CFDs is much more humble. Pepperstone currently offers over 1,300 Stocks, 17 Commodity CFDs, and 25 Index CFDs. If CFDs and crypto don’t interest you, the issue of investment offerings becomes a moot point.

While Pepperstone’s investment offerings might not be so impressive, their low spreads certainly are. The spreads that you’ll be dealing with primarily depend on the type of account you open.

Pepperstone offers two main account types – a regular account, and a Razor account. Regular accounts have higher spreads, but no commissions – Razor accounts, on the other hand, have much lower spreads but also come with a fixed commission. Regular accounts will appeal more to beginners, but we’ve covered that topic much more thoroughly in our in-depth Pepperstone review.

The spread for standard accounts, on average, is 0.6 – 1.27 pips, while the spread for Razor accounts ranges from 0 – 0.3 pips.

Pepperstone also offers an Active Trader Program that comes with large rebates for customers that make large trades. However, the rebates kick in when you start trading 100 lots or more, so this feature mostly appeals to seasoned traders.

Pepperstone offers customers an impressive amount of well-produced educational materials. These range from platform tutorials to webinars, educational articles, and even a YouTube channel. The research tools that the brokerage offers, such as AutoChartist and Smart Trader Tools are quite useful – although the scope of research and news is rather limited.

Pepperstone’s customer support is available 24/5 and is generally very informative and quick to respond. The brokerage can be contacted via live chat, email, and phone.

Risk warning : Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76.6% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider . You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

7. eToro: Best for Copy Trading.

eToro’s CopyTrader allows you to copy the trades of experts for a minimum investment amount of $200.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or a Forex expert, eToro has competitive features that you’re bound to love.

eToro literally allows you to copy the trades of other registered users. So whether you’re a beginner who doesn’t have the time to learn, or an expert who doesn’t have the time to trade, you just need to find a successful eToro trader. You can copy their trades — so any trade they make, you make. There’s no wonder the brokerage recently hit 13 million users worldwide.

Pros.

Excellent copy trading features User-friendly and well-designed Large investment selection.

Cons.

Average research tools Number of currency pairs could be larger Limited availability to some U.S. residents.

Visit eToro on eToro’s website.

Risk Warning: Your capital is at risk. 78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

eToro was founded way back in 2007. The broker is regulated in two tier-1 jurisdictions and one tier-2 jurisdiction and has recently expanded its business to the U.S and will most likely become a FINRA member in a couple of months ago.

The broker currently offers 49 currency pairs, 13 stock index CFDs, and over 2,000 stock CFDs. While its investment offerings aren’t particularly varied when compared to competitors, eToro does offer enough variety for beginners and intermediate traders.

One of the brokerage’s highlights is its platform. Both the web-based and mobile versions are crisp and feature easy to use , functional designs. The web-trading platform also boasts a number of powerful tools, including full-featured charting and approximately 70 indicators.

However, eToro’s biggest standout feature is CopyTrader , which allows you to copy the trades, strategies, and portfolios of experienced traders. The platform allows you to see how well their investments have performed historically, as well as how risky their strategies are.

Simply choose a dollar amount to dedicate to a particular trader, and you will execute the same trades that they do – typically less than one second later. You can copy up to 100 traders simultaneously.

Copy trading is quite different from what most brokers offer – if you’re interested in this type of trading but still on the fence, eToro offers a demo account that lets you practice with $100,000 worth of virtual money.

The platform still has some antiquated fees, however. A monthly $10 inactivity fee is charged after 12 months without logging in, and a pesky $5 fee is applied whenever you withdraw funds.

The minimum spread has recently been reduced – clients can now trade EUR/USD with spreads as low as 1 pip. While this may be a step in the right direction, eToro still has a ways to go, as many competitors offer more appealing spreads.

If you’re interested in a more detailed assessment, take a look at our eToro review.

8. Saxo Bank: Best App and Web Platform for Forex.

Saxo Bank provides Forex traders with numerous trading instruments and advanced research tools.

If you can afford the $10,000 minimum deposit, then Saxo Bank offers an excellent trading platform with amazing research tools, 40,000 different assets to trade, and competitive pricing.

Pros.

Very low risk brokerage with six tier-1 jurisdictions 40,000 trading instruments across forex, CFDs, stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds SaxoTraderGo is the top web-based platform with more trading tools and research capabilities than most other brokerages Top-notch customer service.

Cons.

Even at low level, Saxo Bank requires $10,000 minimum deposit to join their brokerage Platinum members must deposit $200,000 while VIP accounts must have $1,000,000.

Visit Saxo Bank on Saxo Bank’s website.

Out of all the forex brokerages, Saxo Bank is probably the most exclusive, but due to its low-risk, highly trusted platform, it’s considered to be one of the best by today’s forex traders. You can trade in forex with 182 currency pairs and 35,000 CFDs . It also offers social trading and copy trading. However, there is no cryptocurrency trading allowed.

As far as account types, there are classic, platinum, and VIP accounts. To join Saxo Bank, the biggest drawback is that you are required to deposit $10,000 just for an entry-level classic account.

The average spread for Saxo Bank was rated at 0.6 pips as of October 2022. Spread-only pricing is a major priority for this brokerage, so you won’t pay any trading commissions.

However, for volume-based pricing, the commissions are different. You are expected to pay a commission of 0.5 pips in these cases. This is still relatively low for active traders who would primarily use this type of trade.

With a variety of tools like SaxoTraderGo and SaxoTraderPro, you’ll get over 55 technical indicators for charging and about 20 different drawing tools, which includes Auto Chartist’s trade signals.

You’ll have to subscribe and upgrade to gain access to SaxoTraderPro, but when you do there is a larger selection of trading features, including support for six monitors, streaming time and sales, and algorithmic, automated orders.

For more information about SaxoTraderPro and Saxo’s other broker offerings, read our in-depth Saxo broker review.

9. CMC Markets: Best Budget Option.

CMC Markets provides low-cost services and outstanding easy-to-use research tools.

As a publicly-traded company with regulations in four tier-1 jurisdictions, CMC Markets is considered a safe and low-risk forex and CFD brokerage. It’s also considered the most low-cost option for forex and active trading.

Pros.

Highly competitive pricing for low-cost trading commissions Vast and diverse product catalog Offers liquidity rebates to active traders that surpass at least $25 million in notional trading volumes each month Guaranteed stop loss orders available Real-time news and sophisticated order types.

Cons.

Limited security features No copy or social trading platform High US index for CFD spreads.

Visit CMC Markets on CMC Markets’ website.

Risk Warning: Your capital is at risk. 78% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider.

CMC Markets is best suited to active traders as well as beginners. The platform has a variety of educational resources and tools to help you learn about forex trading and CFDs, and a responsive and helpful customer service team.

However, the firm also caters to more advanced and active traders who want to take advantage of their 0.7 pip minimum for Forex.

The truth is, CMC Markets has a low spread offering with very low trading costs overall. With its highly competitive pricing, the average spreads for EUR/USD go as low as 0.7 pips and typical spreads out to 0.81 pips.

That said, this information can change so, make sure to check out the fees section yourself for any updates. Other forex brokers offer fixed spreads – which has its pros and cons.

In addition, active traders are a focus for CMC Markets and are looked after. A liquidity rebate ranging from $5 to $10 million is available for those who trade at extremely high volumes. There’s also VIP discounts available for high net worth clients.

Traders also like the Guaranteed Stop-Loss Order (GSLO) that CMC Markets offers. This means that you can set risk thresholds for all of your positions, and you are guaranteed to close the trade exactly as you specify. While most brokers charge for GSLOs, CMC Markets actually refunds this cost to you.

You don’t need any minimum balance to trade with CMC Markets, and a free demo account is available to practice trading before signing up to a live account. The platform provides you with charting tools and over 79 technical indicators.

You can also access pattern recognition and social-trading tools on the Next Generation platform , but it’s a little behind on the main platform. You can switch over to their MT4 platform for automated trading, but this area has a higher learning curve.

Read our CMC markets review to learn more about the broker.

What to Look for in a Forex Broker ��

If you want to trade forex, you should first consider how much you plan to trade in terms of money and volume. The best forex brokers offer bigger discounts to active traders—especially those who participate in forex day trading—but you may also have to maintain a minimum balance.

Most of these conditions are clearly set when you sign up for an account, but other brokerages get tricky with their commission rates and fees.

Here is a look at what we use to decide if a forex brokerage is worth it or not.

Is a Forex Broker Trustworthy? ��

If you conduct a search for forex, you may see a lot of sponsored ads at the top for odd brokerages that don’t make it onto our top forex broker list. This is because they are probably scams and don’t have any tier level jurisdictions. It’s important that a forex trading platform be compliant and regulated so that you know it’s trustworthy.

Most forex brokers are publicly traded and have jurisdiction in the US, UK, Canada, Singapore, and Australia. These are the most reliable jurisdictions due to the regulation they enforce, to protect investors. In the United Kingdom, for example, forex trading is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

In addition to governing bodies, there are also organizations. In the US, one of which is the National Futures Association (NFA), which is a registered futures association designated by the CFTC.

In the UK, there was the Financial Services Authorit y (FSA). The FSA regulated financial entities in the UK from 2001 – 2013. The UK restructured its financial regulation after the 2008 financial crisis, and the FSA morphed into the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Due to the high risk involved in forex trading, you should keep an eye for any brokerage that looks too good to be true and isn’t based in one of these five countries.

Company Policies ��

The best brokers post their account security measures, initial deposit requirements, account levels, and regulations on their websites, but you also want to verify the broker’s regulatory licenses. Also, what does it do to safeguard your money from scam artist forex traders?

Lastly but most importantly, where is the company located ? If it’s not located within the United States, U.K., Australia, Canada, Cyprus (CySec), or Singapore, you run the risk of getting scammed like those who worked with these Chinese forex brokers.

How Many Assets Can You Trade ��

The best forex brokers should be open to all currency pairs and allow you to trade in cryptocurrency as well, but that might not be important to you if you are strictly a EUR/USD trader.

Some brokers also include forex in addition to stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, commodities, and securities. You should always check the list of assets and currency pairs before signing up.

�� Keep in mind: Search for brokers that allow you trade all currency pairs. Some even allow you to trade cryptocurrencies.

FX Broker Platform Technology and Trading Tools ��

Forex trading involves complex instruments . With better charts, analysis tools, automated traded, and backtesting, you can become a better trader. However, it’s also about the interface and whether you can access these tools across all trading platforms including your phone.

Many of the best forex brokers today have a mobile app, but does it let you do everything that you can on a desktop or browser-based platform? In addition, how secure is the trading platform? Some forex trading platforms use a VPN to protect your privacy at all costs.

To the surprise of many, there are actually a number of great apps you can leverage to trade Forex. Thanks to the benefits of modern-day technology, trading Forex can be done through a smartphone. The best forex trading apps offer much of the same technology seen in the brokers listed above.

Forex Spreads and Trading Costs ��

You typically won’t pay any commissions for most brokers at the moment, particularly in the US. However, forex trading is based on the all-in cost to the final completed order, or the open to close spread.

Each trade consists of these spread costs, plus any round-turn commissions that are also charged. It’s the same for CFDs as well in terms of bidding and asking spreads plus a commission for each trade.

Reliable Trade Execution ��

Active FX traders know that your data and orders must be timed pretty accurately. The execution method matters a lot to those who trade on the forex because poorly executed traders always result in a loss.

Free trade protection tools can guarantee stop-loss orders at most modern FX brokers, but that’s not enough. A broker should have multiple order types that allow you to automatize your trades completely—that way, there is no need to sit in front of a screen all day if you plan ahead.

❗ Pro tip: Most popular brokers have fast execution but it is impossible to day trade effectively without using stop-loss orders and other order types.

Customer Support ☎️.

When something goes wrong with a trade or if the app is bugging out, you want to be able to contact someone right away. While 24/7 customer service every day of the week is almost unheard of, there are some brokerages that have this chat service.

Phone support is the best way to get help when you have a complicated problem, but not all brokerages offer this support. Most of all, the response time is the most important. You want to know that you can get assistance, and if you choose a global exchange in another time zone, you may be out of luck if something goes wrong.

Expanding Your Education ��

Most brokerages supply some knowledge base materials, but there are others that go beyond this to provide a ton of research tools and educational courses. What’s more, almost every forex broker offers a demo account—this allows you to trade in the markets using fake, virtual money so that you can practice without risk.

Another forex trading platform that didn’t make our list—but not by much—is Pepperstone. As a leading forex platform in Australia, Pepperstone offers incredible educational resources, such as articles, videos, webinars, and market simulators—it also has a very intuitive platform with a demo account feature.

Like most forex brokers, Pepperstone offers a very user-friendly platform with a demo account.

You can also get step-by-step guides for forex trading. When searching for an FX broker with education, all you need to do is check out their support pages and look at customer satisfaction ratings.

You might be surprised at how many external factors impact the forex market—GDP, for example, has a major influence. Many factors, which change daily, impact the value of the US Dollar, as well as other currencies. Learning all of this starts with the educational offerings of the forex broker you choose.

Maybe you’re not sure what a market maker is, or you’re curious about a retail investor account. How exactly does trading forex differ from trading stocks through a traditional stock exchange? If you’re new to the forex world, you need a forex broker that offers the resources to get you ready to start trading.

Beginners vs. Advanced Traders ��️.

Some platforms have easy setup features, hover tips, educational courses, and testing tools to make it easier for beginners to get started with forex. Then, there are platforms with customizable automated strategies that require extensive knowledge of scripting languages.

Before you jump into a platform because it is praised by forex traders, you should look at reviews and see if it’s easy to get into. You don’t want to lose money because you signed up for an active trading platform that relies on hotkey algorithmic bidding if you don’t know what that means.

Trading Forex with an ECN ✔️.

Some forex brokers use Electronic Communications Networks (ECNs) to provide their clients with greater access to the forex market. An ECN combines different prices from a number of market participants.

Here’s the advantage: because of this, they’re usually able to provide clients with better bid/ask spreads than what is typically available.

Should You Try Forex Trading? ��

When it comes to personal financial services, there are some benefits to trading on the forex market versus the stock market. For one, it’s the largest financial market. You can trade 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday.

If you want to be a very active trader and study currency pairs, you can jump right into it without much capital. Most brokerages require little to no account minimum, and it’s low cost to trade on forex in comparison to options and stocks.

While there is some risk, it’s largely mitigated by choosing a trustworthy broker and testing out strategies before you invest actual money. Some strategies involve high risk, but offer high reward as well. The forex market is quite large with 183 currency pairs in some cases.

With large volumes trading, it’s highly liquid as well. You know that someone will trade with you, and you can even automate your trades based on certain buy and sell conditions to make it more profitable.

Forex isn’t really owned by anyone. There never will be a single company controlling the market. This levels the playing field for everyone. There are no middlemen since it’s also decentralized. When you trade, you trade directly with another trader on the forex. The retail broker simply acts as a facilitator.

However, you do have to learn about spreads, transaction costs, and currency pairs. You also have to follow trends for emerging cryptocurrencies and accept that there is a high amount of risk when you invest largely in certain currencies that don’t follow the pattern you thought they would.

Most forex brokers have a small cryptocurrency offering for established digital currencies, but there are others that open it up to a variety of crypto. It’s up to you to do the research on which one will earn you a profit.

�� Worried you will lose money in forex? A good way to stay safe while trading is using the popular forex trading strategies that leave little room for human error.

Wrapping Up: Which is the Best Forex Trader?

With easy access to tools and low transaction costs, we still think IG is probably on top as the best platform. However, CMC markets are best for those who want access to more currency pairs and educational tools.

If you are an advanced trader, OANDA is likely the best option because of its trade execution and transparency when it comes to pricing for active traders, and eToro stands out when it comes to crypto trading. All in all, finding the perfect broker requires knowing yourself and your trading style.

Best Forex Brokers by Jurisdiction.

Here are the top forex brokers in the world’s leading jurisdictions:

Best Australian Forex Brokers �� Best U.K. Forex Brokers �� Best U.S. Forex Brokers �� Best Forex Brokers in Canada �� Forex Trading Singapore �� Forex Trading South Africa �� Forex Trading Philippines �� Forex Trading in India �� Forex Trading in Kenya ��

About the author.

Tim Fries.

Tim Fries is the cofounder of The Tokenist. He has a B. Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Tim served as a Senior Associate on the investment team at RW Baird's US Private Equity division, and is also the co-founder of Protective Technologies Capital, an investment firm specializing in sensing, protection and control solutions.

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