Advertiser disclosure: we have no affiliate or advertising agreements with brokers, and no click to a broker is paid. If that changes, this notice changes first. How we make money
Every broker here offers CFDs through at least one Tier 1 company that takes retail clients, ranked by our overall preliminary score. Under each button is the share of retail CFD accounts that lost money with that company, as the broker publishes it.
Low Spread Brokers does not give personal investment advice.
A CFD lets you trade the price move of a currency pair, index, share or commodity without owning it, with leverage capped for retail clients by Tier 1 regulators. The companies on this list publish loss rates from 55% to 88%: the figure differs by company, so read it for the one that would hold your account. Read first:our methodologyhow we make moneyhow regulation differs by country
For a retail client, the best CFD broker is one whose company for your country is Tier 1 and whose costs you can read before you trade. This list keeps only brokers with such a company and sorts them by our overall score; UK residents get a narrower, FCA-only list on the UK page.
Make sure the loss-rate line belongs to the company in your country: Pepperstone, for one, publishes separate figures for its UK, EU, German, Bahamas and Kenyan companies.
Compare spread plus commission per lot on the markets you trade.
Check the overnight financing charge before you hold a CFD for more than a day.
Professional status removes the leverage caps and negative balance protection.
Not sure which broker fits you?
Pick what matters most and go straight to the ranking built for it.
Every ranking shows the company behind each broker and the loss rate that company publishes.
Best CFD brokers with a Tier 1 company
Ranked by this page’s rule from published data, not by commission. Advertiser disclosure
Why this order: only brokers with at least one Tier 1 company that takes retail clients, sorted by our overall preliminary score; market range and research tools are not scored yet. Ranked from our data on 19 brokers, updated 19 Oct 2026. How we rank
Ranked by preliminary score · 19 Oct 2026
Your country decides which company opens your account, and with it your leverage cap and protections.
Depends on entity: up to 1:30 (retail, per Pepperstone support FAQ) (FCA)
Funding methods
Debit card, Credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Bank transfer
StandardRawSpread bettingProfessional5 of 8 licences checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026
Why #1Tier 1 companies in the UK, Cyprus, Germany, Australia and Dubai, and MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView. Its lowest EUR/USD price is on the Razor account, which adds a commission per lot.
Depends on entity: up to 1:30 (ASIC)up to 1:30 (retail, all account types) (CySEC)up to 1:5000 (MetaTrader accounts), 1:1000 (cTrader); described as dynamic (FSA Seychelles)up to 1:200 (SCB)
Funding methods
Credit/debit card, Bank transfer, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, UnionPay, BPAY, FasaPay, POLi
StandardRawIslamicProfessional3 of 4 licences checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026
Why #2MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView, but no UK company; outside the EEA and Australia most clients are onboarded by its Seychelles or Bahamas entity.
Depends on entity: up to 50:1 implied (margin from 2% on EUR/USD, retail) (CFTC / NFA)up to 30:1 (major forex pairs, retail; margin 3.33%) (FCA)up to 1:30 (retail, per account comparison table on EU site) (KNF)up to up to 20:1 (retail) (MAS)up to 25x implied (individual FX margin at least 4% of transaction amount) (JFSA)
Funding methods
Debit card, Credit card, Bank transfer (Faster Payments, BACS, CHAPS, SWIFT, SEPA)
StandardRawProfessional4 of 8 licences checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026
Why #3Tier 1 companies in the US, UK, Poland, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Japan, and no minimum deposit on its UK standard account. No cTrader.
0.0 pips (RAW ECN (inferred: unlabeled block), 17 Feb 2026)
Platforms
MT4, MT5, TradingView, proprietary
Max retail leverage
Depends on entity: up to 30:1 (major currency pairs, retail); lower for other instruments (FCA)up to up to 30:1 (retail clients) (ASIC)up to 100:1 to 500:1 (global help center, all account types; certain products fixed) (VFSC)
Funding methods
Debit card, Credit card, Bank transfer, Skrill, Neteller, E-wallets, Alternative payment methods
StandardRawECNIslamicCopyCentSpread bettingProfessional2 of 6 licences checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026
Why #4FCA and ASIC companies, and its UK site states insurance above the FSCS limit. Third-party warnings about its Vanuatu entity are not yet verified.
Depends on entity: up to Up to 1:30 (Trade.MT5 / Zero.MT5, retail) (CySEC)
Funding methods
Bank transfer, Visa/Mastercard, Klarna, Skrill, Brite
StandardRawIslamicProfessional3 of 5 licences checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026
Why #9the lowest published standard-account EUR/USD spread in our data; its UK company’s leverage and loss protection are not stated on the pages we used.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Most retail investor accounts lose money. Consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford the high risk of losing your money.
14X
XM
Main entity: Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd · 9 entities in total
Depends on entity: up to 30:1 (depending on instrument, retail) (FCA)up to 30:1 (major currency pairs, retail) (CySEC, ASIC)up to 30:1 default for major currency pairs (as stated on fxcm.com/za open-account page) (FSCA)up to 1000:1 (accounts with equity < $10,000; 400:1 for $10k-50k; 100:1 above $50k; MT4 < $10k max 400:1) (Unregulated)
Funding methods
Debit/credit card (Visa, Mastercard; Discover in UK), Bank wire, PayPal (UK, AU), Google Pay, Apple Pay (UK, AU), Open Banking (UK), Skrill, NETELLER, Rapid Transfer (UK), China Online Payment (markets), Crypto (markets)
StandardRawSpread bettingProfessional4 of 6 licences checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026
Depends on entity: up to 1:30 (major FX CFDs, retail: ESMA-style minimum initial margin 3.33%; 5% other pairs) (FCA)up to Leverage limits per CBI CFD rules (Aug 2019) for retail; ESMA minimum margin 3.33% major FX (1:30) per CFD margin page (Central Bank of Ireland)
Funding methods
Bank wire, ACH (US), Direct ACH (US), Check (US), Online Bill Pay (US), Wise balance transfer, USDC stablecoin (USD)
Standard6 of 9 licences checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026
Who each CFD provider suits and its main drawback, in the order of the list.
1PepperstoneCFDs on MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView; lowest price on the commission-based Razor account8.5/10
2IC Marketsraw-spread CFDs in Australia or the EEA; no UK company8.0/10
3OANDACFDs from a Tier 1 company in seven countries; no cTrader8.0/10
4VantageCFDs plus UK spread betting; offshore company outside the UK and Australia7.9/10
5IGCFDs and spread bets from three FCA companies; no raw-spread account7.9/10
6FP MarketsCFDs across the widest platform list, Iress included; no UK company7.9/10
7CMC MarketsCFDs with no minimum deposit in the UK; no MT57.8/10
8Tickmillraw-account CFDs with FCA or CySEC protection; Seychelles company elsewhere7.7/10
9Admirals (Admiral Markets)CFDs on MetaTrader in the EU; residents of Belgium are not accepted7.7/10
10ThinkMarketsthe widest account range; no published EUR/USD spread in pips7.6/10
Scores by criterion
Each criterion scored 0–10. Darker means a higher score; an empty cell means not measured.
Scores by criterion
Broker
Costs
Platforms
Regulation
Accounts
Research
Support
Pepperstone
8.2
9.5
9.0
7.0
Not measured
Not measured
IC Markets
6.8
9.5
8.0
8.5
Not measured
Not measured
OANDA
7.6
8.0
9.0
7.0
Not measured
Not measured
Vantage
7.6
8.0
8.0
8.0
Not measured
Not measured
IG
7.6
8.5
9.0
6.0
Not measured
Not measured
FP Markets
7.6
9.5
8.0
6.5
Not measured
Not measured
CMC Markets
8.0
6.5
9.0
7.0
Not measured
Not measured
Tickmill
7.6
8.0
7.5
8.0
Not measured
Not measured
Admirals (Admiral Markets)
8.0
6.5
8.0
8.0
Not measured
Not measured
ThinkMarkets
Not measured
8.0
9.0
9.0
Not measured
Not measured
FxPro
7.2
9.5
8.0
5.0
Not measured
Not measured
Saxo
7.2
6.0
9.0
6.5
Not measured
Not measured
AvaTrade
6.4
8.0
8.0
7.0
Not measured
Not measured
XM
6.8
6.0
8.0
8.0
Not measured
Not measured
XTB
6.8
4.0
9.0
7.5
Not measured
Not measured
FXCM
Not measured
7.0
7.0
6.5
Not measured
Not measured
Plus500
Not measured
4.0
9.0
5.5
Not measured
Not measured
Interactive Brokers
Not measured
4.0
9.0
5.0
Not measured
Not measured
eToro
Not measured
4.0
9.0
4.0
Not measured
Not measured
Preliminary scores from published broker data. Research and support are not scored until live-account tests, and a broker with no published EUR/USD spread in pips has no costs score.
At a glance · CFD providers
CFD broker comparison table
What the table shows
Published minimum deposit, the lowest published EUR/USD spread with its account and check date, platforms, account types and retail leverage by company, from each broker’s own pages.
How to use this table
Sort by score, spread or minimum deposit. Deposits stay in the broker’s own currency, so compare them only within one currency.
50:1 implied (margin from 2% on EUR/USD, retail) (CFTC / NFA) · 30:1 (major forex pairs, retail; margin 3.33%) (FCA) · 1:30 (retail, per account comparison table on EU site) (KNF) · up to 20:1 (retail) (MAS) · 25x implied (individual FX margin at least 4% of transaction amount) (JFSA)
0.0 pipsRAW ECN (inferred: unlabeled block) · 17 Feb 2026
MT4, MT5, TradingView, proprietary
Standard, Raw, ECN, Islamic, Copy, Cent, Spread betting, Professional
30:1 (major currency pairs, retail); lower for other instruments (FCA) · up to 30:1 (retail clients) (ASIC) · 100:1 to 500:1 (global help center, all account types; certain products fixed) (VFSC)
Spreads as each broker publishes them, latest check 19 Oct 2026. Minimum deposits are shown in the broker’s own currency and are not converted.
Highest score in our data
First on the overall score in October 2026
Pepperstone publishes Tier 1 licence numbers from 5 regulators and quotes EUR/USD from 0.0 pips on its Razor account (checked 19 Oct 2026). The trade-off: that price is on the Razor account, which charges a commission per lot on top; the Standard account has no commission and a wider spread.
Spread plus commission per round-turn lot. On EUR/USD a raw account at 0.0 pips plus $3.50 per side costs 0.7 pips in total, which you can set against a standard account’s spread.
Overnight financing (swap) is charged on most CFDs held past the daily cut-off. We do not record swap rates yet, so check the broker’s swap table for the instruments you hold.
MetaTrader 4 and 5, cTrader and TradingView carry over between brokers; a broker’s own platform does not. FP Markets, FxPro, IC Markets and Pepperstone offer all four in our data.
Scores come from published data, not from sponsorship and not yet from live-account tests.
1Collect companiesEach company in the group, its regulator, licence number and the countries it serves, from the broker’s pages and registers where they opened.
2Record costsEUR/USD spreads and commissions as the broker publishes them, with the date of each check.
3Score four criteriaCosts, platforms, regulation and accounts, each from a fixed formula on the methodology page.
4Leave the rest unscoredResearch and support wait for live-account tests; a missing cost figure counts as neutral in the total.
5Rank per pageEach list filters by one fact and sorts by one criterion, written under its heading.
Rubric weights (research and support not yet scored)
Costs · 25%
Regulation & safety · 25%
Platforms · 15%
Accounts & funding · 15%
Research & education · 10%
Support · 10%
19brokers scored
6criteria in the rubric
19 Oct 2026latest data check
What does not affect a score
Partner status and advertising. We have no affiliate or advertising agreements with brokers.
Published spreads behind the scores
Checked
Quote
Spread
19 Oct 2026
EUR/USD, Razor account, Pepperstone
0.1 pips
19 Oct 2026
EUR/USD, Raw Spread (Global) account, IC Markets
0.1 pips
19 Oct 2026
EUR/USD, Spread-only (OANDA Europe Limited, UK) account, OANDA
0.6 pips
Methodology v1 · scores stay marked preliminary until live-account tests
A desk ranking from published data, with its gaps shown.
Who writes it
The Low Spread Brokers team writes and checks every page; brokers do not see pages before publication and do not edit them. All lists read from one broker file, so a spread or licence number is the same on every page.
We have no affiliate or advertising agreements with brokers, and no click to a broker is paid. If that changes, the site will say so first; partner status is not an input to any score, whose formulas use spreads, platforms, licences and account terms only.
What we don’t do
No bonuses or sign-up offers. No offshore leverage presented as a feature. No claim that we tested an account we have not opened. No personal investment advice.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Most retail investor accounts lose money. Consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford the high risk of losing your money.
Low Spread Brokers does not give personal investment advice.
A CFD broker, or CFD provider, offers contracts for difference: you and the broker settle the change in an asset’s price between opening and closing, without you owning the asset. Every broker on this list runs several companies, and the one that accepts your country sets your leverage and protections.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
2Why do most retail CFD accounts lose money?
Leverage multiplies losses as well as gains, and every trade starts behind by the spread. In the UK each provider must publish the share of its retail CFD accounts that lost money; the companies on this list publish figures from 55% to 88%.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
3Are CFD brokers regulated in my country?
It depends on the country. In the UK the FCA authorises CFD providers, in Australia ASIC, and in the EU national regulators such as CySEC apply ESMA rules. Our country pages list which brokers have a company for each one.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
4What is a CFD account?
An account in which you trade CFDs on margin. Most brokers here offer a standard account with the cost in the spread and a raw account with a commission per lot; professional accounts remove retail leverage caps.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
5Which is the best CFD trading platform in the UK?
For UK residents only brokers with an FCA company apply, which drops IC Markets and FP Markets from this list. Among the rest, Pepperstone offers MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView, and IG adds ProRealTime and L2 Dealer to its own platform.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
Who wrote and checked this page
Written and checked by
Low Spread Brokers team
Collects broker costs, account terms, entities and licence numbers from the brokers’ own pages and the regulators’ registers, records the date and source of every figure and compares each one with its source before a page is published.