Comparisons
Forex broker comparisons
Side-by-side comparisons of two brokers at a time, built from each broker’s published spreads, commissions, licences and loss rates, checked 19 Oct 2026. Each page says where one broker is stronger and where the other is; none names an overall winner.
- 19brokers with a Tier 1 company in our data
- 19 Oct 2026latest broker data check
Low Spread Brokers does not give personal investment advice.
Quick answer
How do you compare two forex brokers?
Compare four facts in this order: the company that will open your account and its regulator, the spread plus commission on the pair you trade, the platform, and the share of retail accounts that lose money. A headline spread alone misleads: IG publishes EUR/USD from 0.6 pips with no commission, while Interactive Brokers publishes no pip spread at all and charges a commission in basis points.
- IG vs Pepperstone: commission-free spreads against a raw-spread account with commission, and ProRealTime against cTrader.
- IG vs Interactive Brokers: a CFD and spread betting broker against a multi-asset broker with 2 account type and only its own platforms in our data.
- 19 brokers in our data have at least one Tier 1 company; the table below lists the first five by this page’s order.
At a glance
Forex broker comparison table
What the table shows
Licence numbers as each broker publishes them (we have not yet matched them on the registers), which entity serves which country, and spreads with the date we copied them from the broker’s own pages.
How to use this table
The three brokers with a full comparison on this site come first, then brokers with a Tier 1 company by our regulation score. Sort by score, spread or minimum deposit; deposits stay in each broker’s own currency.
| Rank | Broker | Score | Min. deposit | EUR/USD spread from | Platforms | Account types | Max. leverage, retail | Actions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IGFCA · FCA · FCA · BaFin · ASIC · FMA · FINMA · MAS · DFSA · JFSA · FSCA · BMA · CFTC/NFALicences and register check | 8.0/10 | £1 | 0.6 pipsUK spread bet/CFD · 19 Oct 2026 | MT4, MT5, TradingView, proprietary, API, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer | Standard, Demo, Spread betting, Professional | 1:30 (major FX, retail; margin 3.33% on EUR/USD, GBP/USD) (FCA) · 1:30 (major FX spread bets, retail; margin 3.33%) (FCA) | Open accountUnpaid link | 70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (IG Markets Ltd / IG Index Ltd (UK)). |
| 2 | PepperstoneFCA · CySEC · BaFin · ASIC · DFSA · CMA (UAE) · CMA Kenya · SCBLicences and register check | 8.6/10 | £10 | 0.0 pipsRazor · 19 Oct 2026 | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, proprietary | Standard, Raw, Demo, Spread betting, Professional | 1:30 (retail, per Pepperstone support FAQ) (FCA) | Open accountUnpaid link | 73.6% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (Pepperstone Limited (UK)). |
| 3 | Interactive BrokersSEC / CFTC · FCA · DFSA · Central Bank of Ireland · ASIC · CIRO · MAS · JFSA · SFC Hong KongLicences and register check | 6.2/10 | $0 | Not measured | proprietary | Standard, Demo | 1:30 (major FX CFDs, retail: ESMA-style minimum initial margin 3.33%; 5% other pairs) (FCA) · 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) | Open accountUnpaid link | 58.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited). |
| 4 | OANDACFTC / NFA · FCA · KNF · ASIC · CIRO · MAS · JFSA · BVI FSCLicences and register check | 8.1/10 | $0 | 0.0 pipsRaw spreads + commission (OANDA Australia) · 19 Oct 2026 | MT4, MT5, TradingView, proprietary | Standard, Raw, Demo, Professional | 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) | Open accountUnpaid link | 76.6% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (OANDA Europe Limited). |
| 5 | CMC MarketsFCA · FCA · BaFin · ASIC · FMA · MAS · CIRO · DFSA | 7.9/10 | £0 | 0.0 pipsFX Active · 19 Oct 2026 | MT4, TradingView, proprietary | Standard, Raw, Demo, Spread betting, Professional | 1:30 (major FX; margin from 3.34%) (FCA) | Open accountUnpaid link | 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (CMC Markets UK plc). |
Spreads as published by each broker, latest check 19 Oct 2026. Minimum deposits are shown in each broker’s own currency and are not converted.
What to check when you compare forex brokers
Each question removes brokers before the next one.
- 1
Which company of each brand accepts your country?
A brand is a group of companies with different regulators. Pepperstone, for example, serves UK clients from an FCA-authorised company and clients in countries without a local company from one licensed in the Bahamas; leverage caps and compensation follow the company.
- 2
What does one lot cost, all in?
Add the spread in pips × $10 for a standard EUR/USD lot to the round-turn commission. IG’s 0.6 pips minimum works out at $6.00 per lot with no commission.
- 3
Does the platform you use run at both?
MetaTrader expert advisors need MT4 or MT5; some brokers offer only their own platform. Check the platform on the account type you will open, not on the broker’s home page.
Comparisons and related pages
Risk warning:
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.
FAQ
Comparing forex brokers: questions
Answers use the brokers’ published terms collected up to 19 Oct 2026. Terms change: check the broker’s own page before you trade.
Ask a questionWe cannot give personal investment advice.
1Why does no comparison name an overall winner?
Because the criteria point different ways. In our scores Pepperstone is higher than IG on costs, platforms and accounts, yet IG publishes the lower commission-free EUR/USD spread (0.6 pips against 1.0 pips). Each comparison lists where each broker is stronger, so you can weigh what matters to you.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026
2Are the comparisons based on live accounts?
No. Every figure comes from the brokers’ own pages, with the date we copied it (latest 19 Oct 2026). We have not opened live accounts, so the scores are marked preliminary.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026
3How do I compare forex brokers in the UK?
Keep only brokers whose FCA-authorised company accepts UK residents, then compare spread plus commission and the platform. The UK ranking applies that filter, and both comparisons on this site are between brokers with FCA companies.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026
4Can I suggest a comparison?
Yes, through the contact page. We add a comparison when both brokers are in our data with published costs and licences.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026
5Do brokers pay to appear in a comparison?
No. We have no affiliate or advertising agreements with brokers today, and the How we make money page will change first if that does.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026