After all, no two brokers are the same, so you need to ensure that the platform is conducive to your forex trading needs. Below you will find a list of important factors that should be considered in your search for the best forex brokers. The global forex trading industry now sees trillions of dollars worth of currency change hands each and every day.

As such, in most parts of the world, this online trading scene is heavily regulated. However, not all forex trading sites obtain the required license or authorization to operate in the countries it serves. In other cases, although the platform might hold a license, this might be from a shady offshore financial body. As such, you should only open an account with a forex trading platform if it is regulated by a reputable license issuer.

By choose a forex trading platform that is regulated by one or more of the above bodies - you can rest assured that the provider is safe. For example, our top-rated forex trading platform - eToro, is regulated by the FCA, CySEC, and ASIC. It is also registered with FINRA in the US.

All in all, these bodies have strict expectations on the best forex brokers that they regulate - all of which center on fairness, transparency, and investor protection. There are many forex pairs that you can trade from the comfort of your home. Most forex trading sites in the space will cover most major and minor pairs. These are the most in-demand pairs as they carry the largest trading volume and liquidity.

In turn, majors and minors benefit from the tightest spreads. With that said, the best forex trading platforms that we came across also offer lots in the way of exotic pairs. eToro, for example, allows you to trade many emerging currencies against the likes of the US dollar and Euro. Although more volatile, this is something that is often craved by seasoned forex traders anyway.

All forex trading platforms are in business to make money. How they achieve this can vary from platform to platform. Therefore, it is imperative that you check what fees will be applicable when trading forex at your chosen site. Some forex trading platforms charge a commission on every buy and sell order that you place. In all but a few rare cases, this will come in the form of a variable percentage.

Swap cannot be charged in Islamic forex brokers or swap free forex brokers. With that said, the best forex trading platforms of allow you to place buy and sell positions commission-free. This includes the likes eToro, Forex. com, CMC Markets, and more. In this scenario, you will only pay a fee in the form of the spread. All forex trading platforms make money from the spread. This is the difference between the buy and sell price of the forex pair.

Unlike traditional financial markets, the spread in forex is calculated in 'pips'. In terms of what is deemed competitive, the best forex trading platforms offer spreads on major pairs at less than 1 pip. If you are unfamiliar with the spread, it is an indirect cost that you need to cover to get back to the break-even point on your forex trade. It is important to note that most forex trading platforms offer a variable spread. This means that the spread can change throughout the day depending on market conditions.

Crucially, the more volatile the forex pair in question is, the wider the spread will be. Unless you have a significant amount of capital in your forex trading platform account, you will likely need to use leverage. When you trade leveraged products, this attracts overnight financing fees. In simple terms, this is a fee that you pay to your chosen platform for keeping the position open overnight. This fee will be deducted from your account balance and subsequently charged on a daily basis.

With this in mind, you need to check how much your chosen platform charges. This is usually expressed as a percentage and multiplied against your stake. The more you stake and the higher the leverage you apply, the more you will pay. Being able to trade forex online and make consistent profits is a difficult task. This is especially the case if you are a complete novice in the space.

As such, you'll want to see if your chosen forex platform offers a selection of tools and features that can take your currency trading efforts to the next level. As we covered earlier, being able to make a living by trading forex without a sizable amount of capital can be challenging. This is because you will be targeting very small profit margins - especially if you're looking to day trade. As such, if leverage is something that you require, be sure to check whether your chosen forex trading platform offers this.

Once again, your limits will be determined by your country of residence - with the UK, Europe, and several other regions capped to The best forex trading platforms give you access to many order types.

This will allow you to trade forex online in a risk-averse manner. The best forex brokers offer automated tools. In the case of eToro, this comes in the form of a Copy Trading tool that allows you to mirror the buy and sell orders of an experienced currency investor. In other words, every time your chosen investor places a forex trade, the exact position will be mirrored in your own account.

The key point is that the size of your stake will be proportionate to how much you decide to invest into the eToro trader. As per the above, the Copy Trading tool at eToro allows you to actively buy and sell currencies without you needing to lift a finger.

This is great for newbies or those strapped for time. An additional way to trade forex online in an automated manner is to opt for an EA Expert Advisor. Otherwise referred to as a 'forex robot' the EA is a piece of software that has the ability to trade on your behalf. Unlike the Copy Trading tool at eToro, forex EAs are based on pre-programmed algorithms. This means that it has the capacity to scan the forex markets 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

In order to benefit from an EA, you need to sign up with a trading platform that supports MT4. Many of the best forex trading platforms discussed on this page offer this. Then, it's just a case of installing your forex EA into MT4 and activating it. To ensure that you stay had of the game at all times, it's best to choose a forex trading platform that offers alerts. Even better, these alerts should be delivered to your mobile phone in real-time.

For example, you might receive a notification if a major forex pair breaches a key residence line. Or, the platform might notify you when a news story breaks that could influence the future price of a currency pair. Either way, the best forex trading platforms ensure that you never miss out on important fundamental and technical events. If you are just started out as an online forex trader, it's best to choose a platform that can help you improve your knowledge of the industry.

For example, eToro offers everything from forex trading guides and videos to weekly webinars. In the case of research, the best forex trading platforms offer financial news and market insights. This is great for keeping abreast of key market developments and can really help with your trading decision-making process.

In terms of technical data, the best forex trading platforms offer advanced chart reading tools. This should include customizable screens, technical indicators, and chart drawing capabilities. The forex trading industry moves at an alarming pace - with exchange rates changing on a second-by-second basis.

As such, you'll want to ensure that your chosen forex trading platform offers a great end-to-end user experience. For example, how easy is it to find your chosen forex market, and are there any difficulties in placing orders? When we went through the research process ourselves, we found that there is often a huge difference in how user-friendly a forex trading platform is. For example, the likes of eToro and Forex. com are really simple to use - which is the case on the desktop version and mobile app.

However, some platforms - such as TD Ameritrade, are a lot more suited to seasoned forex pros. This is because it TD Ameritrade forex trading facility is packed with advanced functionality tools and features. While this might be great for experienced traders, it might be overwhelming for beginners.

We briefly mentioned forex demo accounts earlier on this page -and for good reason. The best forex trading platforms offer demo accounts that mirror real trading conditions. This is great for learning the ropes of a complex forex trading scene - as you can keep practices until you are ready to risk your own money. Take note, some forex trading platforms put a time limit on your long you can use the demo account facility - such as 30 days.

The top forex trading platforms that we came across offer a huge selection of everyday payment methods. This makes the deposit and withdrawal process really simple. For example, eToro not supports instant deposits in the form of debit and credit cards, but e-wallets, too. However, some of the forex trading platforms that we reviewed only accept bank transfers. If you are using a platform based in your country of residence, you might still benefit from an instant deposit.

But, in a lot of cases, it can take several days for bank transfers to arrive. This means that you can speak with a support agent in real-time without needing to pick up the telephone. At the other end of the spectrum, some of the forex trading platforms we came across only offer support via email.

This means that you might need to wait several hours to get a reply. If you've read through this guide up to this point, you should now know what it takes to find a forex trading platform for your needs. All that is left to do now is place your first forex trading order. To ensure you know what this entails, we are going to walk you through the setup process is commission-free platform eToro. Even if you want to use eToro to trade via the demo account, you will still need to open an account.

This does, however, take just a few minutes. This platform also has four different pending orders. MetaTrader 4 offers a desktop, web and mobile app platform for both Android and iOs. Each of these support over 30 languages, but their website only has 7. Their programming language is MQL4. MT4 has interesting tools and features such as trading directly from your chart. You may open or close a position, and control your pending orders with a simple click.

A demo account is also available for those who have MT4 and would like to try out a new strategy or are new to the trading world. MetaTrader 5, or MT5, is a trading platform for forex and exchange markets. It is one of the best free trading platforms that you can download for desktop, web or mobile on either Android, iOs, Linux, Mac OS, and Windows.

Their programming language is MQL5. MT5 offers trading instruments such as currencies, commodities, stocks, options, futures, and bonds. There are six pendings orders such as buy limit, sell stop limit, sell limit, sell stop, buy stop and buy stop limit. There is also a user manual for new traders. Also, there are physical offices at Cyprus, Australia, Turkey, Japan, China, and a few other places.

If you need to know about one near you or the exact location, this is available on their website. MetaTrader 5 added the hedging option in It is a trading strategy used by a client who would like to open different or opposite positions using the same asset.

MT5 allows access to algorithmic trading which means a computer program will follow certain trading criterias. You can access this tool via robots or expert advisors. Copy Trading is also allowed. To stay on top of the fast moving market, MetaTrader 5 offers news on different countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and the European Union, and release notes that are publications made by MT5 about their recent and historical platform updates. You may also access the economic calendar which will show important real time macroeconomic events.

The calendar will be organized according to the importance of the news and in a chronological way. Clients can also analyze security quotes using the three available financial charts: broken line, sequence bars and Japanese Candlesticks. There are 21 timeframes, and each of these vary from one minute to one month, tick volumes, last price, and more.

You may also make use of the color schemes. Compared to MetaTrader 4, this platform has one more execution mode: instant, request, market, and also an exchange execution. For those who have the need to implement technical analysis, there are 80 technical indicators and graphical objects.

Trend indicators and oscillators are available to help identify trends or a certain direction an asset might take. Interactive Brokers is another easy to use forex trading platform that has been around for over 40 years. They are present in markets, and 33 countries and offer assets such as stocks, futures, options and bonds.

They have been awarded four times during this year. This is our fifth best forex trading platform, and it is open 24 hours during six days of the week which is also when contact support will respond to your questions. You can reach them via email, phone or their chat support. Some of them are free and others can only be accessed after subscribing. Some of their trading tools include notifications, real time monitoring, watchlists, and advanced charting.

You can also customize your dashboard. A paper trading account is also available. They have a mobile app to trade on the go, a website and desktop platform. You can even check your account on your Apple watch.

Our research has led us to believe that the best online trading platforms this are eToro, Plus , MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and Interactive Brokers. This group of investment stations offer different features that can fit with most traders, beginners, experienced and those who love algorithmic trading. That being said, the best trading platform will depend on what you determine as your main need when it comes to investment style.

Remember, knowledge and controlled emotions will always help you make better decisions when it comes to trading. You will always be in a risky situation when buying or selling your funds. And remember, as Yvan Byeajee wrote in his book, Paradigm Shift: How to cultivate equanimity in the face of market uncertainty. We have prepared a step by step guide of how to open an account once you have decided which platform you will be entering your trades on.

As an example, we have taken screenshots of the entire sign up process using eToro. Take a look! First, you must go to www. The main page should look something like the screenshot below.

There are two options that will take you to the signup button. After clicking on the login button in the top right corner, you will be redirected to another page. We previously mentioned a second option to signing up. We are now back at the main page.

If you do not see the sign up button, scroll down a little. The tool bar will change to white, as shown below. Go ahead and click on it. You will be redirected to the screenshot shown below. Enter a username, a valid email and a strong password with an uppercase and lowercase letter, and at least one number. If you are ready to accept the terms and conditions, the privacy policy, and the cookie policy, please click on the two squares to assume responsibility.

You will be immediately accepted and redirected to your watchlist which can be edited for your personal convenience. Do not forget to complete your profile.

With that, you are ready to deposit funds and begin trading. The final step is to look forward to trading on your new account and use it responsibly. eToro is the best forex trading platform for beginners.

Its copy trading feature allows new traders to mimic successful traders and copy their trading strategies and portfolio in a few clicks. Some platforms also charge inactivity fees, withdrawals fees, overnight fees as well as conversion fees. Forex Trading for Beginners. Price Action Trading. Forex Charts. Forex Trading Strategies.

Or maybe you are a beginner forex trader who is just getting started. With a wide range of forex brokers comes a wide variety of features and specialties. IG offers the most tradeable CFDs in the industry, 19, CFDs, or "contracts for difference," enable traders to speculate whether the price of a stock, forex pair, market index, or commodity will go up or down without taking ownership of the underlying asset.

Alongside nearly 10, CFDs, CMC Markets offers the most tradeable currency pairs, with pairs that can be quoted both ways i. As a highly-trusted and regulated global brand, Interactive Brokers IBKR provides everything professional traders might need, from advanced trading tools and platform features to competitive pricing across a wide variety of markets, as well as connectivity to over global exchanges.

In addition to competitive spreads and low commission-based pricing for forex, Interactive Brokers provides more third-party research than any other broker. Interactive Brokers continues to innovate its platform offering, such as with its new Impact app for environmental, social, and governance ESG investing, alongside the related Impact dashboard available in its Trader Workstation TWS desktop and WebTrader platforms.

Professional client status : In today's highly regulated forex world, traders who want to maximize their margin leverage must apply and obtain ESMA's professional client status with their broker. Traders designated as Professionals in the EU do not receive negative balance protection and other consumer safety mechanisms such as eligibility for compensation schemes in the event of a broker's insolvency.

To determine the best forex brokers for professional traders, we broke down each broker's active trading program, and compared all available rebates, tiers, and all-in costs. Trading platforms were then tested for the quality and availability of advanced trading tools frequently used by professionals. Here are three of the most important factors to keep in mind when choosing an online broker for forex trading.

Not sure how to go about choosing a forex broker? Check out our Forex Broker Compare Tool to compare dozens of the biggest forex brokers in the industry and analyze their top tools and features.

Our Compare Tool is fed by data gathered by our expert researchers for our forex broker reviews , so you can feel confident you have the most up-to-date information at your fingertips. To see an intuitive, comprehensive list of highly regarded regulatory agencies, check out our Trust Score page.

Also, be sure to check out our in-depth reviews of forex brokers — we detail the regulatory status of each individual forex broker across the international forex landscape. Here are the Overall rankings for the 39 online brokers who participated in our Annual Review, sorted by Overall ranking. Was this helpful? Yes or No. At ForexBrokers. com, our evaluations of online brokers and their products and services are based on our collected quantitative data as well as the qualitative observations and qualified opinions of our expert researchers.

Each year we publish tens of thousands of words of research on the online forex brokerage industry, and we evaluate dozens of international regulator agencies click here to learn about how we calculate Trust Score. We test all available trading platforms for each broker — whether they are proprietary or come from third-party providers — and evaluate them based on a host of data-driven variables.

All websites and web-based platforms are tested using the latest version of the Google Chrome browser. Our Desktop PCs run Windows 11, and we use MacBook Pro laptops running macOS Ultimately, our rigorous data validation process yields an error rate of less than. For a full explanation and accounting of our research and testing process, please click here to learn more about how we test. There is a very high degree of risk involved in trading securities.

With respect to margin-based foreign exchange trading, off-exchange derivatives, and cryptocurrencies, there is considerable exposure to risk, including but not limited to, leverage, creditworthiness, limited regulatory protection and market volatility that may substantially affect the price, or liquidity of a currency or related instrument. It should not be assumed that the methods, techniques, or indicators presented in these products will be profitable, or that they will not result in losses.

Read more on forex trading risks. Steven Hatzakis is the Global Director of Research for ForexBrokers. Steven previously served as an Editor for Finance Magnates, where he authored over 1, published articles about the online finance industry. A forex industry expert and an active fintech and crypto researcher, Steven advises blockchain companies at the board level and holds a Series III license in the U.

as a Commodity Trading Advisor CTA. Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 2, trades placed during that time. He heads research for all U. com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. John Bringans is the Senior Editor of ForexBrokers. An experienced media professional, John has close to a decade of editorial experience with a background that includes key leadership roles at global newsroom outlets.

Joey Shadeck is the Content Strategist and Research Analyst for ForexBrokers. He holds dual degrees in Finance and Marketing from Oakland University, and has been an active trader and investor for close to ten years.

An industry veteran, Joey obtains and verifies data, conducts research, and analyzes and validates our content. com is committed to the highest ethical standards and reviews services independently. Learn How We Make Money. Home Forex Guides Directory. November 15, Best overall broker, most trusted Minimum Initial Deposit £ Pros Outstanding platforms and tools Over 19, tradeable instruments Competitive pricing Cons No predefined layouts on the flagship web platform Limited product range on MT4.

Pros Flagship platform is top of the line Over 40, tradeable instruments Excellent customer service Cons High minimum deposit.

By performing a simple Google search for this purpose, you will be presented with thousands of potential suitors. As such, the process involved in finding the best forex trading platform for you can be time-consuming. After all, you need to explore things like supported currency pairs, commissions, minimum account balances, and regulation. In this guide, we review the best forex trading platforms in We also walk you through the steps required to start buying and selling currencies today at a top-rated forex trading platform!

You can find a full review of each provider by scrolling down! Featured Broker Visit Site CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.

You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Rating 5. Spread 1 pip 0. eToro — Over Best Forex Trading Platform eToro is now one of the largest forex brokers in the online space — with more than 17 million clients on its books.

The main attraction with eToro is that the platform is extremely easy to use. And of course — the platform allows you to trade forex without paying a single cent in commission. Instead, this top-rated forex trading platform makes its money through the spread. This covers a huge number of majors and minors, as well as a selection of exotic currencies like the South African rand and Hungarian forint. You can trade all supported currency pairs with leverage at eToro — with most users being able to access on majors and on minors and exotics.

You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. What we really like about eToro is that it is also suitable for those of you that have never previously traded forex and want to open a micro currency account. In terms of the fundamentals, eToro is regulated by the FCA, CySEC, and ASIC. It keeps client funds in segregated bank accounts and verifies the identity of all trades. As such, you can trade forex at eToro in a safe and sound environment.

Finally, we should note that on top of forex, eToro also supports commission-free stocks, ETFs , indices, cryptocurrencies , and commodities. Although eToro makes our number one spot as the best forex trading platform of - it doesn't allow US residents to buy and sell currencies.

As such, if you're an American and looking for the best forex site in the space right now - look no further than Forex. As the name suggests, this provider is a specialist forex trading platform. By going through the motions of opening an account and making a deposit - you will then have unfettered access to over 80 currency pairs.

This includes a huge variety of majors, minors, and exotics. In particular, Forex. com is a great platform to consider if you want to access emerging currencies. In terms of fees, this popular forex trading platform offers several account types to choose from. For example, if you're a casual forex trader you might consider opting for an account that offers commission-free positions.

At the other end of the scale, professional forex traders might opt for the STP Pro account. This allows you to trade from just 0. Crucially, we like the fact that Forex. com allows you to choose a pricing structure that meets your trading profile. com gives you access to its own native trading platform - which can access online or via the provider's mobile app, including advanced charting. Alternatively, you can also access your Forex. com account via the third-party platform MetaTrader 4 MT4 , where you can perform backtesting.

The platform is also a proponent of forex EAs, as it offers 20 free forex trading strategies that you can easily install into your MT4 dashboard.

VantageFX is our top recommended forex trading platform. This CFD trading platform first launched in Australia, but it's since expanded around the globe. The brokerage has left its mark with a range of asset classes, very low fees, and excellent trading tools.

VantageFX is solely a CFD trading platform. They provide every investment opportunity from forex trading to cryptocurrencies, commodities, indices, and stocks. They are a brokerage geared towards every type of investor. Whether you're new or experienced in trading, there is something to interest you here, with competitively low spreads and a zero commission account option. A big part of why we recommend VantageFX is its high leverage forex trading. You can trade major forex pairs on margin of up to VantageFX offers a variety of trading platforms, including its own web trader and mobile app.

The broker also integrates with the highly popular MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 trading platforms. So, you can trade with forex signals or create custom technical indicators to suit your needs. Notably, VantageFX also enables social trading with Myfxbook, ZuluTrade, and Duplitrade. VantageFX is regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority FCA and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission ASIC.

If you a novice in the world of forex trading then you should choose a platform the supports low minimum deposits. In doing so, you can test the waters out slowly without risking too much capital. Nevertheless, FXCM is home to a great range of forex pairs - all of which can be traded commission-free. Spreads are particularly competitive when trading major pairs. FXCM is also a great option if you want access to leverage. In fact, this top-rated forex trading platform offers leverage of up to Your limits will, however, also be dictated by your location and prior trading knowledge.

For example, UK and European traders will be capped to In terms of the forex trading platform itself, FXCM offers full support for MT4 and ZuluTrade. Or, you might decide to use the provider's native FXCM Trading Station - with is very popular with newbies. Finally, FXCM has been active in the forex trading scene for over two decades and is regulated by the FCA. There is no guarantee you will make money with this provider. TD Ameritrade is arguably one of the most reputable brokerage firms globally.

Established more than four decades ago, the platform is typically known for offering a huge library of stocks, ETFs, and investment funds. However, TD Ameritrade is also behind a fully-fledged forex trading facility. The platform supports a wide variety of tradable currencies, with pairs including the likes of USD, CAD, GBP, HKD, NZD, JPY, NOK, and more. All supported pairs can be traded 23 hours per day - subsequently ensuring that the platform serves its global client base.

We should note that the TD Ameritrade 'Thinkorswim' platform is best suited for experienced forex traders. This is because it comes packed with professional-level tools and features that to the untrained eye - might come across as somewhat intimidating.

When it comes to forex trading fees, TD Ameritrade builds all commissions into the spread. This means that you only need to look out for the gap between the bid and ask of your chosen FX pair.

In some respect, leverage is a crucial tool to have at your disposal when trading forex online. After all, the day-to-day gains that you can make by buying and selling currency pairs are going to be somewhat modest.

As such, if you have access to a small amount of capital, it might be best to use a platform that offers high levels of leverage. As always, you might be offered lower limits - especially if you are based in Europe and you're not deemed to be a professional trader.

Nevertheless, we should note IG is much more than just a high leverage broker. On the contrary, this hugely popular forex trading platform gives you access to over 80 currency pairs. Fees are really attractive too, as spreads on major pairs start from just 0. There are no commissions charged in the IG forex trading department, either.

Additionally, IG is also compatible with MT4. If you haven't previously heard of IG and are concerned about safety - you shouldn't be. This brokerage firm has been operational since the s and it is now publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange. And most importantly - it is fully regulated in several jurisdictions.

FXTM is a popular forex trading platform that offers full support for MT4. This means that once you open an account and make a deposit, you can place all buy and sell orders via the MT4 desktop software. As a seasoned trader, you'll know that MT4 provides heaps of technical indicators and is compatible with automated forex EAs. FXTM itself offers a huge number of forex pairs and there are several account types on offer.

Plus, this FXTM account allows you to trade forex with micro amounts. This is perfect if you are trading forex online for the first time. In terms of forex trading fees, this will depend on your chosen account type. For example, some accounts offer zero commissions and wider spreads, while others allow you to trade currency pairs at 0 pips.

If you're a newbie, FXTM offers a good selection of educational and research tools. This will allow you to become a better forex trader over the course of time. If you are looking to trade several different asset classes other than just forex, XTB might be a good option to consider. The online trading platform is particularly popular in Mainland Europe - as XTB's parent company is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

Nevertheless, the forex trading department at XTB is highly extensive, with dozens of pairs to choose from.

Spread 1 pip 0. The final step is to look forward to trading on your new account and use it responsibly. Here's how we test. However, if you're after long-term investment opportunities, then forex trading can be a great way to go. View all posts by Maryam Jinadu. com is a great platform to consider if you want to access emerging currencies.

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