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traderpublic Ratings · Online brokers

Best Online Brokers — Our Published Ranking, With Its Gaps

Compiled by the traderpublic research desk

Every broker on this site is an online broker, so this page is our published ranking under the name most people search for. What makes it worth having is what each row carries: the desk score we publish, the licences we verified against a regulator's own register, and each broker's checked account features.

What a first-time reader usually wants next — the minimum deposit, whether there is a demo, how long opening an account takes — is not on our wire yet. Those rows are written-in examples, labelled where they appear, and listed as the field requests they are.

Trading CFDs carries a high risk of losing money. Nothing on this page is advice to open an account with any firm.

Broker records we publish

Ordered by the traderpublic desk score on each record. Records our desk has not scored are not ranked here.

This order is our published desk score, which covers the broker overall. It is the same ordering our other pages use — this page exists for the reader who searched the general term, not as a different verdict.

  1. Rank12 licences verified

    FxPro Global Markets Limited

    Record updated 2 Sept 2026

    4.7 out of 5
    Read the full record

    Your capital is at risk. Licence facts only — not a recommendation.

    Platforms
    Made upMT5, WebTrader, mobile app
    Minimum deposit
    Made up$25
    Spread from
    Made upfrom 0.9 pips (EUR/USD)
    Max leverage
    Made upup to 1:1000
    Demo account
    Made upDemo account available
    Copy trading
    Made upCopy trading available

    What the desk checked

    • Swap-free accountofferedOffered on request via the Back Office; fees may apply once positions on certain instruments stay open a set number of days.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Islamic accountnot checked
    • Negative balance protectionofferedStated in the Client Agreement; clients may never lose more than their total deposits.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Segregated client fundsofferedHeld in separate bank accounts with named custodian banks.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • No deposit feeofferedThird-party or bank fees may still apply.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • No withdrawal feeofferedE-wallet withdrawals can carry a fee if no trading took place.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Cent accountnot checked
    • 24/7 supportnot offeredFxPro publishes 24/5 weekday support hours, not 24/7.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Thai-language supportnot checked
    Licences verified2 of 2 checked against the register
    Score breakdown
    • Licence and oversight5 / 5
    • What you can trade4 / 5
    • Desktop and web platform5 / 5
    What the desk recorded
    • The broker is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, the UK regulator for financial services firms, under licence number 509956, listed as authorised.
    • The broker is authorised by CySEC, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission for investment firms, under licence number 078/07, listed as authorised.
  2. Rank23 licences verified

    Capital.com

    Record updated 2 Sept 2026

    4.3 out of 5
    Read the full record

    Your capital is at risk. Licence facts only — not a recommendation.

    Platforms
    Made upMT4, MT5, TradingView, WebTrader
    Minimum deposit
    Made up$500
    Spread from
    Made upfrom 1.2 pips (EUR/USD)
    Max leverage
    Made upup to 1:2000
    Demo account
    Made upDemo account available
    Copy trading
    Made upCopy trading available

    What the desk checked

    • Swap-free accountofferedCountry-restricted; requires contacting support with no open trades.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Islamic accountnot checked
    • Negative balance protectionofferedRetail clients only; balance is reinstated to zero.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Segregated client fundsofferedHeld at regulated banks, separate from company funds.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • No deposit feeofferedYour own bank may still charge for the transfer.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • No withdrawal feeofferedMinimum card withdrawal 20 USD/EUR/GBP.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Cent accountnot checked
    • 24/7 supportofferedStated on the broker's own contact page.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Thai-language supportnot checked
    Licences verified3 of 3 checked against the register
    Score breakdown
    • Licence and oversight5 / 5
    • What you can trade4 / 5
    • Desktop and web platform4 / 5
    What the desk recorded
    • The broker is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, with licence number 793714 recorded as authorised.
    • The broker is authorised by CySEC in Cyprus, with licence number 319/17 recorded as authorised.
  3. Rank33 licences verified

    HF Markets (SV) Ltd

    Record updated 2 Sept 2026

    4.3 out of 5
    Read the full record

    Your capital is at risk. Licence facts only — not a recommendation.

    Platforms
    Made upMT4, MT5, TradingView, WebTrader
    Minimum deposit
    Made up$500
    Spread from
    Made upfrom 1.2 pips (EUR/USD)
    Max leverage
    Made upup to 1:2000
    Demo account
    Made upDemo account available
    Copy trading
    Made upCopy trading available

    What the desk checked

    • Swap-free accountofferedApplies to selected accounts and instruments under HFM's rollover policy.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Islamic accountofferedSharia-compliant swap-free conditions on the Cent and Zero accounts.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Negative balance protectionofferedA negative balance is automatically reset to zero.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Segregated client fundsofferedClient funds cannot be used to repay company creditors.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • No deposit feeofferedBank transfers are free above $100; third-party charges may apply.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • No withdrawal feeofferedSending, correspondent and receiving banks may charge their own fees.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Cent accountofferedCent lots (0.01 of a standard lot); account currency USC.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • 24/7 supportofferedHFM's own FAQ states 24/7 live support for all clients.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Thai-language supportofferedThai-language contact page with a Thailand support line and Thai support mailbox.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    Licences verified3 of 3 checked against the register
    Score breakdown
    • Licence and oversight5 / 5
    • What you can trade4 / 5
    • Desktop and web platform4 / 5
    What the desk recorded
    • The broker is authorised by the FCA, the UK regulator for financial services firms, with licence number 801701.
    • The broker is authorised by CySEC, the Cyprus regulator for investment firms, with licence number 183/12.
  4. Rank41 licences verified

    TF Global Markets (STL) Limited

    Record updated 2 Sept 2026

    4.3 out of 5
    Read the full record

    Your capital is at risk. Licence facts only — not a recommendation.

    Platforms
    Made upMT4, MT5, TradingView, WebTrader
    Minimum deposit
    Made up$10
    Spread from
    Made upfrom 1.2 pips (EUR/USD)
    Max leverage
    Made upup to 1:2000
    Demo account
    Made upDemo account available
    Copy trading
    Made upCopy trading available

    What the desk checked

    • Swap-free accountofferedAn administration fee applies to positions held longer than four days.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Islamic accountofferedFor traders complying with Sharia law; admin fees waived for the first six days.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Negative balance protectionofferedStated for FCA-regulated retail clients of the UK entity, in line with FCA rules.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Segregated client fundsofferedClient capital is never used for the company's business interests.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • No deposit feeofferedThird-party provider charges may still apply.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • No withdrawal feeofferedInternational bank wires typically cost about USD 25, charged by the banks.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Cent accountnot checked
    • 24/7 supportofferedMultilingual client support by live chat, email or phone.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Thai-language supportnot checked
    Licences verified1 of 1 checked against the register
    Score breakdown
    • Licence and oversight4 / 5
    • What you can trade5 / 5
    • Desktop and web platform4 / 5
    What the desk recorded
    • Authorised by CySEC, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, under licence number 215/13.
    • This authorisation carried the status "authorised" when checked on 2 September 2026.
  5. Rank51 licences verified

    Admirals

    Record updated 2 Sept 2026

    4 out of 5
    Read the full record

    Your capital is at risk. Licence facts only — not a recommendation.

    Platforms
    Made upMT4, MT5, mobile app
    Minimum deposit
    Made up$10
    Spread from
    Made upfrom 0.1 pips (EUR/USD)
    Max leverage
    Made upup to 1:200
    Demo account
    Made upDemo account available
    Copy trading
    Made upCopy trading available

    What the desk checked

    • Swap-free accountofferedSwap-free option on Trade.MT5; excludes exotic pairs and digital currencies.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Islamic accountofferedOpened as a Trade.MT5 account with the swap-free option.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Negative balance protectionofferedRetail clients: unlimited per-account cover. Professional clients: up to EUR 50,000.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Segregated client fundsofferedSegregated under CySEC rules at a regulated EU credit institution.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • No deposit feenot checked
    • No withdrawal feenot offeredOne free withdrawal request per month per method; a fee applies after that.source · read on 16 Sept 2026
    • Cent accountnot checked
    • 24/7 supportnot checked
    • Thai-language supportnot checked
    Licences verified1 of 1 checked against the register
    Score breakdown
    • Licence and oversight4 / 5
    • What you can trade4 / 5
    • Desktop and web platform4 / 5
    What the desk recorded
    • The broker is authorised by CySEC, the Cyprus regulator for investment firms, under licence number 201/13.
    • The CySEC record for this licence was checked on 2 September 2026 and shows the status as authorised.

Use it to compare at a glance, then read the licence trail under each broker below — that is the part our desk checked against the regulator's register.

Made upEvery row in this table is written in, not checked per broker
FxPro Global Markets Limited4.7 out of 5Capital.com4.3 out of 5HF Markets (SV) Ltd4.3 out of 5TF Global Markets (STL) Limited4.3 out of 5Admirals4 out of 5
Min. deposit$25$500$500$10$10
Open the recordView recordView recordView recordView recordView record

What decides an online broker for a first account — and what we have not published

The licence and perk rows are real. The onboarding facts are written-in examples, labelled where they appear, because no field on our wire carries them yet.

  • Licences we verified against the register✓
  • Licences we verified against the register✓
  • online_account_openMade upexample shape: online application, KYC in 1 to 2 days, card or transfer funding
  • Minimum deposit that opens an accountnot published
  • Demo account before fundingnot published
  • Mobile apps and the platforms they runnot published

Licences we checked ourselves

This is the part of the page that rests on evidence: each licence number was read from the regulator's own public register on the date shown.

FxPro Global Markets Limited

  • CySEC (CY) — 078/07 · 2 Sept 2026 · ↗
  • FCA (GB) — 509956 · 2 Sept 2026 · ↗

Capital.com

  • ASIC (AU) — 513393 · 16 Sept 2026 · ↗
  • CySEC (CY) — 319/17 · 16 Sept 2026 · ↗
  • FCA (GB) — 793714 · 2 Sept 2026 · ↗

HF Markets (SV) Ltd

  • CMA_KE (KE) — 155 · 16 Sept 2026 · ↗
  • CySEC (CY) — 183/12 · 2 Sept 2026 · ↗
  • FCA (GB) — 801701 · 2 Sept 2026 · ↗

TF Global Markets (STL) Limited

  • CySEC (CY) — 215/13 · 2 Sept 2026 · ↗

Admirals

  • CySEC (CY) — 201/13 · 2 Sept 2026 · ↗

Frequently asked questions

How is this page different from the main ratings page?

It is the same published ranking with the same ordering rule. This page exists for the reader who searched "best online brokers", and it leads with the facts a first account depends on — labelling the ones our research hub does not publish yet instead of inventing them silently.

Is an online broker safe?

The word "online" tells you nothing about safety. What can be checked is which regulator licensed the entity, whether client money is held separately, and which compensation scheme applies — the licence rows on every card here link to the register they were read from, with the date we read them.

What the trading platform actually is, and who supplies it

MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and TradingView are not brokers. They are software: a chart window, an order ticket and a connection to whichever firm holds your account. The same platform can sit in front of very different businesses, so knowing that a firm offers MT4 tells you nothing about how it executes your order or who regulates it.

This matters for a page like this one. A platform list is a list of software compatibility, not a list of quality. The part of this page that carries weight is the licence trail, because that is the part naming a regulator who can act against the firm.

MetaTrader 4
Released in 2005 and still the most widely deployed retail terminal. Four order types, nine timeframes, and the largest ecosystem of third-party indicators and automated strategies, written in MQL4.
MetaTrader 5
A separate product, not an upgrade path. More timeframes, an economic calendar, depth of market, and a different language (MQL5) that will not run MQL4 programs without a rewrite.
TradingView
Primarily a charting and analysis service that can connect to a broker for order entry. Charts and community scripts live in the browser; the account stays with the broker.

How to check a firm's platform access for yourself

The research hub publishes no per-broker platform field, so the values in the table above are written in and labelled as such. These steps let you establish the real answer in a few minutes, and they work for any firm, including ones not listed here.

  1. Open the firm's own platform page and note which terminals it names. If a platform is only mentioned in a blog post or a help article, treat that as unconfirmed.
  2. Check which account types carry it. Access is often limited to one account tier, and a demo account may offer a platform the live account does not.
  3. Open a demo and place a test order. A firm can be a listed MT5 partner while its own bridge is unavailable in your region.
  4. For TradingView, confirm the broker appears in TradingView's own broker list inside the chart window, not only on the broker's marketing page.
  5. Check the mobile app separately. Desktop access and mobile access are frequently not the same.

MT4 versus MT5: not an upgrade, a different product

The version numbers suggest a succession, and that is misleading. MT5 is a separate program with its own strategy language. An automated strategy or custom indicator written for MT4 will not run on MT5 without being rewritten, which is the single biggest reason MT4 is still in service two decades after release.

Reasons people stay on MT4

  • An enormous library of existing MQL4 indicators and automated strategies, much of it free
  • Lighter on older machines and on a slow connection
  • Familiar to anyone who has traded retail forex in the last fifteen years
  • Widest broker support, so moving firms rarely means relearning the terminal

Reasons people move to MT5

  • More timeframes, and depth-of-market data where the broker supplies it
  • A built-in economic calendar and an integrated strategy tester that handles multiple currencies
  • Exchange-traded instruments alongside forex and CFDs, where the firm offers them
  • MQL5 is a fuller language, and new third-party development has largely moved there

Can you trade on a platform without a broker?

No. The platform draws charts and sends instructions; it holds no money and is not a counterparty. Your order reaches a market through the firm that holds your account, which is also the firm that a regulator licenses and that owes you the protections attached to that licence.

That is why this page ranks firms rather than software, and why the licence rows are the rows we verified against a regulator's own register.

Automated strategies deserve particular care. A strategy bought from a third party is code you did not write, running against your live account, and past results shown in an advertisement are not evidence about the future. Test on a demo account long enough to see it handle a volatile session before you fund it.

How this ranking is put together

The order on this page is the research desk's published score for the whole broker, tie-broken by the number of licences we verified against a regulator's own register. It is not a score for this category, because we have not measured this category.

  • Every licence is read on the regulator's own register, and the date we read it is printed beside it
  • A product term is only marked available or not offered when the desk checked it and cited a source
  • A term nobody has checked stays labelled as unchecked rather than being dropped from the page
  • Written-in values exist only where the research hub publishes no field, and each one is labelled where it appears

Read the full methodology, including every page that carries a written-in value

What this page established, and what it did not

This page ranked brokers on the score the research desk publishes for the whole firm, and showed the licence trail behind each one. That much is checked: every licence number here was read on the regulator's own register, on the date printed beside it.

It did not establish who is best for Online brokers. No field on this site measures that yet, so the page marks the gap instead of filling it, and labels every value that was written in rather than checked. Treat the order as a starting point for your own checks, not as a recommendation.

Other broker pages on this site

Each one states its own criterion and its own gaps.

Who did the work on this page

This page is compiled by the traderpublic research desk from the broker records published on this site. The desk reads regulator registers and brokers' own terms pages, and records the date of every reading.

On this page the desk verified the licence trail of every broker listed, and published a score only where it had one to publish.

We publish no individual byline for a compiled category page. The work is the desk's, and naming a single author would suggest a judgement one person made.