Are you looking to dabble into the CFD trading market but are unsure of the best platform? Find out who made it to the top of this year’s list and open a trading account with them.
| Broker | Key Features | Min Deposit | Review Score | Open Account |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| $50 | eToro(9.7) | Visit Website 68% of retail CFD accounts lose money. |
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| $100 | Plus500(9.4) | Visit Website 77% of retail CFD accounts lose money. |
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| $100 | Pepperstone(9.3) | Visit Website 74% - 89% of retail CFD accounts lose money. |
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| $100 | AvaTrade(9.1) | Visit Website 71% of retail CFD accounts lose money. |
How are Brokers Rated
In the last 6 years, we helped over 4,000 people find the most compatible online stock brokers and start trading. All thanks to our rigorous research.
For this year’s review, we picked 57 regulated brokers who are active in the online market and started trading with them using real accounts.
We assessed them on 98 different variables across seven primary areas: Commissions & Fees, Offering of Investments, Platforms & Tools, Research, Customer Service, Mobile Trading, and Education, applying different weightings on each category.
| REVIEW CATEGORY | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Commissions & Fees | 18% |
| Offering of Investments | 18% |
| Platforms & Tools | 17% |
| Research | 17% |
| Customer Service | 15% |
| Mobile Trading | 10% |
| Education | 5% |
Yes/No with Opinion
First, points are awarded for each “Yes” answer. The number of points awarded depends on the variable. Next, the total points earned from “Yes” answers are then divided by the total points possible to calculate a final Yes/No score.
To determine a final score for the category, this Yes/No score is then combined with an opinion score (1 – 10, with one being “very bad” and ten being “very good”). The weighting of the Yes/No score compared to the opinion score varies for each category. For example, 75% Yes/No, 25% Opinion.
Categories assessed in this manner include Offering of Investments, Platforms & Tools, Research, Mobile Trading, and Education.
Customised
Both Commissions & Fees and Customer Service apply separate scoring rubrics due to their complexity.
To score Commissions & Fees, first, multiple scenarios are assessed for placing trades. For example, the average reported and/or observed spread for the GBP/USD pair. Brokers are awarded points depending on how inexpensive they are relative to their peers.
Next, multiple scenarios are assessed for different investor types on a monthly basis, incorporating any miscellaneous account fees, alongside any active trader or VIP rates. The goal is to determine a net, “all-in” cost per trade.
Finally, all data is analyzed to determine an overall score for Commissions & Fees.
Once all individual test scores were compiled, they were combined to determine an overall rating score.