Best CFD Trading Brokers

FP Markets is a leading ASIC-regulated STP broker, providing tight spreads on their RAW account, coupled with the choice of MT4, MT5 and IRESS trading platforms. A standard commission-free account is available for entry-level traders looking for a lower minimum deposit.

Relative to other Forex brokers, FP Markets has made a serious investment in new traders with award-winning customer service and a lightweight education section, which includes daily email updates of the latest financial news impacting the currency markets.

Founded in New Zealand in 2014, BlackBull Markets is an ECN-only broker providing direct market access on the MT4 platform. Average spreads are unpublished, though start at 0.1 pips on the commission-based account. The commission-based accounts have high minimum deposits and educational material and market analysis are weak compared to similar brokers. BlackBull are well regulated by the New Zealand FMA and professional traders will be interested in the free VPS and FIX API service.

Winner of the Award for Best Global MT4 Broker 2020, Eightcap is an ASIC-regulated, no-intervention market maker with variable spreads on two simple account types. Spreads are tight on both accounts, with spreads on the Raw Account often down to 0 pips in exchange for a small commission.

Both MT4 and MT5 are fully supported and deposits and withdrawals are fast and free. Forex education and analysis are not as comprehensive as some of Eightcap’s larger competitors, but customer service is available in 10 languages and is responsive and knowledgeable.

Pepperstone is a renowned Australian Forex broker, fully-regulated by ASIC and popular worldwide for its fast ECN execution of trades, tight spreads and a wide choice of trading platforms. Award-winning 24-hour support anchors their customer support, where a personalised service for individual customers is available through numerous channels.

Founded in 2010, Pepperstone won the fastest-growing company award (2014) in Australia, from BRW Magazine and emerged as the 2014 Winner of the Governor of Victoria Export Awards cementing their reputation as a strong newcomer with well-appreciated trading conditions.

If you’re a beginner Forex trader, you can’t find a much better broker than IG Markets. Despite being a market-maker with a single account, IG is one of our highest rated brokers for good reason. Spreads are very tight considering the low minimum deposit and the educational support and market analysis are probably the best in the industry. A wide choice of platform (including MT4) is also available and customer service is world-class.

All of this is coupled with regulation from the FCA and ASIC and a long history of satisfied clients. As the winner of the Broker of the Year 2018 (UK Forex Awards) and Best CFD Provider 2017 (Investment and Wealth Management Awards), IG Markets is an attractive choice for both beginner and experienced traders.

IC Markets presents itself as the best and largest true ECN broker. ASIC regulated and with support for MT4, MT5 and cTrader, IC Markets is highly recommended to both new and experienced traders looking for faster execution and tighter spreads.

Beginner traders will find the IC Markets account structure uncomplicated and the company understands customer retention involves a combination of tighter spreads, cutting edge technology, fast trade execution and top quality customer service.

Headquartered in downtown Sydney, IC Markets represents the best of highly-reputable and competitive Australian brokers.

XM Group lets traders deposit as little as $5 to open an account; offers 500:1 leverage, and has a generous bonus scheme for new accounts.  Fully regulated by ASIC, CySEC and the FCA, XM Group offers accounts to suit most traders including those interested in tight spreads and automated trading.

XM Group partners with investment-grade banks and uses segregated accounts to ensure security, your personal account manager ensures your satisfaction, and customer service is available 24/5, via live chat, email and in 30 languages.

Founded in 1983, City Index is a traditional market maker now owned by the NYSE listed financial group, GAIN Capital. It has tight spreads and a varied platform choice, including MT4 and AT Pro; an advanced automated trading platform allowing for full customisation with powerful back-testing.

City Index’ education section is perfect at beginners who want to get up to speed quickly and customer service is open 24/5. Overall, a good market maker and competitive with traditional brokers of its size and type.

CMC Markets are a well-known market maker broker, based in London and operating globally. While it currently only offers a single live account, spreads are tighter than most of its competitors and the required minimum deposit is low enough for all beginner traders. The focus on new traders continues with CMC Market’s education and analysis sections, which are insightful, well-structured and updated frequently.

We also like the proprietary New Generation trading platform, wide asset choice and responsive customer service. Overall, an excellent broker for all traders and one of our highest rated.

eToro is one of the largest brokers in the world and is well-known as the pioneer, and industry leader, in social trading. Also ASIC-regulated, eToro’s spreads are on par with other market maker brokers and the minimum deposit is only 50 USD for Australian traders.

The social trading experience is quite different from traditional Forex trading and eToro offers an unlimited demo account for traders to try the platform and social trading concept; setting up a live account is a simple instant process.

FxPro is one of the most respected Forex brokers in the industry. Regulated by the FCA and CySEC and with over 870,000 client accounts in 173 countries, FxPro is a truly global powerhouse.

FxPro offers a no dealing desk execution model on MT4, MT5, cTrader and a browser-based platform. A reasonable 100 AUD opening deposit and outstanding customer service are combined with competitive spreads – often as low as 0.6 pips – to match profitability with security.

Since its founding in 2006, FxPro has won more than 55 awards for best broker, best service, best tools, and best trading platform and has cemented its place the top tier of global Forex brokers.

EasyMarkets offers three simple account types, a 50% deposit bonus for new accounts up to $2000, and offers MT4 alongside its proprietary platform. EasyMarkets is fully regulated by CySEC, FSA and ASIC in Australia, ensuring compliance with the highest client protection standards. With a minimum deposit of $200, you can trade Forex, commodities, agriculture, metals and other stocks allowing a diversified portfolio of investments.

Customer accounts have a dedicated account manager, 24/5 customer support from their offices around the world, fast withdrawals and a stacked learning centre. EasyMarkets is one of our favourite online Forex brokers.

OctaFX is an STP broker founded in 2011 that will appeal to all Forex traders, both beginners and professionals.  They have an excellent analytical section and offer a range of useful trading tools such as AutoChartist, copy trading, and an account monitoring service so you can learn anonymously from other successful traders.

Trader education for beginners is well-presented and platform support is almost unbeatable, with MT4, MT5 and cTrader all offered – but platforms are linked to account type and trading conditions.

Hugely respected worldwide, AvaTrade is one of the largest and best value brokers in the Forex industry. AvaTrade has built its reputation on providing a secure and innovative trading environment for beginner traders; it continues to add to that reputation with the recent addition of AvaProtect – an automated loss-protection tool – to its product lineup.

With support for the leading trading platforms and top-quality multilingual support, AvaTrade offers trading in Forex, commodities, cryptocurrencies, exchange-traded funds, options, bonds, and equities.

Well-regulated, safe and award-winning, XTB is a true leader in the Forex trading industry.

Joining other leading ECN/STP brokers with unbeatable trading conditions, excellent trader education and rock-solid analysis, XTB has also developed an award-winning proprietary trading platform that goes beyond MT4 to offer clients easy-to-use functionality with fast execution speeds.

With 50+ Forex CFD pairs available, tight spreads and fast execution, Plus500 is a popular broker with both its new and long-standing customers.  Even though a lot of effort has been put into creating a user-friendly platform, CFDs are complex financial products, and thus the platform is not suitable for inexperienced traders.

Award-winning customer service is available 24/7 and the Plus500 platform is web-based with no need for any downloads or setup, making this a good provider for those starting out who want to keep it simple. 

Plus500 has one account with a 100 USD minimum deposit requirement and keeps simplicity at the core of its business.

FXCM is an ASIC-regulated provider of online Forex trading and CFD trading and is recognised as a leader in the industry. No commission is charged on the standard account and no fees are charged on deposits or withdrawals. Customer service is available 24/5 via live chat, phone, email and drop-in to FXCM’s local office in downtown Sydney.

Clients have the advantage of one-click order execution and trading from real-time charts across MT4, NinjaTrader or FXTM’s award-winning Trading Station platform – which has many of MT4’s best features without the lengthy setup or complications.  FXCM is also renowned for the number of specialty trading platforms on offer for more experienced traders.

Trade.com is a multi-asset market maker with MT4 support and a range of account types. Trading conditions are good, and the more expensive account types have very tight spreads. The Micro Account is excellent value and dedicated customer support is available for those with higher minimum deposits.

Regulated by CySEC and the FSCA, Trade.com has committed to a secure system for managing client funds and protecting the brokerage from illegal activity.

Built by traders, for traders, Tickmill offers low spreads and commission on both ECN and traditional accounts. All accounts feature ultra-fast STP execution (0.15s on average and no requotes) and support for the MT4 platform with all strategies allowed.

Regulated by the FCA in the UK, CySEC in Europe, and the Seychelles FSA internationally – and a regular winner of trade execution and trading conditions awards – Tickmill also offers 80+ instruments to trade alongside dedicated multi-lingual support and negative balance protection.

Swissquote is an award-winning, FCA-regulated STP broker. Swissquote targets more experienced traders (and serious beginners) as the minimum deposits required are considerably higher than with other similar brokers. However, Swissquote’s trading conditions reflect what clients should expect from a professional brokerage.

Swissquote has an award-winning proprietary trading platform, but also offer support for the MetaTrader suite. In addition, premium analytical tools are available for clients for free.

IronFX is a global broker with a wide range of account types, a great value micro account and over 80 tradeable currency pairs.

IronFX has regulation from ASIC and all the other major authorities and has recently introduced market execution accounts with ultra-low spreads.

For beginners who want to learn to trade on either the MT4 or MT5 platform, and experienced traders looking for strong international regulation, IronFX is an excellent choice in a broker.

InstaForex is an award-winning broker offering a wide variety of account types with good trading conditions and a copy-trading service. With three market execution accounts, one specifically built for scalping, and two instant execution accounts with no minimum deposit, InstaForex will appeal to beginner traders and more experienced scalpers.

The market analysis and education sections feature regularly updated content for traders of all experience levels and MT4 is fully supported via download and webtrader.

HYCM’s parent company has been involved in asset trading for over 40 years and its various subsidiaries are regulated by the FCA, CySEC and the DFIC. Primarily a market-maker broker, HYCM still offers attractive trading conditions, and has a market-execution account for those who prefer commission over wider spreads.  Support for both MT4 and MT5 is offered alongside a comprehensive market education suite that will be beneficial for all traders.

HYCM offers its clients an opportunity to trade on more than 300 financial instruments including wide range of currency pairs, commodities, stocks, and cryptocurrencies.

An ECN/STP broker regulated by multiple major authorities including the FCA and CySEC, HotForex has built a reputation among traders for its stable, fair, secure and transparent trading environment. Excellent educational and analytical material is available for both visitors and clients, and customer service is available 24/5 with all clients receiving a personal account manager.

Both MT4 and MT5 are supported and with both commission-free and zero-spread account on offer for low minimum deposits, HotForex will appeal to all traders. 

GKFX Prime was founded by GKG, a Malta-based Fintech company, in 2012 and is regulated by the BVI’s Financial Services Committee. With, no required minimum deposit, a good range of account types – including fixed spread, variable spread and commission-based ECN – and a decent education section, GXFX Prime are a good choice for new traders.

A number of useful tools are also available, including AutoChartist and Trading Central – alongside ZuluTrade and Autotrade for those who prefer social trading – though support is only offered for MT4.

Very popular across Asia, FBS offers unusually tight spreads, a simple account structure and support for MT4 and MT5. Education and market analysis are both good and all traders, but especially beginners, will enjoy the 24/7 customer support – also unusual in an industry where the usual hours are 24/5.

The trading conditions on the Cent Account are exceptional for such a low minimum deposit and other accounts are equally impressive – with negative spreads on the ECN account for instance – and no fees are charged for deposits or withdrawals.

Capital Index was founded in 2014 by industry veterans to meet the needs of serious traders. It quickly started winning awards, including STP/ECN broker of the year and has grown its client base substantially over the last six years.

Regulated by the FCA and with good, simple trading conditions across three account types, Capital Index is an ideal brokerage for experienced traders looking for a simple approach and MT4 support.

BDSwiss is a respected broker with a strong focus on educating traders – as such its education and analysis material is excellent, including webinars, video courses and insightful market news. Also known as an innovator in the industry, BDSwiss recently launched a subscription-based Raw Spread Account, offering very tight spreads and no commission for a small monthly payment.

MT4 and MT5 are both supported and more experienced traders will also find a lot to like with the Black Account, including free AutoChartist and one-on-one support.

Founded in 2008 in Sydney, AxiTrader is an ASIC and FCA regulated ECN broker for serious traders. While trading platform choice is limited to MT4, Axitrader’s platform setup and support have received multiple awards including Best MT4 Broker 2018 (Compare Forex Brokers Australia) and Best MT4 Provider 2018 (UK Forex Awards).

Neither account at AxiTrader requires a minimum deposit, spreads are tight and all clients receive AutoChartist for free; as an ECN broker all trades are posted directly to market and educational and analytical support is good for beginners.

24Option started life as a binary options provider but now only offers CFDs for Forex, Commodities, Stock and Indices. Regulation is poor, with oversight from the Belize IFSC only – meaning that 24Option is not permitted to take clients from Europe and a number of other countries.

The minimum deposit at 24Option is 250 USD, and support is provided for its proprietary web-based trading platform as well as MT4. Spreads are relatively wide for a market-maker of this type and educational material is restricted to active traders.

For a minimum deposit of $500, try the innovative CrowdTrading platform built by Trade 360. A market maker broker, Trade 360 asks its clients to rely on the CrowdTrading algorithm, which constantly examines Trade360 client activity, spots changes in price action and highlights these changes to help traders make better decisions.

Regulated by CySEC in Europe, Trade360 offers traders a broad range of asset choices, not just Forex.

Amana Capital offers market-executed trades on the MetaTrader platform, solid execution, advanced fundamental and technical analysis, tight spreads on the advanced accounts and only 50 USD to open an account. It is one of the best-regulated brokers available to individual traders and has taken a modern approach to their software offering – slowly phasing out MT4 and pushing MT5 instead.

A trader looking for MetaTrader compatibility, excellent regulation, and a wide range of CFDs available for trade, should consider Amana Capital as a frontrunner.

GO Markets was founded in 2006 and was the first Australian MetaTrader broker. Though it only offers two account options, one with a dealing desk and wider spreads and the other an ECN with tight spreads and commission, both are competitive. Though much of the education section is paywalled for customers only, the content is excellent GO Markets offer full support for MT4 and MT5.

GO Markets really shines with its suite of trading tools including a free VPS service, Autochartist and Trading Central. A technological innovator, GO Markets works hard to keep low-latency trading, reliable customer service and stable platforms at the core of their offering.

Founded in 2001, Admiral Markets offers reliability, market leadership and simple modern trading. A global presence, a large Australian and international client base, flexible trading accounts, competitive trading conditions, and peerless educational material have attracted both beginner and experienced traders to the brand.

Admiral Markets offers their own custom version of the MetaTrader trading platforms, the MetaTrader Supreme Edition, compatible with both MT4 and MT5. Additionally, most Admiral Markets accounts have free access to Trading Central – providing independent market insight and technical analysis – and the company offers one of the best cryptocurrency offerings on the market by a Forex broker.

Markets.com is a global playing the Forex market and has strong brand recognition. With strong International regulation and feedback from the industry, they have built a client base of over 5 million accounts since 2010.  The trading conditions are reasonable for Markets.com being a market maker, and it was a positive step to see this broker adopt the MetaTrader suite of tools.  We recommend Markets.com as traders enjoy trading with them. They are a broker to set up a serious trading account on trusted software and regulation.

FXTM is an award-winning ECN/STP broker popular with traders for its wide range of accounts types, from instant execution accounts with very low minimum deposits to ultra-low spread ECN accounts. FXTM’s client base relies on fast execution, tight spreads as low as 0 pips, and leverage as high as 1:1000.

With support for both MT4 and MT5, recognition from the FCA and CySEC, excellent training material, and 24/7 customer support, FXTM is a great broker for all traders.

Founded in 2008, Exness is a well-regulated broker with tight spreads and unlimited leverage on its MT4 Pro Accounts.  With both market and instant execution methods and full support for both MT4 and MT5, there is little to find fault with here – including its well-publicised sponsorship of Real Madrid.

Exceptionally, customer service is available 24/7 in English and Chinese and most traders will find something to like from the wide range of account types.