Zero spread is one of the most sought-after features from forex brokers. What are the advantages of using this feature and which broker provides it?

zero spread forex brokers

Just like any other investment, forex trading comes with some costs. Apart from the risks brought upon by the market, there are also fees from the brokers. Thus, it only makes sense that every trader wants to protect their money and keep their trading cost as low as possible.

In recent years where the technology-driven forex trading environment has developed rapidly, brokers have become competitive in offering low-cost solutions to attract more traders, and most of them come from the zero spread condition.

Spread itself refers to the difference between the bid price and ask price. Apart from the minimum deposit offered by the broker, you can also use low spreads to see whether a broker's "expensive" or not because it reflects the broker's decision in how they take profits from clients. That is why traders would typically seek brokers with the lowest spread. Nowadays, spread ranging from 2 pips and even 1 pip are quite common in online forex brokers. Even more, brokers are now starting to reduce their spreads to 0 pip range or zero spread.

Zero spread forex brokers are typically Electronic Communication Network (ECN) or Straight Through Processing (STP) competing for the best price. It is ideal for short-term traders like scalpers and day traders, as well as those who use Expert Advisors. In this article, we will explore the pros and cons of using zero spread accounts along with some examples of forex brokers offering zero spreads.

 

The Benefits of Using Zero Spread Accounts

As a whole, trading with zero spreads is relatively cheaper. The zero spread is usually offered in an ECN account, so traders are able to access the market directly and have the chance to manage their trades more precisely. Moreover, traders can benefit from the execution speed and increase their trading efficiency.

Transparency is another advantage of using zero spread brokers. Being able to directly access the market means there are no interventions from the brokers that could affect your trading decisions. The system is automated, so it can't be manipulated and the prices that you see are real market prices.

 

Forex Broker Zero Spreads: The Downsides

Just like any other feature, zero spread also has its own disadvantages. First of all, while you might think that zero spread can save you a lot of money and reduce the trading cost down to zero, it may not be completely true.

It is worth noting that brokers need to earn money in one way or another. So if they're not charging from the spread, there must be another way of earning money. It is possible that the cost will apply in a hidden way. You may end up paying several fees without knowing exactly what they are for.

Sometimes, those fees are disguised as a bigger account opening requirement or you might experience a slower execution compared to the fixed spread account. Other than that, brokers can also charge you with fixed commissions, lower margin calls and stop loss levels, or combinations of them all.

Also, in zero spread account, most brokers usually forbid the use of negative balance protection. In certain conditions like a news release with extreme high-impact on the market, brokers may unable to close positions immediately. Without negative balance protection, it is possible to get losses so big that it turns your balance into negative.

So if you would like to reduce your trading cost, zero spread brokers can offer you a great chance to do so. But remember that it won't fully reduce it to zero because there may be other trading costs along the way. Nevertheless, you should examine each broker more closely to find out which one has the best trade-off.

 

Brokers Offering Zero Spreads

There are many forex brokers capable of providing zero spreads to their clients. Here are the 10 well-known forex brokers that offer this particular feature:

 

1. OctaFX

OctaFX is a top broker that was established in 2011. The broker is under the regulation of FCA (UK) and CySEC (Cyprus). It is known to be a scalping-friendly broker, hence the zero spread feature. The broker offers low spreads ranging from 0.2 pips and maximum leverage of 1:500, with a minimum deposit of $100.

 

2. FBS

FBS is a widely recognized broker in at least 190 countries and has been around since 2009. The broker is regulated by IFSC (Belize), CySEC (Cyprus), and ASIC (Australia). Although many regard FBS as a broker with years of experience, the company is still considered affordable even for novice traders, especially regarding the zero spread. In FBS, you only have to deposit at least $1 to open an account. The spread starts from 0 pips and the maximum leverage is 1:3000.

Website
Established
2009
Leverage
1:3000
Min Deposit
$5
Regulation
ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, Belize Financial Service Commission (FSC), FCA
Bonus offers
Trading contests
Free education
Affiliate program
Islamic accounts available
Compensation scheme
Negative balance protection
VPS
Webinar
Low spread eur/usd
FasaPay
Neteller
Skrill
Wire transfer

Since 2009, the action of FBS Holding Inc. or known as FBS in the world of forex trading has been recognized by various international institutions. With clients reaching 14 million as of 2019, FBS has received the title of Most Transparent Forex Broker 2018, Best Investor Education 2017, Best Customer Service Broker Asia 2016, IB FX Program, and many others.

FBS is regulated by FSC Belize and CySEC Cyprus. This broker has been trusted by millions of traders and 370 thousand partners from various countries. Based on their data, FBS garners about 7,000 new traders and partner accounts every day. And, 80% of the clients stay in the FBS for a long time. No wonder the broker is growing rapidly due to the incredible growth in the number of clients.

Trading products offered by FBS range from forex, CFD, precious metal, and stock. For forex trading, CySEC-regulated FBS offers leverage up to 1:30 on Cent and Standard Accounts. Clients who want to try higher leverage than that can alternatively register an account under FBS Belize.

FBS spread begins from 0.5 pips for Pro account type and from 0.7 pips for Standard and Cent accounts. On a standard account, volume orders can be made from 0.01 to 500 lots. Therefore, this account is recommended for experienced traders.

Whereas on Cent Accounts, volume orders can be carried out with a maximum of 500 cent lots or the equivalent of 5 standard lots. Cent Accounts involve a different level of risk. FBS recommends Cent Accounts for beginner traders. All account types support the following trading instruments: 36 Forex pairs, 8 metals, 3 energies, 11 indices, 127 stocks, 5 crypto pairs.

Before plunging into the real forex market, traders can practice with FBS Demo Account which consists of two types, i.e Standard and Cent.

FBS uses the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms. They offer them on Windows and Mac as well as Android and iOS mobile. These platforms provide a trading experience at traders' fingertips, allowing traders to progress as a trader anywhere at any time.

MetaTrader platforms also have a variety of mainstay features, including the possibility to create, buy, and use expert advisors (EA) and scripts, One-click trading and embedded news, technical analysis tools, the possibility to copy deals from other traders, hedging positions, and VPS service support.

Another advantage provided by FBS is a deposit bonus of 100% for clients who fulfill certain requirements. The process of FSCing and withdrawing funds can be run easily and quickly. Based on clients' testimonies, each process usually takes no more than 3-4 hours, except on holidays.

Traders also have the opportunity to develop a side business when trading with FBS, namely as an Introducing Broker (IB) or Affiliate. The FBS partnership system provides partner commissions that are already in 3 level positions. Only by introducing new clients to FBS according to certain procedures, traders can earn extra income.

Traders will also get trading education experience at FBS. They have prepared a comprehensive forex course. The course consists of 4 levels: beginner, elementary, intermediate, and experienced. Traders can take courses that will turn them from newbies to professionals. All materials are well-structured. Besides, FBS provides various forex analyzes, webinars, forex news, and daily market analysis that can be accessed easily on their site.

Traders can access the FBS website with many language choices. Of course, this will increasingly provide comfort for traders. Available languages include English, Italian, French, Portuguese, Indonesian, Spanish, and others. Live chat support is also provided 24 hours 7 days a week.

In conclusion, FBS is a widely known broker among retail traders around the world. It continually grows to become a preferred broker because of flexible trading conditions that enable its clients to trade with various instruments, low deposit, and other trading advantages.

 

3. XM

XM is a broker based in Belize that was founded in 2009. The broker is now under the regulation of several top-tier regulators such as ASIC (Australia), CySEC, and IFSC (Belize). Despite its high reputation, XM is known to offer favorable trading conditions and many useful trading instruments for its traders. The broker offers a low minimum deposit of only $5, spread starting from 0 pips, and maximum leverage of 1:888.

Website
Established
2009
Leverage
1:1000
Min Deposit
$5
Regulation
FCA, CySEC, BaFin, CNMV, FSP (New Zealand), ASIC, CONSOB (Italy), Belize Financial Service Commission (FSC), ESMA
Bonuses
Personal manager
Segregated accounts
Free education
Trading by phone
Compensation scheme
Negative balance protection
VPS
Affiliate program
Copy trading
Webinar
WebMoney
Skrill
Wire transfer
Neteller
CashU
QIWI
FasaPay

XM Group is a group of regulated brokers and it is owned by Trading Point Holdings Ltd. Entities under XM Group have significant experience as financial services providers worldwide.

Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd was established in 2009 with headquarters in Limassol, Cyprus, Trading Point of Financial Instruments Pty Ltd was established in 2015 with headquarters in Sydney, Australia, XM Global Limited was established in 2017 with headquarters in Belize and Trading Point MENA Limited was established in 2019 with headquarters in Dubai.

XM Group is regulated by the CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) - Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd, FSC (Financial Services Commission) – XM Global Limited, the ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) - Trading Point of Financial Instruments Pty Ltd and DFSA (Dubai Financial Services Authority) - Trading Point MENA Limited.

XM is one of the more experienced brokers in the world of online forex trading today. Since its founding, the broker has experienced a lot of changes, including the addition of the Ultra-Low Account and EN Live Edu that is instructed by 16 global experts.

In terms of trading instruments, XM is a well-known diverse class assets provider, varying from Forex, Crypto, Stock CFDs, Turbo Stocks, Commodities, Equity Indices, Precious Metals, Energies, & Shares. XM prides itself to be the ideal broker in trading execution, offering a stat of 99.35% orders to be executed in less than 1 second. Trading in XM would be also provided with a strict no requotes policy, no virtual dealer plug-in, no rejection of orders, real-time market execution, and the choice for traders to place orders online or by phone.

Spreads on all majors can reach as low as 0.6 pips in Ultra-Low Account, while spreads on other accounts usually start from 1 pip.

To protect the client's fund in the event of extreme volatility, XM presents each account type with Negative Balance Protection. Minimum deposit of $5 applies to Standard, Micro, and also Ultra-Low Accounts. Traders who open accounts in XM are enabled a condition similar to a Cent Account environment in the Micro Account, in which the Contract Size for every lot is only 1,000 units. If it is applied with the smallest lot size in the MetaTrader platform which amounts to 0.01, it means that traders can go as small as 10 units per trade.

For the deposit, XM applies zero-fee deposits in most of its available payment methods. Traders can choose to fund or withdraw their accounts via wire transfer, credit card, as well as the most favorable e-payment choices like Skrill, Neteller, and FasaPay.

To give their clients the best experiment in trading, XM has given access to both MT4 and MT5 platforms, each is available for more than 6 display formats (PC, Mac, Multiterminal, WebTrader, iPad, iPhone, Android, and Android Tablet).

All in all, there is no doubt that XM has gone global with its deep commitment to providing services in more than 30 different languages across the world. Aside from easing traders' experience with mainstream trading platforms and high-quality trading execution, XM is open to various types of traders, from small capital traders to the more experienced ones with big deposits at the ready. Traders are even provided with a Cent Trading environment should they choose to register under Micro Account.

For their global approach, XM has ensured that traders from various countries could access their service easily. This results in the provision of different domains specified for traders in certain jurisdictions. For example, traders from Indonesia could access XM via this link.

 

4. Exness

Exness is one of the globally known brokers since 2008. The broker is regulated by several regulatory bodies including CySEC (Cyprus). The main advantage of using this broker is that the zero spread feature can be applied to almost every account type offered. With variable spreads that start from 0.3 pips, maximum leverage of 1:2000, and a minimum deposit of only $1, trading with Exness is recommended for retail traders with different types of trading styles.

Website
Established
2008
Leverage
1:2000
Min Deposit
$10
Regulation
FSA (Seychelles), CBCS (Curacao), FSC (BVI), FSCA, CMA (Kenya), FCA, CySEC, ESMA
PAMM
Trading contests
LAMM
Segregated accounts
VPS
Free education
Islamic account
Copy trading
Compensation scheme
Negative balance protection
Low spread eur/usd
Affiliate program
Trading via API
WebMoney
Wire transfer
Skrill
Neteller

The choice of broker is adjusted to the needs of each trader. If you are a trader who only needs a basic platform and trading features with the best attributes, then Exness can be your best choice.

Exness covers its lack of feature variations with other advantages like low spreads starting from only 0.1 pip. This is very suitable for traders who use scalping strategies (Scalper). Spreads on major pairs in certain account types can also be as low as 0.0 pip, depending on market conditions.

Not only that, but traders can also enjoy other advantages such as automatic fund withdrawals. Exness processes the majority of client withdrawals instantly, without manual checks; however, withdrawals may be subject tos depending on the payment provider or method of choice.

The safety of traders' funds is also guaranteed as Exness is one of the European-based STP/ECN brokers. Exness's ability to become an official partner of the Real Madrid soccer team for 3 years, starting July 2017, also provides evidence that the company has high solidity.

Deposits and withdrawals may be made 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, it is important to note that the company shall not be liable fors in processing deposits and withdrawals if suchs are caused by the payment system.

Traders do not need to worry about transaction fees when depositing and withdrawing. Exness doesn't charge any transaction fees to traders even though some charges may be incurred depending on the payment provider of choice. A variety of payment methods are provided for traders, including Wire Transfer, Bank Card, Neteller, Skrill, and many others.

The financial reports and metrics on the Exness website are audited quarterly by Deloitte, one of the four largest public accounting firms globally.

Moreover, Exness is one of the mote transparent brokers in the online trading industry. Traders can find out all information about this company on the website, such as trading volume, number of active clients, client deposits, company funds, and many more.

The platforms provided by Exness vary in MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Web, and Mobile platforms. This makes it easy for traders when trading on Exness, as they can also access Exness platforms anywhere and anytime.

Over the years, Exness has developed into a broker that attracts traders. Trader's trust is further enhanced by its compliance with financial regulations like the FCA and CySEC.

One measure of client confidence can be put on the trading volume. By December 2018, their clients' monthly trading volume reached USD348.4 billion and active traders around the world surpassed 50,342.

Through the program offered by Exness, traders also have the opportunity to earn extra income by becoming their partners. From the Introducing Broker (IB) program, partners can earn up to 33% spread commission from every new client that registers with them.

Additional income can also be obtained from Exness Partners. Traders can get a spread commission of up to 25% per transaction made by traders who register through an affiliate link.

When trading with Exness, clients can also make use of its free VPS hosting services. A VPS (Virtual Private Server) offers increased reliability and stability for traders as they can maintain their trades and expert advisors without interruption in the event of unexpected technical issues, such as internet or electricity downtime.

From the review above, it can be concluded that Exness is a favorite broker for traders because of low spreads and flexible account types. This condition is very suitable for traders with limited funds but is in need of more opportunities to get maximum profit. This broker is also well known for its maximum support on both new and existing partners.

 

5. FXOpen

FXOpen is a CFD broker that was founded in 2003 with licenses from ASIC (Australia) and FCA (UK) with the reference number of 579202. Similar to Exness, the broker offers a floating spread starting from 0 pips in the ECN account, while the maximum leverage is 1:500. However, keep in mind that the broker offers a minimum deposit of $100 in the ECN account. Other fees that you should be aware of are the swap charges on overnight positions.

Website
Established
2003
Leverage
1:500
Min Deposit
$1
Regulation
FCA, ASIC, The Financial Commission, CySEC
Bonuses
PAMM
Trading contests
Segregated accounts
VPS
Compensation scheme
Negative balance protection
Low spread eur/usd
Islamic account
Personal manager
Affiliate program
Copy Trading
Wire transfer
FasaPay
WebMoney

FXOpen started its operation as an online trading provider for retail clients since 2005. The company was founded by a group of traders with a mission to provide services that refer to the interests of traders. FXOpen claimed to be one of the firsts to offer ECN trading via MetaTrader 4 (MT4). With FXOpen's unique proprietary price aggregating technology, their clients can benefit from the industry's most competitive spreads (from 0 pips) and low trading commissions.

In 2006, FXOpen also became the first broker to offer a micro account and a swap-free account. After that, they continue to be the pioneers of several new and high-tech services, including the first Crypto account that can provide trading facilities on 24 Cryptocurrency pairs such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum.

Furthermore, the company provides One Click Trading and Level 2 MT4 plug-ins, enabling traders to place trades with just one click of the mouse. Traders do not need to worry about trading security at FXOpen. They have registered in Nevis, the UK FCA, and ASIC Australia.

A variety of trading accounts are provided such as STP, Micro, ECN, and free unlimited demo accounts. The minimum deposit for each account depends on the account type; USD1 in Micro Account, USD10 in STP and Crypto Accounts, and USD100 in ECN Accounts. As for leverage, FXOpen offers up to 1:3 (for Crypto Accounts), and up to 1:500 (for Micro, STP, and ECN Accounts).

Besides, traders can enhance their trading capabilities with Myfxbook and Zulutrade automated trading systems. Both of these services allow anyone to copy the transactions of experienced traders. Thus, traders can replicate the results of professional traders' strategies.

The FXOpen PAMM Service allows copying trades from a Master account to one or more than one Follower account and automates the distribution of profits and losses. The Master operates personal capital through a PAMM account, and his trading strategy is replicated to the Follower's capital. The owner of the Follower account can view and analyze the performance of the PAMM account with the help of advanced analytics. There are 3 PAMM accounts in FXOpen, namely STP, ECN, and Crypto PAMM.

On ECN accounts, traders will get direct price quotes from leading liquidity providers, including Dresdner, SG Paris, Standard Chartered, Barclays Capital, Bank of America, CRNX, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank AG, RBS, CITI, and UBS. This is one of the reasons why FXOpen's ECN account has become a trader favorite.

After seeing the various advantages offered by FXOpen, traders can easily register an account, simply by filling out the form in the registration menu on the FXOpen website. Traders will be asked to verify documents in advance if the trader will make a deposit or withdrawal of funds. Based on traders' experience and information since FXOpen was founded, there have not been any major complaints about payments (depositing or withdrawing funds) from clients.

Once registered with the FXOpen broker, traders also have the opportunity to get other benefits. One example is the FXOpen cashback program for the first 90 days from registration as a new client. The minimum cashback is USD5 and the maximum is USD1,000.

Furthermore, free VPS is available for ECN, STP, and Crypto account holders. Traders can use FXOpen VPS without any fees for 1 month if they can maintain equity of USD5,000 at the end of the month or trade with a trading volume of USD10,000,000 per month. The advantages of VPS on FXOpen are excellent accessibility, flexibility, and speed.

Trading on FXOpen is made easier because traders can add insight into trading by entering contests. FXOpen Broker offers weekly and monthly trading contests on demo accounts through the ForexCup.com site. Traders can join competitions that are free of charge to hone their skills. If a trader wants a bigger challenge, there is also a trading contest on a real account.

The company also offers Forex partnership programs to traders, Forex brokers, and website owners who publish information about fiat and crypto-currency trading. There are 3 types of partnership levels, including Forex IB (Forex Agent) that attracts new clients to FXOpen using a referral (affiliate) link, Forex Rebate, and individual partnership conditions.

In Conclusion, FXOpen is a well-rounded forex brokerage for traders with a desire to try various trading instruments, a trading environment in ECN account, low minimum deposits, the best cryptocurrency trading condition, as well as interesting trading features like PAMM and demo contests.

 

6. Pepperstone

Pepperstone is a Non-Dealing Desk (NDD) broker that was established in 2010 and headquartered in Australia. The broker is under the regulation of several top-tier regulators including ASIC (Australia) and FCA (UK). The broker is widely known for offering a variety of trading instruments and high-end trading conditions for their traders. The spread starts as low as 0 pips and the maximum leverage is 1:500. Also, the broker requires a minimum deposit of $200.

Website
Established
2010
Leverage
1:400
Min Deposit
$0
Regulation
ASIC, BaFin, Capital Markets Authority of Kenya, CySEC, DFSA (Dubai), FCA, SCB
Free education
Trading by telephone
PAMM
MAM
Segregated accounts
Affiliate program
Islamic accounts available
Compensation scheme
Negative balance protection
Low spread eur/usd
VPS
Trading via API
Copy trading
Webinar
PayPal
Wire transfer
Neteller
Skrill

Pepperstone was founded in 2010 by a team of experienced traders with a shared commitment to improve the world of online trading. Based in Melbourne, Australia, they grew to become one of the largest forex brokers in the world. If traders want to find a broker that provides low spreads, fast execution, and award-winning support, then the answer is Pepperstone.

Pepperstone has a strong legality guarantee because it has been licensed by the Australian regulator ASIC and FCA. Traders' funds can be deposited in segregated accounts at top Australian banks, one of which is the National Australia Bank (NAB). Therefore, the safety of funds is not a concern if a trader chooses to open an account in Pepperstone.

They succeeded in collaborating with 23 top banks to bring Bid to investors instantly via optical fiber. This allows all orders to be executed 100 percent automatically with low latency up to 0.05 milliseconds, without dealing desk intervention and requotes, as well as with super low trading costs.

Trusted by over 73,000 traders around the world, Pepperstone processes an average of USD12.55 billion of trading volumes every day. Because of that, they have many awards such as:

  • The Best Global Forex ECN Broker 2019 and Best Forex Trading Support-Europe
  • Best Australian Broker and Best Trading Platform 2018 by Compareforexbrokers.com
  • Best Forex ECN Broker, Best Forex Trading Support, and Best Forex Trading Conditions by UK Forex Awards 2018

With the many rewards gained, Pepperstone hopes to attract more and more traders from all over the world. The rising performance of Pepperstone is not only due to the super-tight spreads and fast execution that it provides, but also because many traders are interested in trading with deposits in currencies other than US Dollars.

For this reason, Pepperstone is one of the most market-responsive brokers because it is willing to accept deposits in 10 currencies, which include AUD, USD, EUR, CAD, GBP, CHF, JPY, NZD, SGD, and HKD.

Trading in Pepperstone would allow traders to choose between 11 trading platforms: MT4 for desktop, MT4 Mac, MT4 iPhone, MT4 Android, MT4 iPad/Tablet, MT5, WebTrader, cTrader WebTrader, cTrader cAlgo, and cTrader Mobile. The choice of trading platforms may seem confusing to novice traders, but actually, it is very useful because it has fast execution.

When trading forex, traders can enjoy raw spreads from 0.0 pips on Razor accounts, over 61 currency pairs, and commission-free account funding on a wide range of deposit options. In addition to currency pairs, Pepperstone provides many types of trading instruments, including CFDs for indices and shares, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.

Instruments in commodity trading are pretty much diversified. Not only metal, gold, and silver, but traders can also trade with soft commodities such as cotton, sugar, coffee, cocoa, and orange juice. Pepperstone also provides trading on energy (oil and gas).

There are two types of accounts provided by Pepperstone, namely Razor accounts, and Standard accounts. If you area beginner, it is recommended to choose a Standard account with an average EUR/USD spread of 1.0-1.3 pips and free commission.

Those with particular trading styles such as scalpers and algorithmic traders may enjoy the lower cost setup traditionally seen in a Razor account, with a commission from AUD7 round turn of 100k traded. You can start trading with a minimum lot of 0.01 (micro) and 1:400 leverage.

As a Pepperstone client, a trader can fund and withdraw with alternative methods including Visa, Mastercard, POLi internet banking, bank transfer, BPay, PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, and Union Pay.

If you are new to trading or looking to practice your trading strategies in a risk-free environment, you can create Demo Account in Pepperstone. But if you are an experienced trader or prefer to learn by doing, Pepperstone provides a Live Account that allows you to trade with live executions and pricing.

Traders can also follow and copy strategies from popular traders using third-party services while learning how to improve their trading abilities. Pepperstone has partnered with a range of social trading platforms that traders can choose from, such as Myfxbook, ZuluTrade, Mirror Trader, MetaTrader signals, and Duplitrade.

 

7. InstaForex

InstaForex is the next global broker that was founded in 2007. Many traders like to use this broker mainly because of good customer support and a wide range of trading instruments. With only $1, you can open an account and start trading in InstaForex. Other than that, the broker offers fixed spreads starting from 3 pips and leverage up to 1:1000.

Website
Established
2007
Leverage
1:1000
Min Deposit
$1
Regulation
FSC (BVI), SVGFSA
Bonuses
PAMM
Trading contests
VPS
Segregated accounts
Compensation scheme
Affiliate program
Trading via API
Education
Copy trading
Webinar
Skrill
Wire transfer
Neteller

InstaForex is an international broker that provides trading services to traders globally. Since it was founded in 2007, InstaForex has provided for clients from various countries as many as 7 million traders. Based in Kaliningrad, Russia, InstaForex always attempts to improve the quality of the company in order to captivate the hearts of their clients.

Their hard work can be proven, one of which is by achieving a variety of awards, including Best Forex Cryptocurrency Trading Platform 2018 by UK Forex Awards, Best ECN Broker Asia 2018 by IBM, Forex Broker of the Year for Eastern Europe 2018 according to le Fonti Awards, Development, and Success award at Financial Olympus 2016-2017, etc.

There are 4 types of account offered by InstaForex representing a universal trading tool that help to work on international financial markets, such as Insta.Standard, Insta.Eurica, Cent.Standard, dan Cent.Eurica. Trading account types differ by the methods of accounting spreads and commissions, which are picked by the trader opening an account.

Insta.Standard account is relevant for standard trading terms on the Forex market and allows a trade to be settled with classical spread and with no fees. Traders will be charged a fixed spread every time they make a transaction. Spreads that are provided ranging from 3-7 pips. The main advantage of this type of accounts is its universality, as a trader can change the trading leverage and work with a deposit size convenient for traders.

Different from Insta.Standard accounts, Insta.Eurica accounts do not require payment of any spread on opening a deal. Therefore, this type of InstaForex account is suitable for beginner trader with a minimum transaction of 0.01 lots.

There are also other types of accounts InstaForex, namely Cent.Standard and Cent.Eurica which can be used for beginner traders because they can use the minimum transaction volume, which is 0.0001 lots (the cost per lot is USD0.1 cent). Deposit currencies that can be used by traders are EUR and USD (for all types of accounts).

Trading in InstaForex is quite a given as traders can choose to trade with leverage between 1:1 to 1:1,000. With a minimum initial deposit requirement of only USD1 (for all types of accounts), InstaForex clients have the opportunity to get a 30% to 100% deposit bonus.

Not only that, but beginner traders are also exempt from confusion in determining forex trading strategies. Because Instaforex provides ForexCopy services that allow traders to copy orders from professional traders in just a few minutes.

And then, there are around 300 trading instruments offered by InstaForex for traders. In addition to currency pairs, there are also futures, shares, gold, silver, CFDs, Bitcoin, and others.

Every InstaForex client is free to choose a trading platform that can be tailored to their needs. There are four types of trading platforms available, including InstaBinary, WebIFX, MetaTrader4, and MetaTrader5. Each platform has advantages and disadvantages. InstaForex also provides video tutorials on how to register on each platform. It aims to make it easy for beginner traders who want to join InstaForex.

If a trader still confused after seeing the video tutorials, traders can contact customer service available 24 hours connected to various social media, including email, Skype, Whatsapp, Telegram, Viber, Twitter, and Phone Call. On the InstaForex website, there are around 30 languages provided to facilitate traders from various countries.

The trader can also help themselves with trading calculators provided on the InstaForex website. Traders can accumulate currency pairs, Leverage, volume, and currency used.

The payment system in InstaForex is also diverse. Traders can pay deposits via Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller, PayCo, as well as Wire Transfer. All in all, InstaForex is a well-rounded broker for many types of traders.

 

8. ThinkMarkets

ThinkMarkets is an Australian broker that was established in 2010 under the regulation of ASIC (Australia) and FCA (UK). In terms of trading cost, the broker offers quite favorable terms. The spread starts from 0.1 pips with a maximum leverage up to 1:400. Although the company initially requires a minimum deposit of $250, the policy has been changed into no minimum deposit requirement in recent years.

Website
Established
2010
Leverage
1:500
Min Deposit
$0
Regulation
ASIC, FCA, FSA (Japan), FSCA, FSA (Seychelles), CySEC
Free education
Personal manager
PAMM
MAM
Segregated accounts
Affiliate program
Islamic accounts available
Compensation scheme
Negative balance protection
VPS
Trading via API
Copy trading
Webinar
Neteller
PayPal
Skrill
Wire transfer

As a multi-asset online brokerage, ThinkMarkets present a wide range of trading assets starting from Forex to Precious Metals, Commodities, Indices, Shares, and Cryptocurrencies. The Australian-based broker is established in 2010 and has since opened additional headquarters in London and regional offices throughout Asia-Pacific, Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and South America.

Along with its history operation, ThinkMarkets has been awarded and recognized many times in various aspects. Most recently, they won the Best Value Broker in Asia at the 2020 Global Forex Awards.

Average FX spreads for traders opening an account in ThinkMarkets start from 1.2 pips for the standard account, while ThinkZero provides the best trading experience with 0.1 pips spread. Still, traders may need to consider that ThinkZero applies commission from $3.5 per side for every 1000,000 trading volumes.

As a global online brokerage, ThinkMarkets operates under various financial regulatory institutions. For example, ThinkMarkets Australia is managed by TF Global Markets (Aust) Limited and is licensed by the Australian Financial Services as well as the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) with ABN: 69158361561. ThinkMarkets UK is registered under the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) by the company name of TF Global Markets (UK) Limited (number: 09042646).

ThinkMarkets consistently try to improve their trading environments with various advanced products. Automatic trading fans are provided with free VPS Hosting, while passionate traders who'd like to experience beyond MetaQuote platforms can try ThinkMarkets' proprietary platform called ThinkTrader.

The trading platform is available on 3 different interfaces specifically designed for Web Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile displays. Furthermore, customized tools such as 80+ drawing tools and more than 125 indicators for technical analysis accessible even through Mobile screens would certainly provide a brand new trading on-the-go experience.

As far as market updates go, trading in ThinkMarkets would be accompanied with news from FX Wire Pro that is known for its strict policy toward upholding objective journalism and delivering critical, trusted information in real-time. Information segments covered by FX Wire Pro include Economic Commentary, Technical-level Reports, Currency and Commodities, Central Bank Bulletins, Energies and metals, together with Event-driven Flashes.

For payment methods, ThinkMarkets offer the gateway via bank transfer, credit card (Visa and MasterCard), Skrill, Neteller, POLi internet banking, BPay, and Bitcoin wallet.

All in all, it is safe to say that for a company that started business since 2010, ThinkMarkets is an accomplished broker in terms of legal standing and innovation in trading technology. As an additional safety assurance for traders, this broker underlines its commitment to provide a $1 million insurance protection program which is made possible by ThinkMarkets' insurance policy with Lloyd's of London that protects clients' funds for up to $1 million in the unlikely event of insolvency.

 

9. Tickmill

Tickmill is a globally known ECN broker under the regulation of FCA (UK), CySEC, and FSA (Seychelles). Although the headquarters are located in London, Tickmill has several offices worldwide and their clients can be found in various countries. The broker offers trading service with floating spreads from 0 pips, maximum leverage of 1:500, and a minimum deposit of $100.

Website
Established
2014
Leverage
1:500
Min Deposit
$100
Regulation
FSA (Seychelles), FCA, CySEC, BaFin, FSCA, FSA (Labuan), DFSA (Dubai)
Bonuses
PAMM
Trading contests
Segregated accounts
VPS
MAM
Free education
Trading by phone
Negative balance protection
Compensation scheme
VPS
Personal manager
Affiliate program
Copy trading
Webinar
Islamic account
Low spread eur/usd
WebMoney
Skrill
Wire transfer
Neteller
QIWI
FasaPay

Tickmill is an award-winning global ECN broker, authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, CySEC in Cyprus, and the FSA of Seychelles. Founded in 2014, it offers its retail and institutional clients various trading services with a prime focus on forex, stock, commodities, CFDs, and metals.

For traders who prioritize the value of spreads in broker selection, Tickmill provides excellent services with low spreads, starting from 0.0 pips.

The London-based company has a mission to provide clients with the best possible trading environment, so clients can focus on trading and become successful traders. One way to reach its mission is to offer a fast-execution of 0.15s. With this facility, it's no wonder that Tickmill gets the 2019 Best Forex Execution Broker award by the CFI.co Awards. Also, Tickmill received the achievement as Best CFD Broker Asia 2019 by International Business Magazine, the Best Forex Broker Asia, and the Most Transparent Broker 2019 by Forex Awards.

After registering in Tickmill, traders can choose the most ideal asset among 60 currency pairs that they can trade. If traders aren't sure yet to open a real account, Tickmill recommends learning to trade through a demo account.

There are also educational features such as Webinars, Seminars, Ebooks, and Video Tutorials. All of these facilities can be used by traders to increase knowledge about trading and the financial market as a whole. If traders already have enough knowledge, they have a greater opportunity for earning profit consistently.

For traders registered in real accounts, they can choose between provides three types of accounts, including Pro Account, Classic Account, and VIP Account. Traders can open positions with a minimum order of 0.01 Lots. This applies to all types of accounts.

The company provides recommendations for traders who are still confused when choosing an account. For example, for novice traders, Tickmill encourages clients to choose a Classic Account. It offers optimal conditions with fast order execution while enabling traders to use virtually any trading strategy. Additionally, the account is trade commission-free so traders only pay the bid/ask spread. Other than the 3 main accounts above, Tickmill also provides an Islamic account (swap-free).

The downside is, trading with Tickmill will only enable traders to use MetaTrader 4 as their offered trading platform. Although not much if compared to other brokers, the Tickmill platform provides a user-friendly and highly customizable interface, accompanied by sophisticated order management tools to help traders control positions quickly and efficiently.

The convenience of trading on Tickmill is enhanced by the existence of One-Click EA integrated on MT4. Traders will get Stop Loss and Take Profit calculations automatically. On top of that, Tickmill provides a VPS hosting for automated traders that can't be bothered with technical problems such as troublesome internet connection.

They offer several third-party research solutions, including Autochartist, which is a popular pattern-recognition software that uses automated technical analysis to make forecasts and generate trading signals. Autochartist is available both in Tickmill's web portal and as a platform plugin for MetaTrader 4.

As a Tickmill client, a trader can deposit and withdraw with a variety of payment methods, including Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer, and Skrill. Tickmill accepts deposits and withdrawals in 4 currencies, which include USD, EUR, GBP, and PLN.

Overall, Tickmill is a competitive broker in spreads and provides a safe trading environment with its regulated entities in three different jurisdictions. Although their trading platform is not outstanding, the analytical tools they present to equip traders' needs are considered by retail broker standards.

 

10. RoboForex

RoboForex was first founded in 2008 but only started to offer their service in 2009. Initially based in New Zealand, the broker later moved to Cyprus and began expanding their business as well as adding new features. The broker is regulated by CySEC (Cyprus) and IFSC (Belize), and is well known for their sophisticated trading features. In this broker, you can get spread as low as 0 pips and maximum leverage of up to 1:1000. Other than that, the minimum deposit is also quite low. You can open a trading account with only $10.

Website
Established
2009
Leverage
1:400
Min Deposit
$50
Regulation
Belize Financial Service Commission (FSC), The Financial Commission
Bonuses
Trading contests
VPS
MAM
Compensation scheme
Negative balance protection
Segregated accounts
Islamic account
Low spread eur/usd
Copy trading
Affiliate program
Skrill
Neteller

Well-known as one of the most committed brokers in trading technology advancements, RoboForex reaches out to a wide range of traders, from beginners to the more experienced ones who seek sophisticated trading environments with ECN-like spread and execution. The company is established in 2009 and holds a head office in Belize. Registered under the IFSC Belize, RoboForex manages to attract clients with fantastic leverage as high as 1:2000.

Following its commitment to be the forefront in terms of a high technology forex broker, RoboForex provides various trading platform choices including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Social Platform, and its proprietary platform.

Trading instruments range from Currencies to Metals, Indices, Energies, Stocks, and ETFs. Aside from basic service, trading in RoboForex also presents a collection of distinctive features such as the PAMM system and Social Trading network developed with their own brand of CopyFX, ETFs, and stocks that reaches up to thousands as the available trading assets, and tight spreads.

RoboForex also accepts payment through a surprising online gateway besides wire transfer and credit card. The alternative methods are Skrill, Neteller, UnionPay, Perfect Money, and other similar online payments.

After opening an account, traders can start with a minimum deposit as low as $10 in Pro Accounts. To specify, here is a short description of each type of accounts that traders can choose from in RoboForex:

Pro-Standard

  • Minimum Deposit: $10
  • Spread: from 1.3 points
  • Minimum order volume: 0.01
  • Leverage: up to 1:2000

ECN-Pro

  • Minimum Deposit: $10
  • Spread: from 0 points
  • Minimum order volume: 0.01
  • Leverage: up to 1:300

Prime

  • Minimum Deposit: $5,000
  • Spread: from 0 points
  • Minimum order volume: 0.01
  • Leverage: up to 1:100

Pro-Cent

  • Minimum Deposit: $10
  • Spread: from 1.3 points
  • Minimum order volume: 0.1
  • Leverage: up to 1:2000

R Trader

  • Minimum Deposit: $100
  • Spread: from $0.01
  • Minimum order volume: 1 stock
  • Leverage: up to 1:200 (during the trading session) and up to 1:4 (after the trading session)

The R Trader account signifies RoboForex's attempt to distinguish forex and stock trading condition. It appears that the platform used in that particular account is RoboForex's in-house product that is specifically designed for stock online trading.

The overall description above depicts RoboForex as a distinguished broker despite its status as an offshore-regulated entity. Not only successful in providing various trading technology, but RoboForex also focuses on stock trading for more conservative traders. However, it is also important to note that RoboForex is one of the few brokers that boldly offer an extremely high perimeter of leverage at 1:2000.

 

Conclusion

If you want to try a feature to reduce your trading cost, zero-spread brokers can offer an excellent opportunity to do so. However, keep in mind that zero spread is not the same as zero trading costs. The brokers will substitute the spreads with other fees such as commissions. Furthermore, overnight fees and other payment requirements may be adjusted differently.

So, despite the benefit that you can get from using zero spread brokers, you should check the other conditions. Some costs may be hidden or unclear, so during your trading in the forex demo account, don't forget to check their other terms regarding fees before you register in a live account. Also, make sure that the broker is safe and regulated.