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FBS vs XM: Comparison and Analysis

Written by Filippo Ucchino Fact-Checked by Luca Puddu Publication Date Last Updated
Our verdict · CFD/FX trading

XM is better than FBS for CFD trading by a small margin, because it offers MetaTrader 4, ETFs among its markets, high-frequency trading strategies and API access. FBS, on the other hand, has faster execution (10 ms against 66 ms). FBS is regulated by CySEC and ASIC, with an offshore company regulated by the FSC (Belize), while XM is regulated by CySEC, the DFSA, the CMA (Kenya) and the FSCA, with an offshore company regulated by the FSC (Belize). XM charges 10.00 USD per lot to trade EUR/USD, against 11.00 USD at FBS. Both brokers allow scalping, hedging, expert advisors and VPS, and both offer a demo account. FBS asks for 112.00 USD at its European company, 35.00 USD at its Australian company and 5.00 USD at its offshore company, while XM asks for 5.00 USD. FBS offers crypto CFDs and islamic accounts at its Australian and offshore companies, while XM offers crypto CFDs at its South African and offshore companies and islamic accounts at all its companies.

FBS

CFDCFD FBS offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD/FX to rate it on that. FXFX FBS offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side.
FBS review ›
75CFD/FXOverall score FBS scores 75/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas.
Open Account

66.43% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best overall

XM

CFDCFD XM offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD/FX to rate it on that. FXFX XM offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side.
XM review ›
79CFD/FXOverall score XM scores 79/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas.
Open Account

75.12% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best for

What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders FBS and XM are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in .
1 / 12

XM is better than FBS for swing traders. Scalpers, news traders and algo traders can choose either XM or FBS.

Best for
Overall score FBS 75 -4 XM 79 Best
Day trading i
Long-term investing i
Professional traders i
High-volume traders i
Scalpers i
Swing traders i
News traders i
Algo traders i
Stock traders i
Crypto traders i
Futures traders i
Options traders i

Regulation

What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise FBS and the ones that supervise XM.
2 / 12

FBS and XM are both regulated by top-tier authorities, FBS by CySEC and ASIC (Australia) and XM by CySEC.

Regulation
Section score FBS 100 Best XM 90 -10
Tier-1 regulators
ESMA (European Union) i CySEC (Cyprus) CySEC (Cyprus)
FCA (United Kingdom) i
ASIC (Australia) i
CFTC (United States) i
NFA (United States) i
SEC (United States) i
CIRO (Canada) i
MAS (Singapore) i
SFC (Hong Kong) i
JFSA (Japan) i
FINMA (Switzerland) i
Tier-2 regulators
FMA (New Zealand) i
CBR (Russia) i
FSCA (South Africa) i
DFSA (Dubai) i
CSRC (China) i
ISA (Israel) i
LFSA (Malaysia) i
JSC (Jordan) i
CMA (Kenya) i
Tier-3 regulators
FSA (Seychelles) i
MMA (Maldives) i
SCB (Bahamas) i
FSC (Mauritius) i
VFSC (Vanuatu) i
FSC (Belize) i
CIMA (Cayman Islands) i
SV FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) i
FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) i
BMA (Bermuda) i
BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) i
EDR (External Dispute Resolution) i

Safety

What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that FBS and XM have in place to protect your money in .
3 / 12

FBS and XM both offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme.

Safety
Section score FBS 78 XM 78
Company info
Is it publicly traded i
Is it a bank i
Year founded i 2009 2009
Parent company i FBS Markets Inc Trading Point Holdings
CEO i Christos Kakourides Tasos Anastasiou
Money safety
Segregated client funds i
Two-factor authentication i
Investor compensation scheme i
Additional money insurance i
Partner bank i N/A N/A
Brand power
Number of customers worldwide i 27,000,000 20,000,000
Annual revenue i USD 1,000,000,000
Monthly website search traffic i

Costs

What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with FBS and with XM in , both on each trade and on holding the account.
4 / 12

XM is better than FBS for costs, as XM is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 10 USD per lot (against FBS's 11 USD), has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.3 points (against FBS's 0.36 points), and does not charge US stock CFD fees (against FBS's 14 USD). Neither FBS nor XM charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.

Costs
Section score FBS 49 -8 XM 57 Best
Broker fees
Deposit fees i
Withdrawal fees i
Overnight fees i
Inactivity fees i
Currency conversion fees i
Discounts on volume i
Real time market data fee i
Dividend withholding i
Account opening fees i
Account maintenance fee i
Portfolio management fee i
Fees on CFDs
Forex commission per lot i FreeAbout this value. This is the forex commission per lot at Tradestone Limited (CySEC). At FBS's other companies: Free (other accepted countries), USD 6 (Australia). USD 7
EUR/USD average standard spread i
1.1 pips
1.1 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
0.2 pips
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i USD 11 USD 10
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.57 points 0.6 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.36 points 0.3 points
Bitcoin fees (CFD) i
US stocks fees (CFD) i USD 14 Free
Fees on stocks
Stock fee type i Percentage, Spread Spread
US stocks fees (real) i
ETF fees (real) i
Management costs i
Connection costs i
Fees on futures
Futures fees per contract i
Platform fees i
Fees on options
Options fees per contract i
Event fees i
Fees on savings plans
IRA opening fee i
IRA maintenance fee i
401k opening fee i
401k maintenance fee i

Available markets

What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with FBS and with XM in , and of how many instruments each one gives access to.
5 / 12

XM is better than FBS for available markets, because XM offers CFDs on ETFs, which FBS does not, and gives access to 1,400 tradable symbols (against FBS's 550). Both FBS and XM offer CFDs on commodities, forex, indices and stocks.

Available markets
Section score FBS 65 -10 XM 75 Best
Total tradable symbols i 550 1,400
Currency pairs i
Indices i
Commodities i
Stocks i
ETF i
Cryptocurrencies i
Bonds i
Interest rates i
Portfolios i
CFDs i Commodities, Forex, Indices, Stocks Commodities, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks
Futures i
Options i
Assets you can own i

Platform

What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that FBS and XM make available to their clients in .
6 / 12

XM is better than FBS for platforms, because XM offers MetaTrader 4 and copy trading, which FBS does not. FBS and XM both offer MetaTrader 5 and one-click trading.

Platform
Section score FBS 57 -6 XM 63 Best
Proprietary platform i
MetaTrader 4 i
MetaTrader 5 i
cTrader i
Social trading platform i
Copy trading platform i
ZuluTrade i
TradingView i
Duplitrade i
Mirror Trader i
NinjaTrader i
AutoChartist i
Real time pricing i
5 digit pricing i
One-click trading i

Mobile

What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of FBS and XM in , and of what each one lets you do from your phone.
7 / 12

FBS is better than XM for mobile trading, given that FBS offers mobile trading signals, which XM does not. Both FBS and XM offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 5 app.

Mobile
Section score FBS 93 Best XM 86 -7
Proprietary app i
Social trading app i
Copy trading app i
MetaTrader 4 app i
MetaTrader 5 app i
cTrader app i
Mobile trading signals i
Mobile alerts i
Mobile charting tools i
Mobile drawing tools i
Mobile watchlist i
Smartwatch app i

Trading features

What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that FBS and XM allow on their platforms in .
8 / 12

XM is better than FBS for trading features, given that XM offers trailing stops and API access, which FBS does not, and allows for high-frequency trading. FBS and XM both offer negative balance protection and tier-1 liquidity providers.

Trading features
Section score FBS 69 -18 XM 87 Best
Trade execution
Broker type i NDD Agency
Average execution time i 10 ms 66 ms
Slippage occurrence i
Requotes occurrence i 0% 0%
Tier-1 liquidity providers i
PFOF i
Leverage
Major FX pairs leverage i 30:1About this value. This is the major fx pairs leverage at Tradestone Limited (CySEC). At FBS's other companies: 3000:1 (other accepted countries), 30:1 (Australia). 30:1About this value. This is the major fx pairs leverage at Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 400:1 (Kenya), 30:1 (the UAE), 1000:1 (other accepted countries, South Africa).
Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the minor/exotic fx pairs leverage at Tradestone Limited (CySEC). At FBS's other companies: 3000:1 (other accepted countries), 20:1 (Australia). 20:1About this value. This is the minor/exotic fx pairs leverage at Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 400:1 (Kenya), 20:1 (the UAE), 1000:1 (other accepted countries, South Africa).
Major indices leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the major indices leverage at Tradestone Limited (CySEC). At FBS's other companies: 500:1 (other accepted countries), 20:1 (Australia). 20:1About this value. This is the major indices leverage at Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 400:1 (Kenya), 20:1 (the UAE), 500:1 (other accepted countries, South Africa).
Minor indices leverage i 10:1About this value. This is the minor indices leverage at Tradestone Limited (CySEC). At FBS's other companies: 200:1 (other accepted countries), 10:1 (Australia). 10:1About this value. This is the minor indices leverage at Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 250:1 (Kenya, other accepted countries, South Africa), 10:1 (the UAE).
Gold leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the gold leverage at Tradestone Limited (CySEC). At FBS's other companies: 500:1 (other accepted countries), 20:1 (Australia). 20:1About this value. This is the gold leverage at Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 400:1 (Kenya), 20:1 (the UAE), 1000:1 (other accepted countries, South Africa).
Commodities leverage i 10:1About this value. This is the commodities leverage at Tradestone Limited (CySEC). At FBS's other companies: 500:1 (other accepted countries), 10:1 (Australia). 10:1About this value. This is the commodities leverage at Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 400:1 (Kenya, other accepted countries, South Africa), 10:1 (the UAE).
Equities leverage i 5:1About this value. This is the equities leverage at Tradestone Limited (CySEC). At FBS's other companies: 100:1 (other accepted countries), 5:1 (Australia). 5:1About this value. This is the equities leverage at Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 20:1 (Kenya, other accepted countries, South Africa), 5:1 (the UAE).
Cryptocurrency leverage i 2:1About this value. This is the cryptocurrency leverage at Tradestone Limited (CySEC). At FBS's other companies: 500:1 (other accepted countries), 2:1 (Australia). 2:1About this value. This is the cryptocurrency leverage at Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 2:1 (the UAE), 1000:1 (other accepted countries, South Africa).
Risk management
Stop losses i
Take profits i
Limit orders i
Trailing stop i
Margin call i
OCO orders i
Guaranteed stop loss i
Negative balance protection i
Minimum trade size (FX) i 0.01 lots 0.01 lots
Minimum trade size (stocks) i USD 0 USD 0
Fractional stocks i
Trading compliance
Scalping strategies allowed i
Hedging strategies allowed i
Automated trading strategy allowed i
EAs use allowed i
HFT strategy allowed i
VPS use allowed i
API use allowed i
Price scraping allowed i
FIFO rule applies i

Account types

What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at FBS and at XM in , and of who each one is meant for.
9 / 12

XM is better than FBS for account types, since XM offers a corporate account, a managed account and an Islamic account, which FBS does not. Both FBS and XM offer a demo account and a standard account.

Account types
Section score FBS 26 -38 XM 64 Best
Demo account i
Unlimited demo account i
Standard account i
Micro account i
Cent account i
Nano account i
Raw spread account i
ECN account i
Swap-free account i
Islamic account i
Professional traders account i
Fixed spread account i
Spread betting account i
Copy trading account i
Corporate account i
Managed account i
Stock investing account i
Margin investing account i
Savings account i
Retirement account i

Account opening

What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with FBS and with XM in .
10 / 12

XM is better than FBS for account opening, since XM requires a lower minimum deposit, at 5 USD (against FBS's 112 USD), and offers 10 account base currencies (against FBS's 2). FBS and XM both offer credit cards and debit cards.

Account opening
Section score FBS 70 -20 XM 90 Best
Minimum deposit i USD 112About this value. This is the minimum deposit at Tradestone Limited (CySEC). At FBS's other companies: USD 5 (other accepted countries), USD 35 (Australia). USD 5
Minimum withdrawal i USD 0 USD 5
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i Neteller, Skrill Neteller, Skrill
Local payment methods i
Account base currencies i EUR, USDAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at Tradestone Limited (CySEC). It is different at FBS's companies in Australia. AUD, CHF, EUR, GBP, HUF, PLN, RUB, SGD, USD, ZAR
Deposit waiting time i Instant Instant
Withdrawal waiting time i up to 1 business days up to 1 business days
Bonus program i

Customer care

What we compare A comparison of the customer support of FBS and XM in , in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.
11 / 12

FBS is better than XM for customer care, as FBS offers priority support, which XM does not. Both FBS and XM offer a dedicated account manager and phone support.

Customer care
Section score FBS 82 Best XM 78 -4
Number of languages supported i 15 20
Website languages i Arabic, German, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese, Chinese Arabic, Czech, German, Greek, English, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese
Website available in English i
Customer support languages i Arabic, English, Indonesian, Malay, Spanish, Thai, Turkish Arabic, Czech, German, Greek, English, French, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese
Customer support in English i
Call back request i
Email support i
Phone support i
Live chat i
Priority customer support i
Dedicated account manager i
Cash sweep i
Stock lending i
Distributes proceeds i
Tax withholding agent i
Tax assistance i

Learning

What we compare A comparison of the educational material that FBS and XM provide to their clients in .
12 / 12

XM is better than FBS for learning, because XM offers traders' sentiment, which FBS does not. Both FBS and XM offer education for advanced traders and webinars.

Learning
Section score FBS 83 -5 XM 88 Best
Education
Education center i
Education for beginners i
Education for advanced traders i
Webinars i
Tutorials i
Glossary i
Research
Economic calendar i
Traders' sentiment i
Daily market commentary i
Daily trading ideas i
News via social media i
Professional reports i
Watchlist i
FBS
Open Account 66.43% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
XM
Open Account 75.12% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Our verdict

FBS vs XM: which one should you choose?

FBS

CFD/FX Choose FBS if you want an online CFD broker with fast order execution.

Open Account 66.43% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
XM

CFD/FX Choose XM if you want a forex broker with MetaTrader 4 and copy trading.

Open Account 75.12% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

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