Menu
Policy and Terms What is InvestinGoal

InvestinGoal » Best Online Brokers » Compare Brokers » Forex.com vs Plus500

Forex.com vs Plus500: Comparison and Analysis

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

Forex.com has a small advantage over Plus500 for CFD trading, thanks to MetaTrader 4 and trading conditions that allow scalping, hedging, expert advisors, high-frequency trading strategies, VPS and API access. Forex.com executes orders in 3 ms. Plus500, on the other hand, has a lower EUR/USD cost (8.00 USD per lot against 14.50 USD) and ETFs among its CFD markets. It offers guaranteed stop-loss orders, and its deposits and withdrawals are faster (1 day against 2 days). Forex.com is regulated by CySEC, the FCA, ASIC, CIRO and the JFSA, with an offshore company regulated by CIMA (Cayman Islands), while Plus500 is regulated by CySEC, the FCA, ASIC and the DFSA, with an offshore company regulated by the FSA (Seychelles). Both brokers offer a demo account, and both offer crypto CFDs except at their UK companies. Forex.com asks for 100.00 USD at most of its companies and 106.00 USD at its Australian company, while Plus500 asks for 100.00 USD at most of its companies and 70.00 USD at its Australian company.

Our verdict · Real stock investing

Forex.com and Plus500 cannot be compared for real stock investing, because Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks to buy. For real stocks, Plus500 is the better option, because it is the only one of the two that lets you own stocks outright.

Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers (leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto), using the data of Forex.com's Cyprus entity and Plus500's Cyprus entity. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers (real shares and ETFs you own outright), using the data of Forex.com's Cyprus entity and Plus500's Cyprus entity.

Best overall

Forex.com

CFDCFD Forex.com 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 Forex.com offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side.
Forex.com review ›
81CFD/FXOverall score Forex.com scores 81/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas. not offeredStocksOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above.
Open Account

77% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best overall

Plus500

CFDCFD Plus500 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 Plus500 offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side. StocksStocks Plus500 lets you buy real assets that you own outright. Switch the comparison to Stocks to rate it on that.
Plus500 review ›
77CFD/FXOverall score Plus500 scores 77/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas. 74StocksOverall score Plus500 scores 74/100 for stock investing. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas.
Open Account

CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money

Best for

What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders Forex.com and Plus500 are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in .
1 / 12

Forex.com is better than Plus500 for professional traders, high-volume traders and scalpers. Plus500, on the other hand, is better for long-term investors. Swing traders, news traders and CFD stock traders can choose either Forex.com or Plus500.

Best for
Overall score Forex.com 81 Best not offered Plus500 77 -4 74
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 Forex.com and the ones that supervise Plus500.
2 / 12

Forex.com and Plus500 are both regulated by top-tier authorities, Forex.com by CySEC, ASIC (Australia) and the SFC (Hong Kong) and Plus500 by CySEC, ASIC (Australia) and the FCA (United Kingdom).

Regulation
Section score Forex.com 100 not offered Plus500 100 100
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 Forex.com and Plus500 have in place to protect your money in .
3 / 12

Both Forex.com and Plus500 offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme.

Safety
Section score Forex.com 86 not offered Plus500 85 -1 85
Company info
Is it publicly traded i
Is it a bank i
Year founded i 1999 2008
Parent company i StoneX Group (via GAIN Capital) Plus500 Ltd.
CEO i Glenn Stevens David Zruia
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 400,000 30,000,000
Annual revenue i USD 169,500,000 USD 768,300,000
Monthly website search traffic i 1.9M monthly visits

Costs

What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with Forex.com and with Plus500 in , both on each trade and on holding the account.
4 / 12

Plus500 is better than Forex.com for CFD/FX costs, given that Plus500 is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 8 USD per lot (against Forex.com's 14.5 USD), and does not charge US stock CFD fees (against Forex.com's 0.02 USD). Neither Forex.com nor Plus500 charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.

Forex.com does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so Plus500 and Forex.com cannot be compared for real stock costs.

Costs
Section score Forex.com 31 -33 not offered Plus500 64 Best 80
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 USD 10About this value. This is the forex commission per lot at StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). At Forex.com's other companies: USD 14 (Canada), USD 10 (other accepted countries), Free (the UK, Japan), USD 5 (Australia). Free
EUR/USD average standard spread i
1.7 pips
0.8 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
0.2 pips
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i USD 14.5 USD 8
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.4 points 0.7 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.1 points 0.75 points
Bitcoin fees (CFD) i USD 40 USD 118.34
US stocks fees (CFD) i USD 0.018 Free
Fees on stocks
Stock fee type i Commission, Percentage Commission, Percentage, Spread
US stocks fees (real) i USD 0.12
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 Forex.com and with Plus500 in , and of how many instruments each one gives access to.
5 / 12

Forex.com is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX markets. Both Forex.com and Plus500 offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks.

Plus500 and Forex.com cannot be compared for real stock markets, because Plus500 is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Forex.com is a CFD broker.

Available markets
Section score Forex.com 85 Best not offered Plus500 75 -10 15
Total tradable symbols i 150 2,800
Currency pairs i
Indices i
Commodities i
Stocks i
ETF i
Cryptocurrencies i
Bonds i
Interest rates i
Portfolios i
CFDs i Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks
Futures i
Options i
Assets you can own i Stocks

Platform

What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that Forex.com and Plus500 make available to their clients in .
6 / 12

Forex.com is better than Plus500 for platforms, since Forex.com offers MetaTrader 4 and AutoChartist, which Plus500 does not. Forex.com and Plus500 both offer a proprietary platform and one-click trading.

There is no like-for-like comparison for platforms, as Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Platform
Section score Forex.com 88 Best not offered Plus500 75 -13 75
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 Forex.com and Plus500 in , and of what each one lets you do from your phone.
7 / 12

Forex.com is better than Plus500 for mobile trading, because Forex.com offers the MetaTrader 4 app and mobile trading signals, which Plus500 does not. Forex.com and Plus500 both offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.

Only Plus500 can be assessed for mobile trading, since Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Mobile
Section score Forex.com 93 Best not offered Plus500 80 -13 80
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 Forex.com and Plus500 allow on their platforms in .
8 / 12

Forex.com is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX trading features, because Forex.com offers tier-1 liquidity providers, which Plus500 does not, and allows for scalping and automated trading. Forex.com and Plus500 both offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.

There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock trading features, as Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Trading features
Section score Forex.com 87 Best not offered Plus500 67 -20 76
Trade execution
Broker type i Agency Agency
Average execution time i 3 ms
Slippage occurrence i
Requotes occurrence i
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 StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). At Forex.com's other companies: 50:1 (Canada), 200:1 (other accepted countries), 30:1 (the UK, Australia), 25:1 (Japan). 30:1About this value. This is the major fx pairs leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 30:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 300:1 (other accepted countries).
Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the minor/exotic fx pairs leverage at StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). At Forex.com's other companies: 33:1 (Canada), 200:1 (other accepted countries), 20:1 (the UK, Australia), 25:1 (Japan). 20:1About this value. This is the minor/exotic fx pairs leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 300:1 (other accepted countries).
Major indices leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the major indices leverage at StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). At Forex.com's other companies: 10:1 (Canada, Japan), 400:1 (other accepted countries), 20:1 (the UK, Australia). 20:1About this value. This is the major indices leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries).
Minor indices leverage i 10:1About this value. This is the minor indices leverage at StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). At Forex.com's other companies: 6:1 (Canada), 100:1 (other accepted countries), 10:1 (the UK, Australia, Japan). 10:1About this value. This is the minor indices leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 10:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries).
Gold leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the gold leverage at StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). At Forex.com's other companies: 13:1 (Canada), 200:1 (other accepted countries), 20:1 (the UK, Australia). 20:1About this value. This is the gold leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries).
Commodities leverage i 10:1About this value. This is the commodities leverage at StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). At Forex.com's other companies: 25:1 (Canada), 100:1 (other accepted countries), 10:1 (the UK, Australia). 10:1About this value. This is the commodities leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 10:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries).
Equities leverage i 5:1About this value. This is the equities leverage at StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). At Forex.com's other companies: 3:1 (Canada), 20:1 (other accepted countries), 5:1 (the UK, Australia, Japan). 5:1About this value. This is the equities leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 5:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 20:1 (other accepted countries).
Cryptocurrency leverage i 2:1About this value. This is the cryptocurrency leverage at StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). At Forex.com's other companies: 100:1 (other accepted countries), 2:1 (Australia). 2:1About this value. This is the cryptocurrency leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 2:1 (the UAE, Australia), 5:1 (other accepted countries).
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 Forex.com and at Plus500 in , and of who each one is meant for.
9 / 12

Forex.com is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX account types, given that Forex.com offers an Islamic account, a swap-free account and a raw spread account, which Plus500 does not. Both Forex.com and Plus500 offer a demo account and a professional traders account.

There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock account types, as Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Account types
Section score Forex.com 52 Best not offered Plus500 38 -14 25
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 Forex.com and with Plus500 in .
10 / 12

Forex.com and Plus500 are equally good for account opening, since Forex.com has no minimum withdrawal (against Plus500's 100 USD). On the other hand, Plus500 supports 2 e-wallets (against Forex.com's 1), and credits deposits faster, within 1 day (against Forex.com's 2 days). Both require a minimum deposit of 100 USD.

Forex.com does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so Plus500 and Forex.com cannot be compared for account opening.

Account opening
Section score Forex.com 67 -2 not offered Plus500 69 69
Minimum deposit i USD 100About this value. This is the minimum deposit at StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). At Forex.com's other companies: USD 100 (Canada, other accepted countries, the UK, Japan), USD 106 (Australia). USD 100About this value. This is the minimum deposit at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: USD 100 (the UAE, other accepted countries, the UK), USD 70 (Australia).
Minimum withdrawal i USD 0 USD 100
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i PayPalAbout this value. This is the ewallets at StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). It is different at Forex.com's companies in other accepted countries. PayPal, SkrillAbout this value. This is the ewallets at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). It is different at Plus500's companies in the UAE and the UK.
Local payment methods i
Account base currencies i EUR, GBP, USDAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at StoneX Europe Ltd (CySEC). It is different at Forex.com's companies in Australia. AUD, EUR, USDAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). It is different at Plus500's companies in Australia.
Deposit waiting time i up to 2 business days up to 1 business days
Withdrawal waiting time i up to 2 business days up to 1 business days
Bonus program i

Customer care

What we compare A comparison of the customer support of Forex.com and Plus500 in , in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.
11 / 12

Forex.com is better than Plus500 for customer care, because Forex.com offers a dedicated account manager, phone support and priority support, which Plus500 does not. Forex.com and Plus500 both offer live chat and email support.

Plus500 and Forex.com cannot be compared for customer care, because Plus500 is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Forex.com is a CFD broker.

Customer care
Section score Forex.com 66 Best not offered Plus500 58 -8 58
Number of languages supported i 7 29
Website languages i Arabic, German, English, Japanese, Polish, Spanish, Chinese Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese
Website available in English i
Customer support languages i English, Chinese Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, 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 Forex.com and Plus500 provide to their clients in .
12 / 12

Forex.com is better than Plus500 for learning, since Forex.com offers professional reports and daily market commentary, which Plus500 does not. Forex.com and Plus500 both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.

Plus500 and Forex.com cannot be compared for learning, because Plus500 is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Forex.com is a CFD broker.

Learning
Section score Forex.com 95 Best not offered Plus500 80 -15 80
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
Forex.com
Open Account 77% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Plus500
Open Account CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money
Our verdict

Forex.com vs Plus500: which one should you choose?

Forex.com

CFD/FX Choose Forex.com if you want a CFD and forex broker for scalping with MetaTrader 4 and fast order execution.

Open Account 77% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Plus500

CFD/FX Choose Plus500 if you want a CFD broker with ETFs, guaranteed stop-loss orders and fast withdrawals.

Stocks Choose Plus500 if you want an online broker for stocks with real shares that you own outright.

Open Account CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money

Other popular comparisons

Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include Forex.com or Plus500, each scored with the same data and method as this page.

Capital.com vs Forex.com City Index vs Plus500 CMC Markets vs Forex.com Plus500 vs Robinhood eToro vs Forex.com CMC Markets vs Plus500

Select your language

Offers shown for visitors in: