10 Best CFD Brokers for 2026

The best CFD broker for beginners is Plus500. Plus500 stands out for its super-simple proprietary platform, a free unlimited demo account, and top-tier regulation backed by a public listing. These strengths from Plus500 help new traders learn the basics in a low-friction environment, practice indefinitely without risking funds, and trade with added peace of mind from strong oversight.

An intuitive interface, demo portfolios for practice, and learning resources are often featured in the best beginner-friendly CFD brokers. eToro is an alternative to Plus500 because it offers CopyTrader copy-trading, a beginner-friendly web/mobile experience, and a virtual portfolio demo for safe practice. XTB is another option versus Plus500, especially since its xStation 5 is easy to navigate, it supports a $0 minimum deposit, and, as one of the most trusted forex brokers for beginners, it provides structured education through its Trading Academy.

The best CFD broker with high leverage is IC Markets. IC Markets is good here thanks to leverage up to 1:500 via its offshore entity, raw-spread accounts designed for very low all-in costs, and broad platform support across MT4/MT5/cTrader/TradingView. This mix at IC Markets can suit leverage-focused traders by enabling larger market exposure, keeping trading costs competitive, and letting them execute through the platform workflow they prefer.

The best high-leverage CFD brokers usually pair access to higher leverage with reliable execution and pricing that doesn’t punish active trading. A similar alternative to IC Markets is Pepperstone, often cited among the best forex brokers with high leverage, for high leverage outside EU/UK rules, Razor pricing with tight all-in costs, and a fast-execution setup with MT4 support. FxPro offers similar features to IC Markets like MT4/MT5/cTrader availability, a no-dealing-desk style execution focus, and flexible account types including Raw+ options.

The best CFD broker for mobile trading apps is IG. IG earns this spot with a best-in-class mobile app, advanced charting and order tools, and a huge market range of around 20,000 instruments. These IG advantages benefit mobile-first traders by making analysis and execution practical on a small screen while still providing plenty of instruments to diversify strategies.

Mobile-first traders look for strong charting, smooth order tickets, and a platform layout that stays consistent across devices in the best mobile CFD brokers. CMC Markets is an alternative to IG because its Next Generation mobile closely mirrors the web platform, it has robust mobile charting and order controls, and it offers a wide CFD lineup of roughly 12,000 markets. XTB is another alternative to IG, with a user-friendly xStation 5 mobile app, rich built-in analysis features, and solid education resources embedded in the trading experience, making it a frequent inclusion among the best apps for forex trading.

The best CFD broker for stocks is Saxo. Saxo is compelling for stock-focused CFD trading thanks to tens of thousands of single-stock CFDs, pro-grade SaxoTraderGO/PRO platforms, and access to real stocks/ETFs alongside CFDs. Those features can help equity traders find more opportunities across regions and sectors, use advanced tools for execution and analysis, and switch between CFD trading and investing depending on their approach.

The best stock-CFD brokers usually offer broad share coverage, professional-grade platforms, and pricing structures that stay efficient for frequent trading. Interactive Brokers is an alternative to Saxo since it provides massive global market access, very low commissions with a tight pricing model, and, as one of the best stock trading platforms, powerful Trader Workstation functionality. IG offers a very large share-CFD offering inside about 20,000 markets, strong research/tools, and high-trust multi-tier regulation that make it an alternative to Saxo.

The best CFD broker for crypto is eToro. eToro works especially well for crypto traders thanks to 100+ crypto pairs (plus some crypto ETFs), the ability to trade as a CFD or buy the underlying where available, and CopyTrader social investing. These eToro capabilities can suit different styles, active CFD speculation, longer-term holding where permitted, or learning by following experienced traders through copy features.

Crypto CFD traders look for 24/7 access, a solid selection of coins, and a fast, stable platform in the best crypto CFD brokers. CMC Markets offers similar features to eToro like 24/7 crypto CFD trading, a large overall product set of around 12,000 CFDs, and the feature-rich Next Generation platform. Plus500 is another alternative to eToro, offering crypto CFDs in a simple proprietary app with spread-only pricing (no commissions) and a free unlimited demo to test crypto strategies before going live. Investors who want spot trading and custody can evaluate fees, coin availability, and mobile tools offered by cryptocurrency exchanges.

The best CFD broker with MT4 is Pepperstone. Pepperstone stands out for MT4 availability alongside multiple platform choices, Razor account pricing built for tight all-in costs, and a strong focus on fast execution. This Pepperstone setup can help MT4 traders run their preferred workflows, keep costs controlled for active strategies, and benefit from quick order handling in faster markets.

The best MT4 CFD brokers usually combine stable MT4 access with competitive pricing and execution quality that supports active trading. IC Markets is an alternative to Pepperstone because it offers MT4 raw-spread account options, a broader platform suite (MT4/MT5/cTrader), and earns frequent mentions among the best MetaTrader 4 forex brokers thanks to its ultra-competitive all-in costs for frequent traders. FxPro is also a credible alternative to Pepperstone, since it supports MT4 alongside MT5/cTrader, emphasizes execution quality, and provides platform-linked account flexibility for different trading styles.

The criteria for choosing the best CFD brokers are listed below.

• Trading costs: Quantify all-in trading costs per instrument and per account type. Benchmark average EUR/USD pricing across brokers (e.g., CMC Markets 0.65 pips, IC Markets 0.62–0.72 pips, Pepperstone Razor 0.8 pips, IG 0.9–1.0 pips / 0.75 pips on Forex Direct, Plus500 1.3 pips, FxPro 1.6 pips). Then extend the same discipline to non-FX CFDs (index spreads, stock-CFD commissions, overnight financing).
• Market breadth: Match your strategy to the broker’s CFD universe in your region. If you need extreme product coverage, prioritize large instrument catalogs (e.g., Saxo 70,000, IG 20,000, CMC Markets 12,000, XTB 7,000, eToro 7,400, IC Markets 3,500, Plus500 2,800). If your edge depends on currency breadth, compare FX-pair depth (e.g., CMC Markets 330+ FX pairs and Saxo 190+ currency pairs).
• Platform stack: Choose the broker whose platform ecosystem fits your workflow and constraints. If you require MetaTrader (MT4/MT5) automation, prioritize Pepperstone, IC Markets, FxPro (IG supports MT4 with a narrower set). If you need cTrader, compare IC Markets and FxPro. If you rely on TradingView, prioritize Pepperstone, IC Markets, Saxo. For proprietary platforms, evaluate IG web/mobile, XTB xStation 5, CMC Next Generation, Plus500 app, and confirm API / custom-indicator support (e.g., Interactive Brokers).
• Execution quality: Require evidence of execution robustness under stress and test it yourself on demo with time-stamped logs. Favor low-latency routing and minimal slippage if you scalp or run EAs (e.g., IC Markets (ECN-style liquidity), Pepperstone (fast execution), Interactive Brokers (agency routing)). Where available, use fill-quality statistics (e.g., FxPro).
• Risk safeguards: Verify mechanical protections and order controls in the exact entity you will open under: negative balance protection, margin closeout rules, and stop functionality. If you trade gap-risk products (indices, volatile equities, crypto), prioritize guaranteed stop-loss capability (e.g., CMC Markets, Plus500) and robust stop-loss / take-profit structures (e.g., eToro).
• Licensing footprint: Prefer brokers with multi-jurisdiction top-tier licensing and corporate transparency, because this affects client-money rules and complaint channels. Examples include publicly listed brokers (IG, CMC Markets, XTB, Plus500) and bank-grade models (Saxo Bank). For global oversight, compare Tier-1 regulator breadth (e.g., IG, Interactive Brokers).
• Account accessibility: Align minimum deposit and access terms with your capital plan, then verify funding/withdrawal friction and platform access. Minimum deposits range from $0 at several brokers (Pepperstone, XTB, Saxo, CMC Markets, Interactive Brokers, and IG $1 in some regions) to higher thresholds (IC Markets $200, FxPro $100, Plus500 $100, and eToro $50+ depending on location). Use these figures to avoid over-committing capital before validating spreads, execution, and platform fit.

The main differences between CFDs and futures are that a contract for difference (CFD) is an over-the-counter (OTC) agreement with your CFD broker as counterparty (often without a fixed expiry), whereas a futures contract is a standardized, exchange-traded derivative cleared through a central clearinghouse with set expiries.

CFDs mirror an underlying price and are typically offered across multiple asset classes (forex, indices, commodities, and share CFDs), but the broker controls quoting, margin, and execution, which introduces broker counterparty and pricing-model risk.

Futures are listed on regulated venues (e.g., CME Group) with standardized contract size, tick value, and settlement terms. Positions are marked-to-market and margined daily, and the clearinghouse becomes the effective counterparty, generally reducing bilateral counterparty risk.

Cost mechanics differ. CFDs typically charge a spread and/or commission plus overnight financing (“swap”) on leveraged positions. Futures charge exchange/broker fees and embed financing in the futures curve (cost of carry), so holding costs and benefits often appear as roll yield when you move between expiries.

Risk management differs too. CFD margin and negative-balance rules depend on jurisdiction and broker policy, while futures use exchange/clearinghouse margin with potentially frequent variation-margin calls. Market transparency also differs: futures have centralized order books and volume, while CFD liquidity and pricing are broker-dependent.

To compare spreads, commissions, and swaps across CFD brokers, you should convert them into one all-in cost per instrument and holding period. All-in (pips) = average spread + commission-in-pips + (swap per day × days)/pip value.

Start with a benchmark instrument (commonly EUR/USD) and the exact account type. Use average spreads from normal trading hours, not “from 0.0” minima, because variable spreads widen in news, illiquid sessions, and around rollovers. Convert commissions into pips using pip value. For EUR/USD, 1 standard lot has a $10 pip value, so a $6 round-turn commission equals 0.6 pips, a $7 round-turn equals 0.7 pips.

Then add financing (the carry cost). Record both long and short swap rates, apply the broker’s rollover conventions (FX commonly applies a triple-swap on one weekday), and multiply by your expected holding days to reflect how swap in trading determines the financing cost.

Finally, translate pips into money. All-in cash cost = all-in pips × pip value × your lot size, and repeat for indices, stock CFDs, and commodities where financing and commissions can dominate. Include non-trading frictions (currency conversion, inactivity fees, rebates). Grasping the basics, what does spread mean in forex, will keep your cost model consistent. As anchors, typical EUR/USD all-in costs range from 0.62–0.72 pips on raw-spread accounts at some brokers to 1.3–1.6 pips on spread-only models at others.

Yes, regulations are important when choosing a CFD broker because they determine your legal protections, the broker’s conduct standards, and the leverage and risk controls you will actually receive.

Prefer brokers supervised by top-tier authorities (e.g., the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Australia’s ASIC, Singapore’s MAS, or EU regulators applying ESMA standards), because these regimes typically require client-money segregation, capital adequacy, complaints handling, and periodic reporting.

For retail CFD trading in much of Europe, ESMA-style product intervention sets leverage caps (e.g., 30:1 on major FX down to 2:1 on the most volatile underlyings), a margin close-out rule, standardized risk warnings, and negative balance protection, so you should not be liable for losses beyond your CFD account balance.

Because global brands run multiple legal entities, verify which entity will hold your account and whether you are being pushed into “professional” status that can remove protections and increase risk. Treat regulatory status as non-negotiable. Counterparty risk is best controlled by assessing the standing and track records of forex broker regulators across relevant jurisdictions.

To compare trading platforms offered by different CFD brokers, you should score each platform against your strategy’s requirements across execution, analytics, automation, product coverage, and operational resilience, then choose the highest-fit platform.

Execution features are primary. Check order types (market/limit/stop, trailing stops, partial fills), slippage controls, and whether tools like guaranteed stop-loss orders exist on supported markets. Confirm depth-of-market, and any direct-market-access (DMA) style routing where available.

Automation and integration matter most for systematic trading. MetaTrader 4/5 (MT4/MT5) support Expert Advisors and custom indicators, cTrader supports cBots via cTrader Automate, TradingView integrations let you trade from TradingView charts when your broker supports it.

Next, assess analytics and workflow. Compare charting (indicators, multi-timeframe, templates), backtesting/strategy testing, watchlists, alerts, and built-in research/news. Proprietary platforms vary widely (e.g., IG web, CMC Next Generation, XTB xStation, SaxoTraderGO/PRO, IBKR Trader Workstation). Traders should consider latency, uptime, and availability of deep liquidity when selecting a platform for Forex trading, as these factors directly affect order quality.

Finally, validate platform-market fit with concrete broker checks. Some brokers offer MT4/MT5 plus cTrader and TradingView, others are proprietary-only, and social platforms emphasize copy trading over automation. Test on demo for latency, mobile parity, VPS compatibility, stability under volatility, and whether the platform exposes the exact instruments you plan to trade.