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HFM vs Pepperstone: Comparison and Analysis

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

Pepperstone and HFM are two great brokers in the UK for scalping and automated trading. That said, Pepperstone is the better choice if you are looking for a lower EUR/USD cost (9.05 USD per lot against 10.50 USD), for cTrader and TradingView next to the MetaTrader platforms both brokers share, for more tradable symbols (1,444 against 500), for high-frequency strategies, for Islamic accounts, for more account base currencies (ten against five), for orders filled in 30 ms and for withdrawals in 1 day, against 2 days. HFM is better because it opens cent and micro accounts and offers a guaranteed stop loss. Pepperstone and HFM are both regulated in the UK by the FCA. The two brokers ask for no minimum deposit, run MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, cover CFDs on commodities, forex, indices and stocks, open raw spread and ECN accounts, offer copy and social trading, allow scalping, hedging, expert advisors, VPS hosting and API access, provide a demo account and credit deposits in 1 day.

HFM

CFDCFD HFM 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 HFM offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side. Regulated in your country HFM is allowed by FCA to onboard clients residing in the UK.
HFM review ›
83CFD/FXOverall score HFM scores 83/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas.
Open Account

70.51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Pepperstone

CFDCFD Pepperstone 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 Pepperstone offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side. Regulated in your country Pepperstone is allowed by FCA to onboard clients residing in the UK.
Pepperstone review ›
85CFD/FXOverall score Pepperstone scores 85/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas.
Open Account

72.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best for

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

Pepperstone is better than HFM for high-volume traders. Professional traders, scalpers and swing traders can choose either Pepperstone or HFM.

Best for
Overall score HFM 83 -2 Pepperstone 85
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 HFM and the ones that supervise Pepperstone.
2 / 12

HFM and Pepperstone are both regulated in the UK, by the FCA.

Regulation
Section score HFM 100 Pepperstone 100
Tier-1 regulators
ESMA (European Union) i
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 HFM and Pepperstone have in place to protect your money in United Kingdom.
3 / 12

Both HFM and Pepperstone offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme.

Safety
Section score HFM 78 Pepperstone 78
Company info
Is it publicly traded i
Is it a bank i
Year founded i 2010 2010
Parent company i HF Markets Group Pepperstone Group Limited
CEO i Domluke Da Silva Tamas Szabo
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 3,500,000 900,000
Annual revenue i USD 13,000,000
Monthly website search traffic i 1.3M monthly visits

Costs

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

Pepperstone is better than HFM for costs, given that Pepperstone is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 9.05 USD per lot (against HFM's 10.5 USD), has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.15 points (against HFM's 0.32 points), and charges lower US stock CFD fees, at 0.02 USD (against HFM's 0.1 USD). Neither HFM nor Pepperstone charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.

Costs
Section score HFM 59 -15 Pepperstone 74 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 USD 6 USD 6.1
EUR/USD average standard spread i
1.4 pips
1.1 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
0.1 pips
0.1 pips
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i USD 10.5 USD 9.05
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.4 points 0.4 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.32 points 0.15 points
Bitcoin fees (CFD) i USD 39
US stocks fees (CFD) i USD 0.1 USD 0.02
Fees on stocks
Stock fee type i Commission, Percentage Commission, Percentage
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 HFM and with Pepperstone in United Kingdom, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.
5 / 12

There is little between HFM and Pepperstone on available markets. Both HFM and Pepperstone offer CFDs on commodities, forex, indices and stocks. Pepperstone goes a step further, as it gives access to 1,444 tradable symbols (against HFM's 500).

Available markets
Section score HFM 65 Pepperstone 65
Total tradable symbols i 500 1,444
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, Forex, Indices, Stocks
Futures i
Options i
Assets you can own i

Platform

What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that HFM and Pepperstone make available to their clients in United Kingdom.
6 / 12

Pepperstone is better than HFM for platforms, because Pepperstone offers cTrader, TradingView and ZuluTrade, which HFM does not. HFM and Pepperstone both offer MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4.

Platform
Section score HFM 71 -21 Pepperstone 92 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 HFM and Pepperstone in United Kingdom, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.
7 / 12

Pepperstone is better than HFM for mobile trading, given that Pepperstone offers the cTrader app and mobile trading signals, which HFM does not. HFM and Pepperstone both offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 5 app.

Mobile
Section score HFM 93 -7 Pepperstone 100 Best
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 HFM and Pepperstone allow on their platforms in United Kingdom.
8 / 12

Pepperstone is better than HFM for trading features, given that Pepperstone allows for high-frequency trading. HFM and Pepperstone both offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.

Trading features
Section score HFM 89 -4 Pepperstone 93 Best
Trade execution
Broker type i NDD NDD
Average execution time i 30 ms
Slippage occurrence i
Requotes occurrence i 0.08%
Tier-1 liquidity providers i
PFOF i
Leverage
Major FX pairs leverage i 2000:1 30:1
Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i 2000:1 20:1
Major indices leverage i 1000:1 20:1
Minor indices leverage i 500:1 10:1
Gold leverage i 2000:1 20:1
Commodities leverage i 500:1 10:1
Equities leverage i 25:1 5:1
Cryptocurrency leverage i 1000:1
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 HFM and at Pepperstone in United Kingdom, and of who each one is meant for.
9 / 12

HFM is better than Pepperstone for account types, given that HFM offers a managed account, a micro account and a cent account, which Pepperstone does not. Both HFM and Pepperstone offer a demo account and a professional traders account.

Account types
Section score HFM 80 Best Pepperstone 75 -5
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 HFM and with Pepperstone in United Kingdom.
10 / 12

HFM is better than Pepperstone for account opening, because HFM supports e-wallets, which Pepperstone does not, and offers a bonus program, which Pepperstone does not. Neither HFM nor Pepperstone requires a minimum deposit.

Account opening
Section score HFM 90 Best Pepperstone 80 -10
Minimum deposit i USD 0 USD 0
Minimum withdrawal i USD 0 USD 0
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i Neteller, Skrill
Local payment methods i
Account base currencies i AED, EUR, GBP, USD, ZAR AUD, CAD, CHF, EUR, GBP, HKD, JPY, NZD, SGD, USD
Deposit waiting time i up to 1 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 HFM and Pepperstone in United Kingdom, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.
11 / 12

HFM and Pepperstone are equally good for customer care, as HFM has a website in 16 languages (against Pepperstone's 9). On the other hand, Pepperstone offers customer support in 10 languages (against HFM's 1). HFM and Pepperstone both offer a dedicated account manager and phone support.

Customer care
Section score HFM 75 Pepperstone 73 -2
Number of languages supported i 16 10
Website languages i Arabic, German, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, Chinese Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese
Website available in English i
Customer support languages i English Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, 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 HFM and Pepperstone provide to their clients in United Kingdom.
12 / 12

HFM is better than Pepperstone for learning, because HFM offers professional reports, which Pepperstone does not. Both HFM and Pepperstone offer education for advanced traders and webinars.

Learning
Section score HFM 100 Best Pepperstone 88 -12
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
HFM
Open Account 70.51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Pepperstone
Open Account 72.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Our verdict

HFM vs Pepperstone: which one should you choose?

HFM

CFD/FX Choose HFM if you want an online CFD broker with a guaranteed stop loss, cent accounts and micro accounts.

Open Account 70.51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Pepperstone

CFD/FX Choose Pepperstone if you want a CFD and forex broker with low spreads, several trading platforms and fast execution.

Open Account 72.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

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