Pepperstone Review: Pros and Cons Uncovered 2023

Pepperstone is an Australia-based forex broker founded in 2010 and regulated by three tier-1 regulatory bodies including the FCA, CySEC and ASIC.

With some of the lowest spreads in the world, Pepperstone is highly popular among forex traders, with some arguing that the platform caters mostly to those trading CFDs.

Our review team have inspected and tried out the broker for themselves to provide a complete Pepperstone review for those seeking a new or secondary broker.

Some of Pepperstone’s key features include:

• No minimum deposit required
• Spreads from 0 pips
• Fast order execution (~30ms)
• Well suited to Algo and Copy traders
• Spread Betting provided to UK traders
• Great premium services for professional traders
• Easy account opening and withdrawal processes

Pepperstone offers great benefits not only to professional traders but also to retail traders. Proof of this is the wide range of platforms and trading accounts, including a convenient practice account.

As is the case with many respected brokers, Pepperstone also offers users the option to open a demo account to try the platform for themselves and decide whether it’s right for their needs and goals.

OPEN A PEPPERSTONE DEMO ACCOUNT

(74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs)

What is Our Opinion on Pepperstone?

Pepperstone is an STP/ECN broker, well-known for its fast execution and very low and competitive spreads. In particular their Razor account is regarded as a great choice both for scalpers and new traders alike, though the asset selection is somewhat limited. An active trader program with many benefits is also available.

They also offer a wide range of trading in all types of CFDs which includes cryptocurrencies and copy and social trading features even though this is not what the broker is best known for.

Besides these features, you will also find that Pepperstone provides great support for a range of trading techniques including algo-trading, hedging, and scalping.

What are the Pepperstone Pros and Cons?

Cons

For the disadvantages though, there are also several great points. Pepperstone will see you with some of the lowest trading costs in the entire industry. Combine this with some of the fastest execution speeds you can find, and it is a winner.

Adding to those top points, Pepperstone does a great job in making sure you are catered for no matter your selected trading technique. This goes for algo, copy trading, scalping, through cTrader, hedging, and more alongside a wide range of account types for you to choose from.

Cons

Before starting, one of the main disadvantages to be aware of with Pepperstone is the fact they offer only 180 assets in total for trading.

This is considered limited for a top broker. It is also worth noting that there are relatively high fees on international wire transfers if this is your chosen method of deposit and withdrawal.

Even though Pepperstone is a popular broker choice providing many excellent features for new traders, you should also know that the demo account they offer is not unlimited.

Pros and Cons: a summary

The table below charts some of the key pros and cons in each area of the broker.

If you want to expand your research, and evaluate some options similar to this broker, you can consult the alternatives to Pepperstone.

CFDs and Forex Review

Trading in CFDs or forex at Pepperstone you will find a total number of 79 instruments available for trading if you are interested in indices, shares, or currency indexes as CFDs. When it comes to the total number of forex currency pairs available, this is fairly strong with 107 in total.

Throughout their asset range no matter what it is, you will find that the low spreads are available and the general trading cost remains very low compared to other brokers.

This is one of the key reasons why we at InvestinGoal suggest you to trade forex at Pepperstone even if the other total range of CFDs is limited since they do have a wide range of forex pairs to choose from.

Pros

• They have plenty of forex currency pairs with 107 available.

Cons

• Selection in other CFD assets is not strong for such a major broker.

Spread Betting Review

Spread betting is something that Pepperstone has recently started to offer exclusively to UK and Ireland traders and those in some other areas where spread betting is permitted.

The overall offering is strong. Competitively low spreads matched with great access to MT4 and MT5 trading platforms and a low £200 minimum deposit make it an attractive starting point if you are interested in spread betting.

Pros

• Accessible with a low minimum deposit of only £200
• Competitive spreads are available here as they are in other areas.

Cons

• Spread betting is available to UK and Ireland traders only at the moment.
• As with CFDs, there is a limited choice in assets you can spread bet on.

Razor ECN Account Review

The Pepperstone Razor ECN account is one of the most popular account types on offer with them and throughout the industry with any broker.

There is a combination of factors, starting with a raw spread from 0 pips that helps attract traders. The commissions here are little high but still competitive at $7 per round-turn trade.

Bringing these factors together with a super-fast execution speed on offer makes it easy to see why Pepperstone is a great scalpers choice. That is not all though, the accessible minimum deposit of $200 makes it a viable account type for all traders.

All of these factors lead us at Investingoal to believe in this account type as a great choice for all day-traders.

Pros

• The raw spreads are as low as it gets, from 0 pips
• Fast execution of trades is offered as standard

Cons

• The $7 commission is slightly above that of some competitors

Scalping Review

Pepperstone is one of the top industry choices for scalpers. This technique is completely allowed by the broker, and in particular, the Razor account is a popular choice for this kind of trading with the raw spread from 0 pips and competitive $7 per lot commission.

Overall, there are not many better choices of brokers if you are scalping than Pepperstone. This is backed not only by our team at Investingoal, but also through the widespread popularity of Pepperstone with scalpers.

Pros

• The Razor account is a perfect place for scalpers to enjoy low spreads
• Pepperstone has access to extremely deep-liquidity for the fastest trade at the best prices.
• They offer some of the fastest execution speeds in the industry

Cons

• The commission of $7 per lot with the Razor account is slightly above what may be expected.

Is Pepperstone regulated and legit?

Having the best regulations in place is something that is key to providing trader security and support. This is something that Pepperstone recognizes and meets a very high standard with. They are regulated in multiple jurisdictions through some of the most respected regulatory bodies in the industry as follows:

Foundation and Offices

Pepperstone has been around in the forex trading sector since 2010. It was then that they were founded in Sydney, Australia. Since that  time, they have managed to increase their presence to operate globally, but the ECN broker still maintains a headquarters in Australia and a presence in the following places:

Melbourne, Australia (HQ)

Level 16, Tower One, 727 Collins Street

Melbourne, VIC Australia 3008

London, UK

70 Gracechurch St

London, UK EC3V 0HR

Money Protection

Keeping your funds protected is an integral part of security with any broker. There are several things that a top broker can do to assist with this. These are things that Pepperstone also does to ensure that your funds as a trader are completely safe.

The broker offers negative balance protection to ensure that you can never spend more than you have deposited in your account.

They also ensure that all funds deposited with Pepperstone are kept in segregated accounts. This essentially means that if the broker got into any financial difficulty like bankruptcy or other issues, your money would be safe.

If you are a UK or Ireland based trader, this protection goes one step further. Here you are protected by the Investor Compensation Fund. They will insure your funds up to €20,000 in the EU,  or ￡85,000 in the UK. This should give you complete confidence to trade with Pepperstone.

Awards

The broker is also award-winning. They have collected many top awards over the years, making them one of the most decorated in the industry. In 2019 alone they collected 10 awards.

These included “ease of platform navigation”, “Best tailored professional trading conditions”, “Best ECN Service”, “Best Client Satisfaction”, and many more which validate their position as a top broker. In a short three-year period from 2016, they have amassed an impressive haul of 34 international awards.

In which countries is Pepperstone not available?

While Pepperstone serves traders in most areas of the world. There are a few countries that they do not serve. Here is a list of the areas where they do not accept clients from.

What are Pepperstone’s Account Types?

There are a number of great account choices to select from with Pepperstone. Here is our lowdown on each one.

Pepperstone Demo

The best place to start and get to know any broker is with a demo account. Thankfully Pepperstone recognizes this and offers a great demo account to start. It is only available for 30 days but it can be extended on request and is the perfect time and place to trade with virtual currency but replicate real trading conditions. This gives you a risk-free way to try out the broker with no obligation prior to deciding if you would like to make a real money deposit and open a Pepperstone live account.

Pepperstone Standard Account

Once you do decide to get started, the Standard account can be a great choice. You need just the basic documentation like your proof of ID and residence to get started and the process can all be completed in just a few minutes.

Once your Standard account is open, you can look forward to trading in more than 100 CFDs and more, across all the top trading platforms with MT4, MT5, and cTrader all available. The deposit remains reasonable too at $200 and is another excellent starting point for new traders.

Pepperstone Razor Account

If you are looking for an ECN account that happens to be one of the most popular in the industry, then you will be in the right place with the Pepperstone Razor Account. This ECN account keeps the same minimum deposit of $200 and offers all of the same markets to trade in.

Here too you will find that the three trading platforms are available, though the trading cost with a Razor account is reduced in terms of the spread which starts from 0 pips. This can be very appealing and ideal for many traders, with a reasonable $7 per lot commission in place. Scalpers in particular favor this account type for the very low cost of trading.

Pepperstone Islamic Account

If you need swap-free trading, this too is available through the Pepperstone Islamic account type. In fact, both the standard, and Razor accounts mentioned, can be converted to Islamic accounts on request.

There are not many changes from the already excellent account offering here. The minimum deposit remains the same at $200 while all the trading platforms are still available. The only change is that in order to replace the swap fees, Pepperstone will add a small fee, though this only applies to positions held open more than 10 days. Overall, a top value, and popular Islamic account from Pepperstone.

Pepperstone Spread Betting Account

If you are based in the UK or Ireland, you will be pleased to note that Pepperstone has launched a spread betting account in 2021. This is available to UK and Ireland based traders and there are a wealth of spread betting options on more than 180 instruments to choose from. The minimum deposit here is £200, with great value spreads from 0 pips and trading through any of the available platforms.

MAM/PAMM Account

Moving into the more experienced account types, if you are a fund manager or wanting to control multiple accounts, you will be interested in a Pepperstone MAM/PAMM account type to suit you.

These accounts can be traded through either MT4 or MT5, and provide for more than 100 sub-accounts to be operated in real time. The minimum trade size on each sub account you operate is 1 micro-lot, and these account types are typically favored as great for hedging, scalping, and EAs thanks to fantastic execution speeds.

Professional Account

Available to European-based traders only, a pepperstone professional account will be available to you if you meet at least two of the following stipulations:

• Have an average of 10 transactions of significant size per quarter in the past year.
• Maintain a financial instrument portfolio of over €500,000 (in your bank or trading account).
• Possess relevant experience in the financial services sector

As a professional account holder at Pepperstone, you will be entitled to some benefits that include your own relationship manager, automatic qualification for the active trader program, personal invitation to Pepperstone events, the ability to earn as an affiliate by inviting others to the broker, and most significantly, increased leverage of 500:1.

The only point to remember is that as a professional account holder, you will no longer be eligible for negative balance protection.

How can you Deposit and Withdraw with Pepperstone?

Account Base Currency

The next thing to consider when choosing a broker is the base currency. This is the currency that  you can trade in, and one that, when deposited, you will not have to pay any conversion fee on.

Pepperstone, like many of the top forex brokers facilitate a wide range of account base currencies as follows:

For the UK entity traders: GBP, USD, EUR, CHF

For the Australian entity traders:  AUD, USD, JPY, GBP, EUR, CAD, CHF, NZD, SGD and HKD

This provides you a strong selection of currencies you can deposit that you do not have to pay any conversion fee on.

Deposit

Here we will take a look at all things related to deposits with Pepperstone and any fees you can expect.

Minimum Deposit

The Pepperstone minimum deposit throughout their account types remains at 200 EUR/USD/GBP, or AUD depending on the region you are based in. This is very much standard for the industry.

Deposit Methods

As you would expect from any of the best forex brokers, several deposit methods are catered for. These will vary slightly depending on your area.

If you are a UK or EU based trader then deposits through wire transfer are accepted, as are credit/debit card deposits with Visa or MasterCard.

Trading from Australia within that area of the broker, again Wire transfers and credit/debit card deposits are accepted. Additionally here, eWallets like PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill are catered for, as are other payment methods like POLi, BPay, and Union Pay.

The key takeaway is that Pepperstone should provide a choice of method to suit all traders.

Deposit Fees

There are no Pepperstone deposit fees to worry about at all, though you will have to double check with your bank to make sure they do not apply any fees in the case of wire transfers which is possible.

Withdrawals

When It comes to withdrawals again it depends on your area but the methods are identical to your deposits, so wire transfer or credit/debit card in the UK or Europe, and the same with the addition of PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, POLi, BPay, or Union Pay from the Australian side of Pepperstone.

The point to remember here is that your withdrawal method must typically match that of your deposit.

Withdrawal Fees

As with deposits, there are no withdrawal fees at Peppersone. The only place where you will incur a withdrawal fee is with international wire transfers. The minimum withdrawal here is $80, and typically the fee will be $20 on any international wire transfer withdrawals.

How much are Trading Fees with Pepperstone?

With Pepperstone, you will encounter different spreads depending on the account type you select. With the Standard account these start from a very competitive 1 pip, while the Razor Account spread starts at an even low 0 pips though there is a $7 per lot traded commission on trades with the Razor account.

With that in mind, here is an example of some minimum spreads on commonly traded markets at the broker.

• EUR/USD – 0.09 pips
• Gold – from 0.5 pips
• S&P 500 – from 0.4 pips
• Bitcoin – from $10

Overnight Fees

The overnight, or swap fee is an interest that you either pay or receive depending on the asset, and market, when you hold it overnight or for a period of time.

These fees are in place on all Pepperstone assets since each available asset is basically traded as a CFD. They are also changing all the time, so while they are not available on the broker website, you can access more information on current rates through your chosen trading platform.

How much are Non Trading Fees with Pepperstone?

Finally, let’s take a look at some of the fees you may encounter at Pepperstone and how you can manage these.

Inactivity Fees

Unlike some other brokers in the industry, Pepperstone does not charge any kind of activity fee.

Conversion Fees

Again with conversion fees, Pepperstone does not charge these. This is an improvement on many brokers who usually do charge them. If you do happen to deposit a currency different from the base currencies provided for, the broker will convert it with no additional fee. You should check though with your financial provider as they may well charge a fee from their side.

Which Markets does Pepperstone offer?

Now that you have set up and gotten to grips with the trading platforms, here is what you can expect in terms of tradable assets from Pepperstone.

Forex

Pepperstone has 61 forex currency pairs available to choose from. This features a strong range of major, minor, and exotic currencies with the very best spreads and pricing brought to you through multiple liquidity providers. There should be something to suit all forex traders here.

Commodities

The broker makes a range of both hard and soft commodities available to trade. This includes a selection of metals, energies, and others such as sugar, cocoa, and more.

Indices

Pepperstone makes a total of 14 prominent global indices available for trading. These are some of  the most watched markets in the world and you can trade them with no commission or mark up at all.

Crypto

You can also engage in crypto trading at Pepperstone. This can be done through 5 major crypto markets of Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Dash, and Litecoin. These are all traded as CFDs and again you will incur no commissions on these trades.

Stocks

If you are interested in stock trading, then Pepperstone is an excellent broker to choose. Here you can trade many of the most popular US stocks for an excellent value commission of just $0.02 per stock traded.

The great bonus here is that Pepperstone stock trading is also open for the after-market trading hours.

Currency Indices

There is one currency index offered by Pepperstone and this is the major one. The US Dollar Index (USDX).

How are Execution, leverage and position sizing with Pepperstone?

Let’s take a closer look at some of the key trading features and how they are  implemented with the Pepperstone broker.

Executions

Pepperstone is not a broker with a Market Maker execution, but rather an ECN/STP one.

This allows them to offer both some of the fastest order execution speeds around, and also get you one step closer to the market. The broker serves as the link between you and the liquidity providers.

This ensures you are always getting some of the best possible prices on assets with the lowest spreads.

Leverage

Leverage as a forex trader can be an important tool to help you along your forex journey and is something that many more experienced  traders will consider in detail when choosing a broker.

The leverage you have access to with Pepperstone depends on the broker entity you are trading with. If you are trading under ASIC, and if you’re from the UK or Europe through Pepperstone Limited, you will have 30:1 leverage due to the regulatory environment.

Also, if you are trading as a professional trader in the UK or EU, you will have 500:1 leverage but no negative balance protection.

As of the other regulations, here is what follows:

Pepperstone Financial Services (DIFC) Limited, regulated by DFSA in Dubai offers a maximum leverage up to 50:1. Pepperstone Markets Limited, regulated by SCB in Bahamas offers a leverage up to 200:1 (500:1 for professional clients), while Pepperstone Markets Kenya Limited, regulated by CMA in Kenya offers a leverage up to 500:1.

Sizing

Trading at Pepperstone, the minimum trading size that you are allowed is 1 micro lot. This is standard among most top brokers and means that if you are trading forex, your minimum trade should be at least $1000, or 0.01 standard lots. This amount can of course be decreased if you are utilizing leverage.

This reasonable size of minimum trade is great if you are a new trader looking to make a low-risk first break into the forex market.

Risk Management

Pepperstone offers all of the major tools that you would expect to find when you are trading and trying to manage your risk at the same time.

As far as orders go, you can utilize stop losses, take profits, limit orders, and trailing stops within the trading platforms offered by Pepperstone to manage your market positions. All of these tools will help you to potentially minimize risk and maximize the value of your trades when used well.

Pepperstone also uses margin calls for leveraged trading. These can help you to stop your equity falling below a certain level if the market is moving against you.

Trading Hours

The trading hours can be defined as the period of time when the assets are available for trading.

These will vary depending on the markets and broker, but typically you can rely on the fact that the forex market is available almost all the time. It only closes for 1 hour per day from 9pm to 10pm GMT. The crypto market meanwhile is open 24/7.

When it comes to stock trading, these are available daily from 2:30pm to 8:55pm GMT. This includes the after market trading period which few other brokers cater for and is ideal if you are interested in stock trading.

The commodities market is variable depending on the asset but something like the metals market also only closes one hour per day between 9-10pm GMT.

Indices too are dependent on the country, with the index from a specific country only available when that market is open for trading. Finally, the USD Index can be traded daily between Midnight and 9pm GMT.

Forbidden trading techniques

You will also be glad to know that Pepperstone caters for a wide range of trading techniques. This means that scalping, hedging, and the use of EAs or algorithmic trading is also permitted.

Pepperstone understandably remains a top choice among scalpers thanks to the excellent value provided in spreads starting from 0 pips and a low cost commission from $3.50 per lot traded. For those interested in spread betting too it is a great choice if you are based in the UK or Ireland, with a minimum deposit of £200.

The message here is that no matter what trading techniques you employ, or types of trading you are interested in, Pepperstone likely has something to serve you.

What Platforms does Pepperstone offer?

The most important tool you will be using on a regular basis as a forex trader is the trading platform, so let’s take a look at how this is handled by Pepperstone.

Charting and Trading tools

When it comes to charting and trading tools, Pepperstone utilizes all of those that are available through the platforms they offer. This means they currently have around 51 charting indicators available to use, and 31 additional tools to assist you in customizing these charts to fit your own trading needs.

The high level of ability to customize the experience to your own requirements is something that many experienced traders value from Pepperstone.

Desktop Platforms

For their desktop platform selection, Pepperstone includes MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader, which are also available via Web. These are some of the best known and most respected in the industry. The broker does not have their own proprietary trading platform.

All of the desktop platforms provided are popular and highly customizable both in terms of regular trading and if you want to try algorithmic trading or automated trading strategies. With MetaTrader you can utilize EAs for this, and with cTrader you can try C#.

Added to this, both of the platforms are very robust and also lightweight, meaning they can be run on almost any device with no trouble.

Mobile Platforms

The mobile platforms provided are again some of the strongest in the industry. MT4 and MT5 on mobile are particularly versatile and cater for many of the same functions as you would find in desktop trading. These platforms are available through both Android and iOS on all of your phones and smart devices.

What extra trading services does Pepperstone offer?

Trading with Pepperstone, you may also be interested to know about some additional products and programs that the broker makes available. Here they are in more detail.

Pepperstone Premium Client Service

The Pepperstone Premium Client Service first off is only available to those traders who are trading under the Australian arm of the broker. This service operates with some similar benefits that may be available to European professional traders as this option is not available in Australia.

Here you can look forward to several benefits that include the following:

• Priority access to customer support
• An invitation to Pepperstone Premium Events
• Enhanced trading tools and more detailed market insights
• Access to your own private VPS
• Regular daily rebates based on your trading volume

These represent some top-tier benefits that can be very valuable to you as a regular trader. In order to qualify, you must have traded at least $15 million in volume over the last 2 quarters. This may seem a lot, but with leverage factored in, it can be quite attainable to many.

Pepperstone Active Trader Program

The Pepperstone active trading program also provides for a host of great benefits to you as a forex trader. It is available worldwide, but you do need to be a Razor account holder to qualify. Again, some of the excellent benefits here include:

• Priority access to customer support
• Enhanced trading tools and more detailed market insights
• Access to your own private VPS
• Regular daily rebates based on your trading volume

You can access the program by contacting Pepperstone, but remember it is reserved for high volume traders only. As an example, if you want to start earning rebates, this is divided into 3 tiers, and you must trade at least 100 lots to access the first of any rebates.

Social Trading – Copy Trading

Pepperstone is also very well-equipped when it comes to social and copy trading. This is thanks for the most part to the ability of their MetaTrader platform to utilize EA strategies and their partnership with DupliTrade and Myfxbook.

Duplitrade is a quality copytrading platform, which allows you to copy the most expert traders while slowly gaining knowledge and understanding of the financial markets. Instead, Myfxbook’s AutoTrade is an account mirroring service that allows you to copy trades from top successful forex trading systems.

How is Pepperstone’s Customer Service?

Languages

The Pepperstone website boasts an impressive collection of 12 languages available for you. This should cover the vast majority of traders. The languages supported are: English, Spanish, French, German, Polish, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Indonesian, and Laotian.

Customer Service

Another point of excellence from the broker comes in the form of their customer support. They are award winning having won the “Best Customer Service in Europe” award in 2019. They live up to this accolade with support through live chat, email, and  telephone that is available on a 24/5 basis.

Added to this, the website supports a very well resourced FAQ section that can answer the majority of questions you may have. Again many languages are supported, with English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Arab, Polish, Korean, and Thai all available.

Does Pepperstone have Research and Education services?

Research

Peppersone excels when it comes to research.

They have a top quality research section within the broker website to ensure you are kept fully up to date from their own market analysts. Through this section you will have access to a detailed economic calendar, the latest in daily market news, and an in-depth technical analysis on many of the assets offered by the broker.

Education

Pepperstone provides for an excellent education section and service that can greatly assist you in your forex trading journey as either a new or experienced trader.

The offering includes a great selection of forex trading tutorials and courses, as well as many guides on trading, MT4, and general trading techniques and analysis.

On top of this, a host of top webinars are also available to view. All of the material is available in English and much of it in other languages though it may not all be available to the same depth when translated.

Pepperstone vs other brokerage firms

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• Pepperstone vs IG Markets
• Pepperstone vs IC Markets
• Pepperstone vs XM

FAQs

Where is Pepperstone based?

Pepperstone is headquartered in Melbourne and is a top Australian broker. They also have one more office in London, UK.

Is Pepperstone an ESMA broker?

Pepperstone is an ESMA broker as it is regulated by two European bodies that comply with MiFID II regulations, namely BaFIN and CySEC.

Is Pepperstone safe?

Pepperstone is considered to be a safe broker because it is overseen by several tier-1 financial regulatory bodies. Additionally, Pepperstone holds their clients’ funds in segregated bank accounts.

Can I do Scalping at Pepperstone?

Yes, scalping with Pepperstone is allowed and perfectly fine. The Pepperstone Razor cTrader accounts are perfect for this purpose since they offer a very low trading cost along with lightning speed execution.

How much is the Withdrawal fee amount‎ on Pepperstone?

The withdrawal fee is not always applied, it depends on the country you’re based in and on the deposit method. When applied, the fee is $20 (or equivalent).

What is the minimum deposit on Pepperstone?

Pepperstone has a minimum deposit requirement of $200 (or equivalent) across all accounts. This is well in line with the average minimum deposit for a top forex broker.

Does Pepperstone offer the MT4, MT5, MT Mobile currency platform?

Yes, pepperstone offers all  of the above trading platforms.  MT4, and  MT5 are both available in all forms including via the webtrader, desktop and mobile trading platforms.

Does Pepperstone offer a negative balance protection?

Yes, Negative balance protection is offered by Pepperstone. This will stop you from ever losing more than the balance you deposit in your account.

Can you link Pepperstone to ZuluTrade?

Pepperstone doesn’t allow traders to connect their trading account to ZuluTrade.