Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers (leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto), using the data of Pepperstone'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 Pepperstone's Cyprus entity and Plus500's Cyprus entity.
Pepperstone
72.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Plus500
CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders Pepperstone and Plus500 are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in .Pepperstone is better than Plus500 for professional traders, high-volume traders and scalpers. Plus500, on the other hand, is better for long-term investors. Both are a good fit for swing traders, news traders and CFD stock traders.
| Overall score | Pepperstone 86 Best not offered | Plus500 77 -9 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 Pepperstone and the ones that supervise Plus500.Pepperstone and Plus500 are both regulated by top-tier authorities, Pepperstone by BaFin, CySEC and ASIC (Australia) and Plus500 by CySEC, ASIC (Australia) and the FCA (United Kingdom).
| Section score | Pepperstone 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 Pepperstone and Plus500 have in place to protect your money in .Pepperstone and Plus500 both offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme.
| Section score | Pepperstone 78 -7 not offered | Plus500 85 Best 85 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 2010 | 2008 |
| Parent company i | Pepperstone Group Limited | Plus500 Ltd. |
| CEO i | Tamas Szabo | 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 | 900,000 | 30,000,000 |
| Annual revenue i | USD 13,000,000 | USD 768,300,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 1.3M monthly visits | |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with Pepperstone and with Plus500 in , both on each trade and on holding the account.Pepperstone is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX costs, as Pepperstone has tighter S&P 500 CFD spreads, at 0.47 points (against Plus500's 0.7 points), has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.5 points (against Plus500's 0.75 points), and does not charge inactivity fees, unlike Plus500. Neither Pepperstone nor Plus500 charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
Plus500 and Pepperstone cannot be set side by side for real stock costs, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Plus500.
| Section score | Pepperstone 72 Best not offered | Plus500 64 -8 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 7 | Free |
| EUR/USD average standard spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average raw spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average fixed spread i | ||
| EUR/USD total cost per lot i | USD 9.5 | USD 8 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.47 points | 0.7 points |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.5 points | 0.75 points |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | USD 118.34 | |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | USD 0.02 | 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 Pepperstone and with Plus500 in , and of how many instruments each one gives access to.Pepperstone and Plus500 are close on CFD/FX markets. Both Pepperstone and Plus500 offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, ETFs, forex, indices and stocks. Plus500 has a slight edge, as it gives access to 2,800 tradable symbols (against Pepperstone's 1,444), and lets you own stocks outright.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so Plus500 and Pepperstone cannot be compared for real stock markets.
| Section score | Pepperstone 75 not offered | Plus500 75 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 1,444 | 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, ETF, 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 Pepperstone and Plus500 make available to their clients in .Pepperstone is better than Plus500 for platforms, as Pepperstone offers cTrader, MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4, which Plus500 does not. Pepperstone and Plus500 both offer a proprietary platform and one-click trading.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so Plus500 and Pepperstone cannot be compared for platforms.
| Section score | Pepperstone 100 Best not offered | Plus500 75 -25 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 Pepperstone and Plus500 in , and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Pepperstone is better than Plus500 for mobile trading, because Pepperstone offers the cTrader app, the MetaTrader 5 app and the MetaTrader 4 app, which Plus500 does not. Both Pepperstone and Plus500 offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
Only Plus500 can be assessed for mobile trading, since Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Pepperstone 100 Best not offered | Plus500 80 -20 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 Pepperstone and Plus500 allow on their platforms in .Pepperstone is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX trading features, because Pepperstone offers tier-1 liquidity providers, which Plus500 does not, and allows for scalping and automated trading. Pepperstone and Plus500 both offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.
Only Plus500 can be assessed for real stock trading features, since Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Pepperstone 93 Best not offered | Plus500 67 -26 76 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | NDD | Agency |
| 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 | 30:1About this value. This is the major fx pairs leverage at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 200:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 30:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). | 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 Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 200:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 20:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). | 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 Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 200:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 20:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). | 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 Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 100:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 10:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). | 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 Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 200:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 20:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). | 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 Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 50:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 10:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). | 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 Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 5:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). | 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 Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 2:1 (the EU, 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 Pepperstone and at Plus500 in , and of who each one is meant for.Pepperstone is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX account types, since Pepperstone offers a corporate account, an ECN account and an Islamic account, which Plus500 does not. Pepperstone and Plus500 both offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
Only Plus500 can be assessed for real stock account types, since Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Pepperstone 75 Best not offered | Plus500 38 -37 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 Pepperstone and with Plus500 in .Pepperstone and Plus500 are equally good for account opening, since Pepperstone does not require a minimum deposit (against Plus500's 100 USD), and offers 4 account base currencies (against Plus500's 3). On the other hand, Plus500 supports 2 e-wallets (against Pepperstone's 1). Both Pepperstone and Plus500 offer credit cards and debit cards.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so Plus500 and Pepperstone cannot be compared for account opening.
| Section score | Pepperstone 70 not offered | Plus500 69 -1 69 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | USD 0 | 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 Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). It is different at Pepperstone's companies in the UAE, Australia and 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 | GBP, USD, EUR, CHFAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). It is different at Pepperstone's companies in the UAE, the EU, other accepted countries and 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 1 business days | up to 1 business days |
| 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 Pepperstone and Plus500 in , in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Pepperstone is better than Plus500 for customer care, because Pepperstone offers a dedicated account manager, phone support and priority support, which Plus500 does not. Both Pepperstone and Plus500 offer live chat and email support.
Plus500 and Pepperstone cannot be set side by side for customer care, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Plus500.
| Section score | Pepperstone 73 Best not offered | Plus500 58 -15 58 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 10 | 29 |
| Website languages i | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, 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 | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, 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 Pepperstone and Plus500 provide to their clients in .Pepperstone is better than Plus500 for learning, as Pepperstone offers daily market commentary, which Plus500 does not. Pepperstone and Plus500 both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
There is no like-for-like comparison for learning, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Pepperstone 88 Best not offered | Plus500 80 -8 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 | ||
Pepperstone vs Plus500: which one should you choose?
Pepperstone
CFD/FX Choose Pepperstone if you want a CFD and forex broker for scalping and automated trading, with a choice of trading platforms.
Open Account 72.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Plus500
CFD/FX Choose Plus500 if you want an online CFD broker with a wide choice of markets and guaranteed stop-loss orders.
Stocks Choose Plus500 if you want a broker for securities investing with stocks to own.
Open Account CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose moneyOther popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include Pepperstone or Plus500, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
