9 Best Lowest Spread Forex Brokers for 2026
We tested 80 brokers this year and pulled together the platforms that actually deliver the low-spread pricing active traders care about. We opened trading accounts and tested spreads on popular instruments to see which brokers offer genuinely competitive pricing.
- Rankings are not for sale — the order comes from our test scores; no broker can pay for a higher spot.
- The authority on broker reviews since 2011 — traders have relied on our independent broker testing for over a decade.
- 80+ brokers tested every year — we test the whole market, so we know the benchmark — and which brokers actually beat it.
- Every broker takes the same test — one published scoring system: 9 weighted categories, 250+ variables, measured hands-on by our analysts.
- Every fact is checked twice — a dedicated editor re-verifies each data point, from licenses to spreads, before publication.
Along the way, we checked fees and commissions per lot, minimum deposits, and each broker’s regulatory status and reputation to ensure the pricing is both tight and trustworthy.
Using our vast database, we compared every broker side by side for platform quality, available trading tools, and the range of instruments you can trade. Only the brokers that combined ultra-tight spreads with strong overall trading conditions made our final list.
List of Top Lowest Spread Brokers
*AvaTrade doesn’t allow CFD trading in Spain; only Futures are available.
Compare All Listed Brokers
| Broker | Score | Fees Score | Min Deposit | Max Leverage | Platforms | Visit Broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4.8 | 5.0 | $0 | 1:30 (ASIC) 1:30 (CySEC) · 1:5000 (FSA) · 1:400 (CMA) · 1:200 (SCB) | MT5, cTrader, MT4, TradingView, Zulutrade | Trading Forex and CFDs carries a high level of risk to your capital and you should only trade with money you can afford to lose. Trading Forex and CFDs may not be suitable for all investors, so please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent advice if necessary. | |
4.4 | 4.2 | $0 | 1:500 (FSA) 1:500 (FMA) | MT5, MT4, TradingView, cTrader, myFXbook, Zulutrade, BlackBull Trade | BlackBull Markets and its associated entities have access to provide over 26000 tradable instruments to clients across all our Trading Platforms. Black Bull Group Limited (trading name: BlackBull Markets) is a company registered and incorporated in New Zealand (Company Number 5463921, NZBN 9429041417799) located at Level 20, 188 Quay St Auckland 1010. Black Bull Group Limited is a registered Financial Services Provider (FSP403326). | |
4.3 | 4.9 | $30 | 1:3000 (FSCA) 1:3000 (FSCM) · 1:30 (ASIC) · 1:3000 (Unregulated) | MT5, IUX Web Trade, IUX App Trade | This website is not designed to encourage or promote trading activities. Please note that leveraged margin trading and binary options carry significant risks, including the potential for rapid financial losses. | |
4.6 | 4.1 | $100 | 1:500 (FSA) 1:500 (FSCM) · 1:500 (Unregulated) · 1:400 (FSCA) · 1:30 (ASIC) · 1:500 (CMA) | MT5, cTrader, IRESS, MT4, Mottai, TradingView | Contracts for Difference (CFDs) are leveraged over-the-counter derivative products and carry a high level of risk to your capital. You should only risk capital that you can afford to lose. In certain circumstances, due to fluctuations in market value you may not get back your initial investment amount. You may not only lose your initial investment but you may incur a liability to pay a further amount to cover losses. This means you can lose more money than you have invested. | |
4.0 | 2.7 | $30 | 1:2000 (CMA) 1:3000 (FSCM) | MT5, MT4, FXTM Trader App | Online Forex/CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading Online Forex/CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. It is the responsibility of the Client to ascertain whether he/she is permitted to use the services of Exinity Capital East Africa Ltd based on the legal requirements in his/her country of residence. | |
4.5 | 4.4 | $0 | 1:500 (VFSC) 1:500 (FSA) · 1:30 (ASIC) | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, DupliTrade | All financial products involve risk and you should ensure you understand the risk involved as certain financial products may not be suitable for everyone. Trading in margin foreign exchange and derivatives carries a high level of risk and you may incur a loss that is far greater than the amount you invested. Past performance of any product described on this website is not a reliable indication of future performance. | |
4.3 | 3.0 | $0 | 1:30 (FCA) 1:10000 (FSA) · 1:200 (SCB) · 1:30 (CySEC) | MT5, cTrader, MT4, FxPro Trading Platform, FxPro Mobile App, TradingView | 73% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing money. (EU, UK) | |
4.1 | 4.7 | $100 | 1:500 (FSRA) 1:500 (Unregulated) · 1:500 (FSCA) · 1:500 (FSCM) | MT4, MT5, cTrader | CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. The majority of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. There is a possibility to lose all your initial capital. The legal documents should be considered before entering into transactions with us. | |
4.5 | 4.2 | $100 | 1:400 (FSCA) 1:30 (CBI) · 1:200 (BVI FSC) · 1:30 (ASIC) · 1:400 (ADGM) · 1:25 (JFSA) · 1:30 (ISA) · 1:30 (CySEC) | AvaOptions, AvaSocial, MT5, Proprietary, MT4, DupliTrade, Ava Web Trader, AvaTrade App | Trading CFDs and FX Options entail risk and could result in the loss of your capital. |
How Did FXEmpire Choose the Best Lowest-Spread Brokers?
- Overall high score in our rating system across all categories
- Lowest spreads possible compared to the industry average
- Spreads without high mark-ups with access to raw spread pricing
- Low fees and commissions per lot (100,000 units of currency traded)
- The broker’s minimum deposit, and whether it is high or low
- The overall quality of the broker, its regulation, and reputation
- The trading platforms offered and the additional trading tools available
- The variety of tradable instruments
Best Overall
- $0Min Deposit
- 7342Tradable Instruments
- LowFees
Why We Picked It
Founded in 2007, IC Markets is based in Sydney, Australia, and is authorized and regulated by CySEC, ASIC, SCB and the FSA of Seychelles, providing access to more than 1,700 financial instruments. The broker is considered the ‘go-to’ for serious forex traders seeking ultra-low spreads and commissions with zero requotes and no restrictions on trading strategies.
- Fees on cTrader Raw Spread account: Spreads from 0.0 pips, commissions from $3.00 per 100,000 units
- Fees on MetaTrader Raw Spread account: Spreads from 0.0 pips, commissions of $3.50 per 100,000 units
- Fees on Standard account: Spreads from 0.6 pips, no commissions
There is also a swap fee when holding a trade overnight due to the ‘borrowing’ of capital when using leverage or margin-based CFD accounts. This is based on interest rates and a broker markup but was in line with the industry average.
From my personal experience, I have found that the spreads with IC Markets are very competitive and much better than the industry average, where many brokers will quote around 1.0 pip for EUR/USD and more than 3.0 pips for GBP/JPY on a commission-free trading account.
While IC Market’s commission per trade is lower using the cTrader platform than the MetaTrader platform, they are both in line with the industry average. However, I also found that all trading styles are allowed and, uniquely, there is no order distance restriction. This means you can place orders very close to the market price and have them filled with no requotes.
Another reason why IC Markets is considered the best overall broker is that I found you can upgrade your MetaTrader platform with additional trading tools such as an alarm manager, correlation matrix, and sentiment indicator, and access an impressive range of educational materials such as webinars, podcasts, and news articles.
Pros and Cons
- Competitive pricing across all account types.
- Advanced trading tools.
- Great research and education.
- Access to cTrader and MetaTrader platforms
- The offering may be overwhelming for beginners.
Best Crypto CFD Spreads
- $0Min Deposit
- 1750Tradable Instruments
- MediumFees
Why We Picked It
Founded in 2014, BlackBull Markets is authorized and regulated by the FMA (New Zealand) and FSA (Seychelles). It offers over 26,000 instruments, including over 28 cryptocurrency CFDs, that can be traded from TradingView, MetaTrader 4/5, cTrader, and BlackBull Trade platforms.
- Fees on Standard account: Spreads from 0.8 pips, zero commissions
- Fees on Prime account: Spreads from 0.1 pips, 3 USD commission per lot per side
- Fees on Institutional account: Spreads from 0.0 pips, 2 USD commission per lot per side
In our live fee test on the Standard account, I found the spread for trading Bitcoin CFDs averaged $15.61 in the London session and $16.22 in the New York session. This is much better than the industry average of $35.50.
The selection of 28 crypto CFDs is also better than the industry average and covers all the major coins such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin, altcoins such as Cardano and Iota and meme coins like DogeCoin.
I also discovered a good selection of educational materials, including a course on Learn to Trade Crypto. The content is high quality and covers topics for beginner, intermediate, and pro traders. There’s also a wide range of platform video tutorials and webinars to support crypto CFD trading.
Pros and Cons
- Large selection of tradable instruments.
- Low crypto CFD spreads.
- Zero commission accounts.
- Multiple trading platforms.
- Average to high spreads on forex and share CFDs
Best for Swing Trading
- $30Min Deposit
- 132Tradable Instruments
- LowFees
Why We Picked It
Established in 2016, IUX is a derivatives broker headquartered in Cyprus and also registered in the Comoros Islands, South Africa, and Mauritius. It offers seamless integration to trade via MetaTrader 5, the IUX mobile app and a proprietary platform powered by TradingView. With no inactivity fee, low spreads and overnight fees, IUX is ideal for mid- to long-term traders, such as swing traders.
- Fees on Standard account: Spreads from 0.2 pips, zero commission
- Fees on Standard+ account: Spreads from 0.5 pips, zero commission
- Fees on Raw account: Spreads from 0.0 pips, 3 USD commission per lot per side
- Fees on Pro account: Spreads from 0.1 pips, zero commissions
In our live fee test on the Standard account, I found the spread for EUR/USD averaged 0.8 pips in the London session and 0.9 pips in the New York session. This is much better than the industry average of 1.08 pips.
The spreads were competitive on most asset classes with low-to-average overnight swap fees, making IUX ideal for swing trading. The MetaTrader 5 and IUX Web platforms could be also food options for swing trading as both offer multiple timeframe charts and a large selection of technical analysis indicators.
IUX’s in-house market analyst team provides high-quality market research, helping swing traders stay up-to-date on all the latest market news. Deeper analysis is also available from its YouTube channel, while the website offers useful swing trading tools such as market sentiment indicators.
Pros and Cons
- Zero inactivity, deposit or withdrawal fees.
- Competitive spreads.
- Helpful market research tools.
- High-quality trading platforms.
- Modest number of tradable instruments.
Best for Tradable Instruments
- $100Min Deposit
- 10180Tradable Instruments
- MediumFees
Why We Picked It
Founded in 2005, FP Markets is based in Sydney, Australia, is authorized and regulated by ASIC and CySEC, and has an unregulated entity based in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The broker has become a leader in the industry, providing access to more than 840 tradable instruments covering forex, shares, commodities, indices, cryptos, bonds, and ETFs with competitive fees.
- Fees on Raw Account: Spreads from 0.0 pips, commission from $3.00 per 100,000 units
- Fees on Standard Account: spreads from 1.0 pips, zero commissions
From my personal trading experience, I find that the spread on EUR/USD for a commission-free trading account is in line with the industry average. However, the spread is much better than the industry average for GBP/JPY, which can sometimes reach over 3.0 pips.
I also found that the commission of $3.00 per 100,000 units of currency traded, per side, is better than the industry average for using MetaTrader, which is typically around $3.50. The mere fact you can access the MT4, MT5, and cTrader platforms is also great.
There is a decent range of tradable instruments, too. This includes 72 currency pairs, 17 commodities, 18 indices, 12 cryptos, 46 ETFs, and more than 680 European, US, UK, and Asia shares. You can also open an IRESS platform trading account and trade more than 15,000 shares using direct market access.
Pros and Cons
- 840+ financial instruments.
- Raw spread ECN trading account.
- Multiple platforms and trading tools.
- Competitive fees.
- Lack of research materials on the CySEC entity.
Best Zero Spread Account
- $30Min Deposit
- 602Tradable Instruments
- HighFees
Why We Picked It
Established in 2011, FXTM is licensed by the UK FCA, CySEC, FSCA, and FSC (Mauritius). It offers trading in 600+ CFDs on forex, commodities, indices, shares, and cryptocurrencies via MetaTrader platforms and the FXTM Trader App.
- Advantage Account: Spreads from 0.0 pips, $3.50 per lot per side commission
- Advantage Plus Account: Spreads from 1.5 pips, zero commission
In our live fee test of the Advantage Plus commission-free account, we found the spread for EUR/USD averaged 1.9 pips, higher than the 1.08 pips industry average. However, traders can access spreads from 0.0 pips on the Advantage account with an industry-standard commission.
The zero spread account can be accessed from the MT4, MT5, and FXTM Trader App. We found all the platforms helpful for short-term trading styles, while the broker’s trading app stands out for its good design and beginner-friendliness.
FXTM also offers trading signals from Acuity and additional indicators for MT4. These include a Pivot Point Indicator, Pip Value Calculator, Spread Indicator, and Market Data to CSV tool.
Pros and Cons
- Spreads from zero pips on Advantage Account
- High leverage up to 1:2000
- Intuitive mobile app
- Trading signals from Acuity
- Withdrawal fees
Best Gold Spreads
- $0Min Deposit
- 242Tradable Instruments
- LowFees
Why We Picked It
The 2019-founded Fusion Markets is gaining prominence among commodity traders as one of the best options for trading metals, particularly gold. This is thanks to the Aussie broker’s razor-sharp spreads and diverse gold contracts.
- Classic Account: Spreads from 0.9 pips, zero commission
- Zero Account: Spreads from 0.0 pips, $2.25 commission per lot per side
I cross-checked Fusion Markets’ gold spreads on its Classic and Zero accounts and confirmed that both beat the respective industry averages. With the Classic account, I captured a 24-cent AM spread and a 33-cent PM spread. I plotted these numbers and calculated a trade cost of $10.24, which was significantly lower than the $17.48 industry average.
I also estimated a $16 price tag for the XAUUSD with the Zero account. I arrived at this number by adding the 11.5-cent median XAUUSD spread I captured to the $4.5 commission per traded lot. The $16 cost of trade came in below the industry benchmark of $17.
Another highlight of Fusion Markets for gold trading is the wide range of denominations available. In addition to USD, you can also trade XAU against EUR and AUD. Accordingly, traders holding accounts denominated in either of the three currencies can avoid paying conversion fees.
Pros and Cons
- Very competitive gold spreads
- Lower-than-average gold commissions
- Diverse gold contracts
- Free VPS hosting
- Narrow educational offering
Best for Professional Traders
- $0Min Deposit
- 2090Tradable Instruments
- HighFees
Why We Picked It
Established in 2002, FxPro is headquartered in London and is authorized and regulated by the FCA, CySEC, FSCA, and SCB. It offers over 2,100 financial instruments, including CFDs on forex, commodities, stocks, indices, and cryptocurrencies. FxPro provides an excellent range of products, tools, and services that cater to the needs of professional traders.
- Standard Account: Spreads from 1.2 pips, zero commission
- Raw+ Account: Spreads from 0.0 pips, $3.50 commission per lot per side
- Elite Account: Spreads from 0.0 pips, $3.50 commission per lot per side, rebates from $1.5 per lot
Our live fee test of the Standard Account revealed that FxPro’s spreads in forex and crypto are not very competitive. However, their spreads are better than average for CFDs on shares, some commodities, and indices. We also found that traders can access much lower spreads on the Raw+ and Elite accounts, which also have an industry-standard commission.
Another benefit of the Elite Account is access to rebates on your trading activity from $1.50 per lot. This helps to reduce the overall cost of trading but does require a minimum account deposit of $30,000.
Professional traders can enjoy access to a broad range of trading platforms that cater to different trading styles. The MT4, MT5, and cTrader platforms are packed full of advanced trading features and are the go-to for short-term trading and algorithmic trading styles.
While the FxPro proprietary platform is highly customizable and offers a powerful range of tools.
Pros and Cons
- 2,100+ tradable instruments
- Trading rebates
- Excellent range of trading platforms
- Trading Central research
- Strict requirements to be classified as professional for European traders
Best for Day Trading
- $100Min Deposit
- 997Tradable Instruments
- LowFees
Why We Picked It
FP Trading offers 1,000 CFDs across forex, commodities, indices, shares, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies. The platform lineup includes time-tested MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, along with the sleeker cTrader platform. Features like low trading costs, fast order execution, signals from Trading Central, and AI-powered performance analytics make it especially well-suited to day traders.
- Standard Account: Costs priced into the spread with zero commissions.
- Raw Account: Raw spreads with a $6 round trip commission on forex and metals.
In my live tests, FP Markets delivered impressive trading costs. The Standard account beat our industry benchmarks in every asset apart from EUR/USD. Pricing was especially strong in popular assets like WTI crude oil. And Bitcoin also stood out with a trading cost 69% cheaper than our industry average. The Raw account also performed well, and the $6 commission is in line with the industry standard.
The broker also delivered in the area of execution. In my tests using the MT5 platform, order execution ranged from 49 ms to 64 ms, comfortably beating our benchmarks of competing brokers across every asset. 1-click trading is available via MT4, MT5, and cTrader and depth of market (DOM) provides insights into liquidity and the orders available at different price levels.
Research materials include Trading Central, which delivers technical analysis, market sentiment, an economic calendar, and trading ideas. The most unique feature I discovered was FP Trading AI, a performance analytics tool powered by artificial intelligence and built into the client portal. It analyzes your trading behavior and gives you insights into your performance, risk management, and discipline.
Pros and Cons
- Spreads from 0.0 pips
- Execution as fast as 49 ms
- 1,000 CFD instruments
- $1M Lloyd’s of London account insurance
- Lacks educational materials
Best Trading Platform Selection
- $100Min Deposit
- 1472Tradable Instruments
- MediumFees
Why We Picked It
AvaTrade was founded in 2006 in Dublin, Ireland, and offers more than 840 tradable instruments that can be traded as CFDs and vanilla options. This diversity affords traders greater flexibility.
AvaTrade offers several proprietary platforms (Ava Web Trader, AvaOptions, and AvaSocial), and it also incorporates MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, and DupliTrade. The platforms are versatile and cater to the needs of different traders.
Ava Web is suitable for carrying out advanced technical analysis because of its fluid charting capabilities. Meanwhile, MT4 and MT5 allow basic technical analysis and easy order execution. AvaSocial and DupliTrade connect signal providers and signal followers and facilitate social trading.
I also determined that AvaTrade’s prices fall marginally below the industry average. The combination of zero commissions and floating spreads from 0.9 pips is suitable for day trading. I also measured the broker’s swaps and determined that they were suitable for longer-term trading. Indeed, AvaTrade’s overnight charges are quite favorable for swing trading and position trading.
Pros and Cons
- Multiple regulations.,
- A choice of versatile platforms and apps.
- 840+ tradable instruments.
- Free VPS hosting.
- Limited account selection.
All the Brokers We Tested
Update history
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About the Authors
Jitan Solanki is a professional trader, market analyst, and educator. He day trades major currency and index markets and focuses on swing trading US equities and commodities. A qualified Market Technician, Jitan also works with trader education and brokerage companies on various projects. These include market analysis, live trading events, and broker reviews. As an experienced trader and educator, Jitan brings all his qualities in action when reviewing and recommending brokers.
As a Senior Content Editor at FXEmpire, Ola has revised and fact-checked over 200 broker reviews and guides. Her profound understanding of financial markets has been crucial in developing the proprietary rating system.
Aviva is a Senior Content Editor at FXEmpire. Her substantial contributions include refining over 150 broker reviews and 'Best Brokers Guides,' enhancing our proprietary methodology, and ensuring every fact is meticulously verified.
- List of Top Lowest Spread Brokers
- How Did FXEmpire Choose the Best Lowest-Spread Brokers?
- Best Overall
- Best Crypto CFD Spreads
- Best for Swing Trading
- Best for Tradable Instruments
- Best Zero Spread Account
- Best Gold Spreads
- Best for Professional Traders
- Best for Day Trading
- Best Trading Platform Selection
- All the Brokers We Tested
- Update history
- Related Guides