Our team of experts has identified each broker’s strengths and weaknesses using FXEmpire’s comprehensive methodology.
Now, let’s dive into the selected brokers.
Established in 2009, Plus500 is a globally renowned financial derivatives broker offering more than 2800 tradable instruments across currency pairs, commodities, share CFDs, indices, cryptocurrencies, and ETFs.
Key Features:
I enjoyed using the Plus500 mobile app because of its sleek design, powerful charting capabilities, and advanced market analytics. It features over 150 technical indicators and chart configurations and has a two-step authentication for extra security.
The app features Plus500’s proprietary +Insights analytics tool, which aggregates data from over 20 million traders, providing real-time insights into market sentiment and trader positioning.
Plus500 supports commission-free trading and floating spreads from 0.9 pips on its standard account. Broadly, its spreads are competitive but vary across instruments from different asset classes. I discovered that the broker offers favorable spreads on some major currency pairs (like EURUSD) and commodities (such as gold).
IG has long-established traditions in the UK trading industry, making it one of the most popular brokers. Founded in 1974 and headquartered in London, IG is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), attesting to its stability and reliability.
Key Features:
IG’s mobile app stacks among the most feature-rich trading apps in the industry. Its charts are fluid and easily scalable. In addition to all basic order types (market, limit, and stop), the broker offers a guaranteed stop-loss order, which mitigates the risk of negative slippage and protects the trader against adverse market volatility.
I found that IG offers an impressive collection of 17,000 tradable and investment instruments. These include currency pairs, commodities, share CFDs, real stocks, indices, cryptocurrencies, bonds, ETFs, and more.
The broker also offers futures contracts and European-style options for diversified trading, as well as spread betting solutions to UK traders exclusively.
My hands-on testing of IG’s spreads beat the industry average. Additionally, the broker provides FIX API solutions for Direct Market Access (DMA) trading. Traders can use it to obtain raw spreads directly from an exchange’s order books and also achieve ultra-fast order execution speeds.
Established in 2002 and listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), XTB is a well-regulated multi-asset broker headquartered in Poland. It also offers investing solutions for market participants interested in growing a portfolio. XTB provides more than 2,300 tradable instruments across different markets at competitive trading fees.
Key Features:
Based on my live test, XTB charges low-to-average spreads across currency pairs, commodities, share CFDs, and indices. The broker does not impose a handling fee for deposits or withdrawals except for withdrawals below GBP 50.
I was surprised to find that XTB’s mobile app supports one-click trading, a feature rarely seen in trading apps. This makes it a strong choice for high-frequency traders, including scalpers. Additionally, XTB’s xStation app offers 30 technical indicators, drawing tools, multiple timeframes, and various chart types. It also supports all basic order types, including market, limit, and stop orders.
Another great advantage of XTB’s app is its Discover feature, which offers advanced market analytics. Traders use it to gauge recent changes in market sentiment and assess trading opportunities that are currently developing.
FxPro ranks among the best financial derivatives brokers when it comes to execution performance. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in the UK, FxPro operates as a non-dealing desk (NDD) broker, matching the flow of client orders internally.
Key Features:
I discovered that FxPro achieves ultra-fast order execution speeds averaging under 11 milliseconds. Moreover, the broker claims that a remarkable 84% of client orders are filled at the requested price or at an even better price. This makes FxPro and its mobile app ideal for high-precision trading.
FxPro Direct Mobile App features market, limit, and stop orders, trading from the chart, an intuitive economic calendar, and 100+ analytical tools. Its design is clean and streamlined, and its charts are powered by the seamless TradingView. All of this makes FxPro an excellent choice for both experienced and casual traders.
The Standard FxPro trading account features commission-free trading and floating spreads from 1.1 pips and requires a minimum deposit of GBP 100.
In this section, you will read about the most important things to consider when choosing a mobile app for trading in the UK:
To verify that the trading app you choose is safe to use, you must ensure that the forex broker offering it is fully licensed and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK or other top-tier European authorities. Here’s how you can do it:
Check out our list of best brokers in the UK.
Mobile apps are primarily used to gain quick access to the account and the market. Traders use them to place new orders or adjust existing positions if necessitated by changing market conditions.
When choosing the most suitable trading app, traders must consider whether the app has user-friendly and high-definition charts, how many analytical tools it features, and whether it has a news screener or any other types of research tools and content.
Discover our top forex and CFDs trading apps.
Here is a quick rundown of some of the most important things to avoid when choosing a broker with the best trading app in the UK:
Learn more about best brokers with low spreads.
Scammers often exploit traders’ trust by promising quick and risk-free profits. They may also impersonate reputable companies by using deceptive branding. To counter this, regulators like the FCA maintain registers to help traders identify fraudulent entities.
The best and easiest way to protect yourself is to make sure you work with a trustworthy and transparent broker. You can find a comprehensive list of reliable brokers by jurisdiction here.
By staying vigilant and conducting thorough research, you can protect yourself from falling victim to trading scams.
The team of forex and CFD analysts and editors at FXEmpire is composed of trading industry professionals and seasoned financial journalists. Our experts have been published on leading financial websites such as Investopedia and Forbes. In addition, they all have extensive trading experience.
Dan Blystone began his career in the trading industry in 1998 on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Later, Dan gained insight into the forex industry during his time as a Series 3 licensed futures and forex broker. He also traded at a couple of different prop trading firms in Chicago. Dan is well-equipped to recommend the best forex brokers due to his extensive experience and understanding of the brokerage industry.
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.
Having been a retail trader since 2013, Plamen has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges that novice traders face today. His expertise is swing trading and day trading with a heavy emphasis on psychological and fundamental analysis. Plamen’s favourite trading instruments include FX majors and gold. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations. Plamen's broad experience has equipped him with the expertise to recommend the best forex brokers.
In more than 15 years of trading in the financial markets, Vladimir dealt with a wide range of brokers and financial instruments. His career as a day-trader at a proprietary trading firm goes back to 2007. Later, Vladimir turned to longer time frames and became an independent trader and analyst managing his own portfolio. Using his experience, he helps traders find the best broker in his reviews.
Having been a retail trader since 2013, Plamen has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges that novice traders face today. His expertise is swing trading and day trading with a heavy emphasis on psychological and fundamental analysis. Plamen’s favourite trading instruments include FX majors and gold. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations. Plamen's broad experience has equipped him with the expertise to recommend the best forex brokers.
At FXEmpire, we strive to provide unbiased, thorough and accurate broker reviews by industry experts to help our users make smarter financial decisions.