Pepperstone | Exness | |
---|---|---|
Overall Rating | 4.6 | 4.6 |
Trust | 4.6 | 4.3 |
Fees | 4.3 | 3.8 |
Platforms and Tools | 4.3 | 5.0 |
Tradable Instruments | 5.0 | 4.8 |
Customer Support | 4.8 | 4.2 |
Research | 4.8 | 5.0 |
Deposit and Withdrawal | 4.5 | 4.6 |
Account Types and Terms | 4.9 | 5.0 |
Education | 4.9 | 3.1 |
Regulators & Max Leverage | 1:30 (FCA), 1:30 (BaFin), 1:30 (ASIC), 1:30 (DFSA), 1:2000 (CMA), 1:200 (SCB), 1:30 (CySEC) | 1:30 (CySEC), 1:500 (FSCA), 1:1000 (BVI FSC), 1:2000 (CMA), 1:30 (FCA), 1:500 (FSA) |
Foundation Year | 2010 | 2008 |
Fees Test | Medium | Medium |
Tradable Instruments | 1181 | 240 |
Trading Platforms | MT5, cTrader, MT4, TradingView | MT5, MT4, Exness Terminal |
Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
Read Reviews |
Based on our assessment, Pepperstone is well-suited for beginners looking for top-tier educational resources and advanced traders who value competitive pricing and robust research tools. Exness caters to professionals with its raw-spread trading accounts and beginners with the intuitive proprietary platform, Exness Terminal.
Pepperstone Best for Trading Tools, Platforms & Education |
Exness Best for Selection of Account Types & Raw-Spread Trading |
MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView platforms | Multiple account options |
Autochartist, MetaTrader add-ons | Raw-spread accounts |
VPS hosting | 5 major account types |
Fast order execution | Zero commission, deposit, withdrawal fees |
Live trading webinars by expert traders | No swap fees for most instruments |
High trust rating | Feature-rich proprietary platform |
Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, Pepperstone has offices in London, Cyprus, Germany, Dubai, and Kenya. The broker is regulated by seven financial authorities, including four Tier-1 regulators. Pepperstone provides access to over 1,200 tradable instruments through platforms like MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView, supported by a range of educational resources and trading tools.
Pepperstone is ideal for beginners looking for comprehensive educational resources, including detailed articles, video tutorials, courses, and live trading webinars. Advanced traders can benefit from the four available trading platforms and third-party research tools such as Autochartist.
Pepperstone stands out with its extensive offering of over 1,000 global stock CFDs across multiple platforms, along with its integration of advanced third-party tools like Autochartist.
Recommended in 5 best broker guides: |
CFD | Spread Betting | Regulated Brokers | TradingView | Professionals |
Established in 2008 and headquartered in Cyprus, Exness is regulated by seven global authorities, including two Tier-1 regulators. The broker provides access to over 234 tradable instruments through its proprietary Exness Terminal and MetaTrader 4 platforms, with five distinct account options. Research is supported by Trading Central.
Exness caters to beginner traders with its easy-to-use yet feature-rich Exness Terminal web platform and mobile app, as well as commission-free trading options. For seasoned professionals, Exness offers raw-spread trading accounts with spreads starting from 0.0 pips, complemented by expert market research.
Exness stands out with its above-average selection of currency pairs, offering over 90 forex pairs through its raw-spread trading account. The Exness Terminal platform combines user-friendliness with advanced features like Trading Central analysis and price alerts, elevating the trading experience.
Recommended in 7 best broker guides: |
Forex | Regulated | Platforms | MT4 | Scalping | Crypto | Gold |
Trust Rank | 4.6 | 4.3 |
Regulators & Max Leverage | 1:30 (FCA), 1:30 (BaFin), 1:30 (ASIC), 1:30 (DFSA), 1:2000 (CMA), 1:200 (SCB), 1:30 (CySEC) | 1:30 (CySEC), 1:500 (FSCA), 1:1000 (BVI FSC), 1:2000 (CMA), 1:30 (FCA), 1:500 (FSA) |
Foundation Year | 2010 | 2008 |
Publicly Traded | ||
Has a Bank |
Founded in 2010, Pepperstone is regulated by four Tier-1 authorities, including CySEC (Cyprus), FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), and BaFin (Germany). It is also licensed by a Tier-2 regulator (DFSA, Dubai) and two Tier-3 regulators. The Tier-1 entities provide strong client fund protection and transparent trading conditions. We rate Pepperstone as trustworthy due to its multiple top-tier regulations, transparent fee structure, and long-standing operational history.
Exness, founded in 2008, operates under seven global entities. Two are regulated by Tier-1 authorities, FCA (UK) and CySEC (Cyprus), while two others are licensed by Tier-2 regulators FSCA (South Africa) and CMA (Kenya). The remaining entities are overseen by lower-tier regulators. With strong regulatory backing from its Tier-1 entities, we rate Exness as moderately trustworthy due to its 16-year history, multi-asset offerings, segregation of client funds, negative balance protection, and Financial Commission membership.
Fees Rank | 4.3 | 3.8 |
Inactivity Fee |
Using the Pepperstone commission-free Standard CFD account, we found that the EUR/USD spread averaged 1.0 pips during the London session and 1.1 pips during the New York session, closely aligning with the industry average of 1.08 pips. While fees on the Standard Account were mostly average, more competitive pricing is available through the Razor account. Additionally, Pepperstone charges no inactivity fees. The free structure caters well to medium and long-term traders.
With Exness’ commission-free Standard CFD account, we found that the EUR/USD spread averaged 1.0 pips during both the London and New York sessions, outperforming the industry average of 1.08 pips. Spreads on the Standard account can vary, but tighter spreads are available with Professional account types. Exness imposes no swap fees in most cases and charges no inactivity, deposit, or withdrawal fees. The fee structure caters well to short-term traders.
For more options, you can also check out our list of the best forex brokers with the lowest spreads and lowest swap fees.
Platform Rank | 4.3 | 5.0 |
Trading Platforms | MT5, cTrader, MT4, TradingView | MT5, MT4, Exness Terminal |
Mobile Apps | Android, iOS | Android, iOS |
Pepperstone provides a wide range of trading platforms, including MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView, all accessible via desktop, web, and mobile. TradingView is particularly suited for novice traders, offering various technical indicators, chart types, and timeframes. Advanced traders can leverage MT4, MT5, and cTrader, with cTrader specifically optimized for high-frequency and short-term strategies. Autochartist is also available for trading ideas, making it valuable for traders of all levels.
Exness, while offering fewer platform options, caters effectively to both beginners and advanced traders. The Exness Terminal is intuitive and robust, available on both web and mobile devices. Designed with a user-friendly interface, it meets the needs of beginner traders while offering advanced features such as one-click trading and sentiment indicators. For more experienced traders, the MT4 platform offers advanced tools for algorithmic trading, though it requires a steeper learning curve.
Tradable Instruments Rank | 5.0 | 4.8 |
# Tradable Instruments | 1181 | 240 |
# Currency Pairs | 90 | 96 |
# Commodities | 31 | 18 |
# Crypto | 34 | 23 |
# Stocks | 1000 | 93 |
# Indices | 26 | 10 |
Pepperstone provides a broad selection of over 1,200 tradable instruments, including stocks, forex, indices, commodities, and ETFs, catering to a wide range of traders. A standout feature is the option to trade currency indices like the US Dollar Index and Euro Currency Index, which many other brokers do not offer.
Exness offers a more focused selection of over 234 markets, covering forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, commodities, and stock CFDs. With over 90 forex pairs, Exness exceeds industry standards, making it particularly attractive to intermediate forex traders.
If you’re interested in exploring more options, be sure to check out our articles on the best crypto trading brokers and the best brokers for share CFDs.
Customer Support Rank | 4.8 | 4.2 |
Availability | Available 24/7 | Available 24/7 |
Live Chat |
Pepperstone offers 24/7 customer support through phone, live chat, and email. In our experience, live chat and phone support connected us to an agent in less than a minute, while email inquiries were addressed within 24 hours. The agents provided helpful and valuable assistance throughout our interactions.
Exness also provides 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email. We found that phone and live chat delivered the fastest responses, but email replies took several days. The support agents were knowledgeable and offered strong assistance in addressing our questions.
Research Rank | 4.8 | 5.0 |
News (Top-Tier Sources) | ||
Economic calendar | ||
Videos/Webinars | ||
Trading Central (Recognia) | ||
Autochartist |
Pepperstone provides comprehensive market research through articles and video presentations created by its in-house analysts. The broker’s chief market analyst offers insightful commentary on key news events and market trends, with a focus on technical analysis that results in actionable trading ideas. Additionally, Pepperstone integrates the Autochartist tool, which automatically identifies significant technical patterns and generates trading signals. These resources effectively cater to both novice and experienced traders.
Exness offers a wide range of third-party research tools accessible via its web platform and mobile app, designed to support both beginner and advanced traders. Trading Central delivers trading signals and detailed market research, with options to filter ideas based on short-term or long-term strategies. The Market News section in the client portal provides real-time updates from FXStreet, helping traders stay informed on the latest market movements.
Deposit and Withdrawal Rank | 4.5 | 4.6 |
Deposit Options | Wire Transfer, Visa, Mastercard, PayPal | PerfectMoney, Wire Transfer, Skrill, Neteller, Credit Card |
Withdrawal Options | Wire Transfer, Visa, Mastercard, PayPal | Neteller, Skrill, PerfectMoney |
Withdrawal Fee |
Pepperstone offers three fee-free deposit and withdrawal options. Bank wire transfers typically take 1 to 3 business days to process, while Visa/Mastercard transactions are instant. PayPal deposits are also processed immediately, but withdrawals via PayPal usually take 1 to 3 business days.
Exness provides a broad range of fee-free deposit and withdrawal methods, including bank wire transfers, credit/debit cards, Neteller, Skrill, Perfect Money, Mybux, Ozow, Bitcoin, USDC, and USDT. Bank wire transfers require a minimum amount of $10,000, whereas all other methods have a minimum deposit of $10. Processing times range from one hour to seven days, depending on the method.
Account Types and Terms | 4.9 | 5.0 |
# Base Currencies | 90 | 96 |
Islamic Account | ||
Demo Account | ||
Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
Pepperstone offers two main account types: Standard and Razor. The Standard Account is designed for beginners, featuring commission-free trading in micro-lots. The Razor Account, aimed at advanced traders, offers tighter spreads and a standard commission. Razor Account holders also receive exclusive access to the TradingView platform.
Exness offers five account types catering to various trader profiles. The Standard and Standard Cent accounts are ideal for beginners, with zero commissions and a low minimum deposit of $10. For advanced traders, the Raw Spread, Zero, and Pro accounts provide spreads starting from 0.0 pips, with an industry-standard commission per trade and a higher minimum deposit of $200.
Education Rank | 4.9 | 3.1 |
Videos | ||
Webinars |
Pepperstone delivers a rich collection of educational materials, including articles, video tutorials, courses, and live trading webinars. These resources are tailored to suit traders of all levels. Additionally, the broker hosts regular webinars led by experienced traders and educators, covering key topics such as price action trading.
Exness offers a variety of educational resources aimed at both beginner and intermediate traders. The Exness Academy features three comprehensive courses: “How Trading Works,” “How to Analyze,” and “Managing Risk.” Each course combines articles and videos, with quizzes at the end to assess the trader’s understanding.
Since 2011, FX Empire has developed a detailed methodology for evaluating CFD brokers, involving over 250 variables across nine crucial categories. Our team of experts, with deep industry knowledge, conducts live testing and research by interacting with the brokers directly. We check regulations, open accounts, test spreads, account costs, platform functionality, instrument variety, customer support reliability, and the quality of research and educational content. This granular analysis helps us identify each broker’s strengths and weaknesses, keeping our comparisons current with market trends and ensuring our guides meet traders’ needs.
We strive to evaluate each broker objectively, considering how their offerings align with the diverse trading goals and preferences of our readers. Our focus is on providing a balanced overview of each broker’s strengths and weaknesses. This method ensures that our readers receive clear, insightful comparisons to aid in making well-informed trading decisions.
We employ a comprehensive rating system across nine key categories:
In each category, we conduct an in-depth analysis for both brokers, outlining features, advantages, and disadvantages and determining their suitability for different trader profiles. By blending insights from our extensive reviews with first-hand experiences and observations, we ensure each comparison is balanced, informative, and tailored to the trader’s unique needs. You can read more about our review process here.