Search Icon
FXEMPIRE
icon
broker

Plus500 Review 2023

Updated:
4.3
Trust
4.5
Fees
4.1
Platforms and Tools
4.2
Customer Support
3.4
Tradable Instruments
4.7
Account Types and Terms
5.0
Deposit and Withdrawal
5.0
Research
4.0
Education
3.3

82% 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 your money.

While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this page may refer to our partners' products. Here's how we make money.Learn how we make money and our review methodology.

*82% 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 your money.

Please Note: We used a live Standard Account, using the WebTrader platform, opened with the Plus500CY entity (Plus500.com) for this review. Some features and services may vary depending on where you reside.

The Big Picture

Plus500 was founded in 2008 by six graduates of the prestigious Technion (Israel Institute of Technology). Listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: PLUS), it is one of a handful of publicly traded CFD brokers.

The Israel-based broker is a giant of the CFD industry and offers a cutting-edge platform that makes it a pleasure to trade the markets. Plus500 is available in over 50 countries and has 400,000 active clients. Plus500 entities are regulated by various financial authorities specific to their region. In 2022, the brand became an official partner of the iconic Chicago Bulls basketball team.

Plus500 Key Takeaways in 2022

  • We evaluated Plus500 across nine categories (Trust/Stability, Fees, Tradable Instruments, Account Types, Deposit/Withdrawal, Research, Customer Support, Education, Platform/Tools).
  • Plus500 excelled in trust, tradable instruments, and its platform and tools.
  • Plus500 has recently improved its research and educational resources.
  • Multiple global regulators, including several top-tier authorities (FCA, CySEC, and ASIC), oversee Plus500 subsidiaries.
  • General ease of use and a robust tool suite makes this broker an appealing choice for newbies. To begin trading, readers are advised to use the demo account first.
  • An impressive range of instruments to trade and the availability of a professional account makes Plus500 an appealing choice for experienced traders too.

What Sets Plus500 Apart from Other Brokers?

Plus500 is a well-rounded broker that delivers in the areas of usability, customer service, and the variety of markets to trade. It is also one of the world’s most extensively regulated CFD brokers. Plus500 offers an excellent platform and unique tools, such as its +Insights section, which draws valuable data from its large community of clients.

Who is Plus500 for?

Plus500 has created one of the most user-friendly platforms on the market, making it an excellent choice for beginners. It’s a good idea for new traders to start by using the demo account provided. Experienced traders can enjoy robust charting tools and traders who are designated as professionals have the benefit of access to greater leverage (1:300), but they do not have ICF rights.

Plus500 Pros and Cons

Pros Cons
  • Regulated in multiple jurisdictions around the world.
  • A wide variety of markets and instruments to trade, with over 2,500 available CFDs.
  • User-friendly and intuitive trading platform.
  • Fast-responding chat support is available 24/7.
  • Innovative tools such as the new +Insights section within the WebTrader Platform.
  • No phone support.
  • Clients are limited to 1 trading platform (WebTrader).
  • High swap fees (the cost of holding a position overnight).
  • No desktop platform.

 

broker

82% 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 your money.

 

About the Author

Dan Blystone
Starting his career in finance on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Dan later gained insight into the forex industry during his time as a Series 3 licenced futures and forex broker. Dan also traded at a couple of different prop trading firms in Chicago.
Read More

How Do We Rate?

When trading forex and CFDs, it is crucial to know a broker's strengths and weaknesses. That is why FX Empire developed its proprietary rating system. We put the knowledge and expertise of our reviewers to work to bring you the most suitable brokers. A total of 200 variables have been analyzed to help you choose your broker wisely. This chart describes all the categories we evaluated and rated.
How Do We Rate Chart
Visit our methodology page to learn more about our review and rating process.
Plus500 Main Features
☑️
Regulations
CySEC (Cyprus)
🗺
Supported Languages
English, Spanish, German, French, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Italian, Hebrew, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Slovak, Polish, Czech, Bulgarian
💰
Products (CFD)
Currencies, Commodities, Indices, ETFs, Stocks, Options, Crypto
💵
Min Deposit
$100
💹
Max Leverage
1:30 (CySEC )
🖥
Trading Desk Type
No dealing desk
See More
Check if...
unknownPlus500 accepts clients from your country:
Choose your country:

82% 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 your money.

Plus500 Full Review

Trust

4.5
How Do We Test A Broker's Trust?
When choosing a broker, trustworthiness is one of the most important things to keep in mind. Always check the broker's regulations, know how financially secure the firm is, and find out whether the broker is transparent and reliable. These factors, calculated into our score, will help you understand if your money is safe.

See More

Overseen by multiple top regulators across the globe and as a large publicly traded company, Plus500 earned a high trust ranking in our tests.

Plus500’s listing on the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) website
Plus500’s listing on the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) website

In our trust category, we place the most importance on how a broker is regulated. Here we’ll cover how the different entities of Plus500 across the globe are regulated and how this impacts you. (We rate regulators on a scale of 1 to 3, with 1 reflecting the highest level of trust.)

Entities of Plus500 are regulated by the following authorities:

Why is it important to know where your broker subsidiary (entity) is regulated?

All clients of Plus500 have negative balance protection and all funds are held in segregated accounts. Plus500 clients in Europe benefit from the oversight of CySEC. Plus500CY is a member of the CySEC Investor Compensation Fund (“ICF”), which provides compensation of up to €20,000 to clients in the event of broker insolvency. Offshore regulators typically guarantee fewer client protections.

The table below breaks down the protections and benefits by entity, regulator, and region.

Entity Plus500UK Ltd Plus500CY Ltd Plus500AU Pty Ltd Plus500AU Pty Ltd Plus500AU Pty Ltd Plus500SG Pte Ltd Plus500EE AS Plus500SEY Ltd
Country/Region United Kingdom Europe Australia New Zealand South Africa Singapore Estonia Global
Regulation FCA CySEC ASIC FMA FSCA MAS FSA FSA
Segregated Funds Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Negative Balance Protection Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Compensation Scheme FSCS Up to £85,000 ICF Up to €20,000 No No No No No No
Standard Leverage 1:30 1:30 1:30 1:30 1:30 1:20 1:30 1:300

Regulatory requirements are subject to change. We gathered the data listed above in December 2022.

Stability and Transparency

In our tests for the Trust category, we also cover factors relating to stability and transparency. Here, we focus on how long the broker has been in business, the company’s size, and how transparent it is.

Founded in 2008, Plus500 has a substantial operating history. Plus500 is a publicly-traded company listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. As a publicly-traded company, Plus500 must disclose financial reports, allowing for greater insight into the company’s stability.

In our research, Plus500 showed good transparency in its regulatory status, fees, and general background information. Information and materials are readily available on the website. Plus500 lists the regulatory status of different subsidiaries at the footer of each page. The Fees and Charges page clearly outlines all costs. A User Agreement (Terms of service) document is also available on the Terms & Agreements page.

In summary, we rated Plus500 as having a high level of trust and stability due to the following factors:

  • Being regulated by multiple top-tier agencies.
  • Having a lengthy operating history.
  • Being a publicly traded company valued at over a billion dollars.
  • Having a high level of transparency.

Fees

4.1
How Do We Test A Broker's Fees?
Broker fees can be difficult to understand. We test the broker's platforms and examine commissions, spreads, and overnight fees to ensure that you can determine if trading with this broker is worth your time and money.

See More

Plus500 offers tight spreads in some instruments, while others are average for the industry. We judged that Plus500 fees are average to competitive overall.

A standard account and a professional account are available to clients. We tested a live Standard Account, but the only difference between the two is the amount of leverage offered. The fees are the same for both accounts.

Plus500 profits mainly from spreads (the gap between the bid and offer prices of an asset). Plus500 does not charge commissions, except for a small number of CFDs on shares and a currency conversion fee per trade. There is also a fee for guaranteed stop-loss orders, which varies based on the size of the order and the instrument traded. A guaranteed stop-loss is a type of stop-loss order that ensures your position will be closed at a set price level.

Trading Fees

Spreads at Plus500 are variable, meaning that they fluctuate slightly. The spread’s size depends on the market’s level of liquidity. Liquidity describes how much an instrument can be bought and sold quickly without moving the market. Traders typically experience tighter spreads when there is greater liquidity in the market.

We measured the spreads at Plus500 across different asset classes in a live account using the WebTrader platform. We tested at 8 AM GMT and 3 PM GMT on December 16, 2022. 8 AM GMT is the London open when there is high liquidity in the forex market and tighter spreads in currency pairs. 3 PM GMT is a quieter time, shortly before the opening of the New York stock exchange.

Instrument Spread AM Spread PM
EUR/USD 0.8 0.8
GBP/JPY 3 3
Gold 36 37
Light Crude Oil 4 4
Apple n/a 1.01
Tesla n/a 1.13
Dow 30 4 4
Dax 40 1.9 1.9

Spread costs at Plus500 were mixed in our tests. In forex, they were competitive with a tight spread of 0.8 pips in EUR/USD. Spreads in the stock CFDs we tested were slightly higher than average. Spreads in indices and commodities were about average for the industry.

Swap Fees

Swap fees (the cost of holding a position overnight) were slightly higher than average at Plus500.

In the table below, you can see the Swap Long (the cost/credit of holding a buy position overnight) and the Swap Short (the cost/credit of holding a sell position overnight) for one full-sized contract. A full-sized contract is 100,000 units of the base currency (the first currency quoted in the pair). We recorded the data on December 15, 2022.

Instrument Swap Long Swap Short
EUR/USD Charge of €‪11.99 Credit of €‪0.70
GBP/JPY Credit of €‪2.41 Charge of €‪15.37

Non-Trading Fees

Plus500 does not charge any deposit, withdrawal, or account closing fees. However, after three months of being inactive, the company charges a $10 per month fee. Plus500 also charges a currency conversion fee for all trades on instruments denominated in a currency different from the currency of your account.

Are Fees at Plus500 Competitive?

We judged that fees at Plus500 are average to competitive. Some instruments, such as EUR/USD, have competitive spreads. Overnight swap fees were relatively high.

Platforms and Tools

4.2
How Do We Test A Broker's Platforms and Tools?
Platforms are where you trade, so they must be secure, fast, and accessible while offering you the tools you need to succeed. Each broker's desktop, web, and mobile platforms are evaluated according to the order types, speed of execution, ease of use, and other 'need to know' features.

See More

Plus500’s WebTrader Platform is a good choice, with a pleasing layout, easy-to-understand order entry, and robust charting tools. Plus500 also delivers with their mobile app, which is both user-friendly and feature-rich.

Plus500 has invested heavily in its proprietary WebTrader platform, which has taken the ease of use to a new level. Robinhood, the US stock broker, has a famously slick, minimalist, and intuitive platform. Plus500 has successfully brought a platform with similar strengths to the world of CFD trading.

WebTrader

Plus500`s proprietary trading platform, WebTrader, is accessible via web browsers, Windows 10 apps, tablets, and smartphones. Plus500 does not offer a desktop trading platform.

Plus500 WebTrader Platform
Plus500 WebTrader Platform

WebTrader allows users to create watchlists easily, analyze charts, enter trades, and monitor positions in the market.

Plus500 offers a free demo account, and the WebTrader platform makes it easy to flip between demo and live trading with a single click. A dark mode option helps make the screen easy on your eyes at night, also accessible via a single click.

Traders often need to pull up an instrument at short notice. Having a good search feature is a vital part of a trading platform. Plus500 has a great search tool at the top of the screen, making it super easy to find whatever asset you want.

WebTrader Platform Order Entry Panel
WebTrader Platform Order Entry Panel

All basic order types, such as market, limit, and stop loss, are available. Trailing stop orders and guaranteed stop loss orders are also available. Guaranteed stops can protect traders from black swan events and unexpected market swings, but they incur an additional cost.

WebTrader Platform Charts
WebTrader Platform Charts

Charting capabilities are robust within the WebTrader platform. Multiple chart types, such as Candles, Renko, and Range Bars, are available. Traders can apply over 100 technical indicators to their charts along with classic drawing tools such as Fibonacci retracement levels. There are eleven available time frames for charts, ranging from one minute to one week.

Setting alerts within the WebTrader Platform
Setting alerts within the WebTrader Platform

Alerts from the WebTrader platform can update you when the price of an asset reaches a certain level or changes by a set percentage. Clients can also receive notifications when traders’ sentiment hits a specified level. Alerts can be sent by email, SMS, or push notifications. The minimalist layout of the platform makes these functions super easy to use.

Traders’ Sentiments show the percentage of the client base of Plus500 that are long (buyers) vs. short (sellers). When Traders’ Sentiments reach extreme levels, for example, 95% long and 5% short, this is recognized as a potentially powerful contrarian indicator. Traders often view this as a contrarian signal—with the expectation that when a very high percentage of traders are positioned either long or short, there may be an imminent reversal in the price trend.

While the UX is outstanding, the platform does not offer automated trading and backtesting. Alternative platforms like MetaTrader 4 or cTrader with these capabilities are unavailable at Plus500. A feature popular among day traders, 1-click trading, is not available on the WebTrader platform.

The platform is customizable, and a helpful feature called multiple charts view allows you to view different charts laid out to your preference on the same screen.

Multiple charts layout in the WebTrader platform
Multiple charts layout in the WebTrader platform

This feature is vital for traders who track multiple markets and time frames simultaneously. In the image above, you can see that trading from the chart is an available feature also.

The WebTrader platform is available in 30 different languages, which can easily be changed by going to the Display Settings. Plus500 has been conscious of the importance of account security, with two-factor authentication available for both mobile and web platforms.

We concluded that Plus500 has an excellent platform, which is especially good for casual traders. The lack of one-click trading is a significant drawback for day traders and scalpers.

Mobile Trading

Plus500 has created a powerful app that offers an intuitive interface and advanced functionality.

Plus500 Mobile App for Android
Plus500 Mobile App for Android

The Plus500 mobile app is available for iOS, Android, and Windows. The features of the mobile app are very similar to the web platform. It has an intuitive interface and offers a range of great features, including:

  • Two-Factor Authentication. Security can be improved by having a verification code sent via SMS for every login from a new device.
  • Demo Mode. Users can easily switch between a demo account and live trading within the app.
  • Users can have alerts sent via email, SMS, or push notification when an asset reaches a set level.
  • Economic Calendar. The Plus500 economic calendar shows all the key information about upcoming releases, such as the expected market impact, analyst expectations, and figures from previous releases. It also indicates instruments likely to be most impacted by the news.
  • Users can follow popular instruments, a particular asset class, risers, and fallers, or create their own list of instruments to track.

Charting on the mobile app is robust and provides:

  • 13 Chart Types. A broader than average range, from Bar charts to Point & Figure charts.
  • 11 Time Frames. These range from 1 Minute to 1 Week.
  • 119 Indicators. An extensive range of indicators (more than MetaTrader) from Accumulation/Distribution to ZigZag.
  • 21 Drawing Tools. These include classics such as Fibonacci, Gartley, and Pitchfork.

One minor drawback is that charts from the web platform do not sync with mobile. Overall, we concluded that this is an excellent app, better than average for the industry.

Order Execution

Plus500 is a dealing desk/market maker broker, meaning that they set the bid (buy) and offer (sell) prices internally and automatically take the other side of a client’s trade. Market maker brokers contrast with STP/ECN brokers, who provide clients direct access to other market participants. (STP stands for straight-through processing, and ECN stands for electronic communications network).

Tradable Instruments

4.7
How Do We Test A Broker's Tradable Instruments?
In this section, we check the broker’s market offering and how varied the instruments and asset classes are. It will allow you to check if they offer what you're looking for and what you can trade.

See More

Plus500 shines in tradable instruments, providing access to 2,800 leveraged financial CFD instruments. Tradable assets include CFDs on forex, commodities, indices, global stocks, ETFs and cryptocurrencies.

As a leading CFD broker, you might expect Plus500 to have a wide range of tradable assets, and it certainly delivers. The range of tradable instruments at Plus500 covers forex, commodities, indices, shares from multiple exchanges, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and cryptocurrencies. Plus500 goes beyond what is offered at most CFD brokers by also offering CFDs on options.

CFDs (Contract for Difference) are financial derivative products that allow traders to speculate in various markets without owning the underlying assets. Tradable instruments at Plus500 include the following:

  • 65 Currency Pairs. A currency pair combines two different currencies, with the value of one currency quoted against the other. For example, EUR/USD, which reflects the value of the euro measured in dollars.
  • 22 Commodity CFDs. Commodities are raw products, such as gold and oil.
  • 1,500+ Global Stock CFDs. A stock is a security that represents partial ownership of a corporation. Keep in mind that when trading stock CFDs, you are speculating on the price of a stock without actually taking ownership of the underlying company.
  • 29 Index CFDs. An index is a basket of trading instruments used to gauge a market sector, stocks within an exchange, or a country’s economy.
  • 14 Cryptocurrency CFDs. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, are digital currencies secured by cryptography.
  • 104 ETF CFDs. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are financial instruments that track an index or sector and trade like a stock on an exchange.

Plus500 clients can trade major, minor and exotic currencies within the forex market, with 65 different pairs offered. Available cryptocurrency CFDs include leaders such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and the Crypto 10 Index.

Commodity CFDs are based on futures contracts from exchanges such as the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), and the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). Gold, crude oil, natural gas, and corn are among the popular commodities available to trade.

Many CFDs on shares are available from exchanges ranging from the US to Hong Kong. Traders can use CFDs on shares to speculate on the price movement of popular stocks such as Apple and Tesla without owning the underlying stock. Leading indices such as the S&P 500 or the FTSE 100 are also available.

Below is a sampling of instruments across the various asset categories.

Major Forex CFDs Minor Forex CFDs
GBP/USD | EUR/USD | USD/JPY AUD/CAD | GBP/JPY | NZD/CHF
Commodity CFDs Cryptocurrency CFDs
Silver | Brent Oil | Sugar NEO | Bitcoin | Litecoin
Index CFDs Option CFDs
Japan 225 | Italy 40 | USA 2000 Netflix | Natural Gas | EUR/USD
Share CFDs ETF CFDs
Amazon | Coinbase | Samsung iShares Silver | SPY | TQQQ

Note: Plus500 offers trading in shares (non-CFD) and futures, but these are accessed via different platforms and are not available in all regions.

CFD trading is illegal in the United States, but Plus500 recently launched a new futures trading platform for traders in the US. The Plus500 TradeSniper platform provides access to trading in futures and options on futures. TradeSniper has a user-friendly interface and is geared towards beginners and retail traders.

Earlier this year, Plus500 Invest was also launched. This platform provides access to trading in popular global shares and includes the same advanced tools that are provided on the CFD platform.

Overall, we judged that Plus500 has an impressive range of tradable instruments, well above average for the industry.

82% 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 your money.

Customer Support

3.4
How Do We Test A Broker's Customer Support?
Traders tend to underestimate customer support, but it might be a crucial feature in moments of crisis. In our rating, we check the contact methods available, how accessible a live agent is and how helpful the responses are. This information will allow you to know if a broker can provide full support when you need it.

See More

Plus500 offers live chat 24/7, and we were impressed by the speed of response and quality of assistance. However, no customer service is available by phone which significantly influenced the score.

Plus500 Chat Support
Plus500 Chat Support

Within the WebTrader platform, Plus500 offers 24/7 chat support. There is also email support via a contact form. One significant drawback is that phone support is not available. Since this is an important medium, Plus500 did not receive a high score in this category. Nevertheless, we had a great experience via chat and email.

In our tests, customer service agents responded almost immediately via chat and were helpful and well-informed. We tested support with a wide range of questions, from easy to hard. For example, ‘Are spreads at Plus500 fixed or variable?’ and ‘What is the fee for a guaranteed stop loss order?’. Support is available in 16 different languages, including English, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin, French, Arabic, and Russian.

Deposits & Withdrawals

5.0
How Do We Test A Broker's Deposit and Withdrawal?
The deposit or withdrawal process can be a tricky one. You may discover that there are hidden fees, or that withdrawal times are longer than you anticipated. We check these factors and others so you know what to expect when trading with this broker.

See More

Deposits and withdrawals are fast and secure at Plus500 with no hold-ups or unfair charges.

Plus500 supports many payment providers, so clients can easily deposit and withdraw funds. Traders can transfer money via Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Paypal, Skrill, or bank wire. Plus500 does not charge a fee for making deposits and withdrawals.

The tables below show the fees and processing times for each deposit and withdrawal method.

Deposits

Deposits are typically available instantly, except for bank wire. Bank wires can take up to 5 days because of the additional processing time of the bank itself.

Deposit Method Fees Processing Time
Bank Wire 0% Up to 5 business days
Visa 0% Immediate
Mastercard 0% Immediate
Maestro 0% Immediate
PayPal 0% Immediate
Skrill 0% Immediate

Withdrawals

Withdrawals take a bit longer because Plus500 needs to check the status of your account. The withdrawal depends on factors such as your actual balance, the margin requirements of your open positions, and any documents that may be outstanding.

Withdrawal Method Fees Processing Time
Bank Wire 0% 1 business day
Visa 0% 1 business day
Mastercard 0% 1 business day
Maestro 0% 1 business day
PayPal 0% 1 business day

Plus500 typically processes all withdrawal requests within one business day before being sent out. However, it can take a few additional days, depending on the payment method used by the client. For electronic wallets, the total processing time is usually 1-3 business days. For credit/debit card refunds, the funds should be visible on your account within five business days, depending on the processing time of the card issuer. Bank wires can take five business days since they also involve bank authorities.

It is the policy of Plus500, wherever possible, to process withdrawal payments back to the same payment method used to make the deposit.

We concluded that Plus500 is better than the industry average for this category for the following reasons:

  • Good range of deposit/withdrawal options.
  • No deposit/withdrawal fees.
  • Reasonable processing times.

Account Types and Terms

5.0
How Do We Test A Broker's Account Types and Terms?
In order to achieve your trading goals, you need to choose the right account. We evaluate each broker's account types, how easy it is to open an account with them, and the steps involved, so you can decide if it is worth your time to open an account.

See More

Plus500 has made registration a breeze, and there are multiple account types to suit your needs – from demo to professional accounts.

Plus500 Know Your Customer (KYC) Questionnaire
Plus500 Know Your Customer (KYC) Questionnaire

The account opening process at Plus500 is simple and fast. To open a live account, users must prove their identity and address by uploading the relevant documents to the platform.

When opening an account with the Plus500CY entity, we needed to complete a brief Know Your Customer (KYC) questionnaire. KYC ensures brokers understand the client’s risk tolerance, investment knowledge, and financial position.

Minimum Deposit 100 units of your local currency
Demo Account Available Yes
Islamic Account Available Yes
Professional Account Available Yes

The minimum deposit is 100 units of your local currency and 500 when using bank transfers. Traders can open accounts in over 16 different base currencies, a more extensive range than most brokers.

Base Currencies Available At Plus500
US Dollar | Australian Dollar | Euro | British Pound | New Zealand Dollar | Canadian Dollar | Swiss Franc | Japanese Yen | Polish Złoty | Hungarian Forint | Czech Koruna | Turkish Lira | Swedish Krona | Norwegian Krone | Singapore Dollar | Russian Ruble

Leverage

One of the reasons that traders are attracted to the forex and CFD markets is the high degree of available leverage. Leverage is using borrowed funds to increase the size of your trading positions beyond what would be possible using only the cash in your account.

A standard account offers a maximum of 1:30 leverage. An account funded with $1,000 and 1:30 leverage allows traders to control up to $30,000 worth of positions in the market. Traders can apply for a professional account, which offers higher leverage, but the costs and platform are the same.

With a standard account, the following leverage is available:

  • Major Forex: 1:30
  • Non-major Forex, Gold, and Major Equity Indices: 1:20
  • Commodities other than gold and non-major equity indices: 1:10
  • Shares: 1:5
  • Crypto: 1:2

Investors with a professional account can trade with a maximum leverage of 1:300, however, they do not have ICF rights. With this degree of leverage you can control up to $300,000 worth of positions in the market with just $1,000. To qualify for a professional account, traders must show a financial portfolio of over €500,000 and relevant financial experience (note professional accounts do not have ICF rights).

Here is the available leverage for professional accounts:

  • Major Forex: 1:300
  • Major Indices, Minor Forex: 1:300
  • Commodities, Minor Indices: 1:150
  • Shares: 1:20
  • Crypto: 1:20

Leverage is often described as a ‘double-edged sword’ because it can amplify your profits and losses. Leveraged trading comes with a high level of risk and can often result in significant losses.

Demo Account

A demo account in forex and CFD trading provides a simulated environment where you can practice without risking real money. It allows you to familiarize yourself with market dynamics, trading platforms, and various strategies. A demo account serves as a valuable training ground that prepares you for live trading. Starting with a demo account is a crucial step for both newcomers and seasoned traders looking to test new strategies. Plus500 offers an unlimited demo account which allows you to hone your skills without risking any money.

Supported Countries

Plus500 accepts clients from the majority of countries globally. However, like most CFD brokers, Plus500 does not take clients from FATF (Financial Action Task Force) countries North Korea and Iran.

82% 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 your money.

Research

4.0
How Do We Test A Broker's Research?
Research options provided by brokers may not be seen as the most important feature for some traders, but they can give you an edge over the competition. Staying on top of important market news announcements and being aware of big themes can be very helpful. The rating system provides a clear picture of how well your broker fulfills this service.

See More

Plus500 offers high-quality research materials and tools, from analysis in text and video format to innovative tools built into the platform.

The Plus500 website has a section with articles covering news and market insights. These are written by in-house analysts and explore mostly fundamental themes, for example, earnings reports and central bank policy. Reports are published three or four times a week. The quality of the content is good, with helpful information and ideas. There are also some market analysis videos on the Plus500 YouTube channel.

Plus500 News and Market Analysis
Plus500 News and Market Analysis

+Insights Analytics Tool

Plus500 has some great research tools built into the platform. The Insights tool provides unique data on what traders at Plus500 are buying and selling. This information is especially valuable because the client base at Plus500 is so large (400,000 active clients across 50 countries). The tool shows community trends with lists of key data, including:

  • Most traded instruments.
  • Most profit-making positions.
  • Most loss-making positions.
  • Most bought.
  • Most sold.
  • Highest profit return from a trade.
  • Highest loss return from a trade.

For example, the tool shows that natural gas has been the instrument with the highest profit return from a trade over the past seven days among all traders worldwide. Traders can filter results by time, location, and instrument type. You can also open a buy or sell position from the same screen within the platform.

WebTrader Platform: Traders’ Sentiment
WebTrader Platform: Traders’ Sentiment

Another valuable research tool built into the platform is Traders’ Sentiment. When entering an order, you can see the percentage of clients with long positions versus those with short positions. Trader Sentiment shows when there are extremes in market sentiment – when a high percentage of traders either long or short an instrument. These can serve as an indicator of turning points in the market.

Insights tool within the WebTrader platform
Insights tool within the WebTrader platform

The WebTrader platform has an economic calendar and corporate events calendar. Conveniently, Plus500 built the economic calendar into the platform rather than being only on the website. The calendar also has unique features, for example showing a list of the trading instruments related to each economic release.

Plus500 Economic Calendar
Plus500 Economic Calendar

Education

3.3
How Do We Test A Broker's Education?
Educating yourself on how to trade the financial markets can make the difference between success and failure. We check the educational content provided by the broker, its quality and suitability for beginners and advanced traders.

See More

The educational materials at Plus500 cater well to beginners and include videos, an ebook, and an FAQ. More advanced education is available via a series of in-depth webinars.

Plus500 Trading Academy Insert: Plus500-Trading-Academy
Plus500 Trading Academy Insert: Plus500-Trading-Academy

Plus500 provides an ebook called Trading with Plus500, which covers themes such as the basics of CFD trading and popular trading terms. Twelve videos explain topics like popular trading strategies and trading alerts. These videos are only a couple of minutes long, but there are more in-depth educational videos on the Plus500 YouTube channel, including the recordings of webinars.

Webinars are hosted by a series of mentors who specialize in key areas such as trading psychology, technical analysis, and trading strategy. Presented by seasoned market experts, this material is more advanced and can cater to advanced traders.

There is an FAQ section that can help traders get quick answers to queries ranging from the account verification process to how they can withdraw funds. Plus500 could improve by adding courses to its educational offerings.

The Bottom Line

Plus500 is a good option for traders looking for a stable, easy-to-use trading platform with a wide range of instruments and reasonable trading costs.

Overall the experience with Plus500 was very positive. The WebTrader platform is one of the most intuitive and user-friendly on the market. There is an exciting range of instruments to trade, and the pricing ranges from average to competitive in most areas. Traders should be conscious of swap fees (the cost of holding a trade overnight) as they could add up to be substantial over time. Customer support via chat was excellent in its ease of use, speed of response, and quality of responses.

General ease of use and a robust tool suite makes Plus500 an appealing choice for newbies. To begin trading, readers are advised to use the demo account first. It is not a suitable choice for algorithmic traders and scalpers who are in and out of the markets in seconds. Plus500 differentiates itself with the overall high standard of its technology and unique tools, such as the new Insights section, which draws valuable data from its massive community of clients.

FAQ

Where is Plus500 based?
The headquarters of Plus500 Ltd is in Haifa, Israel.

Is Plus500 safe?
We concluded that Plus500 is a relatively trustworthy broker because multiple top-tier agencies regulate it, it has a long operating history, and is a publicly traded company valued at over a billion dollars.

How does Plus500 make money?
Plus500 makes money mainly via the bid/ask spread. It also earns revenue from overnight financing fees and inactivity fees.

How do I deposit funds in a Plus500 account?
Clients can deposit funds via Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire.

What is the minimum deposit for Plus500?
The minimum deposit to open an account is 100 units of your local currency.

How can I withdraw money from Plus500?
Clients can withdraw funds via Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire.

How long does it take to withdraw money from an account at Plus500?
Plus500 processes withdrawals within 1 business day. Bank wires can take as long as five days due to the additional processing time of the bank.

How much is the maximum leverage at Plus500?
Under the entity of Plus500CY, for a Standard Account, the maximum leverage is 1:30.

How can I open an account with Plus500?
You can open an account via the Plus500 website within 10 minutes or so.

What are the withdrawal fees at Plus500?
Plus500 does not charge a withdrawal fee.

Is Plus500 good for beginners?
General ease of use and a robust tool suite makes this broker an appealing choice for newbies. To begin trading, readers are advised to use the demo account first.

Is Plus500 suitable for scalping?
No, since Plus500 does not offer 1-click trading, it is not suitable for scalping the market.

Is Plus500 suitable for auto-trading?
Plus500 does not currently offer automated trading, backtesting or copy trading capabilities.

Is Plus500 suitable for spread betting?
Plus500 does not currently offer spread betting.

Does Plus500 provide VPS?
No, Plus500 does not offer VPS. VPS is used for automated trading, which Plus500 does not currently offer.

What are Plus500 trading hours?
(per instrument type) Forex is available from Sunday 10:00 PM to Friday 10:00 PM. CFDs on stocks can be traded during the open hours of the exchange on which the underlying stocks are listed. Commodities and indices are tradable during the open hours of the underlying futures contracts. Cryptocurrencies are available seven days a week, from Sunday 3:00 PM – Sunday 2:00 PM.

Is Plus500 a market maker?
Yes, Plus500 is a market maker broker, meaning that it is the counterparty to your trades.

Does Plus500 operate a bank?
No, Plus500 is purely a brokerage firm.

86% 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 your money.

broker

82% 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 your money.

See Plus500 Full Information
Broker General Information
Trading Features
Other Details
Headquarters Country
Israel
Foundation Year
2009
Regulations
CySEC (Cyprus)
Publicly Traded
Yes
Number Of Employees
201
Trading Desk Type
No dealing desk
Trading platforms
Plus500
Restricted Countries
United States, China, Belgium, France, Japan, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Liberia, India, Indonesia, Niger, Iceland, Iran, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Albania, Angola, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chile, Comoros, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Guernsey, Kiribati, Libya, Honduras, Haiti, Egypt, Algeria, Armenia, Bahamas
Supported Languages
English, Spanish, German, French, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Italian, Hebrew, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Slovak, Polish, Czech, Bulgarian
Min Deposit
$100
Max Leverage
1:30 (CySEC )
Deposit Options
Wire Transfer, Credit Card, PayPal, Skrill, Moneybookers
Withdrawal Options
Wire Transfer, Credit Card, PayPal, Skrill, Moneybookers
Time to Withdrawal
1
Cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin, Cardano, NEO, Litecoin, Ripple, Monero, Stellar, TRON, EOS, Ethereum, IOTA
Products (CFD)
Currencies, Commodities, Indices, ETFs, Stocks, Options, Crypto
Demo Account
Yes
Islamic Account
Yes
Segregated Account
No
Managed Account
No

Trade With A Regulated Broker