Plus500 Review 2023

Trust

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:

• • Plus500CY Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (#250/14) and covers clients in the European Economic Area (EEA). We rate CySEC as a Tier 1 regulator. 
  • Plus500UK Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (#509909) and covers clients in the United Kingdom. We rate FCA as a Tier 1 regulator. 
  • Plus500SG Pte Ltd is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (#CMS100648-1) and the IE Singapore (#PLUS/CBL/2018), covering clients in Singapore. We rate MAS as a Tier 1 regulator.
  • Plus500AU Pty Ltd is licensed by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (AFSL #417727), Financial Markets Authority in New Zealand (FSP #486026), and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority in South Africa (FSP #47546). We rate ASIC as a Tier 1 regulator, FMA as a Tier 2 regulator, and FSCA as a Tier 2 regulator. 
  • Plus500EE AS is authorized and regulated by the Estonian Financial Supervision and Resolution Authority (License No. 4.1-1/18). We rate the Estonian FSA as a Tier 2 regulator.
  • Plus500SEY Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Seychelles Financial Services Authority (Licence No. SD039). We rate Seychelles FSA as a Tier 3 regulator.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Customer 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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Research

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.

+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.

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.

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.

Education

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

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.