Recommended broker
Visit Pepperstone and try cTrader for free
cTrader is a trading platform developed by Spotware Systems, a Cypriot tech company, that allows forex and CFD trading. The platform was released in 2011 and is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, as well as in a web version. This is probably the most popular alternative to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Some traders even prefer cTrader since it offers superior charting options and more built-in indicators than MT4 and MT5.
cTrader allows automated trading and offers both built-in trading robots, and the chance to develop custom bots and indicators using the C# language. The platform allows you to backtest your trading bots, share them, or use the bots created by other traders. Actually, one of the best things about cTrader is the huge trading community. You can exchange experience or request the help of professionals to improve your trading strategies. The platform also supports copy-trading.
cTrader is both functional and easy to use which is why we recommend that you check it out. Below is a list of some popular brokers that offer cTrader.
Pepperstone
Pepperstone was founded in 2010 in Australia and has since become one of the most recognizable names in the forex industry. The broker currently has more than 300 000 worldwide and processes an average of $9.2bn of trades daily. Pepperstone is a broker with a solid reputation and its various branches are regulated by a number of respected financial authorities – ASIC (Australia), CySEC (Cyprus), the FCA (the UK), SCB (the Bahamas), DFSA (Dubai), CMA (Kenya), and BaFin (Germany). Pepperstone also offers extremely tight spreads and an overall great trading environment. New traders will be able to benefit from a huge number of educational tools.
Pepperstone provides access to the desktop, web, and mobile versions of cTrader as well as to MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5.
| License | ASIC, SCB, FCA, DFSA, CMA, BaFin, CySEC |
| Trading Platform | cTrader, MT4, MT5 |
| Minimum Deposit | $200 |
| Spreads | 0.0 – 0.3 pips (Razor account), from 0.8 pips (Standard account) |
| Leverage | 1:30 (in Australia, the EU, and the UK), 1:400 (globally) |
IC Markets
IC Markets is another reputable Australian broker that has been on the market for decades – since 2007. The broker is regulated by strict authorities such as ASIC (Australia) and CySEC (Cyprus) but also has offshore branches licensed by the SCB (the Bahamas) and FSA (Seychelles). IC Markets offers an amazing trading environment. Clients would be able to benefit from 24/7 customer support and from many free educational tools. The broker provides access to a huge range of trading instruments – Forex, Equities, Commodities, Futures CFDs, Stocks, Bonds, and a few Cryptocurrency pairs.
Clients can open a cTrader Raw Spread account, a Raw Spread account on MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5, or a Standard account. Spreads on the Standard Account start from 0.6 pips while those on the Raw Spread one start from 0.0 pips. The additional commissions you would have to pay on a cTrader Raw Spread account are lower than the one you would have to pay on the same account on MT – $3 and $3.5 per side respectively.
| License | ASIC, CySEC, FSA, SCB |
| Trading Platform | cTrader, MT4, MT5 |
| Minimum Deposit | $200 |
| Spreads | from 0.0 pips (Raw speed account), from 0,6 pips (Standard account) |
| Leverage | 1:30 (in Australia, the EU, and the UK), 1:500 (globally) |
FxPro
FxPro is a multi-regulated, award-winning UK broker with a presence in 173 countries. The broker serves over 2 million client accounts and has been on the market since 2006. FxPro offers as many as 4 trading platforms – cTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and its own FxPro Trading Platform. The spreads you will get access to depend on the platform and the execution type you choose. The variety of instruments you will be able to trade is decent – Forex, Shares, Spot Indices, Futures, Spot Metals, and Spot Energy. The broker allows you to open an account in 8 base currencies – EUR, USD, GBP, CHF, JPY, PLN, AUD, and ZAR – and charges no deposit and withdrawal fees.
| License | FCA, CySEC, FSCA, SCB |
| Trading Platform | cTrader, MT4, MT5, FxPro Trading Platform |
| Minimum Deposit | $100 minimum deposit, a recommended minimum investment of $1000 |
| Spreads | 1.5 pips/0.3 pips depending on the trading platform |
| Leverage | 1:30 (in Australia, the EU, and the UK), 1:200 (globally) |
RoboForex
RoboForex is the international brand of the Cypriot broker RoboMarkets. RoboForex itself is regulated by the IFSC of Belize and offers extremely good trading conditions. While both RoboForex and RoboMarkets offer a MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and R Stocks Trader, it is only RoboForex that provides access to cTrader.
RoboForex has earned the trust of over 1 million clients in 169 countries and it is easy to see why. The minimum deposit the broker requires is just $10 but the possibilities its accounts offer are many. Clients would get access to instruments from 8 asset classes including forex, stocks, indices, ETFs, soft commodities, energies, metals, and cryptocurrencies. The spreads and maximum leverage you can get access to depend on the account type you choose. You could either trade with floating spreads from 0 pips but with lower leverage (up to 1:500) and additional commissions or with spreads starting from 1.3 pips, no commissions, and leverage of up to 1:2000.
The broker offers an extremely wide variety of payment solutions and charges no deposit or withdrawal fees. Be sure to also check out their attractive bonus offers.
| License | CySEC, IFSC |
| Trading Platform | cTrader, MT4, MT5, R Stocks Trader |
| Minimum Deposit | $10 |
| Spreads | From 0.o pips/1.3 pips depending on the account type |
| Leverage | 1:2000 |
Fondex
Fondex is a Cyprus-regulated broker that also has a branch in Seychelles. The broker offers good, transparent trading conditions and does not even ask for a specific minimum deposit to let you start trading. The spreads it offers start from 0.5 pips and there are no added commissions. Moreover, the broker does not charge deposit and withdrawal fees. Fondex also offers an excellent copy-trading solution which makes it a good choice for beginners. The only platform the broker offers is cTrader.
| License | CySEC, FSA |
| Trading Platform | cTrader |
| Minimum Deposit | No minimum deposit |
| Spreads | from 0.5 pips |
| Leverage | 1:30 (in the EU), 1:500 (globally) |
Axiory
| License | IFSC, FSC of Mauritius |
| Trading Platform | cTrader, MT4, MT5 |
| Minimum Deposit | $10 |
| Spreads | from 0.3 pips/1.3 pips depending on the account type |
| Leverage | 1:777 |
Axiory is a Belize broker that aims to offer services to international clients – both beginners and professionals. The broker offers affordable trading accounts with a minimum deposit of just $10, as well as a great research and education section which makes it great for those that are new to the world of trading. The variety of trading platforms and options for high leverage will surely attract more active traders. The tight spreads and low commissions ($6 round-turn on accounts that are not commission-free) are not to be neglected either.
The broker offers a great number of additional tools such as a copy-trading solution (only on Max accounts), Autochartist, additional custom indicators, and its own trading app. There are generally no deposit and withdrawal fees.
Tradeview
| License | MFSA, CIMA, FSC, FSA |
| Trading Platform | cTrader, MT4, MT5, Currenex |
| Minimum Deposit | $100 |
| Spreads | Depending on the account type |
| Leverage | 1:30 (in the EU), 1:400 (globally) |
Tradeview is a Maltese broker that was established as far back as 2004 and is regulated by MFSA (Malta), CIMA (Cayman Islands), FSC (Mauritius), and FSA (Labuan). The broker has a solid reputation in the industry and charges low fees. You could choose from two account types – Innovative Liquidity Connector, and X Leverage Account.
The Innovative Liquidity Connector offers very tight spreads from 0.0 pips but is quite expensive – $1000. The leverage you would be trading with is lower – 1:100 – and there is an additional round-turn commission of $5. The X Leverage Account account offers leverage of up to 1:400 and comes with no additional commissions and a lower minimum deposit requirement – of $100.
FXPrimus
| License | CySEC, VFSC |
| Trading Platform | MT4, MT5, cTrader |
| Minimum Deposit | $15 |
| Spreads | from 0.0 pips/1.5 pips |
| Leverage | 1:30 (in the EU), 1:1000 (globally) |
FXPrimus was founded in 2009 in Cyprus and has since established a presence in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The broker offers MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader but cTrader is only available on the broker’s PrimusCLASSIC account.
PrimusCLASSIC can have USD, EUR, GBP, SGD, and PLN as base currencies, and provides access to leverage as high as 1:1000 (for international traders). Spreads start from 1.5 pips and there are no added commissions. That is also the only account that allows copy-trading. The minimum deposit required to open the account is just $15.
Getting access to tighter spreads (starting from 0.0 pips) is possible but you will have to be willing to make a bigger initial deposit ($500 or $1000 depending on the account type) and pay additional commissions – between $5 and $10 per lot depending on the trading platform you are using. The maximum leverage on such accounts is also generally lower – up to 1:500.
Keep in mind that the number of instruments the broker offers is relatively limited – forex, equities, precious metals, energies, futures, and indices.
Skilling
| License | CySEC, FSA |
| Trading Platform | MT4, cTrader, Skilling Trader |
| Minimum Deposit | $100 |
| Spreads | From 0.1 pips/0.7 pips |
| Leverage | 1:30 (in the EU), 1:500 (globally) |
Skilling is a Cypriot broker with offices in Seychelles, Cyprus, London, Malta, and Spain. What is impressive about this broker is that they offer very tight spreads even on their Standard account – starting from 0.7 pips. The commissions on Premium accounts that offer spreads starting as low as 0.1 pips are more than reasonable – $30 per one million. To open a Premium account, however, you would have to invest at least $5000 while the Standard account would cost you just $100. Skilling offers 900 forex and CFD financial instruments, including currency pairs, shares, commodities, indices, and cryptocurrencies. The broker also provides access to a very functional copy-trading solution.