7Forex.com
4.6
Fortune 500 backing with best-in-class research.
FCA #113942 · Min £100 · Spread 0.8 pips
Forex.com offers 5,500+ markets on Web Trader and MT4 with FSCS protection up to £85,000. Best for: Fundamentally-driven macro traders.
Side-by-side
Compare UK forex brokers, feature by feature
Every FCA-regulated broker we cover, lined up on the metrics that actually decide which account you should fund next. Every possible head-to-head match-up is on this page, and each one opens a full dedicated comparison page with live-tested spread charts, pros and cons, pillar-by-pillar scoring and an editorial winner.
The Amazing Reviews desk in Canary Wharf trades every broker on this leaderboard with real UK capital across a 60-day evaluation window. Nothing on this page is influenced by commercial arrangements, and every fact is cross-referenced against the FCA Register.
Featured brokerRank #1
IG
4.9
Editor's #1 for a first serious UK FX and CFD account. FCA authorised since 1974, listed on the LSE, 17,000+ markets.
Featured brokerRank #3
Pepperstone
4.8
Raw-spread challenger with the lowest all-in cost on our desk for scalpers and EA users on MT4, MT5 and cTrader.
What is on this page
How to use the Amazing Reviews compare tool
This page is the Amazing Reviews compare tool for FCA-regulated UK forex brokers. At the top of the hero sit two featured broker cards, one Editor's #1 pick and one specialist challenger, because most UK readers arrive on this page already halfway to a shortlist and want a fast sanity-check against the two names they already know. Below the hero, the featured head-to-head cards cover the six comparisons UK traders search for most.
Underneath the featured cards is the full comparison table, ranking every FCA broker on the site against nine metrics with Trade Now and Read Review buttons in every row. After the table comes the "all 66 pairings" grid, which links every broker to every other broker on the site, so if your shortlist is XTB vs Plus500 or Interactive Brokers vs Saxo you can jump directly into the dedicated pair page with one click.
Every dedicated pair page is a full editorial document: a dual-line EUR/USD spread chart overlaying both brokers across the London session, a pillar-by-pillar scorecard, per-broker pros and cons, a side-by-side data table, and an editorial verdict declaring a winner. That is why this page shows every possible pair rather than a curated few, no UK reader should have to open a Google search to find the comparison they actually need.
How our comparison scoring works
Four pillars, applied to every broker on every pair page
Regulation & Safety
30%FCA authorisation verified against the register, FSCS coverage, ownership and audited financials.
Pricing & Execution
30%Live spread capture across London hours, slippage on 1,000+ market orders, commission structure.
Platforms & Tools
20%Platform depth, mobile experience, order types, charting, API access and third-party integrations.
Service & Support
20%Onboarding speed, withdrawal times, quality of research and responsiveness of support.
Featured head-to-head
The UK broker match-ups traders open first
Every card below opens a dedicated pair page with a dual-line spread chart, a full pillar-by-pillar scorecard, per-broker pros and cons, a side-by-side data table and an editorial verdict.
IG vs Pepperstone
Winner, IGIG
#1 · 0.6 pips
IG is the UK's most established retail forex and CFD broker. Authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority since 1974 and listed on the London Stock Exchange, IG serves more than 313,000 active clients globally with over…
Pepperstone
#3 · 0.0 pips (Razor)
Pepperstone is FCA-regulated (684312) with headquarters in London and additional licences from ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, BaFin, CMA and SCB, making it one of the most heavily regulated retail brokers on the planet. The Razor ac…
Editorial take, The classic UK duel, the LSE-listed FCA pioneer against the low-cost Raw-spread challenger. IG wins on breadth and research; Pepperstone wins on all-in cost for scalpers and EA traders.
Regulation & Safety5.0 vs 4.9
Pricing & Execution4.7 vs 4.6
Platforms & Tools4.8 vs 4.7
Service & Support4.6 vs 4.5
IG vs CMC Markets
Winner, IGIG
#1 · 0.6 pips
IG is the UK's most established retail forex and CFD broker. Authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority since 1974 and listed on the London Stock Exchange, IG serves more than 313,000 active clients globally with over…
CMC Markets
#2 · 0.7 pips
CMC Markets has been a fixture of the UK retail trading scene since 1989. FCA-authorised and LSE-listed, CMC's flagship Next Generation platform is widely regarded as the most comprehensive charting environment offered b…
Editorial take, Two London-listed heavyweights. IG offers deeper product breadth and DMA on FX; CMC's Next Generation platform is arguably the finest charting workspace in the FCA universe.
Regulation & Safety5.0 vs 4.9
Pricing & Execution4.7 vs 4.6
Platforms & Tools4.8 vs 4.7
Service & Support4.6 vs 4.5
Pepperstone vs IC Markets
Winner, PepperstonePepperstone
#3 · 0.0 pips (Razor)
Pepperstone is FCA-regulated (684312) with headquarters in London and additional licences from ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, BaFin, CMA and SCB, making it one of the most heavily regulated retail brokers on the planet. The Razor ac…
IC Markets
#6 · 0.0 pips (Raw)
IC Markets is widely regarded as one of the world's leading true ECN brokers, founded in Sydney in 2007. UK and EU clients are onboarded through IC Markets (EU) Ltd, regulated by CySEC and passported into the UK.…
Editorial take, The two ECN-style giants, both FCA-authorised. Pepperstone edges service and swap financing; IC Markets tends to win the raw spread by a fraction on the biggest FX pairs.
Regulation & Safety4.9 vs 4.8
Pricing & Execution4.6 vs 4.5
Platforms & Tools4.7 vs 4.6
Service & Support4.5 vs 4.4
Saxo vs IG
Winner, IGSaxo
#4 · 0.4 pips
Saxo Markets is the UK arm of Saxo Bank, a fully licensed Danish investment bank founded in 1992. FCA-authorised (551422) with FSCS protection, Saxo offers institutional-grade access to 71,000+ instruments across every l…
IG
#1 · 0.6 pips
IG is the UK's most established retail forex and CFD broker. Authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority since 1974 and listed on the London Stock Exchange, IG serves more than 313,000 active clients globally with over…
Editorial take, Multi-asset depth versus retail polish. Saxo unlocks global equities and options across 50+ venues; IG remains the smoother retail experience for a UK spread bet or CFD trader.
Regulation & Safety4.8 vs 5.0
Pricing & Execution4.5 vs 4.7
Platforms & Tools4.6 vs 4.8
Service & Support4.4 vs 4.6
OANDA vs Forex.com
Winner, Forex.comOANDA
#10 · 1.0 pips
OANDA has been a pioneer of transparent retail forex since 1996. FCA-authorised (542574), the firm publishes historical spread and execution statistics monthly, an unusual level of transparency in retail FX.…
Forex.com
#7 · 0.8 pips
Forex.com is the retail brand of GAIN Capital, part of NYSE-listed StoneX Group. FCA-authorised in the UK, Forex.com combines Fortune 500 balance-sheet backing with one of the strongest research desks in retail FX.…
Editorial take, Two US-heritage FX specialists. OANDA leads on transparent pricing and API access; FOREX.com counters with StoneX-group balance sheet and MT5 support.
Regulation & Safety4.6 vs 4.7
Pricing & Execution4.3 vs 4.4
Platforms & Tools4.4 vs 4.5
Service & Support4.2 vs 4.3
Capital.com vs Plus500
Winner, Capital.comCapital.com
#5 · 0.6 pips
Capital.com is FCA-authorised and has quickly become one of the fastest-growing brokers in Europe, thanks in large part to its AI-powered Investmate app that turns individual trading behaviour into personalised education…
Plus500
#12 · 0.8 pips
Plus500UK Ltd is FCA-authorised (509909) and listed on the LSE Main Market (FTSE 250). Founded in 2008, Plus500 serves 25M+ registered customers with a clean, mobile-first proprietary platform.…
Editorial take, Two of the largest CFD names by retail account count in Europe. Capital.com wins on native AI-assisted analytics; Plus500 keeps the interface deliberately simple.
Regulation & Safety4.8 vs 4.5
Pricing & Execution4.5 vs 4.2
Platforms & Tools4.6 vs 4.3
Service & Support4.4 vs 4.1
Full comparison table
Every FCA-regulated UK broker we cover
Sort by the metric that matters most to your style, then open the full review or start trading directly from the row.
| Broker | Rating | Min Deposit | Min Spread | Leverage | Platforms | Regulation | Est. | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IG Rank #1 | 4.9 | £0 | 0.6 pips | 1:30 (retail) | IG Web, MT4, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer | FCA #195355 | 1974 | |
CMC Markets Rank #2 | 4.8 | £0 | 0.7 pips | 1:30 (retail) | Next Generation, MT4, TradingView | FCA #173730 | 1989 | |
Pepperstone Rank #3 | 4.8 | £0 | 0.0 pips (Razor) | 1:30 (retail) | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView | FCA #684312 | 2010 | |
Saxo Rank #4 | 4.7 | £500 | 0.4 pips | 1:30 (retail) | SaxoTraderGO, SaxoTraderPRO, Saxo Mobile | FCA #551422 | 1992 | |
Capital.com Rank #5 | 4.7 | £20 | 0.6 pips | 1:30 (retail) | Capital.com Web, Capital.com Mobile, MT4, TradingView | FCA #793714 | 2016 | |
IC Markets Rank #6 | 4.7 | $200 | 0.0 pips (Raw) | 1:30 (retail UK) | MT4, MT5, cTrader | FCA #Passported via CySEC | 2007 | |
Forex.com Rank #7 | 4.6 | £100 | 0.8 pips | 1:30 (retail) | Web Trader, MT4, MT5, TradingView | FCA #113942 | 2001 | |
Interactive Brokers Rank #8 | 4.7 | £0 | 0.1 pips | 1:30 (retail) | Trader Workstation, IBKR Mobile, IBKR Desktop, API | FCA #208159 | 1978 | |
City Index Rank #9 | 4.6 | £100 | 0.5 pips | 1:30 (retail) | Web Trader, MT4, TradingView | FCA #113942 | 1983 | |
OANDA Rank #10 | 4.5 | £0 | 1.0 pips | 1:30 (retail) | OANDA Trade, MT4, MT5, TradingView | FCA #542574 | 1996 | |
XTB Rank #11 | 4.5 | £0 | 0.5 pips | 1:30 (retail) | xStation 5, xStation Mobile | FCA #522157 | 2002 | |
Plus500 Rank #12 | 4.4 | £100 | 0.8 pips | 1:30 (retail) | Plus500 Web, Plus500 Mobile | FCA #509909 | 2008 |
How to read a broker comparison table
What a professional desk actually looks at
Section 1
All-in cost, not the headline spread
Retail tables publish a single headline number for spread. Professional desks look through that to the effective all-in cost: half-spread, plus commission, plus overnight financing on any position held past 22:00 GMT, plus conversion charges on non-GBP denominated trades. On a busy London-hour trade in EUR/USD the difference between two FCA-regulated brokers with the same headline number can still be 20 to 40% once financing and conversion are added back.
Section 2
Execution quality beats a tight print
A tight spread that slips two pips on a stop-loss costs more than a wider spread that fills where it prints. In our 60-day tests, the biggest FCA-regulated brokers, IG, CMC Markets, Pepperstone, Saxo and IC Markets, fill inside a tolerance you would expect from a tier-one venue. Slippage starts to hurt at the smaller and offshore-adjacent firms, which is why they do not appear on this page.
Section 3
Regulation is the non-negotiable filter
Everything on this page is FCA-authorised, holds client money in segregated UK bank accounts, and offers FSCS protection up to £85,000 on eligible claims. Offshore brokers do not appear here, no matter what commission is on offer. If a broker is not on the FCA Register it does not belong on a UK ranking table.
Section 4
The comparison that actually matters is yours
The comparison you care about is not "which broker is cheapest" in the abstract, it is "which broker is cheapest for the way I trade." A once-a-week swing trader on GBP/USD pays overnight financing that a scalper never sees; a scalper pays commission on volume that a swing trader never notices. Use the featured cards and the all-pairs grid above to filter for the pillar that matches your style before you fund a live account.
Risk warning
Between 69% and 82% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs and spread bets. Trading leveraged products carries a high risk of losing money rapidly and is not suitable for every investor. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
This comparison tool is designed to make broker due diligence faster, not to substitute for it. Verify current pricing, margin and product terms directly with the broker before you fund an account.
Featured brokerRank #2
CMC Markets
4.8
London-listed, awarded Next Generation charting workspace, deep FX and index CFD range for chartists.
Featured brokerRank #4
Saxo
4.7
Global multi-asset depth, 50+ equity venues plus FX, options and bonds under FCA and DFSA regulation.
All pairings, all brokers
Every possible head-to-head, 66 match-ups
We publish a dedicated pair page for every combination of brokers on the leaderboard so you can open the exact comparison you need. Click any card below to open a full editorial pair page.
IG vs CMC Markets
#1 · #2
IG vs Pepperstone
#1 · #3
IG vs Saxo
#1 · #4
IG vs Capital.com
#1 · #5
IG vs IC Markets
#1 · #6
IG vs Forex.com
#1 · #7
IG vs Interactive Brokers
#1 · #8
IG vs City Index
#1 · #9
IG vs OANDA
#1 · #10
IG vs XTB
#1 · #11
IG vs Plus500
#1 · #12
CMC Markets vs Pepperstone
#2 · #3
CMC Markets vs Saxo
#2 · #4
CMC Markets vs Capital.com
#2 · #5
CMC Markets vs IC Markets
#2 · #6
CMC Markets vs Forex.com
#2 · #7
CMC Markets vs Interactive Brokers
#2 · #8
CMC Markets vs City Index
#2 · #9
CMC Markets vs OANDA
#2 · #10
CMC Markets vs XTB
#2 · #11
CMC Markets vs Plus500
#2 · #12
Pepperstone vs Saxo
#3 · #4
Pepperstone vs Capital.com
#3 · #5
Pepperstone vs IC Markets
#3 · #6
Pepperstone vs Forex.com
#3 · #7
Pepperstone vs Interactive Brokers
#3 · #8
Pepperstone vs City Index
#3 · #9
Pepperstone vs OANDA
#3 · #10
Pepperstone vs XTB
#3 · #11
Pepperstone vs Plus500
#3 · #12
Saxo vs Capital.com
#4 · #5
Saxo vs IC Markets
#4 · #6
Saxo vs Forex.com
#4 · #7
Saxo vs Interactive Brokers
#4 · #8
Saxo vs City Index
#4 · #9
Saxo vs OANDA
#4 · #10
Saxo vs XTB
#4 · #11
Saxo vs Plus500
#4 · #12
Capital.com vs IC Markets
#5 · #6
Capital.com vs Forex.com
#5 · #7
Capital.com vs Interactive Brokers
#5 · #8
Capital.com vs City Index
#5 · #9
Capital.com vs OANDA
#5 · #10
Capital.com vs XTB
#5 · #11
Capital.com vs Plus500
#5 · #12
IC Markets vs Forex.com
#6 · #7
IC Markets vs Interactive Brokers
#6 · #8
IC Markets vs City Index
#6 · #9
IC Markets vs OANDA
#6 · #10
IC Markets vs XTB
#6 · #11
IC Markets vs Plus500
#6 · #12
Forex.com vs Interactive Brokers
#7 · #8
Forex.com vs City Index
#7 · #9
Forex.com vs OANDA
#7 · #10
Forex.com vs XTB
#7 · #11
Forex.com vs Plus500
#7 · #12
Interactive Brokers vs City Index
#8 · #9
Interactive Brokers vs OANDA
#8 · #10
Interactive Brokers vs XTB
#8 · #11
Interactive Brokers vs Plus500
#8 · #12
City Index vs OANDA
#9 · #10
City Index vs XTB
#9 · #11
City Index vs Plus500
#9 · #12
OANDA vs XTB
#10 · #11
OANDA vs Plus500
#10 · #12
XTB vs Plus500
#11 · #12
UK Broker Directory
More on UK broker comparison and FCA-regulated UK brokers
The Amazing Reviews desk covers every FCA-authorised broker available to UK retail traders, from spread-betting incumbents like IG and CMC Markets through to raw-spread ECN specialists such as Pepperstone and IC Markets. Every firm we list holds current FCA authorisation, offers FSCS protection up to £85,000 on eligible claims, and has been tested live by our editorial desk in Canary Wharf with real capital before we publish a verdict.
UK broker comparison is one slice of that coverage. The pages below extend the analysis into related categories, side-by-side comparisons and the methodology behind our scoring. If you are opening your first live account, start with the beginner ranking; if you are moving broker to reduce costs, jump straight into the comparison tool and pull the tightest spreads by session.
None of the brokers on Amazing Reviews are offshore or unauthorised. If a firm cannot be located on the FCA Register we do not cover it, regardless of commercial incentive. Every ranking is decided before any commercial conversation opens, and we routinely publish critical verdicts on brokers we hold commercial arrangements with.
The directory itself is refreshed after every 60-day evaluation cycle. That cadence matters, spreads move, platforms change, and FCA permissions get amended. When a broker on our list changes materially between cycles, we publish an interim update rather than wait for the next full pass. That is the same standard we apply whether the firm has a commercial relationship with Amazing Reviews or not.
Sponsored, FCA-authorised
10OANDA
4.5
Transparent pricing pioneer with flexible lot sizes.
FCA #542574 · Min £0 · Spread 1.0 pips
OANDA offers 125+ markets on OANDA Trade and MT4 with FSCS protection up to £85,000. Best for: Beginners and API-driven algorithmic traders.
2CMC Markets
4.8
Award-winning Next Generation platform, built for chartists.
FCA #173730 · Min £0 · Spread 0.7 pips
CMC Markets offers 12,000+ markets on Next Generation and MT4 with FSCS protection up to £85,000. Best for: Discretionary traders who live on the chart.