Best Brokers For Customer Service
The best brokers for customer service combine competitive trading conditions with helpful and responsive support, putting the clients first. Whether you are in India, the UK or the United States, good customer service is one of the most important things to look for in forex brokers or any kind of broker. Read our full guide to learn why selecting one of the best brokers for customer service is important and how to compare the options. We have also compiled a list of our top broker recommendations below.
Top Brokers For Customer Service
These 5 brokers offer the fastest and most reliable customer support based on our tests:
#1 - AvaTrade
Why We Chose AvaTrade
AvaTrade is a leading forex and CFD broker, established in 2006 and regulated across 9 jurisdictions. Over 400,000 users have signed up with the broker which processes over 2 million trades each month. The firm offers multiple trading platforms, including MT4, MT5, and a proprietary WebTrader. 1250+ financial instruments are available for day trading, alongside a comprehensive education center and multilingual customer support.
"AvaTrade offers the full package for short-term traders. There is powerful charting software, reliable execution, transparent fees, and fast account opening with a low minimum deposit."
- DayTrading Review Team
- Instruments: CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Bonds, Crypto, Spread Betting
- Regulator: ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, ISA, CBol, FSA, FSRA, BVI, ADGM
- Platforms: WebTrader, AvaTradeGO, AvaOptions, MT4, MT5, AlgoTrader, TradingCentral, DupliTrade
- Minimum Trade: 0.01 Lots
- Leverage: 1:30 (Retail) 1:400 (Pro)
Pros
- There's a great range of fee-free deposit methods, including bank wire, credit cards and popular e-wallets like Skrill
- The broker’s unique risk management tool, AvaProtect, protects against losses up to $1 million and is easy to activate in the platform
- WebTrader is well-suited to beginners and features a strong suite of technical analysis tools and market research for day traders
Cons
- There’s an above-average $50 inactivity fee after three months, though this won't impact active day traders
- Traders from the US are not accepted
- It’s a shame that there are no rebate schemes for serious traders looking for additional perks - CMC Markets would be a better choice here
#2 - OANDA US
Why We Chose OANDA US
OANDA is a popular brand offering exceptional execution, low deposit requirements and advanced charting and trading platform features. The top-rated brand has over 25 years of experience and is regulated by trusted agencies, including the NFA/CFTC. Around the clock support is available for short-term traders, alongside flexible contract sizes and automated trade executions.
"OANDA remains an excellent broker for US day traders seeking a user-friendly platform with premium analysis tools and a straightforward joining process. OANDA is also heavily regulated with a very high trust score."
- DayTrading Review Team
- Instruments: Forex, Crypto
- Regulator: NFA, CFTC
- Platforms: OANDA Trade, MT4, TradingView, AutoChartist
- Minimum Deposit: $0
- Minimum Trade: 0.01 Lots
- Leverage: 1:50
Pros
- Beginners can get started easily with $0 minimum initial deposit
- OANDA is a reliable, trustworthy and secure brand with authorization from tier-one regulators including the CFTC
- The broker offers a transparent pricing structure with no hidden charges
Cons
- The range of day trading markets is limited to forex and cryptos only
- It's a shame that customer support is not available on weekends
- There's only a small range of payment methods available, with no e-wallets supported
#3 - Deriv.com
Why We Chose Deriv.com
Deriv.com is a low cost, multi-asset broker with over 2.5 million global clients. With just a $5 minimum deposit, the firm offers CFDs, multipliers and more recently accumulators, alongside proprietary synthetic products which can't be found elsewhere. Deriv provides both its own in-house charting software and the hugely popular MetaTrader 5.
"Deriv.com will suit day traders looking to make fast-paced trades using CFDs and multipliers with high leverage up to 1:1000. The broker is also the industry leader in synthetic indices, which simulate real market movements and are available around the clock. "
- DayTrading Review Team
- Instruments: CFDs, Multipliers, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities
- Regulator: MFSA, LFSA, VFSC, BFSC
- Platforms: Deriv Trader, MT5
- Minimum Deposit: $5
- Minimum Trade: 0.01 Lots
- Leverage: 1:1000
Pros
- Deriv continues to offer fast and reliable 24/7 support and the WhatsApp service is particularly convenient
- There's a good range of fast deposit and withdrawal methods with zero payment fees and low minimum deposits
- Traders can use multipliers between 1 and 30, with take profit, stop loss and deal cancellation parameters
Cons
- There's no loyalty program or rebate scheme for high volume traders
- There are limited copy trading tools and analysis features compared to alternatives like IQ Cent
- The range of 100+ assets trails some competitors such as Quotex which offers 400+
#4 - Pepperstone
Why We Chose Pepperstone
Established in Australia in 2010, Pepperstone is a top-rated forex and CFD broker with over 400,000 clients worldwide. It offers access to 1,300+ instruments on leading platforms MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView, maintaining low, transparent fees. Pepperstone is also regulated by trusted authorities like the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC, ensuring a secure environment for day traders at all levels.
"Pepperstone stands out as a top choice for day trading, offering razor-sharp spreads, ultra-fast execution, and advanced charting platforms for experienced traders. New traders are also welcomed with no minimum deposit, extensive educational resources, and exceptional 24/7 support."
- DayTrading Review Team
- Instruments: CFDs, Forex, Currency Indices, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Crypto, Spread Betting
- Regulator: FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, CMA, BaFin, SCB
- Platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, AutoChartist, DupliTrade
- Minimum Deposit: $0
- Minimum Trade: 0.01 Lots
- Leverage: 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
Pros
- Pepperstone boasts impressive execution speeds, averaging around 30ms, facilitating fast order processing and execution that’s ideal for day trading.
- Award-winning customer support is available via telephone, email or live chat with response times of <5 minutes during testing.
- There’s support for a range of industry-leading charting platforms including MT4, MT5, TradingView, and cTrader, catering to various short-term trading styles, including algo trading.
Cons
- Despite enhancements to its range of markets, crypto offerings are relatively limited compared to other brokers such as eToro, with no option to invest in real coins.
- Pepperstone does not support cTrader Copy, a popular copy trading feature built into the excellent cTrader platform and available at alternatives like IC Markets.
- Pepperstone’s demo accounts are active for only 30 days, which may not be not long enough to familiarize yourself with the different platforms and test trading strategies.
#5 - XM
Why We Chose XM
XM is a globally recognized forex and CFD broker with 10+ million clients in 190+ countries. Since 2009, this trusted broker has been known for its low fees on 1000+ instruments. XM is regulated by multiple financial bodies, including the ASIC and CySEC.
"XM is one of the best forex and CFD brokers we have tested. The flexible account types will suit a variety of short-term trading styles while the $5 minimum deposit and smooth sign-up process make it easy to start trading."
- DayTrading Review Team
- Instruments: Forex, Stock CFDs, Turbo Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Precious Metals, Energies, Shares, Crypto, Futures
- Regulator: ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, FSC, FSCA
- Platforms: MT4, MT5
- Minimum Deposit: $5
- Minimum Trade: 0.01 Lots
Pros
- Transparent and low fees with spreads from 0.0 pips that will help protect day trading profit margins
- 1000+ instruments are available, including recently added thematic indices, providing exposure to emerging industries
- XM continues to deliver diverse and multilingual educational materials and offers a useful live education schedule for its webinars and insights
Cons
- PayPal deposits are not supported
- There's $5 inactivity fee after only 3 months, though this won't affect active traders
- There is weak regulatory oversight through the global entity
Why Is Customer Service Important?
When people compare brokers, it is easy to look first at factors like how low the fees are, the variety of assets on offer, how easy the trading platforms are to use and the different methods for depositing and withdrawing funds. These are all key aspects that need to be considered but finding the best brokers for customer service is often overlooked. In reality, customer service is just as important, if not more important than some of these aspects.
If you encounter difficulties while trading, you need to be able to get in contact with customer service quickly and efficiently. A good broker will have contact details clearly defined with a variety of methods for you to get in touch. Additionally, they should be responsive at all times, many assets continue over the weekend so you need a broker that will respond at any time you should encounter any issues. A responsive broker leads to a healthier trading experience as you do not have to spend time worrying about your issues being resolved.
Customer Service Scenarios
A good way to understand why finding the best brokers for customer service is important is to look at different potential scenarios:
Consider that you have opened some positions that are running into the weekend. The plan was to close these trades on Saturday and Sunday but, come Saturday morning, you have lost your login details and the password reset email will not come through. You desperately need to get into your account to close these trades or you risk losing your capital. The broker you have chosen does not offer a weekend hotline and, even though you have opened many tickets online, there is no response. The broker finally responds on Monday and gets you back into your account but it is too late as the optimal window to close the trades has passed, you have lost a significant portion of your account and the broker does not care about your losses.
Let us say that you have tried to withdraw funds from your account. You allowed the 1-2 business days stated on the broker’s website but the funds still have not hit your bank account, even though it has been four days. Upon reaching out to customer support, the agent is rude and does not care about the issue. They request a host of different documents that are very difficult to find and it seems like you may never get your money.
You experience a technical issue while trading. Something is off and you contact customer support to try and resolve the issue. They respond and state that they have forwarded it to the specialist but they won’t be in the office for a few days, leaving you with open trades on a malfunctioning site for several days.
Each of these scenarios would have had a positive outcome had you chosen one of the best brokers for customer service levels. In the first example, if you had selected a broker with good customer service, they would have responded in a timely fashion on the weekend and got you back into the account in time to close the trades for a profit. In the second, the customer support team would have responded in a friendly manner and provided a solution to get the funds into your bank without creating hoops for you to jump through. Finally, in the third, a good customer support team would have worked to solve the issue as soon as possible, ensuring that it does not affect your trading experience any longer than it needs to.
How To Compare The Best Brokers For Customer Service
Payment Methods
The best brokers for customer service will provide several methods that you can use to contact them. These should ideally be a mixture of non-invasive and live conversation methods. Non-invasive tools like email, text messaging and contact forms will give people who may be busy at work the opportunity to respond to messages from customer service at a time that suits them. Live communication, such as phone calls and live chats, is also very useful. This is particularly useful in situations where the issue is not clearly defined as live conversations make it easy for information and data to be gleaned by customer support, which makes solving the issue simpler.
Language
Another aspect to look out for is the number of supported languages, especially if you are an international client. Ideally, the broker should be able to provide meaningful support to clients in all geographical regions that they operate in. This makes it much easier and less frustrating, you do not want to have the added stress of not understanding most of what is being said.
Experience
The best brokers for customer service should have support teams with impeccable knowledge of their brokerage. If the team knows the ins and outs of the firm, financial markets and services offered, they can easily solve problems whenever you have them.
Available Hours
Some brokers will offer support only on weekdays, while others might cover the weekends or limit their opening hours during a standard working day. 24/7 support is great for clients trading assets and markets that are open on the weekends, such as cryptocurrencies, as you will be able to quickly sort any issues that might result in you losing money. However, this isn’t the be-all and end-all. If every asset you trade closes over the weekend, such as forex, stocks and ETFs, 24/7 customer support may not garner much more than 24/5.
Pros Of Good Customer Service
These are the key advantages of good customer service:
- Happier trading experience
- Issues can be resolved quickly
- Always on hand should funding issues occur
- Less stress worrying about issues being resolved
- Support offered on the weekend in case of issues
- Support is offered in a variety of languages making communication easy
Final Word On The Best Brokers For Customer Service
Finding the best brokers for customer service can make the overall trading experience much more pleasant. It is always important to have a support team on hand whenever you encounter issues, no matter how small they are. The best brokers have a positive team who know the brokerage inside and out, available 24/7 to help you. When looking for a broker, check our comparison guide to ensure you make the right choice.
FAQs
What Does 24/5 Support Mean From The Best Brokers For Customer Service?
If a broker states that they offer 24/5 support, this means that the team is available all day and night on weekdays. The support team for this broker will not be contactable on weekends.
What Is The Most Important Factor When Comparing The Best Brokers For Customer Service?
All the different factors are important. If we had to single one out, we would probably consider 24/7 availability to be the most important as you do not want to be caught out on weekends with open trades. However, if you will be trading instruments that are closed on the weekends, responsiveness and experience may be more important.
What Is A Better Support Communication Method, Email Or Phone?
Both have their positives. Email allows you to respond whenever suits you but may take a little longer, whereas phone calls will probably have the issue fixed sooner but you must be present at the time.
What Factors Should I Look Out For When Comparing The Best Brokers For Customer Service?
There are a few things to compare. We believe the most important factors are the team’s experience, responsiveness, availability, contact methods and supported languages.
Is Politeness Of The Support Team Important?
Yes, it is. The support team should be polite and helpful in all situations as it leads to a much happier support experience. If you are having issues that could cost you money, you do not want to be dealing with rude support staff.