FOREX.com vs Expert Option

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FOREX.com vs Expert Option Comparison Table 2024
FOREX.com Expert Option
4.5

FOREX.com is #1 in our broker rankings.

3.5
United States Flag Traders from US accepted
United States Flag Traders from US not accepted

Founded in 1999, FOREX.com is now part of StoneX, a financial services organization serving over one million customers worldwide. Regulated in the US, UK, EU, Australia and beyond, the broker offers thousands of markets, not just forex, and provides excellent pricing on cutting-edge platforms.

Expert Option is an offshore broker that offers a simple and intuitive trading experience through a bespoke, user-friendly platform. Short-term traders can access 100 popular assets via binary options contracts with payouts up to 95%, free educational resources, and market data available to upper-tier account holders.

Customer Reviews
4.7
5
Bonus Offer
Active Trader Program With A 15% Reduction In Costs 100% deposit bonus
Promotions

Forex.com Offers Welcome Bonus Up To $5000

Comment by Reviewer
"FOREX.com remains a best-in-class brokerage for active forex traders of all experience levels, with over 80 currency pairs, tight spreads from 0.0 pips and low commissions. The powerful charting platforms collectively offer over 100 technical indicators, as well as extensive research tools." "Expert Option will suit aspiring traders who want to access the financial markets through an options broker with a very easy-to-learn bespoke platform. The user-friendly day trading platform is clear and reliable."
Pros
  • With over 20 years of experience, excellent regulatory oversight, and multiple accolades including runner-up in our 'Best Forex Broker' awards, FOREX.com boasts a global reputation as a trusted brokerage.
  • The in-house Web Trader continues to shine as one of the best-designed platforms for aspiring day traders with a slick design and over 80 technical indicators for market analysis.
  • Alongside a choice of leading platforms, FOREX.com offers a superb suite of supplementary tools including Trading Central research, SMART Signals pattern scanner, trading signals, and strategy builders.
  • FOREX.com offers industry-leading forex pricing starting from 0.0 pips, alongside competitive cashback rebates of up to 15% for serious day traders.
  • There’s a wealth of educational resources including tutorials, webinars, and a stacked YouTube channel to help you get educated in the financial markets.
  • The broker offers an easy to use, beginner-friendly proprietary trading platform with 4 chart types and social trading features
  • The diverse range of account currencies and 20+ accepted payment methods allow for flexible funding
  • There's a decent range of educational resources, including trading strategies, webinars and platform tutorials
  • The analytical tools for higher-level accounts are a useful addition for experienced day traders
  • High payouts up to 95% are above the industry average
  • There are no deposit and withdrawal fees which is ideal for active traders
  • Minimum deposits are low, starting from $10
Cons
  • Despite increasing its range of instruments, FOREX.com's product portfolio is still limited to forex and CFDs, so there are no options to invest in real stocks, real ETFs or real cryptocurrencies.
  • FOREX.com's MT4 platform offers approximately 600 instruments, significantly fewer than the over 5,500 available on its non-MetaTrader platforms.
  • Funding options are limited compared to leading alternatives like IC Markets and don’t include many popular e-wallets, notably UnionPay and POLi.
  • There’s no negative balance protection for US clients, so you may find yourself owing more money than your initial deposit into your account.
  • Demo accounts are frustratingly time-limited to 90 days, which doesn’t give you enough time to test day trading strategies effectively.
  • There's a very small list of binary assets with just 100 on offer compared to 1000+ offered by some competitors
  • Expert Option isn't available in several countries, including the EU, Australia and the US
  • The SVGFSA is a weak financial regulator with limited safeguarding measures
  • Very expensive $50 dormancy fee after 3 months of no trading activity
  • The broker doesn't offer any popular leveraged products such as CFDs
Awards
  • Best CFD Broker 2022 - Rankia
  • Best HNW Service 2022 - Dubai Forex Expo
  • Best US Broker 2020 - DayTrading.com
  • Best US Broker 2019 - DayTrading.com
  • Runner-Up - Best Forex Broker 2019 - DayTrading.com
Instruments
Forex, Stocks, Futures, Futures Options Options, Stocks, Commodities, Forex, Crypto, Futures,
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$100 $10
Trading Platforms
  • MT4
  • MT5
  • TradingView
  • eSignal
  • AutoChartist
  • TradingCentral
  • Expert Option Web Platform
Payment Methods
Debit Card, ACH Transfer, Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots $1
Regulator
NFA, CFTC SVGFSA
Margin Trading
Yes No
STP Account
Yes No
ECN Account
Yes No
DMA Account
Yes No
MAM Account
No No
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
Yes No
Robo Advisor
No No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes No
Market Maker
No No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes No
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
App Review

Running alongside the MT4 and Web Trader platforms, the FOREX.com app offers full trading capabilities on a user-friendly, compact platform. Integrated news and analysis, plus real time trade alerts, are two mobile specific features that set this app above the crowd. Additionally, it beats out MT4 when it comes to mobile charting tools, with over 80 indicators and 11 chart types, not to mention a slicker design that we love.

Expert Option has an unusual mobile trading offering in that it balances education with trading, potentially serving new traders. However, our tests reveal very basic quizzes and learning materials that barely scratch the surface of binaries. The ‘Tap Game’ is also gimmicky and does little to serve serious traders.

Android App Rating
3.8
4.2
iOS App Rating
3.6
2.5
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader ExpertBot
Copy Trading
No Yes
Copy Trading Platform
You can study and copy the positions of established VIPs to increase potential returns. Users can find master traders based on asset class and historic returns. A useful leaderboard is available to social traders.
Social Trading
No Yes
Trade Signals
SMART Signals Only for Platinum and Exclusive accounts
VPS Hosting
Yes No
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No No
Inactivity Fee
$15 $50
Islamic Account
Yes No
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • JPY
  • CHF
  • PLN
  • USD
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
Forex Trading
FOREX.com continues to uphold its stature as a premier FX broker, offering over 80 currency pairs and boasting some of the most competitive fees in the industry. With EUR/USD spreads dipping as low as 0.0 and $5 commission per $100k, it stands out. Moreover, its SMART Signals help to identify price behaviors across numerous major currency markets. Expert Option traders can access some of the most popular forex pairs including USD/EUR, GBP/USD and GBP/EUR using binary options contracts that payout up to 95%, well above the industry average of around 85%.
Forex App

Running alongside the Advanced and Web Trader Platforms, the FOREX.com mobile app offers full trading capabilities on a user-friendly, compact platform. Integrated news and analysis, plus real time trade alerts, are two mobile specific features that set this app above the crowd.

GBPUSD Spread
1.3 Variable
EURUSD Spread
1.2 Variable
EURGBP Spread
1.4 Variable
Assets
80+ 6
Cryptocurrency
Crypto trading not offered Traders can speculate on Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) price movements using high/low binary options on a proprietary platform. These are three of the most popular cryptocurrencies on the market, but the offering lacks the variety and volatility offered by less popular tokens.
Spread
BTC 1.4%, ETH 2% $5 on any winning trades
Coins
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • XRP
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • ETH
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
Binary Options
Binary options trading not offered Expert Option is a well-known binary options broker providing access to 100 assets with a $5 charge on winning trades. Payouts are competitive and users can speculate on rising or falling prices with one-click in the web-accessible platform. Binaries are aimed at ultra-short-term traders, ranging from 60 seconds to 5 minutes.
Payout
95%
Expiry Times
60 seconds - 5 minutes
Ladder Options
No No
Boundary Options
No Yes