FXCM vs ThinkMarkets

FXCM vs ThinkMarkets Comparison Table 2024
FXCM ThinkMarkets
3.5
4

FXCM is a respected forex and CFD broker, established since 1999. The British-headquartered broker has won multiple awards and operates in various jurisdictions, including the UK and Australia. With zero commissions, over 400 assets, and a range of analysis tools, FXCM remains a popular choice for day traders. The broker is also regulated by top-tier authorities including the FCA and ASIC.

Founded in 2010, ThinkMarkets is a reputable CFD and forex broker with regulation from several top-tier bodies including the FCA and ASIC. The broker provides services to over 450,000 accounts from 11 global offices. Traders can use a bespoke platform, MT4 or MT5 to access a wide variety of assets including 3500+ stocks and ETFs, 46 forex pairs and over 20 cryptocurrencies.

71.89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Customer Reviews
5
Comment by Reviewer
"FXCM maintains its position as a top pick for traders deploying automated trading strategies, with four powerful platforms, strategy backtesting and algo trading through APIs. The broker is also great for active traders, with discounted spreads and low to zero commissions on popular assets." "With its diverse asset list, competitive fees and superb charting software, ThinkMarkets maintains its position as a top choice for most CFD traders. That said, experienced traders will particularly appreciate the range of advanced tools, including forex signals and VPS solutions."
Pros
  • Alongside the 4 charting platforms, FXCM also offers a market-leading range of specialist software for experienced investors, including QuantConnect, AgenaTrader and Sierra Chart
  • The proprietary Trading Station terminal is a good choice for day traders looking for an all-in-one solution for their short-term and automated trading strategies
  • Traders can utilize several top-tier trading tools including a market scanner, forex signals and third-party research site, eFXPlus
  • FXCM’s global reputation is impressive, with licenses from the FCA, ASIC, CySEC and FSCA and a 20-year business history
  • A range of funding methods are available including bank cards, Apply Pay and PayPal, with instant processing times
  • The broker offers spread discounts and other excellent perks for experienced traders in the Active Trader account
  • FXCM has expanded its range of trading opportunities with 24-hour stock CFDs through MetaTrader 4
  • Low fees with competitive spreads on the commission-free account and very tight spreads and a low $3.5 commission on ThinkZero
  • Unique Traders' Gym simulation tool for testing out strategies on real historical data, with multiple timeframes and custom features
  • In-depth educational resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced level traders, plus live webinars
  • Three stable and award-winning platforms plus seamless integration with the broker's Signal Centre
  • Top-tier regulation from the FCA, ASIC and CySEC plus offshore branches with high leverage
  • Free VPS hosting available for MT4 and MT5, ideal for traders using Expert Advisors (EAs)
  • Advanced charting package from TradingView in ThinkTrader Web - ideal for day traders
  • Reliable 24/7 multilingual support via telephone, email or live chat
  • Quick and easy to open a ThinkMarkets account
Cons
  • Although FXCM continues to gear their services towards experienced traders, it’s a shame that there are no managed accounts on offer
  • There is no choice of retail accounts for traders, nor any Cent/Micro account options
  • The live chat support can be slow and unreliable compared to the top competitors
  • $500 minimum deposit for ThinkZero account
  • Not many payment methods available for UK traders
  • Limited bonus offers, refer-a-friend schemes or trading competitions
Awards
  • Best CFD Provider 2021 - City of London Wealth Management Awards (COLWMA)
  • Best Value Broker in Asia at the 2020 - Global Forex Awards
  • Best Forex Trading Experience 2017 - UK Forex Awards
  • Best Forex Trading Innovation 2017 - UK Forex Awards
  • Best Customer Service 2013 - UK Forex Awards
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Cryptos, Commodities CFDs, Forex, Stocks, ETFs, Futures, Commodities, Crypto, Spread Betting (UK Only)
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$50 $0
Trading Platforms
  • Trading Station
  • MT4
  • TradingView
  • eSignal
  • ThinkTrader
  • MT4
  • MT5
  • AutoChartist
  • TradingCentral
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
Variable 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, CySEC, ASIC FCA, ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, JFSA, FSA Seychelles
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
STP Account
No Yes
ECN Account
No No
DMA Account
No No
MAM Account
Yes No
PAMM Account
No Yes
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No No
Robo Advisor
No No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
Yes No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
No No
Mobile Apps
iOS and Android iOS & Android
Android App Rating
4
iOS App Rating
4.8
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
Yes Yes
Copy Trading Platform
FXCM offers social and copy trading on forex, CFDs and cryptos through the hugely popular ZuluTrade platform. The sign-up process is quick and you can track your performance in real-time. The Signal Centre is FCA-regulated and offers insights into forex, stocks, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. Users can receive up to 40 signals before the trading day starts.
Social Trading
Yes Yes
Trade Signals
Signal Centre
VPS Hosting
No Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
Yes No
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No No
Inactivity Fee
$0
Islamic Account
No Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • ZAR
  • CHF
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • AUD
  • JPY
  • CHF
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
CFD Trading
You can trade a range of CFD instruments across forex, shares, indices and commodities. There’s an excellent selection of platforms for day traders, including TradingView and MT4, plus additional tools for experienced algo traders including API solutions. ThinkMarkets continues to offer an excellent range of around 3500 CFD instruments covering forex, indices, stocks and commodities. Leverage is available up to 1:30 in the EU and UK, while global clients can access up to 1:500.
Leverage
1:30 1:500
FTSE Spread
1.18 pts var* 0.7
GBPUSD Spread
0.5 pips* 0.4
Oil Spread
0.05 (var)* 0.03
Stocks Spread
0.2% Var* From 0.4
Forex Trading
FXCM offers an average range of 40+ currency pairs, although there are no commissions and spreads are competitive from 0.78 pips for EUR/USD. The broker also offers 3 forex baskets covering USD, Yen and emerging markets benchmarks. ThinkMarkets offers 46 currency pairs, which is around the industry average. Forex traders can benefit from tight 0.0-pip spreads for EUR/USD during peak market hours. Additionally, the ThinkTrader proprietary platform offers an impressive 125+ technical indicators - ideal for complex forex strategies.
GBPUSD Spread
0.5 pips var* 0.3
EURUSD Spread
0.2 pips var* 0.0
EURGBP Spread
0.5 pips var* 0.0
Assets
40 45+
Currency Indices
  • JPY
Cryptocurrency
You can trade some of world's most popular digital coins with zero commission and leverage up to 1:4. FXCM also stands out for its crypto major basket which offers exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash in one trade. With 20+ cryptocurrencies available to trade via CFDs, traders can securely speculate on crypto markets with up to 1:10 leverage. ThinkMarkets does not directly trade crypto assets, meaning you will not own the tokens, and crypto trading is not available in some jurisdictions.
Spread
Variable BTC 25, ETH 6 (Variable)
Coins
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • LTC
  • XMR
  • DOGE
  • XLM
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
71.89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
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