Best CFD Brokers In The UK
CFD brokers in the UK are popular with British traders. Low fees, high leverage rates and robust regulation attract both beginners and experienced investors. As well as a list of the best UK CFD brokers, we explain how to make your own comparison, considering spreads, FCA licensing, minimum deposits and more.
UK CFD Brokers
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1
Pepperstone75.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs -
2
XTB -
3
Interactive Brokers -
4
Eightcap71% of retail traders lose money when trading CFDs -
5
Trade Nation -
6
IG69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Here is a summary of why we recommend these brokers in September 2025:
- Pepperstone - Pepperstone maintains its position as one of the fastest and most dependable CFD brokers during our latest round of testing. With execution speeds averaging around 30ms and an outstanding fill rate of 99.90%, the broker ensures a seamless trading experience without requotes or dealing desk interference. It also provides ample trading opportunities across over 1,300 assets.
- XTB - XTB offers a huge selection of more than 2,100 CFDs spanning forex, indices, commodities, stocks, ETFs, and cryptos (location-dependant). Leverage up to 1:30 is available in the EU and UK, while global clients and pro traders can access up to 1:500. XTB stands out for its CFD trading resources and tutorials to assist traders in developing short-term trading strategies.
- Interactive Brokers - Over 8,000 CFDs are offered on a vast array of instruments, encompassing stocks, indices, forex, and commodities. Moreover, the TWS platform lends itself to seasoned day traders, offering a comprehensive selection of over 100 order types and algorithms, alongside premium market data sourced from reputable sources such as Reuters and Dow Jones.
- Eightcap - Eightcap offers a wide range of trading options with 800+ CFDs across stocks, indices, bonds, commodities, and cryptocurrencies (depending on location), with leverage up to 1:30/1:500. It excels in its tools, notably the AI-enabled economic calendar covering 25+ countries with impact filters (high, medium, low). However, its commodities offering, particularly in softs like cotton and wheat, as well as the limited precious metal and energy assets, is its weakest area.
- Trade Nation - Trade leveraged CFDs on over 1000 assets with low-cost spreads. You can also take advantage of the broker's integrated signals to help you determine when to enter and exit positions.
- IG - IG offers a huge selection of 17,000+ CFDs, providing more trading opportunities than most CFD brokers. Traders can go long or short on popular markets like stocks, currencies, commodities and cryptos, while custom price alerts and the IG Academy continue to enhance the trading experience.
Best CFD Brokers In The UK Comparison
| Broker | CFD Leverage | Minimum Deposit | Minimum Trade | Regulators |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro) | $0 | 0.01 Lots | FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, CMA, BaFin, SCB |
| XTB | 1:30 | $0 | 0.01 Lots | FCA, CySEC, KNF, DFSA, FSC, SCA, Bappebti |
| Interactive Brokers | 1:50 | $0 | $100 | FCA, SEC, FINRA, CFTC, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB, FINMA, AFM |
| Eightcap | 1:30 | £100 | 0.01 Lots | ASIC, FCA, CySEC, SCB |
| Trade Nation | 1:500 (entity dependent) | $0 | 0.1 Lots | FCA, ASIC, FSCA, SCB, FSA |
| IG | 1:30 (Retail), 1:222 (Pro) | $0 | 0.01 Lots | FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA, FINMA, CONSOB, AFM, JFSA |
Pepperstone
"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."
Christian Harris, Reviewer
Pepperstone Quick Facts
| FTSE Spread | 1.0 |
|---|---|
| GBPUSD Spread | 0.4 |
| Stocks Spread | 0.02 |
| Leverage | 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro) |
| Regulator | FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, CMA, BaFin, SCB |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, AutoChartist, DupliTrade, Quantower |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, JPY, CHF, HKD, SGD |
Pros
- 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.
- Pepperstone has greatly improved the deposit and withdrawal experience in recent years, adding Apple Pay and Google Pay in 2025, as well as PIX and SPEI for clients in Brazil and Mexico in 2024.
- Pepperstone emerges as a low-cost broker, especially for serious day traders with spreads from 0.0 in the Razor account and rebates up to 30% (index and commodities) and $3/lot (forex) through the Active Trader program.
Cons
- 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.
- Pepperstone does not support cTrader Copy, a popular copy trading feature built into the excellent cTrader platform and available at alternatives like IC Markets, though it has introduced an intuitive copy trading app.
- Despite enhancements to its range of markets, crypto offerings are relatively limited compared to other brokers who focus on this area, with no option to invest in real coins.
XTB
"XTB stands out as a top choice for new day traders with the terrific xStation platform, commission-free pricing, no minimum deposit, and excellent educational tools, many of which are seamlessly integrated into the platform. "
XTB Quick Facts
| FTSE Spread | 1.8 |
|---|---|
| GBPUSD Spread | 1.4 |
| Stocks Spread | 0.2% |
| Leverage | 1:30 |
| Regulator | FCA, CySEC, KNF, DFSA, FSC, SCA, Bappebti |
| Platforms | xStation |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, PLN |
Pros
- With over 7000 instruments across CFDs on shares, Indices, ETFs, Raw Materials, Forex, Crypto, Real shares, Real ETFs, share dealing and more recently Investment Plans, XTB caters to both short-term traders and longer-term investors.
- First-class 24/5 customer support is available, including a friendly live chat with response times of under two minutes during testing.
- XTB offers fast withdrawals with same-day payments if requested before 1 pm, ensuring day traders have quick access to their funds.
Cons
- XTB discontinued support for MT4, limiting traders to its proprietary platform, xStation, potentially deterring advanced day traders familiar with the MetaTrader suite.
- Trading fees are competitive with average spreads of around 1 pip on the EUR/USD but still trail the cheapest brokers like IC Markets, plus there's an inactivity fee after 12 months.
- XTB does not offer a raw spread account, which is becoming increasingly common among competitors like Pepperstone, and may disappoint day traders looking for the tightest spreads.
Interactive Brokers
"Interactive Brokers is one of the best brokers for advanced day traders, providing powerful charting platforms, real-time data, and customizable layouts, notably through the new IBKR Desktop application. Its superb pricing and advanced order options also make it highly attractive for day traders, while its diverse range of equities is still among the best in the industry."
Interactive Brokers Quick Facts
| FTSE Spread | 0.005% (£1 Min) |
|---|---|
| GBPUSD Spread | 0.08-0.20 bps x trade value |
| Stocks Spread | 0.003 |
| Leverage | 1:50 |
| Regulator | FCA, SEC, FINRA, CFTC, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB, FINMA, AFM |
| Platforms | Trader Workstation (TWS), IBKR Desktop, GlobalTrader, Mobile, Client Portal, AlgoTrader, OmniTrader, TradingView, eSignal, TradingCentral, ProRealTime, Quantower |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, INR, JPY, SEK, NOK, DKK, CHF, AED, HUF |
Pros
- Interactive Brokers has launched ForecastTrader, a unique, zero-commission product where users can trade yes/no Forecast Contracts on political, economic, and climate events, with fixed $1 payouts per contract, 24/6 market access, and 3.83% APY on held positions.
- The new IBKR Desktop platform takes the best of TWS while adding bespoke tools like Option Lattice and Screeners with MultiSort to create a genuinely impressive trading experience for day traders at every level.
- IBKR continues to deliver unmatched access to global stocks with tens of thousands of equities available from 100+ market centres in 24 countries, most recently the Saudi Stock Exchange.
Cons
- IBKR provides a wide range of research tools, but their distribution across trading platforms and the web-based 'Account Management' page lacks consistency, leading to a confusing user experience.
- Support can be slow and frustrating based on tests, so you might find it challenging to reach customer service representatives promptly or encounter delays in resolving issues.
- You can only have one active session per account, so you can’t have your desktop program and mobile app running simultaneously, making for a sometimes frustrating trading experience.
Eightcap
"Eightcap delivers in every area for day traders with a growing selection of charting platforms, education via Labs, and AI-powered tools. Now sporting 120+ crypto CFDs, it's also become a stand-out choice for crypto trading, winning our 'Best Crypto Broker' award two years in a row."
Eightcap Quick Facts
| Bonus Offer | Fund an Eightcap account and unlock a TradingView Plus plan worth £33.95 per month |
|---|---|
| FTSE Spread | 1.2 |
| GBPUSD Spread | 0.1 |
| Stocks Spread | 0.03 (Apple Inc) |
| Leverage | 1:30 |
| Regulator | ASIC, FCA, CySEC, SCB |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, TradingView |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, SGD |
Pros
- Eightcap stands out with a selection of powerful trading tools and resources, including MT4 and MT5, and more recently the 100-million strong social trading network TradingView.
- Having excelled across all key areas for day traders, Eightcap outperformed every competitor to win our 'Best Overall Broker' award for 2024, also securing our 'Best Crypto Broker' title for 2025 and 'Best TradingView Broker' for 2025.
- With tight spreads from 0 pips, low commission fees, and high leverage up to 1:500 for certain clients, Eightcap provides cost-effective and flexible trading conditions that can accommodate an array of strategies, including day trading and scalping.
Cons
- The demo account expires after 30 days and can only be extended upon request - a notable inconvenience compared to the likes of XM with its unlimited demo mode.
- In spite of an increasing variety of tools, Eightcap doesn't offer industry favorites like Autochartist or Trading Central, which offer cutting-edge charting analytics, live news, and market insights for short-term traders.
- Eightcap needs to continue bolstering its suite of 800+ instruments to match category leaders like Blackbull Markets with its 26,000+ assets, featuring a particularly weak selection of commodities.
Trade Nation
"Trade Nation is a good choice for newer traders looking for a wide range of financial markets on a user-friendly platform. There is no minimum deposit, free funding options and strong education."
Trade Nation Quick Facts
| FTSE Spread | From 0.4 |
|---|---|
| GBPUSD Spread | From 0.6 |
| Stocks Spread | Variable |
| Leverage | 1:500 (entity dependent) |
| Regulator | FCA, ASIC, FSCA, SCB, FSA |
| Platforms | MT4 |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, ZAR, SEK, NOK, DKK |
Pros
- Trade Nation is a multi-regulated and respected broker that previously operated as Core Spreads
- Full range of investments via leveraged CFDs for long and short opportunities
- Multiple account currencies are accepted for global traders
Cons
- Fewer legal protections with offshore entity
IG
"IG continues to provide a comprehensive package with an intuitive web platform, best-in-class education for beginners, advanced charting tools bolstered by its recent TradingView integration, real-time data, and fast execution speeds for experienced day traders."
IG Quick Facts
| Bonus Offer | Up To £200 In Free Shares For New Clients |
|---|---|
| FTSE Spread | 1.0 |
| GBPUSD Spread | 0.9 |
| Stocks Spread | 0.02 |
| Leverage | 1:30 (Retail), 1:222 (Pro) |
| Regulator | FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA, FINMA, CONSOB, AFM, JFSA |
| Platforms | Web, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, MT4, TradingView, AutoChartist, TradingCentral, ProRealTime |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, ZAR, SEK, DKK, CHF, HKD, SGD |
Pros
- IG offers an extensive collection of professional and engaging educational resources, including webinars, articles, and analysis.
- As a well-established broker, IG operates under strict regulatory guidelines in multiple jurisdictions, maintaining a high level of trust.
- The proprietary web-based platform continues to caters to traders of all levels, with advanced charting tools and real-time market data useful for day trading, while IG has also added TradingView integration.
Cons
- IG applies an inactivity fee of $12 per month after 2 years, deterring casual investors.
- Beginners might find IG’s fee structure complex, with various fees for different types of trades or services, potentially leading to confusion or unexpected charges.
- IG has discontinued its swap-free account, reducing its appeal to Islamic traders.
What Is A CFD Broker?
CFD Trading is a very popular way to speculate on price movements of assets, like stocks. A Contract for Difference is an agreement between an investor and a CFD broker to pay the difference between the opening price and closing price of a certain asset, such as a UK stock. Crucially, traders do not own the underlying asset.
Let’s look at an example: You want to open a position on 10 shares with an asking price of £100 each. To own these underlying shares, the cost to an investor would be £1,000. However, with most CFD providers in the UK, the cost to open a leveraged position is usually between 5% and 20% of the ask price – giving traders exposure to the full value of the asset without putting up the total amount or taking ownership of the shares.
CFD brokers in the UK are particularly popular with day traders offering low costs and straightforward access to major financial markets. With that said, CFDs can also be used by longer-term investors though it’s important to use risk management techniques, such as stop losses.
How UK CFD Brokers Work
CFD brokers in the UK offer a platform where clients can choose from a list of assets, analyse the markets, and take positions. A series of instant and pending orders are usually offered alongside a suite of charts, drawing tools and other analysis features.
Most CFD brokers offer in the UK offer trading on currency pairs with the GBP, equities listed on the FTSE, plus precious metals and energies. Note, the FCA has banned CFD providers in the UK from offering derivatives on cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. As a result, traders from the UK will need to turn to offshore, unregulated platforms to find these instruments.
How To Compare CFD Brokers In The UK
Important areas to consider when choosing CFD brokers in the UK include:
Fees
Your chosen asset will need to increase in value by the spread amount for you to break even. In the UK, spreads on popular FX pairs such as the GBP/USD and GBP/EUR are generally between 1-2 pips. Users should also be aware of other charges such as overnight holding fees, withdrawal fees and commissions.
The best CFD brokers in the UK will charge zero sign-up fees, but there will typically be a minimum deposit requirement – which can be as little as £10 or even £0.
Leverage
Another reason CFD trading is popular in the UK is the access to leverage. Leverage is a temporary loan given to the trader by the broker which offers exposure to greater gains, but also higher losses.
Leverage is limited by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) to between 1:2 and 1:30. With some CFD brokers in the UK, once you have qualified for a professional account, you can access leverage up to 1:500.
Markets
CFD brokers in the UK offer access to different markets. Most platforms offer forex pairs, equities and indices, however, the range of each will vary. For example, the top providers will offer a long list of minor and exotic pairs. The best CFD brokers in the UK will also offer access to both the FTSE 100 and sometimes the FTSE 250.
Be wary of platforms offering CFDs on cryptos as these are banned in the UK and may be an indication that the brokerage isn’t licensed.
UK Regulation
The financial regulatory body in the UK is the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). When choosing CFD brokers in the UK, be sure to opt for one that is fully compliant with FCA regulations.
The FCA protects retail investors with measures such as the separation of investor’s money from the broker’s capital and access to the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Bonuses
Some CFD brokers in the UK offer rewards such as deposit bonuses and promo codes for new users. Be wary of gimmicks designed to lure in new investors. The FCA has also clamped down on misleading promotions so finding platforms with generous offers is getting harder.
Accounts
Most CFD providers in the UK offer a variety of live accounts. Traders that can prove their experience or have a certain amount of capital can open more competitive accounts with tighter spreads, higher leverage ratios and additional analysis tools. The top CFD brokers in the UK may also offer dedicated account managers for those with a professional investing account.
Platforms
CFD brokers in the UK typically offer a choice of platforms, with the most popular options including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader.
Finding an intuitive and user-friendly platform will make speculating on the markets an enjoyable experience. Depending on the frequency and style of your trading, different platforms will also suit your needs better. Compare features such as signals, charts and automated trading options before deciding which platform is best for you.
Mobile Apps
One of the easiest ways to keep your eyes on the markets at crucial times is by using a mobile app. Many CFD brokers in the UK have designed their own applications which give traders the same functionality as traditional desktop platforms in the palm of their hand. These apps are typically available for Android from the Google Play Store and for Apple devices from the App Store. Alternatively, MT4 and MT5 mobile apps are offered alongside proprietary software.
Tools
Many CFD brokers in the UK offer an extensive range of tutorials, seminars and workshops aimed at improving your investing skills and market knowledge. For beginners, in particular, these are worth looking out for when choosing between providers.
Customer Support
It’s important to find CFD providers in the UK with reliable customer support. Platforms with 24/5 live chat and responsive telephone support will help you resolve technical issues or withdrawal problems promptly. It’s worth checking user reviews for ratings on the quality of customer support before signing up.
Deposits & Withdrawals
Most CFD brokers in the UK allow traders to pay fees and deposit using a range of payment options. Typical options include credit/debit card, bank transfer, PayPal and e-wallets such as Skrill. When deciding which broker is best suited to your needs, decide first how you intend to pay and make a comparison with this in mind.
Final Word
CFD brokers in the UK offer a range of options in terms of fees, market access, leverage and more. There is a lot of competition, so ensure you take the time to make a thorough comparison of the platforms available and decide which is best for you. Also note that many CFD brokers in the UK offer demo accounts, which are a great way for beginners to get to grips with the services on offer before committing capital.
FAQs
What Is The Best CFD Broker In UK?
When comparing the best CFD brokers in the UK, you should consider fees and deposits, leverage, tradable assets, regulatory status, accounts, and tools. Check out our list of the top CFD brokers in the UK in 2025 for our recommendations.
What Are The Advantages Of CFD Brokers In The UK?
For traders in the UK, a brokerage based or licensed to operate in the United Kingdom can offer straightforward access to British stocks and indices, plus currency pairs with the GBP. Investors will also be able to open GBP accounts and pay fees in their local currency.
Can I Trade Cryptos With CFD Broker In The UK?
The FCA has banned UK retail investors from trading cryptocurrencies through derivatives like CFDs. You’ll only be able to trade CFDs on cryptocurrencies if you’re classed as a professional trader or if you open an account with an unregulated, offshore broker.
Do I Pay Taxes Trading With CFD Brokers In The UK?
Any profits from CFD trading in the UK may be subject to capital gains tax if they exceed £12,500. It could be worth speaking to a professional tax advisor before you open a live account.
Is Investing With UK CFD Brokers Safe?
Investing in CFDs is a risky business. Traders can accumulate large losses, especially when using leverage. As a result, it’s important to sign up with a good UK CFD broker that is regulated by the FCA and offer risk management tools.