Pocket Option Review 2024

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Written By
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Written By
Jemma Grist
Jemma is a writer, editor and fact-checker focused on retail trading and investing. Jemma brings a unique perspective to the forex, stock, and cryptocurrency markets and works across several investment websites as a researcher and broker analyst.
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Edited By
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Michael MacKenzie
Michael is a writer and editor with over a decade in journalism and publishing. His niche lies in editing and fact-checking content in the financial services sector, with a focus on online brokers and trading platforms. Michael previously reported on politics and economics in the Middle East and edits books for established publishers.
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Fact Checked By
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William Berg
William contributes to several investment websites, leveraging his experience as a consultant for IPOs in the Nordic market and background providing localization for forex trading software. William has worked as a writer and fact-checker for a long row of financial publications.
Updated

4.2 / 5
Pocket Option is #1 in our binary options broker rankings.
$50
Web, MT4, MT5
Binary Options, Currencies, Commodities, Stocks, Indices, Cryptos
MISA
USD
Wire Transfer, Credit Card, Bitcoin Payments, Volet, Perfect Money, Visa, Mastercard, Debit Card, WebMoney, FasaPay, Ethereum Payments, Maestro, JetonCash, Airtel

Awards

  • Best Binary Broker Runner Up 2023 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Binary Broker 2022 - DayTrading.com

Pros

  • The MetaTrader platforms offer integrated analysis with helpful technical summaries for short-term traders
  • The range of payment methods beats the majority of rivals, providing fast, secure and convenient deposits for traders in most countries
  • The web platform shines for its straightforward design and usability that will appeal to beginners looking to speculate on popular financial markets in a few clicks

Cons

  • The MISA is a weak regulator with limited investor protection for retail traders
  • Pocket Option offers a slimmed down iteration of the MT4 and MT5 that doesn't provide the full charting package for advanced traders
  • The maximum binary contract length of 4 hours is restrictive for longer-term trading strategies. Alternatives like Videforex offer binaries up to 1 month

Pocket Option Review

In this Pocket Option review, I evaluate the broker in the key areas you should consider before opening an account. I also compare the broker to suitable alternatives, leveraging my first-hand experience testing the platform.

Regulation & Trust

2 / 5

Pocket Option gets a low trust rating due to its weak regulatory credentials.

It’s not authorized by a trusted financial body and is instead overseen offshore by the Mwali International Services Authority, license T2023322.

The company has also been registered in other offshore jurisdictions over the years, including the Marshall Islands.

This type of weak regulatory oversight is common in the binary industry due to restrictions from many reputable authorities.

Still, it means you are unlikely to get access to a compensation scheme in the event the broker goes bankrupt.

It also means Pocket Option’s operating practices are subject to limited regulatory scrutiny, increasing the risk of unfair trading practices and scams.

On the upside, the brand has been around since 2017 and is now a well-established part of the binary options industry with over 100,000 clients in more than 95 countries.

Accounts & Banking

3.5 / 5

Pocket Option gets a high accounts and banking rating for its easily accessible trading accounts and huge selection of funding options.

Live Account

Pocket Option offers several accounts depending on what and how you want to trade: Quick Trading, Shares Trading, Forex MT4, and Forex MT5.

All accounts have an accessible minimum deposit for beginners of $50. Notably, this is well below rivals like IQCent with its $250 minimum.

That said, you need to deposit more to get the best trading conditions and features.

Pocket Option ranks all clients from Stranger to Guru based on account balance, with all users automatically enrolled at Stranger level before making a deposit.

Essentially, depositing funds unlocks higher levels, rewarding you with extra perks. These include increased payouts for some of the higher tiers, which for me is the greatest benefit.

I’ve compared the Newbie, Beginner and Experienced tiers below to show you some of the different perks available.

Account Tier Comparison - Newbie, Beginner, Experienced
Newbie Beginner Experienced
Account Balance <$100 $100+ $1000+
Access to all Tournaments No Yes Yes
Access to ‘Gems’ Lottery No Yes Yes
Express Trades No Yes Yes
Trading Achievements No Yes Yes
MT5 Access No No Yes
+2% Payout No No Yes
Premium Gifts No No Yes
Extended Investment Offering No No Yes

Deposits & Withdrawals

Deposits

Pocket Option stands out for its 30+ payment methods – more than nearly every other broker we’ve tested. The other benefit is the near-instant account funding and zero transfer fees.

Supported deposit options include debit and credit cards, wire transfers, and electronic payment solutions like Fasapay. Cryptocurrency transfers are also accepted.

However, where it excels is its local transfer solutions that make deposits convenient for traders in respective countries. Traders in Vietnam, for example, can use the country’s most popular digital wallet – MoMo Pay.

Looking at the drawbacks, since only USD is accepted as a base currency, conversion charges may apply.

Withdrawals

Withdrawals can be made via the same methods as deposits, again with no fees.

The minimum withdrawal amount is low at $10 and there is no maximum withdrawal limit.

Bonuses & Promotions

Pocket Option regularly runs bonus schemes, as well as publishing referral and promo codes.

For example, while using the platform I was offered a 50% welcome bonus up to $5000.

However, my years in the industry have shown that bonuses almost always come with stringent terms and conditions. In this instance, I found the required net turnover fairly high before you can withdraw any profits made with bonus funds. After depositing $50 and receiving  a $25 bonus, the required trading turnover was $1250.

I never recommend picking a binary options broker for their bonuses. While useful for practicing short-term trading strategies, other factors are more important, including the quality of the platform and whether the broker can be trusted.

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Jemma Grist
Author

Demo Account

Pocket Option offers a free demo account which allows you to test the broker’s services without any financial risk. The virtual sum provided is reasonable, at $10,000, and can be topped up easily.

The process to start demo trading is the quickest I’ve experienced. Simply click on the Free Demo button at the top of the broker’s website and you will be directed straight to the platform, with no registration required.

This also means you can switch seamlessly between live and demo mode – ideal for short-term traders who want to continually test and execute their strategies.

Pocket Option Demo Account Platform
Pocket Option Demo Platform

Assets & Markets

2.5 / 5

Pocket Option gets an average assets and markets rating because its range of tradable assets is limited for entry-level traders.

There are only 130+ binaries and over-the-counter (OTC) options spanning forex, stocks, commodities and crypto unless you deposit $1000 to access a wider range of instruments, which brings the total to 250+

I’ve compared the number of standard assets available with two leading alternatives, and as you can see below, Pocket Option is the middle of the pack. Notably, Quotex offers hundreds more assets for serious traders.

Comparison of Assets With Similar Brokers
Pocket Option IQCent Quotex
Number of Assets 130+ 100+ 400+

We’ve routinely tested Pocket Option over several years, and keep an up-to-date log of the popular assets you can trade as standard:

It’s a real drawback for me that Pocket Option requires a $1000+ deposit to trade an extended suite of 250+ assets when many alternatives offer their full range of instruments as standard.

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Jemma Grist
Author

Fees & Costs

3.5 / 5

Pocket Option gets a good fees and costs rating for its competitive payouts and low non-trading fees.

Like most binary options brokers, Pocket Option does not charge a commission on trades. Instead, the broker primarily earns money from clients’ losing trades.

While Pocket Option will pay you a fixed payout if your trade expires ‘in the money’, you will lose your investment if it finishes ‘out of the money’.

It’s good to see there are no deposit and withdrawal charges, or inactivity fees, which can deter casual investors.

Payouts

Pocket Option offers fairly good payouts up to 92% on winning trades, though they trail our top-rated binary broker for 2023 – IQCent.

Most disappointing are the returns on crypto – the 15% offered on Bitcoin while trading on the platform falls way behind some rivals, and this means I can’t recommend the broker for active crypto traders.

I have recorded the payouts that were available to me on the Pocket Option platform during testing and compared them with two leading alternatives below. As you can see, IQCent offers higher returns across the board.

Comparison of Payouts With Similar Brokers
Pocket Option IQCent Quotex
EUR/USD 88% 95% 83%
Bitcoin 15% 48% NA
US100 45% 60% NA
Brent Oil 80% 95% 90%

Note, you can get a payout boost of 2% to 8% if you qualify for a premium account tier (Experienced to Guru). However, given the large minimum deposit requirements ($1000 to $50,000), I have excluded them from this analysis.

Platforms & Tools

3.3 / 5

Pocket Option sets itself apart from most binary brokers by offering an in-house web platform and access to leading third-party software: MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5).

After many days of testing the trading platforms, here’s my verdict:

Pocket Option Web Platform

The web platform has clearly been built for beginners with a simple layout and the basic tools you need to place short-term trades.

You can trade through your web browser or the mobile app – both were smooth and glitch-free during our experiments.

Navigation & Design

The platform features a simple and streamlined design, with charts, trading functions and order tickets easy to navigate.

You can also have up to four charts open at a time, which I find useful for tracking multiple markets.

My only minor complaint is that I am unable to view charts across the full screen. I think the platform should allow you to collapse or drag the ‘Trades’ window on the right to provide more room for chart analysis.

Pocket Option trading platform
Pocket Option Web Platform

Charting

Pocket Option delivers a reasonable range of charting tools that will meet the needs of most beginner traders.

There are 4 chart types including Heiken Ashi and line, plus 14 timeframes ranging from 5 seconds to 1 day, suitable for short-term trading strategies. There are also 31 technical indicators, including moving averages and Bollinger Bands.

On the downside, the range of 9 drawing tools is disappointing, although popular options like Fibonacci Retracements are present.

Indicators available in Pocket Option trading platform
Pocket Option Indicators

Unique Features

One of the stand-out features for me is Express Trades. This essentially acts as a multiplier, providing increased payouts of 100%+ if you open at least three trades. You have the flexibility to choose individual expiry times, as well as price direction.

The Double Up and Roll Out features also offer straightforward avenues to effectively double your returns in one click if you are confident in your market prediction.

But while these features make for a more dynamic and exciting trading experience, a careful approach to risk management is still required.

Double up and rollover features on Pocket Option binary platform
Pocket Option Double Up and Rollover

Social Trading

Pocket Option offers social trading directly through the in-house terminal. You can copy trades via signals or by mirroring master traders.

The tool functioned well during my assessment, delivering comprehensive data on prospective copiers. For example, I could filter successful traders via top rankings or profit levels and then copy a chosen trader in real time.

The system is also available 24/7 with no minimum stake and copy settings are fully flexible depending on your investment parameters.

Pocket Option copy trading leaderboard
Pocket Option Social Traders

How To Place A Binary Options Trade

I find trading on the Pocket Option platform really straightforward as it only requires a few steps:

  1. Choose an asset from the dropdown menu found top left of the chart
  2. Select an expiry time using either the clock or choose a specific time
  3. Add your investment stake using the toggles or manual input
  4. Review the potential payout in percentage and value
  5. Select the market direction; choose ‘lower’ if you think the price will decrease or ‘higher’ if you think it will increase
Placing a trade on Pocket Option platform
Pocket Option New Trade

MT4 and MT5

If you are already familiar with the MetaQuotes software or want the best charting tools, MT4 and MT5 are normally the platforms to use.

MT4 is the go-to for forex trading, which is the asset class it was originally designed for, while MT5 is the latest iteration built for multi-asset trading.

During my tests, I was initially struck that the web-accessible MetaTrader platforms don’t feel as modern or sleek as the Pocket Option platform.

However, my main gripe is that Pocket Options’ MT4 and MT5 software don’t appear to offer the full charting package. For example, I couldn’t see the 38 technical indicators, 44 graphical objects and 21 timeframes normally available in MT5. It’s the same story in MT4.

Pocket Option appears to offer an unusual iteration of the MetaTrader package that doesn’t provide the full suite of tools for advanced traders. This is a serious drawback for experienced MetaTrader users.

Mobile App

All of Pocket Option’s platforms are available as mobile apps, though I was disappointed that the proprietary solution is not available on iOS devices, making this broker less suitable for mobile traders with iPhones.

Still, the trading app is fully functional and glitch-free. It’s user-friendly with in-built support, which is great for beginners who are new to the platform.

You also benefit from 24/7 access to the financial markets, live signals and copy trading, plus full account management, providing a comprehensive solution for mobile traders.

Research

3 / 5

Pocket Option gets an average research rating because although it offers more than many binary brokers, it trails traditional forex and CFD brokers in its market insights.

In the MT4 and MT5 platforms, you can click on the magnifying glass in the right of the platform to bring up a calendar and insights:

Pocket Option is also fairly unique in the binary options space for offering a dedicated Analytics app. It offers daily, technical and fundamental analysis, as well as engaging video reviews.

My minor gripe is that the Analytics app is only available on Android devices and focused on a narrow range of assets: EUR, USD, GBR, JPY, CHF, CAD, NZD, AUD, Gold, Silver, Brent, and Stocks.

From a usability perspective, it would also be better to have these insights integrated into the web platform so you don’t have to go into a separate app.

Education

3.5 / 5

Pocket Option earns a high education rating for outperforming its peers with content available via an external website,  hosting diverse materials including visual aids, videos, tutorials, e-books and more.

There is also a good level of educational content available directly in the platform, covering user tutorials, understanding the forex market, plus tips and tricks.

The highlight for me is the guides on different trading strategies which are easy to follow with supporting visuals from real market events. With a focus on charting techniques, they will serve day traders in particular, who often use technical analysis.

Education website at Pocket Option
Pocket Option Education

Customer Support

3.3 / 5

Pocket Option gets a decent customer support rating following multiple positive interactions during tests.

My experience with the customer support team has mostly been positive, with responsive and professional telephone support (+44 20 8123 4499) available between 10:00 am and 2:00 am (UTC +2) as well as an online email form.

My main frustration is that live chat support is reserved for traders who have deposited into a live account. This means if you are a prospective user trading in demo mode, you cannot contact an agent quickly.

I think Pocket Option could improve its customer service by opening its live chat support to prospective traders. It can be useful, especially for beginners, to get answers to key account and trading queries before depositing funds.

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Jemma Grist
Author

Should You Trade With Pocket Option?

Based on our exhaustive tests of Pocket Option which have spanned several years, the broker continues to deliver a compelling service for binary options traders.

Short-term traders can make straightforward high/low market predictions in just a couple of clicks on an easy-to-use platform and app.

Signing up is also very smooth and the minimum deposit is accessible at just $50, making it good for beginners.

Yet despite some improvements to its trading features, Pocket Option could still do more to serve serious traders, including expanding its market offering and returns on popular assets.

FAQ

Is Pocket Option Legit Or A Scam?

Pocket Option is a legitimate company registered in the Republic Of Costa Rica through Infinite Trade LLC.

Year after year it has proven a credible broker with binary traders, boasting over 100,000 active users.

Can I Trust Pocket Option?

Although it’s not regulated by a top-tier financial body, Pocket Option has built a large user base and picked up industry awards, including our Best Binary Broker 2022. 

Still, online trading is risky, especially with offshore binary brokers, so only invest what you can afford to lose.

Is Pocket Option Regulated?

Pocket Option is regulated by the Mwali International Services Authority, license number T2023322.

This is not a well regarded regulator so beware that you may not receive safeguards like investor protection in the event the brokerage becomes insolvent.

Is Pocket Option A Good Or Bad Binary Broker?

Pocket Option continuously ranks as one of the best binary options brokers based on our comprehensive evaluation process that takes into account over 200 data points and blends quantitive metrics with qualitative insights gathered over many years.

While it trails alternatives like Quotex for its range of binaries and IQCent for its payouts, Pocket Option’s web platform is great for beginners, it offers a good suite of educational tools, and opening an account couldn’t be easier.

Is Pocket Option Good For Day Trading?

Yes, Pocket Option offers ultra-short-term binaries from 5 seconds to 4 hours. The web platform and app are also stable, responsive and free from glitches based on testing, while it’s straightforward to place multiple trades in a few clicks.

Is Pocket Option Good For Beginners?

Yes, Pocket Option is good for beginners. In fact, it’s best for new traders owing to the straightforward sign-up, low minimum deposit and stake, plus the platform that’s clearly been designed with novice traders in mind.

Is Pocket Option Available 24/7?

Some of the assets on Pocket Option are available 24/7. Cryptocurrencies and over-the-counter assets can be traded around the clock, including on weekends.

Top 3 Alternatives to Pocket Option

Compare Pocket Option with the top 3 similar brokers that accept traders from your location.

  1. World Forex – World Forex is an offshore broker registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines, offering commission-free trading with a $1 minimum deposit and 1:1000 leverage. Digital contracts are also available, offering beginners a straightforward way to speculate on popular financial markets.

  2. Videforex – Launched in 2017, Videforex offers access to stock, index, crypto, forex and commodities markets via binary options and CFDs. The proprietary platform, mobile app and integrated copy trading are user-friendly and will suit new and casual traders, and the market analysis tools and trading contests provide good ways to improve your trading skills.

  3. RaceOption – RaceOption is a binary options broker operating from the Marshall Islands. With over 1,500 clients, the broker aims to offer fast funding, low fees and a secure trading environment. Traders can access over 100 binary options and CFDs, plus copy trading and weekly prizes.

Pocket Option Comparison Table

Compare Pocket Option With Similar Brokers
Pocket Option World Forex Videforex RaceOption
Rating 4.2 4 3.4 3.5
Markets Binary Options, Currencies, Commodities, Stocks, Indices, Cryptos Forex, CFD Stocks, Metals, Energies, Cryptos, Digital Contracts Binary Options, CFDs, Forex, Indices, Commodities, Crypto Binary Options, CFDs
Demo Account Yes Yes Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit $50 $1 $250 $250
Minimum Trade $1 0.01 Lots $0.01 $0.01
Regulators MISA SVGFSA
Bonus 50% Deposit Bonus 100% Deposit Bonus 20% to 200% Deposit Bonus 20% – 200% Deposit Bonus
Education No No No No
Platforms Web, MT4, MT5 MT4, MT5 TradingView TradingView
Leverage 1:1000 1:500 1:500
Payment Methods 14 10 8 9
Visit Visit Visit Visit Visit
Review World Forex
Review
Videforex
Review
RaceOption
Review

Compare Trading Instruments

Compare the markets and instruments offered by Pocket Option and its competitors. Please note, some markets may only be available via CFDs or other derivatives.

Compare Pocket Option Trading Instruments
Pocket Option World Forex Videforex RaceOption
Binary Options Yes Yes Yes Yes
Expiry Times 5 seconds – 4 hours 1 minute – 7 days 5 seconds – 1 month 5 seconds – 30 days
Ladder Options No No No Yes
Boundary Options No No No No
CFD No Yes Yes Yes
Forex Yes Yes Yes Yes
Stocks Yes Yes Yes Yes
Commodities Yes Yes Yes Yes
Oil Yes Yes Yes Yes
Gold Yes Yes Yes Yes
Copper No No Yes No
Silver Yes Yes No Yes
Corn No No No No
Crypto Yes Yes Yes Yes
Futures No No Yes Yes
Options No No No No
ETFs No No No No
Bonds No No No No
Warrants No No No No
Spreadbetting No No No No
Volatility Index No No No No

Pocket Option vs Other Brokers

Compare Pocket Option with any other broker by selecting the other broker below.

 

The most popular Pocket Option comparisons:

  1. Pocket Option vs Bybit
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  4. FBS vs Pocket Option
  5. Binarium vs Pocket Option
  6. Pocket Option vs Exness
  7. Pocket Option vs Robinhood
  8. Pocket Option vs RaceOption
  9. Pocket Option vs FOREX.com
  10. Pocket Option vs Expert Option
  11. Pocket Option vs IQ Option
  12. Pocket Option vs OctaFX
  13. Nadex vs Pocket Option
  14. Pocket Option vs Webull
  15. IQCent vs Pocket Option
  16. Coinbase vs Pocket Option
  17. Pocket Option vs Binary.com
  18. Pocket Option vs BlackBull Markets
  19. Pocket Option vs Binance

Customer Reviews

  4.4 / 5

This average customer rating is based on 9 Pocket Option customer reviews submitted by our visitors.

If you have traded with Pocket Option we would really like to know about your experience - please submit your own review. Thank you.

  5

I felt, for beginners this is the best platform, because very easy to use and understand trading, Binary and forex everything is clearly visible on display screen, and maximum payment method is supported for deposit and withdrawal and most important part is many senior trader are available to help you and guide you, and also their 24×7 support chat. And rest withdrawal part is Smooth for crypto currency and e wallets trader and little bit slow for local bank transfer overall, pocket option is a good broker and and their regulations are from reputed agencies so you can trust them.

✍ Sneha rajkumari | 🌐 India | September 27, 2024
  5

I have a problem with the bank card that you guys want. The bank card signed…..nowadays bank card no no have the signature part……
It became very difficult to do withdrawal coz of the craft stuff that do not read

✍ Mqiniseli Dlamini | 🌐 South Africa | September 7, 2024
  4

Among the positive aspects of PocketOption, I would distinguish a wide choice of currency pairs and a variety of deposit methods. I am satisfied with its platform. Slippages sometimes occur, but rarely exceed 10 pips. Therefore, my conclusion about the broker is that it is a completely adequate broker and you can work with it.

✍ Bshar | 🌐 Yemen | March 13, 2024
  4

Good to trade ,quick and reliable,the only draw back is it’s difficult to verify your address and sometimes they cancelle your withdrawal requests and ask you to verify your profile again

✍ Paulo | 🌐 Mozambique | February 28, 2024
  5

UID 6992xxxx
Pros: This broker offers many different trading resources all on one website or app. You have access to trading signals, strategies and bonuses. You have the ability to do risk free trades. Which means if you lose the trade, you can cancel the trade and get your money back. Same day deposits and withdrawals, once your account is verified of course. They offer $1 hour long tournaments throughout the day. And one free tournament once a day. And as you progress as a trader, you gain access to more trading advantages and bigger bonuses. This a MUST TRY broker.

Cons: The only thing that I would classify as a con is the deposit/withdrawal methods. Don’t get me wrong, they offer many different ways to make a deposit or withdrawal. But the methods they use are based on your particular region. In my region, there about 30 different cryptocurrencies that can be used but they don’t accept any type of card payments from my region.

Overall: Overall my experience has been a positive one. Something that I forgot to mention earlier is their support team. I normally get questions and concerns addressed in a very timely manner. Which makes this broker a MUST TRY broker. There will always be good and bad reviews, but this is one of those times that you need to give the broker a chance.

DayTrading.com Notes

We anonymized part of the UID for security reasons.

✍ Derek Pickett | 🌐 United States | January 27, 2024
  4

Super easy to trade. Great if you want to trade really short with 5 second contracts. Smooth sign up process.

✍ Luca | 🌐 Malta | January 18, 2024
  5

6 months and counting and Pocket Option is still the best binary app I’ve used. Charts are easy to use on my phone and I can make short-term trades in a couple of swipes. Ticks all my boxes.

✍ Oliver | 🌐 United Kingdom | January 5, 2024
  4

I really like Pocket Option’s easy to use and reliable platform. The charting tools are a step above other binary platforms I’ve traded on.

✍ Spencer | 🌐 United Kingdom | January 4, 2024
  4

I’ve been trading binaries at Pocket Option for weeks and have been pleased with the platform – it’s easy to use with a strong charting package. My only complaint is that it’s no good for long-term trading – the longest expiry time is 4 hours.

✍ Rob P | 🌐 Canada | November 20, 2023

Submit Your Own Review of Pocket Option

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