Best Spread Betting Platforms and Brokers 2024
Want to bet on the price movement of securities like shares in Apple without owning the asset? You can do this at a spread betting broker, where your profit or loss depends on how accurate you are and the size of your stake.
We’ve been testing the biggest names in the industry to find the best spread betting platforms in 2024. Use our guide to find the right broker for your needs, whether that’s trading tools, tradable assets or reliable support.
Best Spread Betting Brokers
Lots of spread betting firms impressed us during testing, but these 1 platforms are a cut above the rest:
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1
IGForex trading involves risk. Losses can exceed deposits.
Ratings/ 5/ 5/ 5/ 5/ 5/ 5/ 5/ 5/ 5/ 5
$00.01 Lots1:30 (Retail), 1:250 (Pro)FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA, FINMA, CONSOBCFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread BettingWeb, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, MT4, AutoChartist, TradingCentralPayPal, Wire Transfer, Mastercard, Credit Card, Visa, Debit CardUSD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, ZAR, SEK, DKK, CHF, HKD, SGD
This is why we think these brokers are the best in this category:
- IG - IG offers spread betting on 17,000+ markets, including currencies, indices, shares and commodities - more than almost every alternative. Notably, IG also offers spread bets on less commonly offered assets like IPOs, allowing experienced traders to diversify their portfolios. For casual traders, IG also offers the opportunity to spread bet on weekend markets – a terrific feature that we don’t come across often.
Best Spread Betting Platforms and Brokers 2024 Comparison
| Broker | Overall Rating | Trust Rating | Accounts Rating | Assets Rating | Cost Rating | Tools Rating | Research Rating | Education Rating | Support Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
/ 5 | / 5 | / 5 | / 5 | / 5 | / 5 | / 5 | / 5 | / 5 |
IG
"IG continues to provide a comprehensive package with an intuitive web platform and best-in-class education for beginners, plus advanced charting tools, real-time data, and fast execution speeds for experienced day traders."
Christian Harris, Reviewer
IG Quick Facts
| Demo Account | Yes |
|---|---|
| Instruments | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting |
| Regulator | FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA, FINMA, CONSOB |
| Platforms | Web, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, MT4, AutoChartist, TradingCentral |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 |
| Minimum Trade | 0.01 Lots |
| Leverage | 1:30 (Retail), 1:250 (Pro) |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, ZAR, SEK, DKK, CHF, HKD, SGD |
Pros
- IG is amongst the best in terms of its range of instruments, which includes stocks, forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, providing ample diversification opportunities
- As a well-established broker, IG operates under strict regulatory guidelines in multiple jurisdictions, maintaining a high level of trust
- The IG app offers a superb mobile trading experience with a clean design that helped it secure Runner Up at our Best Trading App award
Cons
- IG applies an inactivity fee of $12 per month after 2 years, deterring casual investors
- While there is negative balance protection in the UK and EU, there is no account protection or guaranteed stop losses for US clients
- 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
Methodology
We took our database of close to 500 brokers and trading platforms and pinpointed the 25+ that offer spread betting trading.
We then ranked the shortlisted brokers by their overall rating, which blends 100+ data entries with the direct observations of our testers following hours of hands-on evaluations.
- We checked that every broker offers a spread betting account with an accessible deposit of <$250.
- We only recommended brokers we’d trust with our own money after verifying their regulatory credentials.
- We prioritized brokers with excellent spread betting fees after evaluating their spreads and other charges.
- We confirmed brokers offer a range of financial markets, providing diverse trading opportunities.
- We selected brokers with reliable support based on our spread betting inquiries during testing.
- We investigated each broker’s order execution because fast speeds are key for successful spread betting.
- We examined each broker’s margin requirements to ensure they are transparent for traders using leverage.
How To Choose A Spread Betting Broker
Trust
Only use an established spread betting provider with many years in the industry and authorization from a ‘green tier’ regulator. This is the best way to protect yourself from trading scams.
This is key given that the UK’s Financial Ombudsman Service has highlighted the dubious practices adopted by some spread betting companies. In one case study, “Geraldine made significant losses on a spread-betting platform” that she thought was making money by referring clients to a workshop that taught useless strategies so they could profit from their users’ losing trades.
Spread betting is legal and regulated in several prominent countries, including Australia, Singapore, South Africa and Ireland. However, the largest market is in the UK, where the top providers are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – a ‘green tier’ body.
- Pepperstone has earned and maintained an excellent 4.6/5 Trust score owing to its authorization from four ‘green tier’ regulators and stellar reputation since 2010. It has also scooped our ‘Best Overall Broker’ and ‘Best Trading App’ awards in recent years.
Markets
Pick a broker that offers spread betting on the financial markets you’re interested in.
From our investigations, most platforms offer spread bets on stocks, indices, forex and commodities. However, some providers stand out by providing a much richer suite of trading opportunities, such as bonds, interest rates, and cryptos, that may appeal to seasoned traders.
- IG blows the competition out of the water with over 17,000 markets you can spread bet on, from currencies, indices, and commodities to upcoming IPOs. It’s also one of the few brokers we’ve used that supports spread betting on the weekend via IG’s out-of-hours markets.
Fees
Choose a platform with low trading fees to help you towards a successful spread betting journey.
Unlike contracts for difference (CFDs), commissions are not typically charged on spread bets so the primary cost to consider is the spread – the difference between the bid and ask price. Spread betting companies normally incorporate a fee for their services into the spread.
Some companies specialize in certain markets with low prices. However, they will then offer other markets at less attractive prices, just to ensure they have a presence. Specific spread betting forex brokers, for example, may offer you a better deal than a jack of all trades, master of none firm.
Also, while less relevant for day traders, if you hold a spread bet open overnight you may incur a charge (futures can be more cost-effective for longer-term trades).
- Vantage stands out with excellent fees on spread betting markets during tests, including 0.1 on EUR/USD, 0.3 on oil and 3.1 on S&P 500, delivering a low-cost trading environment across a variety of asset classes. With no deposit, withdrawal or inactivity fees, it also keeps additional costs to an absolute minimum.
Tools
Choose a broker that offers reliable and powerful charting platforms. The best software will offer a wide range of tools for technical analysis, including various chart types, drawing tools and timeframes.
Some providers offer proprietary platforms with unique tools, notably IG’s Online Platform, CMC Markets’ Next Generation platform, and FXCM’s Trading Station.
Alternatively, or additionally, brokers may offer third-party solutions which do not natively offer spread betting, but can support this style of trading. The most widely available platforms we see are TradingView, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader.
I don’t think TradingView can be beaten when it comes to ease of use and features – it offers the complete trading experience in my view. It’s also being increasingly integrated by spread betting brokers, notably Pepperstone.
- FXCM caters to all types of spread betters at every experience level with their wide range of platforms, including Trading Station, MT4 and TradingView. There’s also an unlimited number of demo accounts, which are a great place to start for all spread betters, so you can find the platform that ticks your boxes.
Execution Quality
Choose a broker with fast and reliable order execution – these are crucial for fast-paced trading styles like spread betting.
High-quality execution will help ensure your trades are executed at the requested time and price. In general, we view anything below 100 milliseconds (ms) as ‘fast’, but some trading platforms go much further.
- FxPro is one of the fastest spread betting platforms that we’ve evaluated, with extremely impressive speeds of less than 11 ms. Prices are sourced from 12+ liquidity providers, making the firm an excellent choice for active spread betters looking for fast execution, tight spreads and reduced price slippage.
Margin Requirements
A key component of spread betting is leverage – which allows you to trade much larger positions by putting down a small outlay, known as ‘margin’.
It’s essential to choose a provider with transparent margin requirements so you understand how much capital you need to put down and maintain in your account, plus how much leverage (borrowed funds) you can access. For example, equities often require a 10% margin. So, if you’re a high-volume trader you’ll need significant capital.
Notable spread betting jurisdictions like the UK cap leverage to a maximum of 1:30.
This means that if I want to bet on EUR/USD with a margin of $250, my potential profits could be magnified to the value of $7,500 (30 x $250), less any fees.Of course, my losses will also be magnified so risk management is essential, with tools like stop-loss and take-profit orders popular with spread bettors.
- Trade Nation offers transparent leverage and margin depending on the entity you sign up with, with 1:30 available at the FCA and ASIC-regulated entities. Higher leverage of 1:500 is also available globally, though we don’t recommend high leverage for beginners.
Support
Access to convenient, prompt and dependable support is key when you’re using short-term trading products like spread betting. It’s also an important safety cushion for beginners who typically need more support getting started.
Most platforms provide assistance through live chat, telephone and email as standard, though the trend towards automated chatbots I’ve found extremely frustrating in recent years, sometimes hampering your ability to get urgent trading issues resolved quickly.
- ThinkMarkets is one of the few brands that offer 24/7 assistance that’s performed excellently over the years, with response times of <5 minutes during testing and staff that are knowledgeable about spread betting products. Its trading simulator, Trading Gym, is also a superb tool for testing spread betting strategies.
FAQ
Which Is The Best Spread Betting Broker?
See our list of the best spread betting brokers to find the trading platform that best meets your individual needs.
IG, for example, is a stand-out option if you want to place spread bets on an extensive range of financial markets (17,000+), while FXCM is a fantastic option if you want a choice of intuitive, reliable platforms (Trading Station, MT4, TradingView).
Article Sources
- FCA Restricts CFDs and Spread Bets - FCA
- Case Study - Geraldine Lost Money On A Spread-Betting Platform - Financial Ombudsman Service
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