XTB vs Markets.com

XTB vs Markets.com Comparison Table 2024
XTB Markets.com
4.8
4.4

Founded in 2002 in Poland, XTB now serves more than 935,000 clients. The forex and CFD broker combines a heavily regulated trading environment with an extensive selection of 5,600+ assets and a commitment to trader satisfaction, featuring an intuitive in-house platform with superb tools to support aspiring day traders.

Markets.com is a respected broker, offering multi-asset trading opportunities through CFDs or spread betting (UK only). Established in 2008, the brand has an impressive 4.3 million registered customers and is overseen by trusted regulators, including the FCA, ASIC and CySEC. 79.1% of retail accounts lose money.

78% of retail accounts lose money. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 79.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Customer Reviews
4.5
Comment by Reviewer
"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. " "Markets.com is best for active traders looking for a regulated broker with low fees and fast execution speeds of 82ms. Beginners will also enjoy the in-house platform with its user-friendly interface, clear navigation and dynamic charts."
Pros
  • With over 5,600 instruments across forex, stocks, indices, ETFs, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, including CFDs, share dealing and more recently Investment Plans, XTB caters to both short-term traders and longer-term investors.
  • The xStation platform continues to impress with its user-friendly interface and intuitive features, including customizable news feeds, sentiment heatmaps, and trader calculator, reducing the learning curve for newer traders.
  • With an excellent range of educational materials, including training videos and articles integrated into the platform, XTB supports traders at all levels.
  • XTB has started offering interest on uninvested balances (up to 5% on $30K+) with lower requirements than brokers like eToro (up to 5% on $50K+).
  • Opening an XTB account is a hassle-free, entirely online process that takes just a few minutes, making the entry into day trading smooth for new traders.
  • 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.
  • Markets.com continues to offer a strong proprietary platform with a TradingView-powered charting interface, pro-level technical analysis and custom alerts
  • Traders can access the MT4 and MT5 software, which offer dozens of technical tools and a huge online community for scripts, bots and custom tools
  • CFD and spread-betting opportunities are available on multiple asset classes including forex, stocks, ETFs, bonds and indices
  • Comprehensive educational content is on offer, especially for beginners, including podcasts, webinars and financial market videos
  • The $10 inactivity fee is only charged after 12 months of no trading activity (many competitors start charging after only 3 months)
  • Markets.com is a trusted broker with oversight from tier-one regulators including the FCA, CySEC and ASIC
  • There are no deposit/withdrawal charges, account registration or order admin costs
  • There's good customer support with responses in <1 minute during testing
  • The low minimum deposit of $100 should appeal to beginners
Cons
  • 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.
  • The demo account expires after just four weeks, a serious limitation for traders who wish to thoroughly test the xStation platform and practice short-term strategies before committing real funds.
  • 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.
  • The research tools at XTB are good but could be great if they went beyond in-house features with access to leading third-party tools such as Autochartist, Trading Central and TipRanks.
  • Not being able to adjust the default leverage level of XTB products is frustrating, as manual adjustment can significantly mitigate trade risk, especially in forex and CFD trading.
  • The single retail account option doesn't offer traders any choice of trading conditions, or any additional perks for active trading
  • There are no auto or copy trading terminals outside of the MetaTrader platforms, such as DupliTrade
  • Unlike some top competitors like XM, customer support is not available on the weekend
Awards
  • Best Forex Broker for Beginners 2022
  • Best Customer Service 2021
  • Best Forex Broker for Low Costs 2021
  • Best Mobile App for Investing 2020
  • #1 EMEA Bloomberg spot for FX accuracy in Q2 of 2020 and Q3 of 2018
  • Best Polish Forex Broker 2019
  • Best Execution Broker 2019
  • Best Trading Platform 2020 - FXScouts
  • Runner Up - Best FX Broker 2019 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Forex Provider 2017 - UK Forex Awards
  • Best FX Platform 2017 - UK Forex Awards
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Crypto, ETFs CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Commodities, Indices, Crypto, ETFs, Bonds, Spread Betting (UK Only)
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $100
Trading Platforms
  • xStation
  • Markets.com Web/App Platform
  • MT4
  • MT5
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, CySEC, KNF, CNMV, DFSA, FSC FCA, CySEC, ASIC, FSCA, FSC
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
4.5%
STP Account
Yes No
ECN Account
No No
DMA Account
Yes No
MAM Account
No No
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No No
Robo Advisor
No No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
No Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS, Android
App Review

Year after year XTB’s app stands out for its slick design and uncluttered interface that we love. It’s quick, responsive and packed with useful features, notably integrated sentiment data, market news, economic calendars and education. The user-friendly order panel underneath the trading chart also makes placing trades, including adding take profit and stop loss levels, really straightforward.

Markets.com operate MarketsX – the bespoke platform, both on WebTrader and mobile applications. The app, available on android and iOS has been downloaded over a million times.

Android App Rating
4.1
4.5
iOS App Rating
4.7
3.2
Auto Trading
Open API
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
No No
Trade Signals
Yes Trading Insights
VPS Hosting
No No
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
Yes No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Yes Yes
Inactivity Fee
$0 $10
Islamic Account
Yes Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • HUF
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • ZAR
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • DKK
  • PLN
  • CZK
  • AED
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
CFD Trading
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. Markets.com offers a strong variety of CFD products, not only covering popular asset classes but also more interesting markets such as IPOs and Bonds. The low fees and educational resources will appeal to beginners, whilst seasoned CFD traders will appreciate the feature-rich charting platforms.
Leverage
1:30 (EU) 1:500 (Global) 1:30
FTSE Spread
1.8 2 pips
GBPUSD Spread
1.4 1.3 pips (var)
Oil Spread
0.03 0.05
Stocks Spread
0.2% 4 pips
Forex Trading
XTB provides access to 70+ currency pairs with low spreads averaging around 1 pip on majors. The xStation platform offers an intuitive environment for forex traders with an excellent charting package encompassing 30+ indicators, plus a range of order types, catering to various strategies and risk management techniques. Markets.com offers 43 major, minor and exotic currency pairs. The range is around the industry average, though spreads are fairly competitive, starting from 0.6 pips for EUR/USD. There’s also an excellent range of tools and education, including forex calculators and trading videos.
Forex App

With over 1 million downloads and a rating of 4.5*, XTB deliver a mobile trading platform that users love. Slick and reliable, the app boasts a range of extra features including advanced charts and market sentiment indicators. Download xStation by XTB here.

Markets.com operate MarketsX – the bespoke platform, both on WebTrader and mobile applications. The app, available on android and iOS has been downloaded over a million times.

GBPUSD Spread
1.4 1.3 pips (var)
EURUSD Spread
1.0 0.70 pips (var)
EURGBP Spread
1.4 1.0 pip (var)
Assets
70+ 67
Cryptocurrency
XTB offers an excellent selection of cryptos with more than 50 digital currencies. Spreads are tight starting from 0.22% on BTC and leverage reaches 1:5. The xStation platform also provides intra-crypto pairs like ETH/BTC and DSH/BTC. With the capability to trade cryptos 24/7, XTB ensures a secure environment with transparent accounts for cryptocurrency day trading. You can open long or short positions 24/7 on 25+ popular digital currencies including Ripple, Bitcoin, Neo and Monera. Spreads on Bitcoin are around 51.13 which is uncompetitive compared to other brands, although the 1:20 leverage will offer greater exposure to the market.
Spread
0.22% BTC 88.94 (USD), ETH 5 (USD)
Coins
  • ADA
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • DSH
  • EOS
  • ETH
  • IOTA
  • LTC
  • NEO
  • XRP
  • XLM
  • TRX
  • XEM
  • XLM
  • XMR
  • DOGE
  • BNB
  • LINK
  • UNI
  • DOT
  • XTZ
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • DASH
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • XRP
  • TRON
  • BAT
  • NEO
  • ADA
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
78% of retail accounts lose money. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 79.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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