Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FXCM vs Admirals, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
FXCM, established in 1999, and Admirals, founded in 2001, are both prominent players in the online brokerage industry. While FXCM is publicly traded, Admirals remains private. Neither company operates as a bank, and both have garnered significant trust in the financial world. FXCM and Admirals each possess four Tier-1 licenses, affirming their high level of reliability. Furthermore, FXCM holds two Tier-2 licenses, while Admirals boasts three, indicating their recognized status among trusted brokers.
Both companies achieve excellent trust ratings from ForexBrokers.com. FXCM holds a Trust Score of 95 out of 99, classifying it as highly trusted, whereas Admirals has a Trust Score of 93, also reflecting high trustworthiness. These scores signify that both FXCM and Admirals have established themselves as reliable options for traders seeking secure online brokerage services.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
When comparing FXCM and Admirals in terms of commissions and fees, FXCM offers forex trading with slightly above-average pricing. Standard account spreads for May 2024 show an average of 0.78 pips for regions such as the EU, U.K., and Australia, while the spread for its St. Vincent and the Grenadines entity stands at 1.38 pips, which surpasses the industry norm. FXCM's commission-based accounts feature spreads averaging 0.28 pips, excluding commissions, and significant discounts can be achieved through their Active Trader Rebate Program, depending on trade volume and eligibility based on the account's geographical entity.
FXCM's Active Trader Rebate Program, unavailable in the U.K. or EU, comprises five tiers where traders can earn a rebate ranging from $5 to $25 per million dollars traded, with specific requirements varying by FXCM entity. The company's commission-based pricing, although starting with low spreads, results in higher effective spreads when accounting for commissions. In contrast, Admiral Markets presents competitive pricing with typical spreads of 0.8 pips on both its Trade and Zero account types, making it a fairly attractive option for frequent traders.
In ratings and rankings, FXCM receives a 4-star rating for its commissions and fees, placing it at #24 among 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. Admirals outshines with a 4.5-star rating, securing the #17 spot in the same category. This analysis highlights that while both brokers offer competitive features, Admirals seems to hold an edge in terms of overall cost-effectiveness for active traders.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.78 | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.78 | 0.8 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
FXCM and Admirals each provide a platform for trading forex and cryptocurrencies, making them strong contenders for traders interested in these markets. Both brokers support trading forex both as CFDs and spot contracts. FXCM offers 440 tradable symbols and 43 forex pairs, while Admirals significantly expands the selection with 8,702 tradable symbols and 82 forex pairs, offering traders a much wider market scope. Additionally, Admirals stands out by allowing its clients to access exchange-traded securities (not CFDs) on both U.S. and international exchanges, enabling direct investments in companies like Apple and Vodafone—an option FXCM does not provide.
Besides forex and cryptocurrency trading capabilities, both FXCM and Admirals offer copy trading services where users can replicate the trades of successful traders, offering a strategic advantage to newcomers. However, neither broker currently permits the purchase of actual, delivered cryptocurrencies, only their derivatives. In terms of investment range, Admirals receives a higher rating of 4.5 stars versus FXCM's 3.5 stars. Also, according to ForexBrokers.com, Admirals is ranked 19th out of 63 brokers for its range of investments, whereas FXCM is placed at 47th, highlighting Admirals’ broader appeal for diversifying portfolios across different market assets.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 8702 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 43 | 82 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When comparing FXCM and Admirals in terms of their trading platforms and tools, both brokerage firms offer strong options for traders. FXCM provides a proprietary platform and supports popular options like MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and ZuluTrade, but does not support MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Admirals, on the other hand, supports MT4, MT5, and a proprietary platform, but does not offer ZuluTrade. Both brokers excel in offering simulated trading through free virtual demo accounts, as well as both desktop and web-based platforms. Copy trading is available with each broker, allowing users to follow and mimic the trades of experienced investors.
Looking at specific features, Admirals surpasses FXCM with 106 drawing tools for charting compared to FXCM's 10. However, FXCM offers a more comprehensive watch list with 13 customizable columns, while Admirals offers 7. Both brokers enable trading directly from stock charts, enhancing user experience. In terms of performance rating, FXCM stands out with a full 5-star rating compared to Admirals' 4-star rating in the Trading Platforms and Tools category. Moreover, FXCM holds a higher rank at #6 according to ForexBrokers.com, compared to Admirals' rank of #19. This positions FXCM slightly ahead of Admirals overall, particularly for those valuing user-friendly interfaces and a range of trading options.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 10 | 106 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 13 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
FXCM and Admirals both provide mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android users, ensuring seamless trading accessibility on the go. Both platforms deliver crucial features like stock and forex price alerts, the ability to draw trendlines on charts, multiple time frame views, and auto-saving of chart drawings. One of the standout features of FXCM is its watchlist symbol syncing, which allows any changes made on the mobile app to be automatically updated with the client's online account. This is a feature that Admirals does not currently offer.
In terms of charting capabilities, FXCM takes the lead by offering 59 technical studies, nearly doubling the 30 studies available on Admirals. Additionally, FXCM is ranked higher in the mobile trading apps category by ForexBrokers.com, holding the 16th spot out of 63 brokers, while Admirals is ranked 23rd. In user ratings, FXCM scores 4.5 stars against Admirals' 4 stars, reflecting positive feedback from traders who value robust functionality and integration. Overall, both apps offer strong options for mobile trading, but FXCM distinguishes itself with more extensive features and higher accolades.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 59 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Both FXCM and Admirals provide traders with daily market commentary, offering valuable insights into current market trends. Both brokers also deliver forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring their clients stay informed with reliable information. Traders interested in technical analysis will find Trading Central's tools available with both brokers. Additionally, both offer sentiment-based trading tools to help users gauge market dynamics. While FXCM and Admirals both incorporate market research from TipRanks, only Admirals includes tools from Acuity Trading, like Signal Centre, enhancing their research variety.
FXCM and Admirals each feature an economic calendar, helping traders track important global economic events. FXCM, with a 4.5-star rating, slightly exceeds Admirals' 4-star rating in research offerings. Ranked 11th in research by ForexBrokers.com, FXCM stands a notch above Admirals, which holds the 15th position. Despite these differences, both brokers deliver comprehensive tools for their users, although Admirals offers a slight edge with additional tools from Acuity Trading.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | Yes |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginner traders seeking educational resources, both FXCM and Admirals provide a substantial range of materials to empower newcomers in the world of forex and CFDs. Both platforms offer over ten educational pieces, including articles, videos, and archived webinars focused on forex and CFD trading. Additionally, they conduct online educational webinars every month and maintain a searchable archive of previously recorded sessions, offering flexibility and access to learning at one's convenience. FXCM and Admirals go a step further by providing at least ten beginner-friendly videos on trading topics, ensuring novices have ample resources to build their foundational knowledge.
Moreover, experienced traders aren't left out, as both companies also offer ten advanced educational videos. They provide valuable resources like investor dictionaries, each defining over 50 essential investing terms to aid comprehensive understanding. According to ForexBrokers.com, FXCM receives a slightly higher education rating of 4.5 stars out of five, compared to Admirals' 4-star rating. However, Admirals boasts a somewhat higher educational ranking at #12 out of 63 brokers, while FXCM stands at #14. Both brokers offer rich learning environments, yet slight differences in ratings might guide user preferences based on specific educational needs.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that FXCM is better than Admirals. FXCM finished with an overall rank of #15, while Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18.
For traders who appreciate advanced trading tools and quality market research, FXCM is a winner, especially for algorithmic trading. Its range of tradeable markets is fairly narrow, however, and the pricing at FXCM is just average.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 93 |
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Both FXCM and Admirals do not offer the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrencies, but they do provide the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both FXCM and Admirals provide a wide range of funding and withdrawal options, including ACH and SEPA transfers, PayPal, Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, offering flexibility and convenience for their clients.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | FXCM | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review | Admirals Review |
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| Regulation | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 95 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | Yes |
| Investments | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 8702 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 43 | 82 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.78 | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.78 | 0.8 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 13 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 10 | 106 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 59 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FXCM | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | FXCM Review | Admirals Review |
| Overall | FXCM | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review | Admirals Review |
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