Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Plus500 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.
Founded in 2008, Plus500 is a well-established online broker that stands out for its high level of trustworthiness. It holds an impressive Trust Score of 99 out of 99 on ForexBrokers.com, placing it in the "highly trusted" category. Plus500 operates under the oversight of six Tier-1 licenses, which denote a high level of regulatory credibility. The company is also publicly traded, enhancing its transparency and appeal. Additionally, Plus500 possesses three Tier-2 licenses, reflecting further regulatory oversight. Despite not being a bank, its regulatory credentials make it a reliable choice for traders.
Admirals, established in 2001, is another trusted name in the online brokerage industry, earning a solid Trust Score of 93 out of 99 on ForexBrokers.com. It is backed by four Tier-1 licenses, indicating a strong regulatory framework, and like Plus500, it is not a bank. Admirals is not publicly traded, but it maintains trust with its clients through its regulatory adherence, holding three Tier-2 licenses. Both brokers exhibit trusted regulatory standards, yet Plus500 slightly edges ahead in terms of license count and public listing.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
Comparing commissions and fees, Admirals generally comes out cheaper than Plus500. Admirals lists typical EUR/USD spreads around 0.8 pips on its Trade account, with similar pricing on its Zero account. By contrast, Plus500’s EUR/USD spread averaged 1.5 pips in April 2024, which is above the industry average and not as sharp as the best active-trader pricing available from providers like IG or Saxo.
Plus500 does not offer retail discounts, though Professional clients may qualify for cash rebates similar to an active trader program. Admirals’ pricing is straightforward and competitive without special status. For ratings and rankings: Admirals earns 4.5/5 stars and ranks #18 out of 63 brokers for Commissions and Fees at ForexBrokers.com, while Plus500 earns 4.0/5 stars and ranks #24 out of 63. If you’re focused on lower ongoing trading costs, Admirals’ tighter spreads can be a meaningful advantage; Plus500 may appeal if you can qualify for Professional rebates.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €50 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Comparing Plus500 and Admirals on range of investments, Admirals offers the larger selection overall with 8,702 tradeable symbols versus Plus500’s 5,500. Admirals also lists more forex pairs (82 vs. 65). Both brokers support forex trading via CFDs or spot, and both let you buy real, exchange-traded shares on U.S. markets and on international exchanges—not just CFDs. For crypto, neither broker lets you buy actual coins, but both provide cryptocurrency CFDs.
Feature differences are subtle: Admirals includes copy trading, while Plus500 does not. Despite these contrasts, each earns 4.5 out of 5 stars for Range of Investments. In ForexBrokers.com’s category rankings, Admirals places #20 of 63 brokers, with Plus500 close behind at #22.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 8702 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 82 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. | 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.
Plus500 and Admirals both provide free demo (paper) accounts and each offers its own in-house trading platform. Platform access differs: Plus500 focuses on a clean web-based platform and does not provide a Windows desktop download, while Admirals supports both web and Windows desktop. Admirals also adds MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) for traders who want those popular third‑party platforms, which Plus500 does not offer.
Tool sets vary as well. Admirals supports copy trading and lets you place orders directly from charts; Plus500 does not include these features. In ForexBrokers.com’s Trading Platforms and Tools category, Plus500 earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #14 of 63 brokers, while Admirals earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #19 of 63. If you prefer simple browser-based trading, Plus500 is a straightforward choice. If you want a Windows desktop platform, MT4/MT5 access, and copy trading, Admirals may suit you better.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Plus500 and Admirals both offer full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each supports price alerts for stocks and forex. The key difference starts with watchlists: Plus500 syncs watchlists between mobile and web, while Admirals does not. For charting, Plus500 packs in 115 technical indicators compared with Admirals’ 30, and both apps let you draw trendlines for quick technical analysis on the go.
When it comes to saving your work, Admirals auto-saves chart drawings, whereas Plus500 does not. In independent testing, Plus500 earned 4.5 out of 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps and ranked #14 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com; Admirals scored 4 stars and ranked #23. Bottom line: choose Plus500 if you value deeper built-in indicators and synced watchlists, or go with Admirals if auto-saving chart annotations is a must-have.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 115 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
In the world of online trading, both Plus500 and Admirals provide daily market commentary, which helps traders stay informed about market conditions. However, Admirals has the upper hand in offering forex news from esteemed sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a feature Plus500 lacks. Both platforms provide technical analysis tools from Trading Central and sentiment-based trading tools, giving users vital information on market trends and trading positions. However, Admirals distinguishes itself with additional resources like market research from TipRanks and research tools from Acuity Trading, offering a broader spectrum of trading insights.
Both platforms feature an economic calendar, keeping traders updated on global economic events. In terms of research ratings, Plus500 and Admirals are neck-and-neck, each receiving four stars for their market research offerings. However, ForexBrokers.com ranks Admirals slightly higher at #15, compared to Plus500, which stands at #19 among 63 brokers assessed. Overall, while Plus500 offers valuable tools, Admirals provides a more comprehensive research experience for traders seeking diverse insights and news sources.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | Yes |
| Acuity Trading | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Both Plus500 and Admirals provide beginner-friendly trading education online. Each broker runs at least one client webinar per month and offers 10+ beginner videos that explain core forex and CFD topics. When you’re ready to go further, both also supply 10+ advanced videos for experienced traders, creating a clear path from basics to more advanced techniques.
According to ForexBrokers.com, Plus500 and Admirals each earn 4 out of 5 stars for Education, but Admirals ranks higher overall (#12 of 63) than Plus500 (#31 of 63). If you’re choosing mainly on education depth and third-party rankings, Admirals takes a slight lead; if you just want steady webinars and a solid set of beginner and advanced videos, either broker will serve beginners well.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Plus500 is better than Admirals. Plus500 finished with an overall rank of #14, while Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18.
Plus500 is a trusted global brand that offers an easy-to-use trading platform for online traders, alongside access to a thorough selection of CFDs. Share trading is available, but only via its Plus500 Invest product offering.
| Feature |
Plus500
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Admirals
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| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 |
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In the Plus500 vs Admirals comparison, these online brokers do not support buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both allow trading cryptocurrency CFDs.
Comparing online brokers Plus500 and Admirals for deposit and withdrawal options: Plus500 supports PayPal, Skrill and bank wires but not ACH or SEPA, while Admirals supports ACH/SEPA, with PayPal, Skrill, Visa/Mastercard and bank wire availability not specified.
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 | Plus500 | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Admirals Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Plus500 | Admirals | |
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| Regulation | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | Yes |
| Investments | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 8702 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 82 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. | 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 | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.3 | 0.8 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €50 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 115 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | Yes | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Plus500 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Admirals Review |
| Overall | Plus500 | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Admirals Review |
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