Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of XTB 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 2002, XTB stands as a publicly traded online broker, a significant factor contributing to its high transparency. It holds two Tier-1 licenses, regarded as highly trusted, and two Tier-2 licenses, which signals a solid regulatory standing in the industry. With a Trust Score of 96, XTB is considered highly trusted according to ForexBrokers.com, showcasing its commitment to providing a secure trading environment.
Admirals, established in 2001, is not publicly traded but demonstrates its reliability with four Tier-1 licenses and three Tier-2 licenses, placing it among well-regulated brokers. Admirals holds a Trust Score of 93, indicating a strong level of trustworthiness. Both XTB and Admirals do not operate as banks, focusing solely on brokerage services, but their strong regulatory portfolios ensure trader confidence and safety.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2002 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
If you’re comparing commissions and fees at XTB and Admirals, both earn 4.5 out of 5 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, XTB ranks 12th out of 63 brokers for pricing, while Admirals ranks 18th. On headline spreads, Admirals has a slight edge: typical EUR/USD spreads are about 0.8 pips on its Trade account (with similar pricing on its Zero account), versus XTB’s Q4 2023 average of roughly 1.0 pip on the Standard account.
XTB’s lineup includes a spread-only Standard account for most clients and a commission-based Professional account that’s being phased out and limited to eligible professionals in the U.K. and EU. The minimum deposit is 250 in your base currency. For smaller trade sizes, the Standard account is usually cheaper; at higher volumes, Standard and Pro pricing tends to converge. Eligible active traders can also tap XTB’s Lower Spread Group for monthly rebates worth 5% to 30% of the spread once you reach volume tiers starting at 20 lots and up to 1,000 lots (availability can vary by region).
Admirals keeps pricing straightforward, with competitive typical spreads near 0.8 pips on the Trade account and comparable costs on the Zero account. If you want the lowest advertised spread on major pairs, Admirals may come out a touch cheaper. If you trade larger volumes or qualify for XTB’s spread rebates, XTB can narrow or even erase that gap. Bottom line: both score 4.5/5, with XTB holding a higher pricing rank (#12) than Admirals (#18).
| Feature |
XTB
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.00 | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.00 | 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.
XTB vs Admirals: both brokers cover the essentials for a wide range of investments. Each offers forex trading as CFDs or spot, plus access to exchange-traded stocks on U.S. markets (like Apple) and international exchanges (such as Vodafone). Admirals lists more instruments overall, with 8,702 tradeable symbols and 82 forex pairs, compared with XTB’s 7,184 symbols and 71 forex pairs.
For extras, Admirals supports copy trading, while XTB does not. Neither broker lets you buy actual cryptocurrency, though both provide cryptocurrency CFDs. In independent ratings for Range of Investments, XTB earns 5 stars and ranks #15 out of 63 brokers, while Admirals scores 4.5 stars and ranks #20. Choose Admirals if you want more symbols and copy trading, or XTB if you value a higher category rating.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7184 | 8702 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 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). | 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.
Comparing XTB vs Admirals for trading platforms and tools, both online brokers cover the essentials. Each offers a free demo (paper) account, a proprietary platform, a web-based platform, a Windows desktop platform, and the ability to place trades directly from a chart. In independent testing by ForexBrokers.com, XTB earns 4.5 stars and ranks #9 out of 63 for trading platforms and tools, while Admirals scores 4 stars and ranks #19.
The main differences are in platform choice and extras. Admirals supports copy trading and offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), which can appeal to traders who want popular automated trading and a large library of add-ons. XTB does not provide copy trading and does not support MT4 or MT5, focusing instead on its own platform. If you prefer a higher-rated in-house experience, XTB stands out; if you want MetaTrader access and copy trading, Admirals is the better fit.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 39 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
XTB and Admirals both offer iPhone and Android apps with price alerts, letting you track stocks and forex on the go. Each app includes chart drawing tools like trendlines and will auto-save your drawings. One drawback for both is that watchlists don’t sync between the mobile app and your online account. Where they differ is charting depth: XTB supplies 39 built-in technical studies, while Admirals offers 30.
When it comes to third-party scores, XTB earns 4.5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps and ranks #8 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. Admirals receives 4 stars and ranks #23. In short, both apps cover the essentials well, but XTB has more indicators and a higher overall rating.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 39 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
XTB and Admirals both provide daily market commentary and access to forex news from premium sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring traders stay informed with top-tier information. Both platforms also boast sentiment-based trading tools which reveal the distribution of long and short positions across various instruments. Furthermore, both XTB and Admirals offer economic calendars that present upcoming global news events, helping traders anticipate market movements.
Where Admirals distinguishes itself is by offering research tools from Trading Central and Acuity Trading, as well as market insights from TipRanks. However, XTB, despite lacking these tools, receives a higher research rating of 5 stars compared to Admirals’ 4 stars, reflecting its strength in other areas. With its impressive rank of 7th out of 63 brokers for research by ForexBrokers.com, XTB edges ahead of Admirals, which holds the 15th spot. This suggests that while both brokers are equipped with valuable research features, XTB slightly outperforms Admirals based on expert evaluations.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | Yes |
| Acuity Trading | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
XTB and Admirals both meet the benchmark for forex and CFD education, offering at least 10 educational pieces focused on these markets. Each broker also runs online client webinars at least once a month. For beginners, both provide at least 10 video lessons that explain trading basics, and they also offer at least 10 advanced videos for when you’re ready to dig deeper. This mix of videos and live sessions helps you build skills step by step.
Independent ratings give XTB a slight edge for education: XTB earns 5 stars and ranks 11th out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Admirals earns 4 stars and ranks 12th. If top-rated education is your priority, XTB is the stronger pick; if you want a similar lineup of videos and monthly webinars, Admirals is close behind.
| Feature |
XTB
|
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 XTB is better than Admirals. XTB finished with an overall rank of #7, while Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18.
As a trusted multi-asset broker, XTB offers outstanding customer service, a wide variety of forex and CFDs, and an excellent overall trading experience. Its xStation 5 trading platform is well-designed and packed with innovative features, and XTB’s offers comprehensive educational content and market research.
| Feature |
XTB
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Admirals
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|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 96 | 93 |
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Both online brokers XTB and Admirals do not allow buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but they each offer cryptocurrency CFD trading for investors seeking crypto price exposure without owning the underlying asset.
XTB vs Admirals: For deposits and withdrawals, XTB supports PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers but not ACH/SEPA, while Admirals does support ACH/SEPA; availability of PayPal, Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wire transfers at Admirals—along with Visa/Mastercard at XTB—was not specified in the provided information.
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 | XTB | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | XTB Review | Admirals Review |
| Broker Screenshots | XTB | Admirals | |
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| Regulation | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 96 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 2002 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| 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) | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | 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 | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7184 | 8702 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 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). | 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 | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.00 | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.00 | 0.8 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 39 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 39 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | Yes | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | XTB | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | XTB Review | Admirals Review |
| Overall | XTB | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | XTB Review | Admirals Review |
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