Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FOREX.com vs Alpari, 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.
When comparing FOREX.com and Alpari, it's important to consider their regulatory credentials and trust ratings. FOREX.com, established in 1999, is listed on a stock exchange, highlighting its transparency and established presence in the financial market. In contrast, Alpari, founded in 1998, is not publicly traded. Both brokers are not banks, but when it comes to regulatory trust, FOREX.com stands out with seven Tier-1 licenses, considered highly trustworthy, and one Tier-2 license. This contributes to its impressive Trust Score of 99 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, indicating it is seen as highly reliable in the industry.
On the other hand, Alpari holds neither Tier-1 nor Tier-2 licenses, which contributes to its ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 68 out of 99. This score places Alpari in the high-risk category, suggesting there might be some concerns regarding its regulatory oversight compared to FOREX.com. When choosing a broker, such trust scores and regulatory standings are crucial factors for investors concerned with safety and reliability in their trading activities.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 1998 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 0 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
Looking strictly at commissions and fees, FOREX.com earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #14 out of 63 brokers, while Alpari earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #42 out of 63. That gap reflects both pricing and transparency: FOREX.com publishes detailed execution stats and multiple pricing options, whereas Alpari does not provide average spread data, making like‑for‑like comparisons harder.
FOREX.com’s Standard account (the only choice for MetaTrader 4 users) carried typical EUR/USD spreads of 1.4 pips in the U.S. as of July 2023; outside the U.S., the EUR/USD averaged 0.74 pips that same month. The newer RAW Spread account (available in the U.S., Canada, and the EU, including on MetaTrader 5) showed typical EUR/USD spreads of 0.13 pips in Feb. 2024, plus a $7 round‑turn commission per standard lot—about 0.7 pips—bringing the estimated all‑in cost to roughly 0.83 pips before rebates. Active‑trader rebates range from $2 to $9 per million, but unless you trade more than $50 million per month, U.S. traders will find all‑in costs on the Commission/RAW setup similar to the Standard account. Extremely high‑volume clients (over $2 billion per month) can reach very low effective spreads.
Alpari’s commissions and fees are harder to benchmark because average spread data is not available. That lack of published figures limits precise comparisons with FOREX.com’s Standard or RAW pricing. Based on our scoring, Alpari’s 4‑star rating and #42 ranking in this category trail FOREX.com’s 4.5‑star, #14 placement, especially for traders who value clear, published spreads, tiered rebates, and transparent cost data.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $20 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.4 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
FOREX.com offers a far wider range of investments than Alpari. It lists 5,500 tradeable symbols and 80 forex pairs, and supports forex trading as CFDs or spot. You can trade cryptocurrency via CFDs (not actual coins). However, FOREX.com does not provide exchange-traded stocks on U.S. or international exchanges, and it doesn’t offer copy trading. Reflecting its breadth, ForexBrokers.com rates FOREX.com 5 out of 5 stars and ranks it #7 out of 63 brokers for Range of Investments.
Alpari provides 105 tradeable symbols and 46 forex pairs, with forex available as CFDs or spot. It also offers cryptocurrency CFDs (not actual coins). Unlike FOREX.com, Alpari lets clients buy exchange-traded securities on certain international exchanges, though not in the U.S., and it includes copy trading. For Range of Investments, ForexBrokers.com rates Alpari 3 out of 5 stars and ranks it #64 out of 63 brokers.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 105 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 46 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | 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 FOREX.com vs Alpari for trading platforms and tools: both offer free demo (paper) accounts, proprietary platforms, Windows desktop downloads, and web-based platforms. Each also supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and both let you place trades directly from charts. Specific counts for built-in technical indicators and watchlist columns were not provided.
The standout difference is copy trading—Alpari offers it, while FOREX.com does not. For overall platform quality, FOREX.com earns 5 stars and ranks #7 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools, while Alpari holds 4 stars and ranks #56 out of 63. Choose FOREX.com if higher-rated platforms are your priority; pick Alpari if copy trading is a must-have.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 88 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both FOREX.com and Alpari offer iPhone and Android mobile trading apps with price alerts. The big usability difference is watchlists: FOREX.com syncs your watchlist between the app and your online account, while Alpari does not. Independent ratings also favor FOREX.com—its mobile app earns 5 stars and is ranked 3rd out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, whereas Alpari’s app earns 4 stars and ranks 57th.
For charting on mobile, FOREX.com provides 88 technical studies compared with Alpari’s 30. Both apps let you draw trendlines, but only FOREX.com auto-saves your drawings so your notes are there next time you open a chart. If you want deeper charting, auto-saved annotations, and synced watchlists across devices, FOREX.com’s mobile trading app is the stronger choice; Alpari’s app covers the essentials for traders who need alerts and simple charts.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 88 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Comparing FOREX.com vs. Alpari for market research: FOREX.com offers daily market commentary, forex news from major sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, Trading Central tools, a sentiment-based trading tool that shows long/short positioning, and an economic calendar. Alpari provides forex news from major sources, Autochartist for technical and fundamental ideas, and an economic calendar, but it does not publish daily market commentary, does not include Trading Central, and does not offer a sentiment tool. FOREX.com does not include TipRanks or Acuity Trading; for Alpari, availability of TipRanks and Acuity Trading was not specified.
These differences are reflected in independent ratings: ForexBrokers.com scores FOREX.com at 4.5 out of 5 stars for research (ranked 9th of 63 brokers) versus Alpari at 3 out of 5 stars (ranked 58th of 63). If you want daily insights, Trading Central analysis, and sentiment data in one place, FOREX.com is likely the better fit; if Autochartist is your priority, Alpari may suit your needs.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | |
| Acuity Trading | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
FOREX.com vs Alpari for education: both brokers offer forex and CFD education with at least 10 learning pieces, including articles and videos. Each provides 10+ beginner videos to help new traders learn the basics. Where they differ is ongoing support—FOREX.com runs client webinars at least once a month, while Alpari does not. That makes it easier for beginners on FOREX.com to ask questions in real time and stay engaged.
When it comes to depth, FOREX.com also delivers 10+ advanced videos for experienced topics, while Alpari falls short in that area. The results show up in third-party ratings: FOREX.com earns 4.5/5 stars for Education and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com; Alpari earns 3/5 stars and ranks #48. If you want beginner-friendly education that can grow with you, FOREX.com is the stronger choice.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that FOREX.com is better than Alpari. FOREX.com finished with an overall rank of #5, while Alpari finished with an overall rank of #58.
FOREX.com is a trusted brand that delivers an excellent trading experience for forex and CFDs traders across the globe. It offers a wide range of markets and provides an impressive suite of proprietary platforms – alongside limited access to MetaTrader.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
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Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 68 |
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In the FOREX.com vs Alpari crypto trading comparison, both online brokers do not support buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
FOREX.com vs Alpari: FOREX.com offers ACH/SEPA, PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire deposits and withdrawals, while Alpari does not support ACH/SEPA and its availability of PayPal, Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wires is 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 | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
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| Regulation | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 68 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 1998 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 0 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 105 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 46 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | 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 | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.4 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $20 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 88 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 88 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | ||
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | FOREX.com Review |
| Overall | FOREX.com | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review |
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