Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of VT Markets 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.
In the world of online trading, choosing a reliable broker can be daunting. Comparing VT Markets and Alpari offers a clear perspective on their regulatory standards and trustworthiness. VT Markets, founded in 2016, possesses a higher regulatory standing with one Tier-1 license, considered highly trusted, and one Tier-2 license, which is trusted. This grants them a Trust Score of 70, classified as average risk by ForexBrokers.com. Although VT Markets is not publicly traded nor a bank, its regulatory licenses contribute to its level of trust.
Meanwhile, Alpari, established in 1998, does not carry any Tier-1 or Tier-2 licenses. ForexBrokers.com gives Alpari a Trust Score of 68, also placing it in the average risk category. Like VT Markets, Alpari is neither publicly traded nor operates as a bank. These factors highlight the disparities in trust and regulatory compliance between the two brokers, offering important insights for individuals exploring their options in online trading platforms.
| Feature |
VT Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2016 | 1998 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
When comparing VT Markets and Alpari regarding commissions and fees, VT Markets offers a choice between the Raw ECN and the Standard STP account. The Raw ECN account typically offers more competitive spreads, with an effective spread of 0.83 pips for the EUR/USD pair, while involving minimal commission charges. On the other hand, the Standard STP account is commission-free but has slightly higher spreads at 1.2 pips for the same currency pair. Both account types require a straightforward minimum deposit of $100, making them accessible to a diverse range of traders.
Unlike VT Markets, specific average spread data for Alpari is not readily available, providing less transparency in terms of precise costs. However, when considering ratings, VT Markets scores slightly higher with a 4.5-star rating for their commission and fee structure, compared to Alpari’s 4-star rating. Such ratings reflect a relatively favorable cost structure for traders who prioritize competitive pricing and transparency.
In terms of ranking, VT Markets holds the 20th position out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com for commissions and fees, suggesting a well-regarded approach to pricing within the industry. Alpari, meanwhile, is ranked 41st in the same category, indicating room for improvement in its cost offerings compared to VT Markets. For traders focusing on minimizing trading expenses, VT Markets appears to be the superior choice between these two options.
| Feature |
VT Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $20 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to the range of investment options, VT Markets and Alpari both provide opportunities for forex trading through CFDs and spot contracts. VT Markets stands out with a wider selection of tradeable symbols, offering investors access to 1,000 options compared to Alpari's 105. While Alpari takes the lead in forex pairs with 46 available pairs, VT Markets is not far behind, offering 39 pairs. Neither platform allows the direct purchase of U.S. exchange-traded securities like Apple shares, yet both enable trading of international stocks such as Vodafone on the London Stock Exchange.
Both platforms offer copy trading for users looking to mirror the strategies of successful traders. For cryptocurrency enthusiasts, VT Markets and Alpari provide cryptocurrency derivatives, though neither offers the option to purchase actual cryptocurrencies. Reviews rate VT Markets slightly higher at 3.5 stars for investment variety, positioning it at #39 among 63 brokers, whereas Alpari receives 3 stars, placing it at the bottom of the list at #63. This suggests a broader investment appeal for VT Markets, although both platforms have their advantages depending on your trading interests.
| Feature |
VT Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1000 | 105 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 39 | 46 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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.
Both VT Markets and Alpari provide their clients with the capability of engaging in simulated trading via free virtual demo accounts. While Alpari has developed its own proprietary trading platform, VT Markets offers no such in-house tool. Both brokers facilitate trading through windows-based desktop platforms, as well as web-based options, providing versatility in how traders can engage with the market. For those interested in copy trading, both brokers support this feature. Additionally, traders can access the popular MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms through either broker, although neither offers DupliTrade or ZuluTrade.
When it comes to charting tools, VT Markets offers a wider range of drawing tools, totaling 30, while Alpari provides 15. Both brokers allow trading directly from stock charts and offer the same number of fields, seven, for watchlists. Despite these differences, both VT Markets and Alpari share the same four-star rating in the Trading Platforms and Tools category. However, VT Markets is ranked slightly higher at #47 compared to Alpari's #55 by ForexBrokers.com out of 63 brokers.
| Feature |
VT Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | No | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
VT Markets and Alpari both provide mobile apps for iPhone and Android devices, ensuring that traders can access their trading platforms regardless of their preferred mobile operating system. Each app is equipped to send stock or forex price alerts and supports the creation of watchlists with real-time quotes, making it easier for users to track the markets and stay informed on the go. Additionally, both platforms offer 30 technical studies for charting, along with the capability to draw trendlines and view multiple time frames on stock or forex charts. However, neither platform supports watchlist symbol syncing or auto-saving of chart drawings, which may be a consideration for traders who require seamless integration between their mobile and online accounts.
When it comes to ratings and rankings, VT Markets and Alpari both score 4 out of 5 stars for their mobile trading apps, suggesting a comparable user experience in terms of functionality and ease of use. Yet, VT Markets holds a somewhat higher industry standing, securing the #44 spot out of 63 brokers in the Mobile Trading Apps category by ForexBrokers.com, while Alpari is positioned at #56. This slight difference in ranking may influence potential users when deciding which platform aligns best with their personal trading needs and preferences.
| Feature |
VT Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing VT Markets and Alpari in terms of market research, VT Markets stands out by providing daily market commentary, a feature that Alpari does not offer. Both brokers supply forex news sourced from reputable sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring traders have access to reliable information. Despite sharing some value in news provision, the two brokers differ notably in their suite of technical analysis tools. VT Markets provides access to Trading Central's analytics but lacks tools from Autochartist, whereas Alpari offers Autochartist but not Trading Central. Moreover, VT Markets includes a sentiment-based trading tool for comparing trader positions, a tool Alpari does not provide, enhancing the depth of insight for traders using VT Markets.
Both brokers offer economic calendars, helping traders keep track of impactful global events. Despite these similarities, VT Markets receives slightly better ratings than Alpari, with a 3.5-star research score and a rank of 36th out of 63 brokers in ForexBrokers.com's research category. Conversely, Alpari is rated 3 stars and is ranked 57th. These distinctions illustrate VT Markets' slight edge in providing comprehensive market research tools and resources, equipping traders with an enriched trading experience.
| Feature |
VT Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners, both VT Markets and Alpari offer sufficient learning materials to get you started in the world of forex and CFDs trading. Each provides over ten educational pieces, such as articles, videos, and archived webinars, to help you grasp the basics. Additionally, both brokers have more than ten beginner-friendly videos that cover trading topics specifically designed for newcomers. While they fall short on offering advanced educational videos, VT Markets and Alpari make up for this by providing a comprehensive investor dictionary with definitions for at least 50 investing terms, making the learning process smoother for new traders.
Neither VT Markets nor Alpari caters to beginners who prefer real-time learning through online educational webinars, as both do not offer regular monthly webinars or maintain a searchable archive of past sessions. In terms of overall education ratings, VT Markets scores slightly higher with a 3.5-star rating compared to Alpari's 3-star rating. However, in the ForexBrokers.com rankings, Alpari edges out VT Markets, securing a spot at #48 out of 63, while VT Markets is placed at #55. This suggests that while VT Markets edges ahead in rated educational quality, Alpari might have a slight advantage in other educational aspects.
| Feature |
VT Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | No | No |
| 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 VT Markets is better than Alpari. VT Markets finished with an overall rank of #44, while Alpari finished with an overall rank of #58.
VT Markets benefits from being part of the Vantage Group of companies, and provides access to the MetaTrader suite of platforms as well as its own VT Pro trading app.
| Feature |
VT Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 70 | 68 |
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Both VT Markets and Alpari do not offer the option to purchase actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do provide the opportunity to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both VT Markets and Alpari do not offer ACH or SEPA transfers or PayPal for deposit and withdrawal, but they do support Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wire options.
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 | VT Markets | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 70 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | VT Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | VT Markets | Alpari | |
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| Regulation | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 70 | 68 | |
| Year Founded | 2016 | 1998 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| 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) | No | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1000 | 105 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 39 | 46 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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 | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $20 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | No | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | No | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | VT Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | VT Markets Review |
| Overall | VT Markets | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 70 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | VT Markets Review |
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