XM Group vs Alpari 2025
In this head to head comparison of XM Group vs Alpari, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
In this head to head comparison of XM Group 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 online brokers XM Group and Alpari, it’s important to consider their regulatory credentials and trust scores. XM Group, which was established in 2009, holds four Tier-1 licenses, categorizing it as highly trusted, alongside a Trust Score of 93 from ForexBrokers.com. On the other hand, Alpari, founded in 1998, doesn’t possess any Tier-1 licenses and holds a Trust Score of 68, indicating a higher risk. Neither broker is publicly traded or operates as a bank.
These regulatory differences are significant for traders looking for a trustworthy platform. XM Group’s commitment to compliance with top-tier regulators reflects a stronger level of reassurance for potential investors. Meanwhile, Alpari, with no Tier-1 or Tier-2 licenses, indicates a comparatively lower level of assurance regarding its regulatory compliance and trustworthiness. For those prioritizing security, XM Group presents a more favorable option.
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Year Founded | 2009 | 1998 |
Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
Bank | No | No |
Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 0 |
Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
If you’re comparing commissions and fees at XM Group and Alpari, both earn 4 out of 5 stars from ForexBrokers.com. XM Group ranks #34 out of 63 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category, while Alpari ranks #42 out of 63, giving XM a slight edge despite the same star rating.
XM Group: Standard account spreads are described as expensive, and the broker does not publish average spreads for its commission-based XM Zero account. Without average spread data, it’s harder to estimate typical trading costs in advance, which can matter if you trade frequently or are spread-sensitive.
Alpari: Average spread data is not available, which limits transparency for everyday pricing and makes direct cost comparisons difficult. With a 4-star score but a lower #42 ranking, Alpari trails XM Group on commissions and fees even though both share the same overall rating.
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Minimum Deposit | $5 | $20 |
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.6 | 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.
XM Group vs Alpari: For range of investments, XM Group clearly offers more markets. XM lists 1,394 tradeable symbols and 55 forex pairs, compared with Alpari’s 105 symbols and 46 pairs. Both brokers let you trade forex via CFDs or spot, support copy trading, and allow cryptocurrency derivatives (but not actual coins). Based on coverage, XM Group earns 4.5 stars for Range of Investments, while Alpari is rated 3 stars.
Access to exchange-traded shares also differs. XM Group lets clients buy real stocks on U.S. exchanges (such as Apple on NASDAQ) and on international exchanges, whereas Alpari offers exchange-traded securities on international markets only—not U.S. stocks. In ForexBrokers.com’s Range of Investments rankings, XM Group is #25 out of 63 brokers, while Alpari sits at #64. If you want a wider market selection including U.S. shares, XM Group has the edge; if you only need a smaller lineup with forex and some international shares, Alpari may suffice.
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Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1394 | 105 |
Forex Pairs (Total) | 55 | 46 |
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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.
Comparing XM Group vs Alpari for trading platforms and tools: both brokers provide a free demo account for paper trading, plus desktop (Windows) and web-based platforms. Each supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and offers copy trading. Neither integrates DupliTrade or ZuluTrade. A key difference is that Alpari also offers an in-house proprietary platform, while XM Group does not.
On charting and trade management, both let you place orders directly from charts, include 15 drawing tools, and allow 7 watchlist columns. In Trading Platforms and Tools, both earn 4 stars; however, XM Group ranks higher overall (#33 of 63) than Alpari (#56 of 63) on ForexBrokers.com. If you want a broker with a proprietary platform in addition to MetaTrader, Alpari fits. If you prefer a MetaTrader-focused setup with a stronger category ranking, XM Group is the better pick.
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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) | 30 | 30 |
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 |
Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
XM Group and Alpari both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, complete with price alerts and real-time quote watchlists. The standout difference is watchlist syncing: XM Group syncs your watchlists between the app and your online account, while Alpari does not—handy if you switch between phone and desktop.
For charting, the two are neck and neck: each app includes 30 technical studies, lets you draw trendlines, and switch among intraday, daily, and weekly time frames. Neither app auto-saves drawings. Both received 4 out of 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps; however, in ForexBrokers.com’s rankings of 63 brokers, XM Group placed #31 while Alpari ranked #57. If watchlist syncing and a higher category ranking matter to you, XM Group has the edge; otherwise, their mobile toolsets are quite similar.
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Android App | Yes | Yes |
Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
Watchlist Syncing | Yes | 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.
Comparing XM Group vs Alpari for market research, XM Group comes out ahead for everyday insights. XM Group provides daily market commentary, top-tier forex news (from sources like Bloomberg/Reuters-class providers), Trading Central research, a sentiment tool showing long/short positioning, and an economic calendar. Alpari skips daily commentary but does include premium news and an economic calendar, plus Autochartist for technical ideas; however, it lacks Trading Central and a sentiment tool. Availability of TipRanks and Acuity Trading tools at Alpari is not specified.
Independent ratings back up the gap: XM Group earns 5 stars and ranks #8 out of 63 brokers for Research on ForexBrokers.com, while Alpari holds 3 stars and ranks #58. If you want frequent commentary and a wider mix of research tools, XM Group is the stronger pick; if you mainly need Autochartist and standard news with an economic calendar, Alpari may suffice.
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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 | |
Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | |
Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources available for beginners between XM Group and Alpari, there are several key differences. XM Group provides more comprehensive educational support, offering a variety of materials including over 10 pieces on forex or CFDs through articles, videos, and archived webinars. Beginners have access to online webinars hosted at least once a month, with an archive of previously recorded sessions available for review, a feature not offered by Alpari. Both brokers provide over 10 beginner-focused educational videos; however, XM Group stands out with an extensive range of over 10 advanced videos designed for experienced traders.
In contrast, Alpari offers an investor dictionary with over 50 investing terms, an advantage for those new to trading concepts, a resource that XM Group does not provide. Despite this, the overall educational experience at XM Group is rated higher, with a five-star rating compared to Alpari's three stars. When ranked by ForexBrokers.com among 63 brokers for educational resources, XM Group claims the #7 spot, significantly higher than Alpari's rank at #48. This ranking reflects XM Group's commitment to providing traders, especially beginners, with a rich set of learning tools to enhance their trading knowledge.
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Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
Client Webinars | Yes | No |
Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that XM Group is better than Alpari. XM Group finished with an overall rank of #17, while Alpari finished with an overall rank of #58.
XM Group is a MetaTrader-only broker that offers a strong selection of high-quality educational content and market research.
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Overall Rating |
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Trust Score | 93 | 68 |
Range of Investments |
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Platforms & Tools |
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Research |
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XM Group and Alpari both do not offer the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both XM Group and Alpari offer Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires for depositing and withdrawing account funds, but neither supports ACH, SEPA transfers, nor PayPal as payment 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 5Overall Rating | XM Group | Alpari | |
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Overall Rating |
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Commissions & Fees |
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Range of Investments |
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Platforms & Tools |
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Mobile Trading |
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Research |
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Education |
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Trust Score | 93 | 68 | |
Winner | check_circle | ||
Review | XM Group Review |
Broker Screenshots | XM Group | Alpari | |
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Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
Regulation | XM Group | Alpari | |
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Trust Score | 93 | 68 | |
Year Founded | 2009 | 1998 | |
Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
Bank | No | No | |
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 0 | |
Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | XM Group | Alpari | |
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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) | |||
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). | Yes | No |
Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | XM Group | Alpari | |
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Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
Investments | XM Group | Alpari | |
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Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1394 | 105 | |
Forex Pairs (Total) | 55 | 46 | |
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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 | XM Group | Alpari | |
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Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.6 | N/A | |
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A | |
Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | |
Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
Funding | XM Group | Alpari | |
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Minimum Deposit | $5 | $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 | XM Group | 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 | XM Group | Alpari | |
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Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 | |
Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
Mobile Trading | XM Group | Alpari | |
---|---|---|---|
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 | 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 | XM Group | Alpari | |
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Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
Autochartist | No | Yes | |
Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
TipRanks | No | ||
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Education | XM Group | Alpari | |
---|---|---|---|
Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | Yes |
Major Forex Pairs | XM Group | Alpari | |
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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 | XM Group Review |
Overall | XM Group | Alpari | |
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Overall Rating |
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Commissions & Fees |
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Range of Investments |
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Platforms & Tools |
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Mobile Trading |
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Research |
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Education |
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Trust Score | 93 | 68 | |
Winner | check_circle | ||
Review | XM Group Review |