Written by ForexBrokers.com
Is HFM better than BlackBull Markets? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 39 of the best forex brokers, HotForex is considered average-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 85 out of 99. BlackBull Markets is considered average-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 74 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
| Overall Rating | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | |||
| Commissions & Fees | |||
| Offering of Investments | |||
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile Trading | |||
| Research | |||
| Education | |||
| Trust Score | 85 | 74 | 99 |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | BlackBull Markets Review | IG Review |
| Regulation | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 85 | 74 | 99 |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2014 | 1974 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | Yes |
| Bank | No | No | Yes |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Authorised in European Union | Yes | No | Yes |
| About Regulation | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. |
| Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust) | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASIC Authorised (Australia) | No | No | Yes |
| IIROC Authorised (Canada) | No | No | No |
| SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) | No | No | No |
| CBI Authorised (Ireland) | No | No | No |
| FSA Authorised (Japan) | No | No | Yes |
| MAS Authorised (Singapore) | No | No | Yes |
| FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) | No | No | Yes |
| FCA Authorised (U.K.) | Yes | No | Yes |
| CFTC Registered (USA) | No | No | Yes |
| FMA Authorised (New Zealand) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust) | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBRC Authorised (China) | No | No | No |
| CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) | Yes | No | No |
| SEBI Authorised (India) | No | No | No |
| ISA Authorised (Israel) | No | No | No |
| CBR Authorised (Russia) | No | No | No |
| FSCA Authorised (South Africa) | Yes | No | Yes |
| SEC Authorised (Thailand) | No | No | No |
| DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust) | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCB Authorised (Bahamas) | No | No | No |
| IFSC Authorised (Belize) | No | No | No |
| CIMA Authorised (Cayman Islands) | No | No | No |
| BMA Authorised (Bermuda) | No | No | Yes |
| FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) | No | No | No |
| FSC Authorised (Mauritius) | Yes | No | No |
| VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) | No | No | No |
| Investments | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3500 | 26000 | 19537 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 47 | 72 | 100 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFD) | Yes | 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). | 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 | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 (August 2021) | 0.827 (August 2022) | 0.86 (September 2022) |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 (August 2021) | 0.827 (August 2022) | 0.5957 (September 2022) |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | Yes |
| Execution: Market Maker | No | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Initial Deposit | $5 | $0 | £250.00 |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | No | No | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | No |
| cTrader | No | Yes | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 30 | 33 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 15 | 20 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | 33 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forex Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Research | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Education | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has Education - Forex or CFDs | Yes | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Review | HFM Review | BlackBull Markets Review | IG Review |
| Overall | HFM | BlackBull Markets | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | |||
| Commissions & Fees | |||
| Offering of Investments | |||
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile Trading | |||
| Research | |||
| Education | |||
| Trust Score | 85 | 74 | 99 |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | BlackBull Markets Review | IG Review |
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2022 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 39 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare HFM vs BlackBull Markets.
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, IG offers better pricing overall for traders.
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. Both HFM and BlackBull Markets hold 1 global Tier-1 licenses. HFM holds 3 global Tier-2 licenses, while BlackBull Markets holds 0. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, HFM earned a higher Trust Score than BlackBull Markets.
To compare the trading platforms of both HFM and BlackBull Markets, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, IG offers a better experience. With research, IG offers superior market research. Finally, we found IG to provide better mobile trading apps.
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. Both HFM and BlackBull Markets offer MetaTrader 4 (MT4).HFM and BlackBull Markets both offer copy trading.
BlackBull Markets provides traders 72 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to HFM's 47 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, BlackBull Markets offers traders access to 26000 CFDs while HFM has 3500 available CFDs, a difference of 22500.
HotForex is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. HotForex is authorised by one tier-1 regulator (high trust), three tier-2 regulators (average trust), and one tier-3 regulator (low trust). HotForex is authorised by the following tier-1 regulator: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
BlackBull Markets is not publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by one tier-1 regulators (high trust), zero tier-2 regulator (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). BlackBull Markets is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Financial Markets Authority (FMA).
Alongside its enhanced MetaTrader offering and quality research, HFM (HF Markets), previously known as HotForex, offers a proprietary copy trading platform, HFcopy, and provides a decent selection of over 1,000 CFDs and 47 forex pairs. Still, trading costs at HFM are slightly above the industry average, and its HF mobile app does not yet support trading.
BlackBull Markets is a plain-vanilla MetaTrader broker with a growing range of products and support for a handful of third-party social copy trading platforms.
Overall winner: IG
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.
Plus500
AvaTrade
BlackBull Markets
Tickmill
IG
CMC Markets
FOREX.com
FP Markets
