Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of BlackBull Markets vs Octa, 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.
BlackBull Markets, established in 2014, and Octa, founded in 2011, are online brokers that are not publicly traded or banks. When it comes to trust ratings from ForexBrokers.com, BlackBull Markets garners a Trust Score of 78, placing it in the average risk category. Meanwhile, Octa scores a slightly lower Trust Score of 72, also categorizing it as an average-risk broker. This highlights that both are generally considered to pose a similar level of investment risk.
Regarding regulation, both BlackBull Markets and Octa hold one Tier-1 license each, reflecting a high level of trust in their regulatory standing. However, Octa holds one additional Tier-2 license, which denotes a trusted level of regulation, while BlackBull Markets does not possess any Tier-2 licenses. This adds another layer of regulatory oversight for Octa, potentially providing a bit more assurance to its users.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2014 | 2011 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
BlackBull Markets and Octa are both competitive players in the online brokerage arena, each offering unique advantages when it comes to commissions and fees. BlackBull Markets features three account types—Standard, Prime, and ECN Institutional—each catering to various trading needs. The Prime account stands out with an average spread of 0.16 on the EUR/USD pair, translating to an all-in cost of 0.76 pips after a per-side commission of 0.3 pips, or $6 per 10,000 traded. While ideal for those willing to meet the $2,000 minimum deposit, the Standard account accommodates beginners with no deposit requirement but has higher spreads. The ECN Institutional account requires a substantial $20,000 deposit, offering even lower commission rates for high-volume traders. BlackBull Markets receives a commendable 4.5-star rating and ranks #18 out of 62 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category on ForexBrokers.com.
In comparison, Octa has made significant strides in honing its pricing strategy, now standing among the more affordable MetaTrader brokers. Octa’s account types and associated fees largely depend on your geographic region and the corresponding regulatory entity, whether in the EU, South Africa, or Mwali. European clients trade mainly on MT5 with a single account option, while international clients have access to both MT4 and MT5 platforms. Spreads vary across these entities, with the EU entity offering a slightly more competitive spread of 0.5 pips on the EUR/USD pair. Despite this improvement, the lack of a specified date range for Octa’s typical spread data introduces some uncertainty. Octa is rated 4 stars for its commission and fee structure, securing the #28 spot among 62 brokers in ForexBrokers.com's rankings.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.71 | 0.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.71 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| 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 exploring online brokers for investment opportunities, BlackBull Markets and Octa present distinct offerings. BlackBull Markets provides an extensive selection with 26,000 tradeable symbols and 72 forex pairs, giving investors numerous options to diversify their portfolios. In contrast, Octa offers a smaller variety with 300 tradeable symbols and 35 forex pairs. Both brokers accommodate forex trading through CFDs or spot contracts, ensuring flexibility for traders. However, BlackBull Markets excels by providing access to both U.S. and international exchange-traded securities, such as Apple shares on the NASDAQ and Vodafone shares on the London Stock Exchange, while Octa only offers international exchange-traded securities.
In addition to their range of investments, both BlackBull Markets and Octa cater to traders interested in copy trading and cryptocurrency derivatives, though neither offers actual cryptocurrency purchases. Despite these similarities, BlackBull Markets stands out, achieving a 5-star rating and ranking 6th out of 62 brokers for its range of investments on ForexBrokers.com. Octa, by comparison, earns a 3.5-star rating and ranks 52nd, underscoring BlackBull Markets' broader investment options and appeal to traders seeking a larger variety of assets.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 26000 | 300 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 72 | 35 |
| 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.
BlackBull Markets and Octa both provide traders with a comprehensive suite of online trading platforms and tools, making them strong contenders for anyone looking to enter the market. Both brokers offer simulated trading through free virtual demo accounts, allowing users to practice without financial risk. BlackBull Markets does not have a proprietary platform but offers well-known options like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. In contrast, Octa provides its own in-house trading platform. For Windows-based desktop and web-based trading, both brokers provide solid options, and each supports copy trading, although BlackBull Markets goes a step further by offering ZuluTrade.
When it comes to charting tools, BlackBull Markets stands out with 60 drawing tools compared to Octa's 15, although Octa provides a slightly wider selection of columns for watch lists. Both brokers allow traders to execute trades directly from stock charts. Ratings from ForexBrokers.com indicate that both brokers are evenly matched with 4-star ratings for their platforms and tools. However, BlackBull Markets is ranked slightly higher at 28th out of 62 brokers, compared to Octa's 37th position. Consequently, while both brokers offer strong trading platforms and tools, BlackBull Markets holds a marginal advantage according to industry rankings.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 109 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 60 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 6 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading apps, both BlackBull Markets and Octa cater to iPhone and Android users, ensuring accessibility across major platforms. They both provide the ability to create a watchlist with real-time quotes and offer valuable price alerts for stock and forex markets. Additionally, their mobile apps are equipped with the same number of technical studies, totaling 30, and support the drawing of trendlines on charts. Users can explore multiple time frames, ranging from daily to intraday views, while enjoying the convenience of auto-saving their chart drawings.
While both brokers have secured a four-star rating in mobile trading apps, there are slight distinctions. BlackBull Markets stands out by syncing watchlist symbols from its mobile app with the client's online account, a feature Octa lacks. This means changes made to watchlists on BlackBull Markets' app are reflected on the client's online account and vice versa, streamlining user experience. In terms of overall ranking for mobile trading apps, according to ForexBrokers.com, BlackBull Markets takes the 30th spot out of 62 brokers, slightly ahead of Octa, which is ranked 35th. This ranking hints at a marginal edge for BlackBull Markets in terms of mobile trading experience.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing BlackBull Markets and Octa for market research offerings, both online brokers provide daily market commentary and economic calendars to keep traders informed about key global events. However, Octa steps ahead with forex news from prestigious sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters, whereas BlackBull Markets does not cover this aspect. On the other hand, BlackBull Markets offers a sentiment-based trading tool that displays the ratio of long and short positions across various instruments, a feature that Octa lacks.
Both brokers offer access to technical analysis and fundamental research tools from Autochartist, but neither provides similar tools from Trading Central or market research from TipRanks and Acuity Trading. Despite these similarities, BlackBull Markets holds a slightly better rank at #18 in the Research category on ForexBrokers.com, compared to Octa's #26 position. Each broker is rated four out of five stars for their research capabilities, indicating robust offerings overall.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | 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.
BlackBull Markets and Octa both offer a wide range of educational resources that cater to beginners in forex and CFDs trading. Each broker provides at least ten educational pieces such as articles, videos, and archived webinars, focusing primarily on forex or CFDs to help newcomers gather foundational knowledge. Additionally, both platforms conduct monthly webinars to enhance educational outreach, ensuring new traders have regular access to expert insights and trading strategies. The two brokers also maintain a searchable archive of their recorded webinars, making it easy for users to revisit topics of interest whenever needed.
In terms of video resources, BlackBull Markets and Octa each have more than ten beginner-oriented videos to help traders understand basic concepts. They also offer educational content for advanced traders, with over ten videos that dive deeper into more complex strategies. Furthermore, both brokers provide an investor dictionary, which includes definitions of at least fifty investing terms, aiding newcomers in becoming familiar with trading jargon. In terms of ratings, both BlackBull Markets and Octa have been rated four out of five stars for their educational content. However, BlackBull Markets is ranked 29th out of 62 brokers for education, while Octa stands at the 41st position, according to ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that BlackBull Markets is better than Octa. BlackBull Markets finished with an overall rank of #24, while Octa finished with an overall rank of #47.
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.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
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Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 78 | 72 |
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Both BlackBull Markets and Octa do not offer the option to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they both provide the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both BlackBull Markets and Octa provide several options for depositing and withdrawing funds, including Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wire transfers, but neither supports ACH, SEPA, or PayPal transactions.
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 | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 78 | 72 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | BlackBull Markets Review | Octa Review |
| Broker Screenshots | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
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| Regulation | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 78 | 72 | |
| Year Founded | 2014 | 2011 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | 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) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 26000 | 300 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 72 | 35 | |
| 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 | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.71 | 0.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.71 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 | |
| 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 | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 6 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 109 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 60 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | BlackBull Markets Review | Octa Review |
| Overall | BlackBull Markets | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 78 | 72 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | BlackBull Markets Review | Octa Review |
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