City Index vs GBE brokers 2025
In this head to head comparison of City Index vs GBE brokers, 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 City Index vs GBE brokers, 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.
City Index, founded in 1983, stands out as a highly trusted online broker with a perfect Trust Score of 99, according to ForexBrokers.com. As a publicly traded company, City Index holds seven Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license, reflecting its strong regulatory standing and reliability for investors. Although it is not a bank, its longstanding presence in the market and commitment to regulatory compliance make it a top choice for traders seeking stability and trustworthiness in their online brokerage.
On the other hand, GBE brokers, established in 2013, has a Trust Score of 71, indicating an average risk level. Unlike City Index, GBE brokers is not publicly traded and holds just one Tier-1 license, with no Tier-2 licenses. While it maintains a certain level of trust, GBE brokers' younger age and smaller regulatory footprint suggest that potential investors may need to weigh the potential risks and rewards more carefully when choosing this brokerage for their trading activities.
| Feature |
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1983 | 2013 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
If you’re comparing commissions and fees, City Index holds a clear edge over GBE brokers. City Index is rated 4.5/5 stars and ranks #15 out of 63 brokers for Commissions and Fees at ForexBrokers.com, while GBE brokers is rated 4/5 stars and ranks #38 out of 63. City Index publishes detailed pricing and offers extras for active traders, whereas GBE brokers does not provide average spread data, making direct cost comparisons tougher.
City Index’s pricing for CFDs, forex, and spread betting sits around the industry average. Its EUR/USD average spread was 0.74 pips as of July 2023, and you’ll typically get the best pricing on City Index’s own platforms or MetaTrader. High-volume traders can benefit from the Premium Trader account (available to clients who deposit more than £10,000), which includes access to exclusive pricing, events, content, and dedicated support. There are also volume-based rebates: in the U.K., professional traders can earn £4 per million when trading more than £25M per month, rising to £7.5 per million above £300M; in Australia, rebates range from AUD $4.5 to AUD $14.5 per million across tiers.
For GBE brokers, average spread figures are not available, so estimating typical trading costs is less straightforward. Its 4/5 star rating and #38/63 ranking suggest it trails City Index in this category. If transparent, published pricing and volume rebates matter to you, City Index is the more informative choice; if you prioritize other factors, GBE brokers may still be worth considering.
| Feature |
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GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £100.00 | $1000 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.4 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.74 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
City Index vs GBE brokers: both let you trade forex via CFDs or spot, support copy trading, and offer cryptocurrency derivatives. Neither provides access to real (delivered) crypto or exchange-traded shares on U.S. or international stock exchanges. The big difference is breadth: City Index lists about 13,500 tradeable symbols, while GBE brokers offers around 500. For forex pairs specifically, City Index has 66, whereas GBE brokers edges it with 71.
If you want the widest variety of markets, City Index delivers far more overall choice; if your focus is strictly on currency pairs, GBE brokers offers a few more. Independent ratings reflect this gap in coverage: City Index earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #8 of 63 for Range of Investments at ForexBrokers.com, while GBE brokers scores 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #45.
| Feature |
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 13500 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 66 | 71 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| 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.
City Index and GBE Brokers both offer free demo accounts for paper trading, along with web-based platforms and Windows desktop downloads. City Index adds its own proprietary platform, while GBE Brokers relies on third-party software. Both support MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and copy trading; only GBE Brokers also offers MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Neither broker integrates ZuluTrade or DupliTrade. Both let you place trades directly from a chart.
When it comes to tools, City Index stands out with 239 drawing tools versus 15 at GBE Brokers, and 11 watchlist columns compared with 7. For Trading Platforms and Tools, City Index is rated 4.5/5 and ranked #11 out of 63 brokers, while GBE Brokers is rated 4/5 and ranked #58. If you want the widest in-house platform features, City Index has the edge; if MT5 access is a must, GBE Brokers is the pick.
| Feature |
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GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 88 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 239 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
City Index and GBE brokers both provide mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts, real-time quote watchlists, multiple chart time frames, trendline drawing, and auto-saving of chart annotations—covering the essentials for trading on the go.
Where they differ is in charting depth and syncing. City Index offers 88 technical studies compared to 30 with GBE brokers, and City Index syncs watchlists between mobile and web, while GBE brokers does not. Ratings mirror this edge: City Index scores 4.5/5 stars and ranks #9 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com, whereas GBE brokers earns 4/5 stars and ranks #58. Choose City Index if you want more tools and seamless cross-device syncing; pick GBE brokers if you’re comfortable with the basics.
| Feature |
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 88 | 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.
City Index and GBE brokers both publish daily market commentary and provide an economic calendar. Each also offers a sentiment tool showing the share of long vs. short positions. From there, City Index pulls ahead for market research: it streams forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones and includes Trading Central analytics, while GBE brokers lacks both of those. Neither broker integrates Autochartist. City Index does not feature TipRanks or Acuity Trading; for GBE brokers, the availability of TipRanks or Acuity Trading is not specified.
Bottom line: City Index earns 4.5/5 stars for Research and ranks #10 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, making it a stronger pick if you want built-in news and third‑party analysis. GBE brokers holds 3/5 stars and ranks #63 of 63, fitting traders who just need the basics like commentary, a calendar, and sentiment data.
| Feature |
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
City Index vs. GBE brokers for beginner education: City Index clearly leads. It offers at least ten forex and CFD lessons, live client webinars every month, and a searchable archive of past webinars. Beginners get ten-plus starter video lessons, more than ten advanced videos for later growth, and an investor dictionary with 50+ definitions. These resources contribute to a 4.5/5 Education rating and a #9 rank out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com.
GBE brokers does not match this support. It does not provide a minimum of ten forex/CFD lessons, runs no monthly client webinars, has no searchable webinar archive, and lacks sets of ten beginner or advanced videos, as well as an investor dictionary with 50+ terms. Its Education rating is 3/5 stars and it is ranked #64 by ForexBrokers.com. For new traders who want structured learning and ongoing webinars, City Index is the more beginner-friendly choice.
| Feature |
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that City Index is better than GBE brokers. City Index finished with an overall rank of #8, while GBE brokers finished with an overall rank of #57.
Backed by StoneX Group, City Index is a trusted brand known for its versatile trading platforms, excellent mobile app, diverse market research, and extensive range of tradeable markets.
| Feature |
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GBE brokers
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| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 |
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City Index and GBE Brokers both do not provide the option to purchase actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do offer the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both City Index and GBE Brokers offer versatile deposit and withdrawal options, including ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, but only GBE Brokers supports transactions via Skrill.
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 | City Index | GBE brokers | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | City Index Review |
| Broker Screenshots | City Index | GBE brokers | |
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| Regulation | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 1983 | 2013 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| 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) |
| Investments | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 13500 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 66 | 71 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| 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 | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.4 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.74 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £100.00 | $1000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 88 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 239 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 88 | 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 | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | ||
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | City Index | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | City Index Review |
| Overall | City Index | GBE brokers | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | City Index Review |