Is City Index better than Plus500? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 39 brokers, City Index is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. Plus500 is considered low-risk, with an overall trust score of 99 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
City Index vs Plus500 2021
Overall Rating
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
Overall | ||
Commissions & Fees | ||
Offering of Investments | ||
Platforms & Tools | ||
Mobile Trading Apps | ||
Research | ||
Education | ||
Trust Score | 99 | 99 |
City Index Review | Plus500 Review | |
73% of retail CFD accounts lose money | 77% of retail CFD accounts lose money | |
Winner | check_circle |
Regulation
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
Trust Score | 99 | 99 |
Year Founded |
1983 | 2008 |
Publicly Traded (Listed) |
Yes | Yes |
Bank |
No | No |
Tier-1 Licenses |
3 | 5 |
Tier-2 Licenses |
1 | 3 |
Tier-3 Licenses |
0 | 0 |
Authorised in the European Union |
Yes | Yes |
Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust)
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
ASIC Authorised (Australia) |
Yes | Yes |
IIROC Authorised (Canada) |
No | No |
SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) |
No | No |
CBI Authorised (Ireland) |
No | No |
FSA Authorised (Japan) |
No | Yes |
MAS Authorised (Singapore) |
Yes | Yes |
FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) |
No | No |
FCA Authorised (UK) |
Yes | Yes |
CFTC Registered (USA) |
No | No |
FMA Authorised (New Zealand) |
No | Yes |
Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust)
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
CBRC Authorised (China) |
No | No |
CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) |
Yes | Yes |
SEBI Authorised (India) |
No | No |
ISA Authorised (Israel) |
No | Yes |
CBR Authorised (Russia) |
No | No |
FSCA Authorised (South Africa) |
No | Yes |
SEC Authorised (Thailand) |
No | No |
DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) |
No | No |
Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust)
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
SCB Authorised (Bahamas) | No | No |
IFSC Authorised (Belize) | No | No |
Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) |
No | No |
BMA Authorised (Bermuda) | No | No |
FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) |
No | No |
FSC Authorised (Mauritius) |
No | No |
VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) |
No | No |
Investments
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
Forex Trading |
Yes | Yes |
CFD Trading |
Yes | Yes |
Tradeable Symbols (Total) |
12000 | 1896 |
Forex Pairs (Total) |
84 | 71 |
US Stock Trading (Non CFD) |
No | Yes |
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) |
No | Yes |
Social Trading / Copy-Trading |
Yes | No |
Cryptocurrency (Physical) |
No | No |
Cryptocurrency (CFD) |
Yes | Yes |
Crypto Disclaimer (UK) | 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
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard |
1.1 (August 2021) | 0.6 (as of Aug 2018) |
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active |
1.1 (August 2021) | N/A |
Active Trader or VIP Discounts |
Yes | No |
Execution: Agency Broker |
No | Yes |
Execution: Market Maker |
Yes | Yes |
Funding
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
Minimum Deposit |
£100.00 | €100 |
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Yes | Yes |
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) |
Yes | Yes |
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Yes | Yes |
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) |
No | Yes |
Trading Platforms
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
Proprietary Platform |
Yes | Yes |
Desktop Platform (Windows) |
Yes | No |
Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
Social Trading / Copy-Trading |
Yes | No |
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) |
Yes | No |
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) |
No | No |
cTrader |
No | No |
DupliTrade |
No | No |
ZuluTrade |
No | No |
Trading Tools
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
Virtual Trading (Demo) |
Yes | Yes |
Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
Watchlists - Total Fields |
20 | 9 |
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) |
139 | 110 |
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) |
269 | 21 |
Charting - Trade From Chart |
Yes | No |
Charting - Drawings Autosave |
Yes | No |
Mobile Trading
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
Android App |
Yes | Yes |
Apple iOS App |
Yes | Yes |
Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
Watch List |
Yes | Yes |
Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Indicators / Studies |
88 | 110 |
Charting - Draw Trendlines |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Trendlines Moveable |
No | No |
Charting - Multiple Time Frames |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Drawings Autosave |
Yes | No |
Forex Calendar |
Yes | Yes |
Research
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
Daily Market Commentary |
Yes | Yes |
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) |
Yes | No |
Autochartist |
No | No |
Trading Central (Recognia) |
Yes | No |
Delkos Research |
No | No |
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs |
Yes | Yes |
Economic Calendar |
Yes | Yes |
Education
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
Has Education - Forex or CFDs |
Yes | No |
Client Webinars |
Yes | No |
Client Webinars (Archived) |
Yes | No |
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos |
Yes | Yes |
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos |
Yes | No |
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) |
Yes | No |
Major Forex Pairs
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
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 |
Overall
Feature | City Index | Plus500 |
Overall | ||
Commissions & Fees | ||
Offering of Investments | ||
Platforms & Tools | ||
Mobile Trading Apps | ||
Research | ||
Education | ||
Trust Score | 99 | 99 |
City Index Review | Plus500 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 City Index vs Plus500.
Does City Index or Plus500 offer lower pricing?
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, Plus500 offers better pricing overall for traders.
Is City Index or Plus500 safer for forex and CFDs trading?
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. Plus500 holds 5 global Tier-1 licenses, while City Index holds 3. Plus500 holds 3 global Tier-2 licenses, while City Index holds 1. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, City Index and Plus500 earned the same Trust Score.
Which trading platform is better: City Index or Plus500?
To compare the trading platforms of both City Index and Plus500, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, City Index offers a better experience. With research, City Index offers superior market research. Finally, we found City Index to provide better mobile trading apps.
What about MetaTrader and copy trading?
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. While City Index offers copy trading, Plus500 does not. City Index offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4), while Plus500 does not.
How many forex pairs and CFDs are available to trade?
City Index provides traders 84 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to Plus500's 71 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, City Index offers traders access to 12000 CFDs while Plus500 has 1896 available CFDs, a difference of 10,104.
Can I trust City Index?
City Index is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by three tier-1 regulators (high trust), zero tier-2 regulators (average trust), and one tier-3 regulator (low trust). City Index is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Can I trust Plus500?
Plus500 is publicly traded and does not operate a bank. Plus500 is authorised by five tier-1 regulators (high trust), three tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). Plus500 is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Is City Index good?
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.
Is Plus500 good?
Plus500 is a trusted global brand that offers an easy-to-use trading platform for online traders, alongside access to share trading and a thorough selection of CFDs.
Overall winner: City Index
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Trading CFDs, FX, and cryptocurrencies involves a high degree of risk. All providers have a percentage of retail investor accounts that lose money when trading CFDs with their company. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money and whether you understand how CFDs, FX, and cryptocurrencies work. All data was obtained from a published website as of 01/10/2022 and is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. The ForexBrokers.com staff is constantly working with its online broker representatives to obtain the latest data. If you believe any data listed above is inaccurate, please contact us using the "Contact" link at the bottom of this page.
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Plus500UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 509909).