Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of HFM vs easyMarkets, 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.
HFM and easyMarkets are both established online brokers, with HFM founded in 2010 and easyMarkets in 2001. Neither firm is publicly traded or operates as a bank. In terms of regulatory safety, both companies hold two Tier-1 licenses, which are highly regarded in the industry for trustworthiness. However, HFM takes a slight edge with three Tier-2 licenses compared to easyMarkets' single Tier-2 license. This suggests HFM has a broader regulatory reach, which can be beneficial for client security.
When it comes to trust scores, ForexBrokers.com rates HFM at 86 out of 99, categorizing it as a trusted broker. EasyMarkets, meanwhile, has a trust score of 84, also placing it in the trusted category. While both brokers are well-rated, HFM's slightly higher score and greater number of Tier-2 licenses may offer a bit more reassurance for those prioritizing regulatory backing and overall trust.
| Feature |
HFM
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
When comparing HFM and easyMarkets in terms of commissions and fees, potential traders will notice some distinctions. HFM's trading costs are slightly above average, with the standard trading account offering a spread of 1.2 pips. For traders opting for HFM's Zero account, the spread is effectively lowered to 0.7 pips after accounting for commission, yet neither of these figures represents average spreads. HFM is rated 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees, and it holds the #31 spot out of 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com in this category.
easyMarkets, on the other hand, offers fixed spreads of 0.8 pips for EUR/USD when using their own platform or TradingView, providing a predictable trading cost. However, spreads increase when using MT4, sitting at 1.7 pips for the Standard account, though the VIP account sees a reduction to 0.7 pips. MT5 users experience variable spreads starting from 0.7 pips. easyMarkets has a slightly lower rating of 3.5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #51 out of 62 on ForexBrokers.com.
Overall, HFM generally provides lower spreads with their Zero account compared to easyMarkets, especially on platforms other than MT4, where easyMarkets' fees become less competitive unless one opts for the VIP account. Traders should consider these accounts' specifics and the trading platforms they intend to use when deciding between these two brokers.
| Feature |
HFM
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| 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 comparing HFM and easyMarkets, both brokers provide the capability to trade forex either as a CFD or a spot contract. HFM distinguishes itself by offering a greater number of tradable symbols, featuring 500 in comparison to easyMarkets' 230. This includes 102 forex pairs available for HFM traders, surpassing the 63 pairs offered by easyMarkets. Despite neither broker offering direct investment in exchange-traded securities on U.S. or international markets, both platforms support trading in cryptocurrency derivatives. For investors interested in social trading features, copy trading capabilities are available on both platforms.
Rankings from ForexBrokers.com indicate that HFM is positioned higher for its range of investment options, coming in at #36 out of 62 brokers. Meanwhile, easyMarkets sits at #54 in the same category. In terms of star ratings, HFM holds a slight edge with a 4-star rating for its range of investments, in comparison to easyMarkets’ 3.5-star rating. This suggests that while both brokers offer a similar foundation for forex trading, HFM may present a more extensive selection for diverse trading strategies.
| Feature |
HFM
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 230 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 63 |
| 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.
HFM and easyMarkets provide similar offerings when it comes to trading platforms and tools, catering to both beginner and experienced traders. Both brokers support simulated trading with free virtual demo accounts, allowing users to practice without financial risk. HFM and easyMarkets have in-house developed proprietary platforms, alongside industry-favorite platforms MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), available for Windows desktop and web-based trading. Importantly, both brokers integrate copy trading for users interested in mirroring the trades of successful investors.
When examining charting tools, HFM and easyMarkets both provide a comprehensive range of 30 drawing tools and the capability to trade directly from a stock chart, enhancing the overall trading experience. However, easyMarkets edges out HFM with slightly more customizable watch list options, offering eight columns compared to HFM's seven. Despite both receiving a four-star rating in Trading Platforms and Tools, easyMarkets holds a better rank of #35 versus HFM's #42 out of 62 brokers, according to ForexBrokers.com. This suggests easyMarkets might appeal to those seeking a slightly more flexible platform.
| Feature |
HFM
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | 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) | 15 | 15 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 8 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing the mobile trading apps of HFM and easyMarkets, both brokers offer iPhone and Android apps that support comprehensive trading experiences. While HFM provides stock and forex price alerts, easyMarkets lacks this feature. However, easyMarkets excels in watchlist symbol syncing, allowing seamless integration between the mobile app and the client's online account, unlike HFM. In terms of charting capabilities, both brokers allow trendline drawing and multiple time frame viewing, but easyMarkets offers a more extensive selection of technical studies with 81, compared to HFM's 30. HFM gains an edge with its auto-save feature for chart drawings, a convenience not available with easyMarkets.
Both HFM and easyMarkets allow the creation of watchlists with real-time quotes and have garnered similar user ratings of four stars for their mobile trading apps. However, easyMarkets ranks slightly higher at #30 compared to HFM's #39 out of 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com for mobile trading app evaluations. These rankings reflect user preferences and the subtle differences in features that may sway traders toward one platform over the other for their mobile trading needs.
| Feature |
HFM
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 81 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing HFM and easyMarkets, both platforms provide daily market commentary and deliver forex news from prestigious sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters. HFM stands out with its inclusion of tools from Autochartist, providing traders with advanced technical analysis and fundamental research options that easyMarkets lacks. However, easyMarkets counters this advantage by offering tools from Trading Central, including Technical Analytics, which are absent in HFM's offerings. A sentiment-based trading tool is available with both brokers, helping traders gauge long and short positions across various financial instruments. Although neither broker provides market research from TipRanks or Acuity Trading, they both support trading with economic calendars that highlight significant global news events.
In terms of market research rankings, HFM earns a commendable rating of 4 stars, securing the 20th spot among 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, placing them higher in terms of research quality. Meanwhile, easyMarkets holds a 3.5-star rating, coming in at 43rd position. These distinctions play a crucial role in helping prospective traders decide which broker better aligns with their research needs and trading goals.
| Feature |
HFM
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing HFM and easyMarkets, both online brokers provide a wealth of educational resources suited for beginners interested in forex and CFDs trading. They each offer a minimum of ten educational materials, which include articles, videos, and even archived webinars. This ensures that budding traders receive ample guidance on basic and intermediate trading strategies. Moreover, both platforms conduct regular monthly webinars and maintain searchable archives for these sessions, empowering learners to revisit and reinforce their understanding at any time.
For visual learners, HFM and easyMarkets each provide more than ten beginner-focused videos, ensuring newcomers have access to foundational trading knowledge. Advanced traders are also catered to, as both offer a selection of videos for experienced traders. Additionally, both brokers have comprehensive investor dictionaries with over 50 investing terms for quick reference. However, HFM slightly edges out with a 4-star rating in education and a rank of 37th out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com, compared to easyMarkets' 3.5-star rating and 39th rank.
| Feature |
HFM
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 HFM is better than easyMarkets. HFM finished with an overall rank of #30, while easyMarkets finished with an overall rank of #42.
Alongside its enhanced MetaTrader offering and quality research, HFM (HF Markets), previously known as HotForex, offers a proprietary copy trading platform, HFcopy, a proprietary HF mobile app, and a decent selection of over 1,000 CFDs and 47 forex pairs. Still, trading costs at HFM are slightly above the industry average.
| Feature |
HFM
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 84 |
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Both HFM and easyMarkets do not provide the option to buy actual cryptocurrencies, but they do offer the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
When comparing the fund transfer options available between online brokers HFM and easyMarkets, it's noteworthy that easyMarkets supports ACH or SEPA transfers while HFM does not, yet both brokers offer deposit and withdrawal options via Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, but neither supports PayPal.
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 | HFM | easyMarkets | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 84 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | easyMarkets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | HFM | easyMarkets | |
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| Regulation | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 84 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| 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) | 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) | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 230 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 63 | |
| 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 | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | 0.8 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | 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 | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 8 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 15 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 81 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | HFM | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | HFM Review | easyMarkets Review |
| Overall | HFM | easyMarkets | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 84 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | easyMarkets Review |
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