Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FXCM vs Exness, 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.
FXCM and Exness are popular online brokers that cater to traders around the globe. Established in 1999, FXCM stands out as a publicly traded company, while Exness, founded in 2008, remains privately held. Neither of these brokers operates as a bank. A key difference between them lies in their regulatory credentials. FXCM holds four Tier-1 licenses, which ForexBrokers.com considers highly trusted, along with two Tier-2 licenses. Exness, on the other hand, has secured two Tier-1 licenses and three Tier-2 licenses, showcasing a solid regulatory stance.
When it comes to trust, FXCM boasts a Trust Score of 95 out of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com, categorizing it as highly trusted. Exness has a Trust Score of 81, falling into the trusted category. Both brokers have established a reliable presence in the online trading industry, yet FXCM holds a slight edge in terms of trust and regulatory licenses. Choosing between them would depend on individual preferences and specific trading needs.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2008 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
Comparing FXCM vs Exness on commissions and fees: both earn 4 stars from ForexBrokers.com, with FXCM ranked #26 of 63 and Exness ranked #36 of 63. FXCM’s pricing is slightly higher than the industry average overall, while Exness’ costs vary more by account type, with its commission-based accounts typically delivering tighter spreads than its commission-free options.
FXCM’s May 2024 EUR/USD data shows average standard-account spreads around 0.78 pips in the EU, U.K., and Australia, and about 1.38 pips with its St. Vincent and the Grenadines entity. Its commission-based accounts averaged 0.28 pips before commissions, translating to roughly 0.78 pips all-in after the commission-equivalent on a round turn. FXCM also offers an Active Trader Rebate Program (not available in the U.K. or EU) with five tiers, paying $5–$25 per million traded based on volume; for example, in the U.K., a $25,000 balance and $50 million in monthly volume can reduce commissions to $5 per round turn. As with many brokers, spreads can widen during rollover or in volatile markets.
Exness provides multiple pricing paths: Standard Cent has the widest spreads, Standard narrows them slightly, and Pro tightens spreads further while allowing instant or market execution. Its commission accounts aim for lower spreads: the Zero Spread account charges a $0.05 per-trade commission with market execution, and the Raw account charges up to $7 per round turn ($3.5 per side) with market execution. Both Raw and Zero have no leverage or stop-out restrictions beyond a 30% margin call trigger. Pick the account type that fits your trading style and expected volume to minimize your total cost.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $10 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.78 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.78 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | 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.
FXCM vs Exness: both brokers let you trade forex as CFDs or on the spot market, offer copy trading, and provide cryptocurrency derivatives (but not actual crypto purchases). FXCM lists more total instruments overall (about 440 vs 227), while Exness offers a wider choice of forex pairs (about 96 vs 46). Neither broker supports direct share dealing on U.S. or international exchanges.
For Range of Investments, both earn 3.5 out of 5 stars. In ForexBrokers.com rankings, FXCM places #48 of 63 and Exness ranks #56. Choose FXCM if you want a larger overall menu of symbols; pick Exness if having more currency pairs is your priority. Both cover copy trading and crypto derivatives, so the main difference comes down to breadth of markets versus depth in forex.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 227 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 96 |
| 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.
When comparing FXCM and Exness for their trading platforms and tools, both brokers offer a host of features tailored for traders of all levels. FXCM and Exness provide free virtual demo accounts to practice trading, ensuring beginners can get a feel for the platforms without financial risk. Both brokers also feature proprietary platforms developed in-house alongside popular options like MetaTrader 4 (MT4), although only Exness extends support to MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Desktop-based platforms for Windows and web-based platforms are available from both, streamlining access whether you prefer trading on your computer or via a browser. Furthermore, the traders looking to mimic successful strategies can find copy trading features at both firms, though FXCM additionally provides access to ZuluTrade.
In terms of charting tools, FXCM offers a reduced selection of technical indicators in comparison to Exness, which supports an impressive 87 drawing tools, making it a versatile choice for those who prioritize extensive charting capabilities. Both FXCM and Exness allow traders to execute trades directly from stock charts, ensuring quick and efficient decision-making. However, FXCM's platform shines in its customizable watch lists with 13 columns, compared to Exness's seven. Despite Exness’s strengths, ForexBrokers.com ranks FXCM higher, awarding it five stars for trading platforms and tools against Exness’s four stars, placing FXCM at #6 out of 63 brokers, while Exness is ranked #26 in the same category.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 107 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 10 | 87 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 13 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing FXCM and Exness for mobile trading apps, both brokers offer applications compatible with iPhone and Android devices, equipped with essential features like stock or forex price alerts and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. However, FXCM holds an advantage with features that enhance user experience, like watchlist symbol syncing and auto-saving drawings on charts, which Exness does not currently offer. Additionally, FXCM's app includes an impressive 59 technical studies for charting compared to 35 provided by Exness. Both apps allow users to view multiple time frames and create watchlists with real-time quotes, ensuring a comprehensive trading experience.
Ratings from users and rankings by ForexBrokers.com reflect FXCM's edge in the market. FXCM's mobile app boasts a higher rating of 4.5 stars out of five compared to Exness's 4 stars. Furthermore, FXCM ranks 16th out of 63 brokers for mobile trading apps, while Exness ranks 26th. This indicates FXCM's greater popularity and capability in offering a more refined mobile trading experience, making it a preferred choice for traders seeking robust mobile trading solutions.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 59 | 35 |
| 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.
FXCM and Exness both deliver strong day-to-day support for traders, including daily market commentary, top-tier forex news (from sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or similar), Trading Central tools, sentiment indicators showing long/short ratios, and an economic calendar. Neither broker offers Autochartist or Acuity Trading tools.
The key difference is that FXCM adds TipRanks research while Exness does not. That extra depth helps FXCM earn a higher Research rating (4.5/5) and a stronger category rank (#11 out of 63) compared with Exness (3.5/5, ranked #42). If you want broader third-party insights alongside daily updates, FXCM has the edge; if you just need core research and market news, both are well covered.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners, both FXCM and Exness provide solid support, though FXCM takes a more comprehensive approach. FXCM offers a wide array of educational materials, including a minimum of 10 educational pieces such as articles, videos, and archived webinars focused on forex or CFDs. Moreover, FXCM conducts online educational webinars at least once a month and maintains a searchable archive of recorded sessions for clients. Alongside these, FXCM provides an impressive selection of at least 10 beginner-focused videos and another 10 aimed at advanced traders. Adding to these resources, an investor dictionary with definitions of over 50 investing terms is also available, making FXCM a well-rounded choice for educational support. This extensive offering of educational tools has earned FXCM a 4.5-star rating for education and placed it 14th among 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com.
Exness also offers a substantial amount of educational materials, with a minimum of 10 items like articles, videos, and archived webinars focusing on forex or CFDs. While Exness lacks the monthly online educational webinars that FXCM offers, it does provide a searchable archive of past webinars. For beginners, Exness presents at least 10 educational videos tailored for those new to trading. However, the broker falls short on advanced trading topics, as it does not have an equivalent offering of advanced educational videos. Similar to FXCM, Exness includes an investor dictionary with more than 50 investing term definitions. While these resources are helpful, Exness has received a slightly lower education rating of 3.5 stars and is ranked 47th out of 63 brokers in the education category by ForexBrokers.com, showcasing that there is room for improvement in the depth and variety of educational content provided, especially for more experienced traders.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that FXCM is better than Exness. FXCM finished with an overall rank of #15, while Exness finished with an overall rank of #43.
For traders who appreciate advanced trading tools and quality market research, FXCM is a winner, especially for algorithmic trading. Its range of tradeable markets is fairly narrow, however, and the pricing at FXCM is just average.
| Feature |
FXCM
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Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 81 |
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Both FXCM and Exness do not offer the option to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency but do provide the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
In comparing online brokers FXCM and Exness, FXCM provides a broader range of deposit and withdrawal options including ACH, SEPA transfers, and PayPal, which are not available with Exness, while both platforms support Skril, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire 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 | FXCM | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review | Exness Review |
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| Regulation | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 95 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2008 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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) | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | Yes |
| Investments | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 227 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 96 | |
| 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 | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.78 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.78 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $10 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 13 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 107 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 10 | 87 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 59 | 35 | |
| 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 | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FXCM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | FXCM Review | Exness Review |
| Overall | FXCM | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review | Exness Review |
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