Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of HFM 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.
HFM and Exness, both offering online trading services, were established in 2010 and 2008, respectively. Neither of these brokers is publicly traded nor operates as a bank. When it comes to regulatory compliance, both HFM and Exness hold two Tier-1 licenses, indicating a high level of trustworthiness according to ForexBrokers.com rankings. Additionally, they each possess three Tier-2 licenses, signifying they are trusted entities in the financial services sector.
In terms of overall trust scores on ForexBrokers.com, HFM scores an 86 out of 99, placing it within the trusted category. Meanwhile, Exness has a slightly lower trust score of 81, which also categorizes it as trusted. Both these brokers maintain strong regulatory standings, providing reassurance to potential clients seeking reliability and security in their trading platforms.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2008 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
When comparing the online brokers HFM and Exness in terms of commissions and fees, both providers offer competitive options but with some differences worth noting. HFM's trading costs tend to be slightly higher than the industry average. Their standard trading accounts feature a typical spread of 1.2 pips according to the company, though the lack of a specified date range means this could vary. The Zero account at HFM offers an effective spread of 0.7 pips after considering commissions. HFM has been awarded a solid 4-star rating for its commissions and fees, ranking #31 out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com.
Exness, on the other hand, provides five main account types with varying fee structures, including two standard accounts and three professional accounts. For those interested in social trading, Exness also offers Social Standard and Social Pro accounts with bespoke conditions. Exness’ commission-based accounts typically exhibit lower spreads compared to their commission-free counterparts. For example, the Zero Spread account charges a low per-trade commission and allows for high leverage with market execution. Meanwhile, the Raw account features a per-trade commission and even lower spreads. With a 4-star rating for commissions and fees, Exness holds the #35 spot out of 63 brokers in the industry as assessed by ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | 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 comparing the range of investments available at HFM and Exness, both platforms provide options for forex trading as either a CFD or spot contract. HFM stands out with a more extensive selection, offering 500 tradeable symbols, including 102 forex pairs. On the other hand, Exness offers a smaller range of 227 tradeable symbols, among which 96 are forex pairs. Unfortunately, neither broker allows users to purchase actual exchange-traded securities on U.S. or international exchanges. However, both provide copy trading options and support trading of cryptocurrency derivatives, albeit not the delivery of actual cryptocurrencies.
In terms of ratings, HFM receives a slightly higher score with 4 stars for its range of investments compared to Exness's 3.5 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, HFM holds the 36th position out of 63 brokers in the Range of Investments category, whereas Exness ranks 55th. These rankings illustrate that while both brokers offer similar trading products, HFM provides a broader range, potentially making it a more favorable choice for those seeking more diverse investment options.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 227 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 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 the trading platforms and tools offered by online brokers HFM and Exness, both excel in providing a comprehensive suite of features. Both brokers offer free virtual demo accounts, giving new traders the opportunity to practice without financial risk. They also each provide proprietary platforms, Windows-based desktop platforms, and web-based trading platforms. Popular platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 are supported by both, along with copy trading capabilities. However, neither broker offers access to DupliTrade or ZuluTrade. For charting, Exness offers a more extensive array of 87 drawing tools compared to HFM's 30, while both brokers allow users to trade directly from stock charts. Additionally, both offer seven columns for watch lists, accommodating detailed assessments of various assets.
Despite having similar offerings, differences in platform rankings might sway prospective traders. Exness is placed at #26 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com for the Trading Platforms and Tools category, reflecting its potential wider appeal over HFM, which is ranked #42. Both brokers receive a 4-star rating for their trading platforms and tools, which suggests a strong user experience overall for each platform. These subtle distinctions between the two brokers can be pivotal for traders prioritizing specific tools and rankings in selecting their ideal trading platform.
| Feature |
HFM
|
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) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 107 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 87 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both HFM and Exness offer mobile trading applications compatible with iPhone and Android devices, making it convenient for users to trade on the go. Their apps provide price alerts for stocks and forex, enhancing the ability to stay updated on market movements. However, neither platform currently offers synced watchlists between mobile and online accounts, which could be a limitation for those who frequently switch between devices. For charting tools, Exness has a slight edge with 35 technical studies compared to HFM's 30. Both brokers allow drawing trendlines and accessing multiple time frames within their mobile apps, which is essential for technical analysis. A notable difference lies in chart drawings; HFM supports auto-saving, while Exness does not.
Regarding watchlist management, both platforms enable creating watchlists with real-time quotes, ensuring that traders can keep track of their preferred stocks and forex pairs. When it comes to user ratings, both HFM and Exness earn four out of five stars for their mobile apps. Yet, Exness holds a higher rank in the Mobile Trading Apps category by ForexBrokers.com, coming in at #26, compared to HFM's #39 rank out of 63 brokers. This ranking reflects user preference and potentially finer nuances in user experience, even though general features may appear similar on the surface.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 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.
When comparing HFM and Exness for market research offerings, both brokers provide daily market commentary and forex news from premium sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. HFM stands out by offering tools from Autochartist, which can be especially useful for technical analysis, whereas Exness lacks this feature but compensates with tools from Trading Central. Both brokers include sentiment-based trading tools that help traders gauge market trends by displaying the ratio of long or short positions across various currency pairs.
Both HFM and Exness provide an economic calendar showcasing crucial global economic events. However, neither broker offers market research from TipRanks or tools from Acuity Trading. When it comes to ratings, HFM earns a slight edge with 4 stars compared to Exness's 3.5 stars for research services. According to ForexBrokers.com, HFM is ranked #20, while Exness is at #41 out of 63 brokers in the research category. This data highlights HFM's stronger position in providing valuable research tools to their users.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Exness in terms of educational resources available to beginners, both online brokers provide a solid foundation with over ten educational pieces focused on forex or CFDs. However, HFM distinguishes itself by offering online educational webinars each month, whereas Exness does not. Additionally, both companies provide a searchable archive of past webinars, giving users a chance to revisit previous sessions easily. For those at the start of their trading journey, HFM and Exness both offer at least ten beginner-friendly educational videos to help newcomers grasp essential trading concepts.
For more advanced traders, HFM offers an extra layer of education with ten advanced videos, setting it apart from Exness, which doesn’t provide this level of advanced content. Both brokers provide an investor dictionary featuring over fifty investing terms, ensuring that traders have the vocabulary they need at their fingertips. In the Education category, HFM receives a higher rating of 4 stars compared to Exness's 3.5 stars and ranks 37th out of 63 brokers, ahead of Exness, which holds the 47th position. This makes HFM a slightly more comprehensive choice for beginners seeking well-rounded educational resources.
| Feature |
HFM
|
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 HFM is better than Exness. HFM finished with an overall rank of #30, while Exness finished with an overall rank of #43.
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
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Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 81 |
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Both HFM and Exness do not provide the option to purchase actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but they both offer the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both HFM and Exness lack ACH and SEPA transfer options, as well as PayPal, but offer Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wire services for depositing or withdrawing funds.
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 | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | Exness Review |
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| Regulation | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2008 | |
| 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 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | 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) | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Yes |
| Investments | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 227 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 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 | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 | |
| 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 | HFM | 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) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 107 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 87 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 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 | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | HFM | 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 | HFM Review | Exness Review |
| Overall | HFM | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | Exness Review |
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