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 |
HFM vs Exness commissions and fees: Both earn 4 out of 5 stars from ForexBrokers.com; HFM ranks 28th out of 63 for the Commissions and Fees category, while Exness ranks 31st. At HFM, trading costs sit slightly above the industry average. The company cites a typical 1.2-pip spread on its Standard account, but it doesn’t provide an average or date range, so real-world pricing may be higher. HFM’s Zero account can narrow the effective spread to about 0.7 pips after commission, yet this figure also isn’t an average.
Exness pricing varies by account type. The two commission-free accounts (Standard Cent and Standard) carry wider spreads, with the Cent account being the highest, while the Pro account trims spreads further and lets you choose instant or market execution. The commission-based options aim for tighter spreads: Zero Spread charges a $0.05 commission per trade with market execution, and Raw charges up to $7 per round-turn lot ($3.5 per side); both have a 30% margin-call trigger and no stated limits on leverage or stop-out. All other Exness accounts use market execution, and there are additional Social Standard and Social Pro accounts with their own conditions.
Bottom line: If you want a simple fee setup, HFM’s Standard account is straightforward but not the cheapest. For the lowest potential spreads, consider HFM’s Zero account or Exness’s commission accounts. Just remember that quoted spreads for both brokers aren’t published as time-weighted averages, so your actual all-in costs can vary.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.8 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.1 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
HFM vs Exness for range of investments: HFM lists 500 tradeable symbols compared with 209 at Exness. Both brokers support forex trading (CFDs/spot), with HFM offering 102 currency pairs and Exness 96. Neither broker lets you buy real, exchange‑traded stocks on U.S. or international exchanges. Both offer copy trading. For crypto, neither allows purchases of actual coins, but each provides cryptocurrency CFDs.
Ratings mirror these differences: HFM earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #28 of 63 brokers for Range of Investments on ForexBrokers.com, while Exness scores 3.5 stars and ranks #34. If you want a bigger catalog of instruments and slightly more forex pairs, HFM has the edge; for mainstream forex and crypto CFDs with copy trading, either broker can fit.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 209 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 96 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | No |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 vs Exness: both brokers offer strong trading platforms and tools. Each provides a free demo account for paper trading, a proprietary platform built in-house, Windows desktop and web-based platforms, and copy trading. Both also support MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and let you place trades directly from charts.
In terms of ratings, both earn 4 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools. However, ForexBrokers.com ranks Exness higher (#15 of 63) than HFM (#33 of 63). The number of built-in technical indicators and watchlist columns isn’t specified for either broker. With similar platform coverage, your choice may come down to platform design and the copy trading community you prefer.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 107 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
HFM and Exness both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, with price alerts available on each. Neither app syncs watchlists with the online account, so changes made on mobile won’t carry over to web. For charting, Exness includes 35 technical studies versus 30 on HFM, and both let you draw trendlines. A key difference: HFM auto-saves your chart drawings, while Exness does not.
Both apps earn 4 out of 5 stars for mobile trading. In ForexBrokers.com’s rankings, Exness places higher at #18 out of 63 brokers, compared with HFM at #32. Pick Exness if you want more built-in indicators and a higher-ranked app, or choose HFM if auto-saving chart annotations matters more to you.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 35 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
In this HFM vs Exness market research comparison, both brokers cover the essentials. Each offers daily market commentary, an economic calendar, and a sentiment tool showing the balance of long and short positions. You’ll also find forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones. Neither broker includes TipRanks or Acuity Trading tools.
The key difference is in the extra analysis tools. HFM provides Autochartist for chart pattern screening, while Exness integrates Trading Central for technical insights. According to ForexBrokers.com, HFM earns 4 stars and ranks 18th out of 63 brokers for Research, whereas Exness holds 3.5 stars and ranks 31st. Choose HFM if you want Autochartist built in; pick Exness if Trading Central matters more to your workflow—both deliver solid core research and news coverage.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Comparing HFM vs Exness for beginner education: both brokers offer a sizable library of forex and CFD learning materials with well over 10 pieces, including articles, videos, and archived webinars. Each hosts ongoing client webinars at least monthly and provides 10+ beginner-focused video lessons to help new traders grasp the basics. Both also include advanced videos, so there’s room to grow as your skills improve.
Ratings and rankings differ slightly. HFM holds a 4-star Education rating and is ranked #29 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. Exness carries a 3.5-star Education rating but is ranked higher at #21 out of 63. If you’re just starting out, you’ll find structured video content and regular webinars at both HFM and Exness; your choice may come down to which platform’s teaching style and video library you prefer.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | 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 #27, while Exness finished with an overall rank of #31.
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
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 81 |
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HFM vs Exness: neither broker allows buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
HFM vs Exness: both brokers do not support ACH or SEPA transfers or PayPal, both accept Skrill and bank wire deposits/withdrawals, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified.
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 |
| Broker Screenshots | HFM | Exness | |
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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 (FSA 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) | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | Yes |
| Investments | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 209 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 96 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | No | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 account | 1.8 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.1 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 107 | |
| 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 Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 35 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| 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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