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 (founded 2010) and Exness (founded 2008) are online brokers that are not publicly traded and are not banks. Both are regulated with two Tier-1 licenses (the most trusted category per ForexBrokers.com) and three Tier-2 licenses, indicating broad regulatory coverage across major jurisdictions.
According to ForexBrokers.com, HFM holds a Trust Score of 85 and Exness scores 80. On this scale, 90–99 is highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and below 59 not trusted. Both brokers fall into the trusted range, with HFM ranking slightly higher.
| 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 and Exness are both rated 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees, but HFM ranks a little higher in this category. ForexBrokers.com places HFM at #29 out of 36 brokers, while Exness ranks #32 out of 36. In simple terms, both brokers are fairly competitive, but HFM has a slight edge in the rankings.
HFM’s trading costs are slightly above the industry average. On its standard accounts, HFM says spreads start around 1.2 pips, though this is not tied to a specific time period, so the real average could be a bit higher. Its Zero account shows an effective spread of 0.7 pips after commission, but that figure is also not an average. Overall, HFM is a decent choice if you want clear pricing, but it is not among the cheapest brokers on the market.
Exness gives traders more account choices, and the fees vary depending on the account type. Its commission-free accounts usually have wider spreads, while the commission-based Zero Spread and Raw accounts tend to offer lower spreads in exchange for a trading fee. The Zero Spread account charges a per-trade commission of $0.05, and the Raw account charges up to $7 per round turn lot. For traders who care most about lower spreads and are comfortable with commissions, Exness can be a good fit, but its cheapest option depends on which account you choose.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 |
| 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.
When comparing HFM vs Exness for range of investments, HFM offers a wider overall selection, with 344 tradeable symbols compared with Exness’s 239. HFM also provides copy trading, which Exness does not. Both brokers support forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts, and both let you trade cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither offers actual cryptocurrency, U.S.-listed shares, or international exchange-traded securities outside CFDs.
There is one area where Exness stands out: it offers more forex pairs, with 78 compared with HFM’s 38. Still, HFM scores higher overall for range of investments, earning 4 out of 5 stars versus Exness’s 3.5 stars. In ForexBrokers.com’s ranking out of 36 brokers, HFM places #29 in this category, while Exness comes in at #35.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 344 | 239 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 38 | 78 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | No |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| 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 and Exness both give traders a wide mix of platform choices, including free demo accounts, their own proprietary platforms, desktop downloads for Windows, web-based trading, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5. Both also let users trade directly from a chart, which can make order placement faster and easier for active traders. On the platform side, the two brokers look very similar overall, and each earns 4 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools.
The main difference is copy trading: HFM offers it, while Exness does not. If that feature matters to you, HFM has the edge. Even so, Exness places higher in ForexBrokers.com’s Trading Platforms and Tools ranking, coming in at #15 out of 36 brokers compared with HFM’s #34, which suggests Exness is viewed more favorably overall in this category.
| 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 | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 38 | 106 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
HFM and Exness both offer iPhone and Android trading apps, along with stock and forex price alerts, so each broker gives mobile traders the basics they need to follow the market on the go. Both apps also let users draw trendlines on charts. HFM’s mobile app has one helpful advantage for active chart users: it automatically saves drawings, while Exness does not.
When it comes to app features, Exness has the edge overall. Its mobile app supports watchlist syncing between the app and the online account, which means changes update across devices, and it offers 100 technical studies for charting compared with HFM’s 5. Both brokers are rated 4 out of 5 stars for mobile trading apps, but Exness is ranked higher by ForexBrokers.com at #18 out of 36 brokers, while HFM sits at #33.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 5 | 100 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing HFM and Exness for market research, both brokers give traders daily market commentary, news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, and an economic calendar to track upcoming global events. This means either platform can help users stay on top of the latest market updates and scheduled news releases.
HFM has the edge in research tools overall. It offers Autochartist, a sentiment tool showing long and short positions, and Acuity Trading features such as Signal Centre, while Exness instead includes Trading Central but does not offer Autochartist, sentiment data, or Acuity tools. Based on ForexBrokers.com, HFM is rated 4 stars for Research and ranked #18 out of 36 brokers, while Exness is rated 3.5 stars and ranked #32.
| 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 | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
HFM and Exness both give beginners a wide range of learning tools, including forex and CFD education with at least 10 pieces of content, monthly client webinars, and plenty of beginner and advanced videos. This means new traders can find basic lessons to help them get started, while more experienced users can also access content that goes further into trading topics.
When it comes to overall education, HFM has the higher rating at 4 stars compared with Exness at 3.5 stars. However, Exness is ranked higher by ForexBrokers.com in the Education category, coming in at #21 out of 36 brokers, while HFM places at #29. For beginners, both brokers offer a lot of learning material, but HFM appears to score better on rating, while Exness holds the stronger ranking.
| 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.
HFM (HF Markets) is a global broker best known for its MetaTrader offering, solid research tools, and proprietary copy trading platform, alongside a broad selection of forex pairs and CFDs.
| Feature |
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Exness
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| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 85 | 80 |
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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 | 85 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | Exness Review |
| Broker Screenshots | HFM | Exness | |
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| Regulation | HFM | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 85 | 80 | |
| 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 CMA 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) | 344 | 239 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 38 | 78 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | No | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| 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 | $100 | |
| 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 | No | |
| 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) | 38 | 106 | |
| 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 | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 5 | 100 | |
| 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 | No | |
| 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 | 85 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | Exness Review |
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