Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FOREX.com vs HFM, 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.
Comparing FOREX.com vs HFM on regulation and safety: FOREX.com was founded in 1999 and is publicly traded, while HFM launched in 2010 and is not publicly traded. Neither broker is a bank. ForexBrokers.com rates trust on a 0–99 scale (90–99 highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, below 59 not trusted). FOREX.com scores 99 (highly trusted) and HFM scores 85 (trusted).
License coverage also differs. FOREX.com holds 7 Tier-1 licenses (highly trusted regulators) and 2 Tier-2 licenses (trusted regulators). HFM holds 2 Tier-1 licenses and 3 Tier-2 licenses. In short, both brokers are regulated and considered trustworthy by ForexBrokers.com, with FOREX.com carrying a higher Trust Score and more top-tier oversight.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
When it comes to commissions and fees, FOREX.com generally comes out ahead of HFM, though both brokers are a bit pricier than the industry average in some account types. FOREX.com offers more pricing choices, including a Standard account and a commission-based RAW account. Its Standard account can be expensive for U.S. traders, with typical EUR/USD spreads around 1.4 pips, while the RAW account has much tighter spreads, around 0.13 pips, plus a commission. For active traders, FOREX.com also offers volume-based rebates, which can help lower costs for higher-volume trading. FOREX.com is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and is ranked #15 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
HFM’s trading costs are slightly above average as well, but the pricing setup is simpler. Its standard accounts typically show spreads around 1.2 pips, while the Zero account has an effective spread of about 0.7 pips after commission. However, HFM does not provide a clear date range for its average spread figures, so real-world costs may vary. HFM is rated 4 out of 5 stars and is ranked #30 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
Overall, FOREX.com offers more detailed pricing information and more ways for active traders to reduce costs, especially through its RAW account and rebate program. HFM may still appeal to traders looking for a straightforward account setup, but FOREX.com has the stronger edge on commissions and fees for most users.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.6 | 1.96 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.65 | 0.75 |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to range of investments, FOREX.com offers a wider selection than HFM. Both brokers support forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts, and both let you trade cryptocurrency CFDs. But FOREX.com stands out with about 7,000 tradeable symbols and 55 forex pairs, compared with HFM’s 344 symbols and 38 forex pairs. FOREX.com also gives clients access to exchange traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, while HFM does not offer these shares.
HFM does have one advantage: copy trading, which FOREX.com does not provide. Even so, FOREX.com is rated 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks #6 out of 36 brokers in this category, while HFM is rated 4 stars and ranks #30. For investors who want the broader choice, FOREX.com is the stronger pick overall.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7000 | 344 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 55 | 38 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | 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.
FOREX.com and HFM both give traders a strong range of platform choices, including free demo accounts, their own proprietary platforms, Windows desktop downloads, web-based trading, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and the ability to trade directly from charts. This means either broker can work well for traders who want to test strategies, use familiar third-party software, or move between desktop and browser trading.
The main difference is that HFM also offers copy trading, while FOREX.com does not. FOREX.com stands out more overall for trading platforms and tools, earning 5 out of 5 stars and ranking #5 out of 36 brokers in ForexBrokers.com’s review. HFM is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #36, so FOREX.com appears to have the edge for platform quality and trading tools, even though both brokers cover the core needs well.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 90 | 38 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
FOREX.com and HFM both make it easy to trade on the go, with iPhone and Android apps available for each broker. Both mobile apps also support stock or forex price alerts, trendline drawing, and auto-saving chart drawings. Where FOREX.com stands out is in its watchlist symbol syncing, which keeps mobile watchlists aligned with the online account, while HFM does not offer this feature.
For charting, FOREX.com offers 90 technical studies in its mobile app, compared with just 5 at HFM. That wider set of tools helps traders do more analysis from their phones. It also helps explain why FOREX.com is rated 5 stars for mobile trading apps and ranked #2 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while HFM is rated 4 stars and ranked #35 in the same category.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 90 | 5 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, both FOREX.com and HFM give traders a strong set of everyday tools. Each broker offers daily market commentary, news from top sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, a sentiment tool that shows long and short positioning, and an economic calendar for tracking major global events. Both also rate well for research overall, but FOREX.com stands out with a 5-star research score and a #7 ranking out of 36 brokers, while HFM is rated 4 stars and ranked #18.
The main difference is in the third-party research tools they include. FOREX.com offers Trading Central, which can help with technical and fundamental analysis, but it does not include Autochartist or Acuity Trading. HFM takes the opposite approach, offering Autochartist and Acuity Trading’s Signal Centre, but not Trading Central. Since neither broker includes TipRanks, the better choice depends on which research tools you prefer most.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to beginner-friendly learning tools, both FOREX.com and HFM give new traders a solid starting point. Each broker offers forex and CFD education with at least 10 helpful pieces, along with online educational webinars each month and 10 or more beginner videos as well as 10 or more advanced videos. That means beginners can find clear material on trading basics, while more experienced users can also keep learning as their skills grow.
Even so, FOREX.com stands out as the stronger choice for education overall. It is rated 5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #4 out of 36 brokers in the ForexBrokers.com Education category, while HFM is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #31. For beginners who want the wider and more highly rated learning experience, FOREX.com has the edge over HFM.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 FOREX.com is better than HFM. FOREX.com finished with an overall rank of #4, while HFM finished with an overall rank of #27.
FOREX.com is a trusted brand that delivers an excellent trading experience for forex and CFDs traders across the globe. It offers a wide range of markets and provides an impressive suite of proprietary platforms – alongside limited access to MetaTrader.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 |
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FOREX.com vs HFM: both online brokers do not support buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but each offers cryptocurrency CFD trading.
Compared with HFM, FOREX.com supports more deposit and withdrawal options—ACH/SEPA and PayPal (both unavailable at HFM), plus Skrill and bank wires for both—while Visa/Mastercard availability for either broker 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 | FOREX.com | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review | HFM Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FOREX.com | HFM | |
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| Regulation | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2010 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7000 | 344 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 55 | 38 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | 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 | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.6 | 1.96 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.65 | 0.75 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 90 | 38 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 90 | 5 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FOREX.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | FOREX.com Review | HFM Review |
| Overall | FOREX.com | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review | HFM Review |
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