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 |
FOREX.com and HFM both charge fees that are a little above the industry average, but FOREX.com comes out ahead overall for commissions and fees. FOREX.com earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #15 out of 36 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category. Its pricing depends on the account type: the Standard account can be pricier, with typical EUR/USD spreads around 1.4 pips in the U.S., while the RAW account offers much tighter spreads, starting around 0.13 pips, plus a per-trade commission. For active traders, volume-based rebates can help lower costs further.
HFM is simpler on the surface, but it is not as competitive on price. It receives 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #28 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees. HFM says its standard accounts typically have spreads around 1.2 pips, while the Zero account can work out to an effective spread of about 0.7 pips after commission. Even so, the overall cost picture is still slightly above average, and the available spread data is less detailed than what FOREX.com provides.
In short, if lower trading costs are your main goal, FOREX.com is the stronger choice between the two, especially for active traders who can make use of its RAW pricing and rebates. HFM may still appeal to traders who want a straightforward setup, but its commissions and fees are not as competitive as FOREX.com’s.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.00 | 1.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.13 | 1.1 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | 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 much wider selection than HFM. FOREX.com provides access to 5,500 tradeable symbols and 80 forex pairs, compared with HFM’s 344 symbols and 38 forex pairs. Both brokers support forex trading as a CFD or spot contract, and both offer cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency. FOREX.com also stands out for offering exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, while HFM does not offer these direct stock purchases.
HFM does have one area that FOREX.com does not: copy trading. Still, for investors looking for the broadest market access, FOREX.com is the stronger choice overall. It earns a 5-star rating for Range of Investments and ranks #6 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while HFM is rated 4 stars and ranks #28 out of 36.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 344 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 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 wide choice of platform options, including free demo accounts, proprietary platforms, desktop downloads for Windows, web-based trading, and access to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Both brokers also let users trade directly from charts, which can make order entry faster and easier for active traders. In terms of platform basics, the two are closely matched, so either one can suit traders who want flexible ways to place trades and test strategies before using real money.
The main difference is that HFM offers copy trading, while FOREX.com does not. FOREX.com also has the edge in independent ratings, earning 5 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools and ranking #5 out of 36 brokers with ForexBrokers.com, compared with HFM’s 4 out of 5 stars and #33 ranking. For traders who value stronger platform reviews and a better overall tools score, FOREX.com stands out more, while HFM may appeal to those who want copy trading as part of their setup.
| 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 offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with stock and forex price alerts. Each app also lets users draw trendlines on charts and saves those drawings automatically. However, FOREX.com has a clear edge in mobile features, especially for traders who want their app experience to match their online account.
One major difference is watchlist syncing: FOREX.com lets watchlists stay linked between the mobile app and the web platform, while HFM does not. FOREX.com also offers 90 technical studies in its mobile charting tools, compared with just 5 at HFM. These differences help explain why FOREX.com earns a 5-star Mobile Trading Apps rating and ranks #2 out of 36 brokers, while HFM is rated 4 stars and ranks #32.
| 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.
For beginners looking to learn about forex and CFDs, both FOREX.com and HFM provide a solid range of educational materials. Each broker offers at least 10 pieces of forex or CFDs-focused education, runs monthly client webinars, and has at least 10 beginner videos as well as 10 advanced videos for more experienced traders. That means new traders can find basic lessons, live learning sessions, and more in-depth content at both brokers.
Even so, FOREX.com stands out more in this category. It is rated 5 stars for education and ranks #4 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while HFM is rated 4 stars and ranks #29. For a beginner who wants a broker with a stronger overall learning library and a higher industry ranking for education, FOREX.com appears to have 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) | 5500 | 344 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 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) - Standard account | 1.00 | 1.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.13 | 1.1 | |
| 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 | 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 Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| 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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