Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FOREX.com vs XM Group, 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.
FOREX.com, established in 1999, and XM Group, founded in 2009, are well-regarded online brokers known for their comprehensive service offerings. When examining their trust and regulatory standing, FOREX.com holds a distinct edge. As a publicly traded company, FOREX.com boasts a stellar Trust Score of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com, classifying it as highly trusted. This is backed by its possession of seven Tier-1 licenses, recognized for high trustworthiness, and one Tier-2 license. In contrast, XM Group, although not publicly traded, maintains a strong position with a Trust Score of 93, supported by four Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license, indicating it is a trusted platform. Neither broker operates as a bank, highlighting their focus on providing dedicated trading services.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
On commissions and fees, FOREX.com earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #15 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while XM Group earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #34. Both offer more than one pricing setup, but FOREX.com is more transparent and offers clearer paths to lower costs for active traders.
FOREX.com’s Standard account (the only choice for MetaTrader) uses wider spreads—about 1.4 pips on EUR/USD for U.S. traders in July 2023, while outside the U.S. it averaged about 0.74 pips. Its commission-based RAW account posts typical EUR/USD spreads near 0.13 pips (February 2024) plus a $7 per standard lot commission ($3.50 per side), which adds roughly 0.7 pips for an estimated all-in cost around 0.83 pips before any rebates. There are six volume tiers with rebates from $2 to $9 per million; however, unless you trade more than $50 million per month, RAW pricing may end up similar to the Standard account for U.S. residents.
XM Group’s pricing is simpler but less transparent: its Standard account spreads are on the expensive side, and it does not publish average spreads for the commission-based XM Zero account, making true costs harder to compare. As a result, XM trails FOREX.com on pricing clarity and potential savings for high-volume traders, reflected in its lower 4-star rating and #34 ranking versus FOREX.com’s 4.5-star rating and #15 ranking.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $5 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.00 | 2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.13 | N/A |
| 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 comparing the range of investments, FOREX.com offers 5,500 tradeable symbols and 80 forex pairs, while XM Group provides 1,394 symbols and 55 pairs. Both brokers support forex trading via CFDs or spot contracts and give access to exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges—so you can buy actual shares like Apple on Nasdaq and Vodafone in London. For social features, XM Group includes copy trading, whereas FOREX.com does not. Neither broker supports buying actual cryptocurrency, but both offer cryptocurrency CFDs.
According to ForexBrokers.com, FOREX.com is rated 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks 6th out of 63 brokers; XM Group is rated 4.5 stars and ranks 19th. If you want the widest selection of markets and currency pairs, FOREX.com has the edge, while XM Group appeals if copy trading matters alongside a broad lineup.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 1394 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 55 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| 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 XM Group both let you practice with a free demo account. For live trading, each offers a web-based platform and a Windows desktop download, and both let you place orders directly from charts. FOREX.com adds its own in-house platform alongside MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). XM Group sticks with MT4 and MT5, but it also supports copy trading, which FOREX.com does not.
For trading platforms and tools, ForexBrokers.com rates FOREX.com at 5 stars and ranks it #5 out of 63 brokers, while XM Group earns 4 stars and ranks #27. Choose FOREX.com if you want a proprietary platform and don’t need copy trading; pick XM Group if copy trading within MT4/MT5 is a priority.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| 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 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
FOREX.com and XM Group both offer full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, with price alerts and watchlists that sync across devices and the web. Each app lets you draw trendlines on charts. The big difference is in charting depth: FOREX.com includes 90 technical studies, while XM Group offers 30. FOREX.com also auto-saves your chart drawings so annotations persist, whereas XM Group does not.
Third-party ratings back up this gap. FOREX.com earns 5 stars and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com, while XM Group holds 4 stars and ranks #26. If you want richer charting tools and saved drawings on mobile, FOREX.com is the stronger pick. If you need a simpler setup with core features like alerts and synced watchlists, XM Group can still meet everyday trading needs.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 90 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
FOREX.com and XM Group both deliver a strong market research experience. Each provides daily market commentary, forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, Trading Central research, a sentiment tool that shows long/short positioning, and an economic calendar for global events. Neither broker includes Autochartist, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading (Signal Centre) in their toolkits.
For ratings, XM Group earns 5 stars for Research, while FOREX.com holds 4.5 stars. In ForexBrokers.com’s Research category, FOREX.com ranks #7 out of 63 brokers and XM Group ranks #8. If you want a perfect research score with comprehensive news and analysis tools, XM Group stands out. If a comparable feature set with a slightly higher category ranking matters more, FOREX.com is a compelling pick.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginner traders, both FOREX.com and XM Group deliver strong forex and CFD education. Each offers ongoing client webinars at least once per month and more than 10 beginner-friendly videos that explain key trading concepts in plain language. As you progress, both brokers also provide 10+ advanced videos, along with articles and webinars that cover strategies, risk management, and platform how-tos.
XM Group earns a perfect 5 out of 5 for Education, while FOREX.com scores 4.5 out of 5. Even so, FOREX.com is ranked slightly higher overall for Education (#4 of 63 brokers) compared with XM Group (#5 of 63). In short, you’ll find excellent forex and CFD education at both brokers: pick XM if you want top-rated lessons and active live sessions, or choose FOREX.com if you prefer a top-ranked path that supports you from beginner to advanced topics.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 XM Group. FOREX.com finished with an overall rank of #4, while XM Group finished with an overall rank of #16.
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
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
FOREX.com vs XM Group: neither broker lets you buy actual delivered cryptocurrencies, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
Compared with XM Group, FOREX.com supports ACH/SEPA transfers, PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire deposits and withdrawals, while XM Group offers Skrill and bank wires but not ACH/SEPA or PayPal; Visa/Mastercard availability for both brokers 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.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | FOREX.com | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review | XM Group Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FOREX.com | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | FOREX.com | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2009 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FOREX.com | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | No | |
| 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 | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | FOREX.com | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 1394 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 55 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.00 | 2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.13 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FOREX.com | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $5 | |
| 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 | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| 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 | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 90 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FOREX.com | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 90 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FOREX.com | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FOREX.com | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FOREX.com | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | XM Group Review |
| Overall | FOREX.com | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review | XM Group Review |
IG
CMC Markets
FOREX.com
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill