Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FXCM vs FXPrimus, 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.
FXCM and FXPrimus both serve as reputable choices for online brokerage, though they differ in their regulatory strengths and market presence. Founded in 1999, FXCM has established itself as a widely trusted broker, demonstrated by its impressive Trust Score of 95 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com. This high score is supported by FXCM's holding of four Tier-1 licenses and two Tier-2 licenses, underscoring its commitment to adhering to top regulatory standards. Moreover, FXCM is publicly traded, allowing for greater transparency and oversight, which enhances investor confidence.
In contrast, FXPrimus, launched in 2009, has built a solid reputation, although its Trust Score stands at an average risk level of 71 out of 99. While it holds only one Tier-1 license and lacks any Tier-2 licenses, FXPrimus continues to compete in the online brokerage arena by focusing on customer service and trading conditions. However, it is not publicly traded, which may influence investor perceptions of transparency. Both FXCM and FXPrimus are not banks, which means they specialize exclusively in offering brokerage services without conducting banking operations.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
FXPrimus
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
Comparing commissions and fees, FXCM offers more detailed pricing than FXPrimus. FXCM is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranks 25th out of 63 brokers for Commissions and Fees (ForexBrokers.com), while FXPrimus also holds 4 out of 5 stars but ranks 43rd out of 63. The difference in rankings suggests FXCM has a slight edge in overall fee competitiveness and transparency.
For forex trading at FXCM, pricing is slightly higher than the industry average on standard accounts. In May 2024, average EUR/USD spreads were 0.78 pips for accounts in the EU, U.K., and Australia, and 1.38 pips for its St. Vincent and the Grenadines entity. FXCM’s commission-based accounts averaged 0.28 pips before commissions in May 2024; once you include commissions, the effective spread is closer to about 0.74 pips per round turn. FXCM also runs a five-tier Active Trader Rebate Program (not available in the U.K. or EU) that pays $5 to $25 per million traded if you meet volume thresholds (typically $10 million+ monthly). As an example, in the U.K., a $25,000 balance with $50 million monthly volume can reduce commissions to $2.50 per side ($5 round-turn), with an effective EUR/USD spread around 0.78 pips based on a 0.28-pip core price. Keep in mind that spreads can widen during rollover or turbulent markets.
FXPrimus does not publish average spread data, which makes direct fee comparisons harder. Its 4-star rating but lower 43/63 ranking implies competitive pricing in some areas but less consistency or transparency than peers. If published average spreads and potential volume-based rebates matter to you, FXCM may be the more informative choice; if you’re considering FXPrimus, check live quotes and any current commission details before you trade.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
FXPrimus
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.9 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
FXCM and FXPrimus both let you trade forex as CFDs or spot contracts. FXCM lists 440 tradeable symbols and 46 currency pairs, while FXPrimus offers 140 symbols and 42 pairs. Both brokers provide crypto exposure through cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither lets you buy actual crypto. They also do not offer direct access to exchange-traded U.S. or international shares (so you can’t buy Apple or Vodafone stock outright). Copy trading is available at both.
For range of investments, each earns 3.5 out of 5 stars from ForexBrokers.com, with FXCM ranked 48th out of 63 brokers and FXPrimus ranked 60th. If you want a wider list of markets, FXCM has the edge with more symbols and slightly more forex pairs, while FXPrimus covers the basics for traders who don’t need an extensive catalog.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
FXPrimus
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 140 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 42 |
| 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.
FXCM and FXPrimus both cover the essentials: free demo (paper) accounts, proprietary platforms, Windows desktop downloads, and web-based trading. Each supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4), copy trading, and lets you place trades directly from charts—useful if you prefer acting on real-time visuals.
The key difference is platform choice: FXPrimus also offers MetaTrader 5 (MT5), while FXCM does not. According to ForexBrokers.com, FXCM earns 5/5 stars and ranks #6 out of 63 for Trading Platforms and Tools, compared with FXPrimus at 4/5 stars and #50. Details for the number of technical indicators and watchlist columns weren’t specified for either broker. If you want a higher-rated platform experience, FXCM stands out; if MT5 is a must, FXPrimus could be the better fit.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
FXPrimus
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
FXCM and FXPrimus both deliver solid mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts, drawing trendlines on charts, and auto-saving your drawings. The key difference shows up with watchlists: FXCM syncs your symbols between mobile and your online account, while FXPrimus does not. FXCM also offers more charting depth with 59 technical studies versus 30 for FXPrimus.
Independent ratings back up the gap in features. FXCM’s mobile app earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #16 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com, while FXPrimus scores 4 stars and ranks #49. If you want seamless watchlist syncing and a wider range of indicators, FXCM has the edge; if you only need the essentials, FXPrimus covers the basics on both iPhone and Android.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
FXPrimus
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 59 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
In a head-to-head look at market research, both FXCM and FXPrimus provide daily market commentary and an economic calendar. FXCM goes further with forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, while FXPrimus does not. FXCM also includes Trading Central tools and a sentiment indicator showing the ratio of long vs. short positions; FXPrimus lacks these features. Neither broker offers Autochartist.
FXCM adds TipRanks research and does not include Acuity Trading; FXPrimus does not specify support for TipRanks or Acuity Trading. Reflecting these differences, FXCM earns 4.5/5 stars and ranks #11 out of 63 brokers for Research on ForexBrokers.com, compared with FXPrimus at 3/5 stars and #59. If you want more built-in research and trading insights, FXCM is the stronger choice, while FXPrimus covers the essentials.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
FXPrimus
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | Yes | |
| Acuity Trading | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners comparing FXCM vs FXPrimus education, FXCM is the stronger pick. Both brokers run ongoing educational webinars, but FXCM also provides at least 10 beginner-focused trading videos, giving new traders a clearer path to learn at their own pace. FXCM further expands learning with 10+ advanced videos for when skills improve, while FXPrimus does not meet the 10-video mark for either beginner or advanced topics.
Independent ratings reflect this gap: FXCM earns 4.5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #14 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. FXPrimus scores 3 out of 5 stars and ranks #51. If you value a larger video library plus frequent webinars to build a foundation in forex and CFDs, FXCM is the more beginner-friendly choice, while FXPrimus may suit traders who primarily want live webinars.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
FXPrimus
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that FXCM is better than FXPrimus. FXCM finished with an overall rank of #15, while FXPrimus finished with an overall rank of #53.
For traders who appreciate advanced trading tools and quality market research, FXCM is a winner, especially for algorithmic trading. Its range of tradeable markets is fairly narrow, however, and the pricing at FXCM is just average.
| Feature |
FXCM
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FXPrimus
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 71 |
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In a head-to-head comparison of FXCM vs FXPrimus for cryptocurrency trading, neither broker offers buying actual (delivered) crypto, but both provide access to cryptocurrency CFDs.
Compared to FXPrimus, FXCM supports ACH/SEPA transfers, PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire deposits/withdrawals, while FXPrimus does not offer ACH/SEPA and its support for PayPal, Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wires is unspecified.
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 | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
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| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Regulation | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 95 | 71 | |
| 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 | 4 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| 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) | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 140 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 42 | |
| 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 | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.9 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | Yes |
| Trading Tools | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 59 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | ||
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | FXCM Review |
| Overall | FXCM | FXPrimus | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review |
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