Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FXCM 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.
When comparing the online brokers FXCM and XM Group, each firm stands out in different ways. FXCM, established in 1999, is publicly listed and holds an impressive ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 95. This rating reflects its status as a highly trusted broker with four Tier-1 licenses, known for their reliability, alongside two Tier-2 licenses. Despite not being a bank, FXCM has cemented its reputable position in the trading community with its secure and established regulatory backing.
Meanwhile, XM Group, founded a decade later in 2009, offers a similarly strong presence in the market with a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 93. Although not publicly traded, XM Group also benefits from four sought-after Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license, highlighting its commitment to trustworthiness. Both brokers align closely in terms of regulatory security, providing traders excellent options backed by stringent regulatory compliance.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
FXCM’s commissions and fees sit slightly above the industry average. In May 2024, average EUR/USD spreads on its Standard account were about 0.78 pips in the EU, U.K., and Australia, and 1.38 pips via its St. Vincent and the Grenadines entity. Its commission-based account posted a low 0.28-pip average core spread (May 2024), which works out to roughly 0.74 pips after adding commissions. FXCM also offers an Active Trader Rebate Program (not available in the U.K. or EU) with five tiers that require at least $10 million in monthly volume and pay $5–$25 per million traded. As an example, in the U.K. a $25,000 balance and $50 million in monthly volume can reduce commissions to $2.50 per side ($5 round-turn), for an effective EUR/USD spread near 0.78 pips based on a 0.28-pip core (Jan 2024). Keep in mind spreads can widen during rollover or volatile markets.
XM Group’s Standard account spreads are on the expensive side, and it does not publish average spread data for its commission-based XM Zero account, making it harder to estimate all-in trading costs across market conditions.
Bottom line: FXCM publishes more detailed average spread data and offers volume-based rebates, but its pricing is still a touch above the industry average; XM’s Standard pricing trends higher and its Zero account lacks published averages. Ratings and rankings: FXCM earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #25 out of 63 for Commissions and Fees at ForexBrokers.com, while XM Group also earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #34 out of 63.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $5 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.9 | 2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 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.
FXCM vs XM Group: for range of investments, XM Group delivers a bigger lineup. It offers 1,394 tradeable symbols versus FXCM’s 440, along with 55 forex pairs compared with FXCM’s 46. Both brokers allow forex trading via CFDs or spot. A key difference is stock access: XM Group lets you buy real, exchange‑traded shares on U.S. and international markets (think Apple or Vodafone), while FXCM does not offer direct stock ownership and focuses on CFDs.
Both brokers support copy trading and provide cryptocurrency exposure through CFDs, but neither lets you buy actual crypto. In independent ratings, XM Group scores 4.5 out of 5 stars for range of investments and ranks 25th out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while FXCM earns 3.5 stars and ranks 48th. If you want a wider selection plus the ability to own real shares, XM Group stands out; for CFD and forex trading basics, FXCM covers the core needs.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 1394 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 55 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes |
| 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 vs. XM Group for trading platforms and tools: both brokers provide a free demo (paper) account, web-based and Windows desktop platforms, and copy trading. FXCM also offers a proprietary, in-house platform alongside MetaTrader 4 (MT4), while XM Group sticks to third-party platforms—supporting MT4 and adding MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Both brokers let you place trades directly from charts and include charting with technical indicators, plus watchlists to track markets.
In third-party reviews, FXCM scores higher for platforms and tools, earning 5 stars and ranking #6 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while XM Group holds 4 stars and ranks #33. Choose FXCM if you want an in-house platform and higher-rated tools; pick XM Group if MT5 access is a priority. Testing each broker’s free demo is an easy way to see which workflow you prefer.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| 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 vs XM Group: both brokers offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with price alerts and watchlists that sync across devices and your online account. Each app lets you draw trendlines on charts. One key difference is that FXCM’s app auto-saves your chart drawings, while XM Group’s app does not.
For charting tools, FXCM provides 59 technical studies compared with XM Group’s 30. This extra depth, combined with a 4.5-star mobile rating and a #16 out of 63 ranking from ForexBrokers.com, makes FXCM a strong pick for traders who value detailed analysis and saved chart work. XM Group still delivers a solid experience with a 4-star rating and a #31 ranking, suiting traders who want core features without as many indicators.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
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 | 59 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
FXCM and XM Group both deliver essential market insights, offering daily market commentary and top-tier forex news sourced from respected names like Bloomberg and Reuters. While both brokers provide sentiment-based trading tools to show the ratios of long or short positions on various instruments, only FXCM extends its offerings with market research from TipRanks. Additionally, both brokers offer technical analysis support through Trading Central, though neither incorporates Autochartist or Acuity Trading's Signal Centre in their suite of research tools. Each platform provides an economic calendar to keep traders updated on significant global events.
When analyzing their research performance, XM Group holds a slight edge with a 5-star rating, compared to FXCM's 4.5 stars. Ranked by ForexBrokers.com, XM Group is placed at #8 out of 63 brokers, while FXCM is at #11. Both platforms deliver a robust framework for market research, but XM Group's slightly superior ranking indicates its broader appeal in this category.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
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 | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
FXCM and XM Group are both solid picks if you’re new to trading and want clear, structured learning. Each broker provides a sizable library of forex and CFD education, including at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced videos, plus ongoing client webinars held monthly. This mix of videos and live sessions makes it easier for newcomers to learn the basics and then move into more advanced strategies at their own pace.
When it comes to third-party ratings, XM Group earns a slight edge: it scores 5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #7 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while FXCM scores 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #14. In short, both support beginner traders well, but XM Group is rated higher overall, whereas FXCM remains a strong option with plenty of quality learning content.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
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 FXCM is better than XM Group. FXCM finished with an overall rank of #15, while XM Group finished with an overall rank of #17.
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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XM Group
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| Trust Score | 95 | 93 |
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FXCM vs XM Group: neither broker lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
Comparing FXCM vs XM Group for deposit and withdrawal methods: FXCM supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers, while XM Group supports 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.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | FXCM | XM Group | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review | XM Group Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FXCM | XM Group | |
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| Regulation | FXCM | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 95 | 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 | 4 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FXCM | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | 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 | 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 | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | FXCM | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 1394 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 55 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes | |
| 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 | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.9 | 2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FXCM | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $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 | FXCM | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| 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 | No |
| Trading Tools | FXCM | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 59 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FXCM | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FXCM | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FXCM | 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 | FXCM Review | XM Group Review |
| Overall | FXCM | XM Group | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review | XM Group Review |
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