Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of HFM vs GBE brokers, 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 regulatory standing of online brokers HFM and GBE brokers, it's essential to consider their trust scores and the licenses they hold. HFM was founded in 2010 and holds a Trust Score of 86 out of 99, putting it in the 'trusted' category. It is not publicly traded nor operates as a bank, but it stands out with two Tier-1 licenses, considered highly trusted, and three Tier-2 licenses, which signify a trusted status. These various licenses contribute to HFM's strong regulatory credibility.
On the other hand, GBE brokers, established in 2013, has a Trust Score of 71, categorized as average risk. Like HFM, it is neither publicly traded nor a bank. GBE brokers possess one Tier-1 license but do not have any Tier-2 licenses. This positioning provides some level of regulatory trust, though not as extensive as HFM. With different trust levels and licensing, both brokers present distinct profiles for potential clients to consider.
| Feature |
HFM
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2013 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
When comparing HFM and GBE Brokers, both have earned a similar score of 4 out of 5 stars in terms of commissions and fees. Despite sharing this rating, their offerings and average costs differ slightly. HFM's standard trading accounts typically feature a spread of around 1.2 pips, which is somewhat above the industry average. For traders looking for lower spreads, HFM offers a Zero account option, where users deal with an effective spread of 0.7 pips after commission. However, it's important to note that these figures do not represent average spreads over a particular time frame, which might lead to variability.
On the other hand, GBE Brokers does not provide average spread data, making it challenging to directly compare their specific trading costs to those of HFM. Without average spread information, traders considering GBE Brokers might find it harder to anticipate potential costs precisely, although the overall rating suggests that their fees are competitive within the industry.
Considering these factors, in the rankings by ForexBrokers.com, HFM is positioned slightly higher at #31 out of 62 brokers for commissions and fees, compared to GBE Brokers, which holds the #37 spot. This ranking difference illustrates HFM's slightly more favorable position in this category, though the two brokers are generally neck-and-neck in terms of their fee ratings.
| Feature |
HFM
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $500 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing the range of investments offered by HFM and GBE brokers, both platforms provide the opportunity to trade forex as CFDs or spot contracts, catering to forex enthusiasts. Each broker impressively features a total of 500 tradeable symbols, but HFM stands out by offering 102 tradeable forex pairs compared to GBE brokers' 71 pairs. Neither HFM nor GBE brokers provide options for buying exchange-traded securities on U.S. or international exchanges, such as shares of major companies like Apple or Vodafone.
For those interested in more modern trading forms, both HFM and GBE brokers offer copy trading services and cryptocurrency derivatives. However, neither broker allows customers to buy actual cryptocurrencies. In terms of ratings, HFM achieves a slightly higher score with 4 stars for range of investments, while GBE brokers earn 3.5 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, HFM ranks #36 out of 62 brokers in this category, outpacing GBE brokers, which is ranked at #44. This suggests that HFM may offer a slightly broader investment experience compared to GBE brokers.
| Feature |
HFM
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 71 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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.
When comparing trading platforms and tools, both HFM and GBE Brokers provide a comprehensive suite of options for traders. Both brokers offer a free virtual demo account, making it easy for newcomers to practice without financial risk. They also support popular trading platforms MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), enhancing accessibility for traders familiar with these industry staples. Furthermore, both brokers provide a Windows-based desktop platform and a browser-based trading platform, ensuring flexibility in how you choose to trade. HFM, however, distinguishes itself by offering a proprietary platform, which is not available with GBE Brokers. Both brokers support copy trading but neither offers DupliTrade or ZuluTrade.
In terms of charting and watch list features, HFM offers a more extensive selection with 30 drawing tools compared to GBE Brokers’ 15, although both provide the same number of columns for watch lists with seven. Both brokers support trading directly from stock charts. In terms of industry recognition, HFM is rated four stars for its trading platforms and tools, ranking 42nd out of 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while GBE Brokers also holds a four-star rating but is ranked 57th. This suggests that while both brokers provide a quality experience, HFM's offering in platforms and tools is ranked higher in industry assessments.
| Feature |
HFM
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading apps, both HFM and GBE Brokers cater to users on both iPhone and Android devices, ensuring accessibility to a wide range of users. Each platform also enables traders to receive stock or forex price alerts, making it easier for users to stay informed on the go. Both HFM and GBE Brokers provide 30 technical studies for charting, allowing users to perform in-depth market analysis right from their phones. Additionally, the apps offer tools for drawing trendlines and viewing multiple time frames including daily, weekly, or intraday options. However, neither broker supports watchlist symbol syncing between the mobile app and the online account, which might be a limitation for some.
Both HFM and GBE Brokers allow users to create watchlists with real-time quotes and auto-save chart drawings, enhancing the user experience. Though both platforms boast key features, HFM and GBE Brokers receive similar user ratings of four out of five stars for their mobile trading apps. However, they differ slightly in rankings provided by ForexBrokers.com; HFM ranks higher at 39th place compared to GBE Brokers, which stands at 57th out of 62 broker evaluations. While each app offers a solid experience for mobile traders, differences in ranking suggest that specific preferences and priorities should guide traders in choosing between the two.
| Feature |
HFM
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
HFM and GBE Brokers both provide daily market commentary and maintain economic calendars to keep traders informed on global news events. Yet, when it comes to delivering forex news sourced from internationally renowned agencies like Bloomberg or Reuters, HFM stands out while GBE Brokers does not offer this feature. Another key distinction is HFM’s integration with Autochartist for technical and fundamental research tools, which GBE Brokers lacks, potentially broadening the scope of market analysis available to HFM users.
Both brokers offer sentiment-based trading tools, displaying long and short positions across currencies. However, neither access services from TipRanks, Trading Central, or Acuity Trading, indicating similar limitations in these areas. Despite these overlaps, HFM's stronger research offerings have earned it a 4-star rating, ranking it 20th out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, whereas GBE Brokers holds a 3-star rating and is ranked 61st, highlighting HFM's comparative advantage in market research.
| Feature |
HFM
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to education for beginners, HFM stands out as a leading online broker with a wealth of resources, while GBE brokers fall short. HFM offers a comprehensive suite of educational materials, with over 10 pieces dedicated to forex and CFDs, including articles, videos, and archived webinars. They provide monthly educational webinars, which are also archived for future reference, making it easy to learn at your own pace. In contrast, GBE brokers do not provide a similar range of educational content or opportunities for live learning. Videos tailored for beginners are readily available through HFM, offering at least 10 options for those new to trading. Meanwhile, GBE brokers do not provide such targeted educational videos for beginners.
In addition to beginner resources, HFM also caters to experienced traders with advanced educational videos, a feature not found with GBE brokers. For those needing to brush up on investing terminology, HFM offers an expansive investor dictionary with over 50 terms, while GBE brokers lack this educational aid. This rich array of learning tools has earned HFM a solid 4-star rating for education, ranking them 37th of 62 brokers in this category by ForexBrokers.com. Comparatively, GBE brokers receive a 3-star rating and are ranked at the bottom of the list, highlighting the significant gap in educational offerings between the two brokers.
| Feature |
HFM
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that HFM is better than GBE brokers. HFM finished with an overall rank of #30, while GBE brokers finished with an overall rank of #56.
Alongside its enhanced MetaTrader offering and quality research, HFM (HF Markets), previously known as HotForex, offers a proprietary copy trading platform, HFcopy, a proprietary HF mobile app, and a decent selection of over 1,000 CFDs and 47 forex pairs. Still, trading costs at HFM are slightly above the industry average.
| Feature |
HFM
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GBE brokers
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| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 71 |
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Both HFM and GBE Brokers do not offer the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they both provide options to purchase cryptocurrency derivatives.
When comparing the online brokers HFM and GBE brokers, GBE brokers stands out by offering a wider range of fund transfer options such as ACH, SEPA, and PayPal, while both brokers support Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire transactions.
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 | HFM | GBE brokers | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review |
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| Regulation | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2013 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| 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) | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 71 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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 | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $500 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | HFM | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | HFM Review |
| Overall | HFM | GBE brokers | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review |
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