Written by ForexBrokers.com
Is Markets.com better than HFM? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 62 of the best forex brokers, Markets.com is considered Highly Trusted, with an overall Trust Score of 96 out of 99. HotForex is considered Trusted, with an overall Trust Score of 86 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Markets.com | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Markets.com | HFM | |
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| Trading Platforms Gallery (click to expand) | |||
| Mobile Trading Gallery (click to expand) | |||
| Research Gallery (click to expand) | |||
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| Regulation | Markets.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 96 | 86 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2010 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| European Union Authorised (MiFID) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Markets.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | 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) | No | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| European Union Authorised (MiFID) | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Markets.com | HFM | |
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| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | Markets.com | HFM | |
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| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 2179 | 3500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 57 | 47 | |
| 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 | Markets.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.9 | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.9 | 0.9 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Markets.com | HFM | |
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| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Markets.com | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Markets.com | HFM | |
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| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | No | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 6 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 89 | 15 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 4 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Markets.com | HFM | |
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| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | (default on MT4, none on Markets app) | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Forex Calendar | No | Yes |
| Research | Markets.com | HFM | |
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| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Markets.com | HFM | |
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| Education (Forex or CFDs) | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Markets.com | HFM | |
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| GBP/USD | No | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | No | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | No | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | No | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | No | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | No | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | No | Yes | |
| Review | HFM Review |
| Overall | Markets.com | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review |
We’ve made it easy to compare the best forex brokers, side-by-side. Our editorial team has collected thousands of data points, written hundreds of thousands of words of research, and tested over 60 brokers to help you find the best forex brokers in the industry. Our research is unbiased and independent; learn more about how we test. That same research and data powers our broker comparisons. Let's compare Markets.com vs HFM.
Markets.com is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by three Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), one Tier-2 regulator (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulator (Average Risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). Markets.com is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC).
HotForex is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. HotForex is authorised by two Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), Three tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). HotForex is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulator: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the European Union via MiFID.
Thanks to its web-based MarketsX platform, Markets.com is easy to use and new trader friendly. However, Markets.com is pricey and lacks the feature-rich trading tools required to compete with the best trading platforms.
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.
To open a forex trading account with Markets.com, you'll need to make an initial minimum deposit of $100.
Markets.com requires a minimum deposit of $0 before you can open an account and start trading forex.
It's important to make sure that your forex broker accepts the funding options and deposit methods that work best for you. Markets.com offers Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) and Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) for banking, whereas HFM provides Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) and Neteller (Deposit/Withdraw). Neither have PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw)
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spread data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough, data-driven testing of each broker's commissions and fees, we found that HFM offers better pricing overall for traders.
Methodology: When testing each broker's commissions, fees, and pricing, we analyze multiple trade scenarios and award points based on the expansiveness (or inexpensiveness) of the broker's spreads. We then run multiple scenarios for different investor types, incorporating any miscellaneous fees, to determine an "all-in" cost per trade. Learn more about how we test.
At ForexBrokers.com, we track over 100 international regulatory agencies to help you choose the most well-regulated, highly trusted forex brokers. Learn more about our proprietary Trust Score rating system. Based on our research on the regulatory status of over 60 brokers, we've found that Markets.com holds 3 global Tier-1 licenses, while HFM holds 2. HFM holds 3 global Tier-2 licenses, while Markets.com holds 1.
After evaluating each broker based on their number of held licenses, years in business, and a range of other data-driven variables, we've determined that Markets.com (96) earned a higher Trust Score than HFM (86).
To compare the trading platforms of both Markets.com and HFM, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, Markets.com offers a better experience. With research, Markets.com offers superior market research. Finally, we found Markets.com to provide better mobile trading apps.
Here’s what trading platforms are available at Markets.com:
Here’s what trading platforms are available at HFM:
The MetaTrader trading platform suite is wildly popular among forex and CFD traders across the globe. Both Markets.com and HFM offer MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Forex traders also appreciate the ability to engage in social copy trading. Markets.com and HFM both offer copy trading.
Markets.com provides traders 57 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to HFM's 47 available pairs. If you are interested in trading CFDs, HFM offers traders access to 3500 CFDs, while Markets.com offers access to 2179 CFDs; so HFM offers 1321 more CFDs than Markets.com.
We found in our testing that HFM offers a more diverse selection of investment options than Markets.com, allowing you to trade both brokers allow traders to trade Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs), U.S. Stocks (CFD), Cryptocurrency (Derivative) and Social Trading / Copy Trading. Neither have Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD), Cryptocurrency (Physical) and Spread Betting.
Overall winner: Markets.com
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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