Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Tickmill vs HFM, 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.
Tickmill and HFM are both reputable online brokerage firms with solid trust ratings. Founded in 2014, Tickmill has built a strong reputation in the trading community. It holds two Tier-1 licenses, which are among the most trusted regulatory endorsements, and two Tier-2 licenses, signifying a high level of trust. Despite not being publicly traded or a bank, Tickmill maintains a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 86 out of 99, placing it in the 'trusted' category.
Established in 2010, HFM also garners a Trust Score of 86 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, similar to Tickmill. HFM is not listed on a stock exchange and is not a bank, yet it holds an impressive array of regulatory approvals. It possesses two Tier-1 licenses, indicating high trust, alongside three Tier-2 licenses, reflecting a significant level of regulatory trust. Both brokers offer reliable platforms for online trading, ensuring a secure environment for their clients.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2014 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of online brokers Tickmill and HFM, there are notable differences to consider, especially for active traders. Tickmill offers a Raw account with a newly updated commission structure priced at $3 per side or $6 per standard lot. Although this marks a slight increase from previous rates, Tickmill still shines as one of the top brokers for active traders, thanks to its low average spreads and overall affordable trading costs. In contrast, Tickmill’s Classic account comes without commissions but has higher average spreads at 1.76 pips as of August 2023. With competitive pricing, Tickmill holds a five-star rating for commissions and fees and ranks 4th among 63 brokers, reinforcing its appeal to savvy traders.
Tickmill's Raw account, which replaced the previous Pro and VIP accounts, is equipped with the broker's best spreads. As of October 2023, typical spreads stand at 0.11 pips for the EUR/USD when using the Raw account. Nevertheless, taking into account the latest commission rate, the overall cost to trade becomes 0.71 pips. The Raw account remains highly accessible with a low entry barrier of just $100 and is an excellent choice for various trading styles, including algorithmic trading, due to its cost-effective spreads and updated commission structure. This ensures that even with recent changes, Tickmill remains a favored option for traders seeking low-cost executions.
On the other hand, HFM presents its trading costs slightly above the industry average. For standard accounts, traders face typical spreads of around 1.2 pips, though an exact date range isn’t specified, implying potential fluctuations. HFM's Zero account features a more competitive effective spread of 0.7 pips post-commission but is not consistently average across trades. While HFM holds a four-star rating for commissions and fees and ranks 31st out of 63 brokers, its costs might not be as appealing to traders prioritizing lowest possible trading fees.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.70 | 1.2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.70 | 0.7 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Tickmill and HFM both offer forex trading as a CFD or spot contract, allowing traders versatility in trading in this financial market. With a total offering of 637 tradeable symbols, Tickmill provides a broader range of choices compared to HFM's 500 symbols. However, when it comes to tradeable forex pairs, HFM has the edge with 102 options, surpassing Tickmill's 63 pairs. Neither broker provides access to exchange-traded securities on U.S. or international exchanges, which means clients cannot purchase company shares like Apple or Vodafone directly through these platforms.
Both Tickmill and HFM offer copy trading, catering to those who may want to mimic the strategies of more experienced traders. For cryptocurrency enthusiasts, each broker provides the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives but not actual cryptocurrencies. When assessing their range of investments, Tickmill receives a 3.5-star rating, ranking it 42nd among 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. HFM fares slightly better with a 4-star rating, securing the 36th spot in the same category, indicating a marginally more diverse offering.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 637 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 63 | 102 |
| 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.
Tickmill and HFM both offer a comprehensive set of trading platforms and tools that cater to different trader needs. Both brokers provide a free virtual demo account, allowing users to practice trading without financial risks. While both Tickmill and HFM support popular platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, as well as Windows-based desktop and web-based platforms, HFM sets itself apart by offering a proprietary platform. Both brokers support features like copy trading and trading directly from stock charts, making the trading experience more interactive and convenient.
When it comes to charting, Tickmill and HFM present different offerings. Tickmill provides nine drawing tools, whereas HFM offers 30, suggesting a greater degree of customization for technical analysis enthusiasts at HFM. Both brokers allow for seven fields in watch lists for easy monitoring of selected stocks. Despite each having a four-star rating for their trading platforms and tools, Tickmill is ranked higher at 29th place among 63 brokers reviewed, compared to HFM's 42nd position. This highlights a slight edge for Tickmill in overall user satisfaction according to ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | No | 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 |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 91 | 15 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 9 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both Tickmill and HFM offer comprehensive mobile trading apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices. Their apps are equipped with forex and stock price alerts, allowing traders to stay updated on market shifts. However, neither app supports watchlist symbol syncing, which means changes made to your watchlists on the app won’t sync with your online account. Both platforms offer 30 technical studies for chart analysis, along with the ability to draw trendlines and view multiple time frames, from intraday to weekly charts. Additionally, any drawings made have the convenience of auto-saving. Creating a watchlist with real-time quotes is also a shared feature, ensuring you have live data at your fingertips.
When diving into ratings, both trading apps receive four out of five stars for their mobile trading capabilities. However, in the ranking provided by ForexBrokers.com, Tickmill comes in at #29 out of 63 brokers, slightly ahead of HFM, which holds the #39 spot. Despite their different rankings, both apps feature a wealth of resources tailored for traders seeking flexibility and accessibility in their mobile trading experiences.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| 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.
When comparing the market research offerings of Tickmill and HFM, both brokers present a variety of tools aimed at enhancing the trading experience. Each provides daily market commentary and access to forex news from reputable sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring traders stay informed with current market insights. Moreover, both brokers feature sentiment-based trading tools that highlight the ratio of long or short positions across various instruments. They also offer economic calendars to track significant global news events, assisting traders in making informed decisions.
While both brokers are highly rated with four stars for their research capabilities, differences arise in the specific tools offered. HFM provides tools from Autochartist, adding depth to its technical and fundamental research arsenal. However, it lacks offerings from Acuity Trading, where Tickmill holds a distinct advantage with tools like Signal Centre. Neither broker offers research from Trading Central or TipRanks. Despite these differences, Tickmill is ranked 21st in research by ForexBrokers.com, just behind HFM at 20th, reflecting their close competitive standing in this category.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners diving into the world of forex and CFDs, both Tickmill and HFM offer a wide array of educational resources. Each platform provides a generous collection of at least ten educational pieces, such as articles, videos, and archived webinars, specifically aimed at fostering an understanding of forex and CFDs. Additionally, both brokers host monthly online webinars, providing newcomers with an interactive learning experience. For those who prefer learning at their own pace, each broker maintains a searchable archive of recorded webinars, allowing users to revisit topics as needed.
Furthermore, both Tickmill and HFM cater to traders at different stages of their journey. They offer over ten educational videos for beginners, thus laying a solid foundation by covering various trading topics. Advanced traders are not left out, as there are also videos tailored for more experienced users, exceeding ten in number. A valuable addition to their educational suite is an investor dictionary containing definitions of over fifty investing terms, enhancing the learning process. Despite both receiving a four-star rating for education, Tickmill holds a higher ranking than HFM, coming in at #15 out of 63 brokers, compared to HFM's #37. This distinction might reflect the nuanced differences in their approach to educating traders.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Tickmill is better than HFM. Tickmill finished with an overall rank of #22, while HFM finished with an overall rank of #30.
Tickmill is a run-of-the-mill MetaTrader broker that offers a limited selection of tradeable securities. The broker does offer very competitive commission-based pricing for professionals through its VIP and Pro accounts.
| Feature |
Tickmill
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HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 86 |
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Both Tickmill and HFM do not provide the option to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do offer the ability to purchase cryptocurrency derivatives.
Tickmill and HFM both provide options for depositing and withdrawing account funds via Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wires, but Tickmill offers additional flexibility with PayPal, which HFM does not support, while neither broker supports ACH or SEPA transfers.
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 | Tickmill | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Tickmill Review | HFM Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Tickmill | HFM | |
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| Regulation | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 86 | |
| Year Founded | 2014 | 2010 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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) | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 637 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 63 | 102 | |
| 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 | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.70 | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.70 | 0.7 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | No | 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 | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 91 | 15 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 9 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Tickmill | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Tickmill Review | HFM Review |
| Overall | Tickmill | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Tickmill Review | HFM Review |
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