Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Vantage 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.
When comparing online brokers Vantage and HFM, both share several similarities. Established in 2009 and 2010 respectively, neither Vantage nor HFM is publicly traded or operates as a bank. In terms of regulatory standing, both brokers hold two Tier-1 licenses, meaning they are highly trusted according to ForexBrokers.com's standards. Vantage and HFM are therefore well-regulated, providing users with a secure trading environment.
However, there are some differences in their licensing and trust ratings. Vantage holds one Tier-2 license, while HFM holds three, which signifies a broader regulatory compliance for HFM across different regions. Despite this, Vantage scores slightly higher with a Trust Score of 90 out of 99, categorizing it as highly trusted. In comparison, HFM has a score of 86, which still indicates it is a trusted broker but slightly below Vantage's rating. Overall, both brokers are reliable choices, though Vantage edges out with a slightly higher trust rating.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
Vantage generally edges HFM on trading costs, especially if you use a commission-based account. Vantage earns 4.5 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #20 of 63 brokers with ForexBrokers.com, while HFM scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #32 of 63. Vantage’s pricing sits near the industry average overall, but its ECN options can lower all‑in costs. HFM is slightly above average, with less clarity around how its published spreads translate to real‑world averages.
At Vantage, the Standard STP account is spread‑only with a typical EUR/USD spread of 1.30 pips (March 2023). The Raw ECN account averages 0.15 pips plus a $3 commission per side ($6 round turn), for about 0.75 pips all‑in. The PRO ECN account cuts commission to $2 per side ($4 round turn) and is Vantage’s best‑priced option if you qualify—requirements vary by entity (e.g., wholesale client status in Australia or a $10,000 minimum under the Cayman entity). Vantage also offers an active‑trader rebate program on the Standard account of $2 to $8 per lot, tiered by equity from $10,000 to $300,000+, though note the Standard account has the widest spreads among Vantage’s choices.
HFM lists a typical 1.2‑pip spread on its Standard account, but without a date range—so true averages may be higher. Its Zero account advertises an effective 0.7‑pip cost after commission, yet this is also not an average. In practice, that means Vantage’s Raw or PRO ECN accounts can deliver lower, more transparent all‑in costs than HFM’s Standard, and potentially competitive with HFM’s Zero account, depending on your trading volume and which entity you use. Always confirm live spreads and commissions with the specific account type and regulator you’ll trade under.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.30 | 1.2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.75 | 0.7 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts [DELETED] | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) [DELETED] | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Vantage vs HFM: both support forex trading via CFDs or spot contracts and both offer copy trading. Vantage provides 1,000 tradeable symbols, while HFM lists 500. HFM leads in currency choice with 102 forex pairs versus Vantage’s 61. Neither broker offers direct, exchange-traded stocks on U.S. or international exchanges. For crypto, both let you trade cryptocurrency derivatives but do not offer buying actual coins.
In independent ratings for range of investments, HFM scores 4 stars and ranks 37th out of 63 brokers, while Vantage earns 3.5 stars and ranks 51st. In short: choose Vantage if you want a larger overall product list, or HFM if you care most about a wider selection of forex pairs. Both lack direct stock ownership and real crypto purchases, yet both provide copy trading and access to crypto-linked markets through derivatives.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1000 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 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.
Vantage and HFM deliver similar platform coverage for traders who want choice and convenience. Both brokers offer a free demo (paper trading) account, a proprietary platform, a Windows desktop app, and a web-based browser platform. They also support MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), include copy trading options, and let you place trades directly from charts.
Independent ratings show both Vantage and HFM at 4 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools on ForexBrokers.com, yet Vantage ranks higher overall in this category (#21 of 63) compared with HFM (#43 of 63). If you’re comparing platforms and tools, you’ll find a similar feature set with both, while Vantage holds a higher category placement.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading 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 |
| DupliTrade [DELETED] | ||
| ZuluTrade [DELETED] | ||
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 15 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) [DELETED] | ||
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields [DELETED] |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Vantage and HFM both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app lets you set stock or forex price alerts and build watchlists with real-time quotes. However, neither Vantage nor HFM syncs watchlist symbols between the mobile app and the online account, so edits you make in one place won’t appear in the other.
For charting, the Vantage mobile app and the HFM mobile app each include 30 technical studies, allow you to draw trendlines, and auto-save your drawings. The source did not specify whether multiple time frames are available on mobile. In terms of recognition, both apps are rated 4 out of 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps, while ForexBrokers.com ranks Vantage at #29 out of 63 brokers and HFM at #40, giving Vantage a slight edge in category ranking.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | ||
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing the market research offerings of online brokers Vantage and HFM, both deliver competitive tools and resources. Both brokers provide daily market commentary and forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring traders stay informed with the latest information. They each support tools from Autochartist, enhancing technical and fundamental analysis capabilities. However, Vantage takes a slight edge by offering additional technical analysis tools from Trading Central, which HFM does not provide. Both platforms offer sentiment-based trading tools to help traders gauge market positions and an economic calendar to keep an eye on global events.
While neither Vantage nor HFM provides research tools from companies like TipRanks or Acuity Trading, their well-rounded offerings still earn them commendable research ratings of 4 stars each. In the crowded field of 63 brokers evaluated by ForexBrokers.com, Vantage holds the #22 spot in the Research category, whereas HFM ranks slightly higher at #20. Both brokers deliver solid market research tools that cater to the diverse needs of traders, despite some differences in specific offerings.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Beginner traders will find plenty to learn at both Vantage and HFM. Each broker runs at least one educational webinar per month and provides 10 or more beginner videos, plus 10 or more advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper. It’s not confirmed whether either broker offers a searchable archive of past webinars, whether they meet a broader library threshold of 10+ forex/CFD education pieces beyond those videos, or whether they include an investor dictionary with 50+ terms.
For overall education quality, both Vantage and HFM earn 4 out of 5 stars. In ForexBrokers.com’s Education rankings out of 63 brokers, Vantage is #24 and HFM is #37, giving Vantage a slight edge for learning support. If a webinar archive or glossary matters to you, check each broker’s site for the latest resources.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | ||
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) [DELETED] | ||
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) [DELETED] |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Vantage is better than HFM. Vantage finished with an overall rank of #26, while HFM finished with an overall rank of #30.
Vantage rounds out its MetaTrader platform suite offering with support for multiple social trading platforms, content powered by Trading Central and a proprietary mobile app. However, Vantage trails industry leaders in key areas such as research and education.
| Feature |
Vantage
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HFM
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 90 | 86 |
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Both Vantage and HFM do not offer the option to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they do provide the ability to purchase cryptocurrency derivatives.
In the Vantage vs HFM comparison of deposit and withdrawal methods, both brokers do not support ACH or SEPA and both offer Skrill and bank wire transfers, but only Vantage supports PayPal, while Visa/Mastercard availability is unspecified for both.
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 | Vantage | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 90 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Vantage Review | HFM Review |
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| Regulation | Vantage | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 90 | 86 | |
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Vantage | 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) | |||
| 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). | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Vantage | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Vantage | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1000 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 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 | Vantage | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.30 | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.75 | 0.7 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Vantage | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | Vantage | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading 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 |
| Trading Tools | Vantage | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Vantage | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Vantage | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Vantage | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Vantage | 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 | Vantage Review | HFM Review |
| Overall | Vantage | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 90 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Vantage Review | HFM Review |
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