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 account | 1.30 | 1.2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.75 | 0.7 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Vantage and HFM both let you trade forex, either through CFDs (contracts for difference) or spot. Vantage lists about 1,000 total tradeable symbols, giving it a broader overall catalog than HFM’s roughly 500. However, HFM shines in currency coverage with 102 forex pairs compared to Vantage’s 61, which may appeal if your focus is the FX market.
Neither broker offers direct purchase of exchange-traded shares in the U.S. or on international exchanges. Both support copy trading. For crypto, you can’t buy actual coins with either broker, but both provide cryptocurrency CFDs. For range of investments, ForexBrokers.com rates HFM at 4 stars (ranked 37th of 63) and Vantage at 3.5 stars (ranked 51st of 63).
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1000 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 102 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | No |
| 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.
Vantage vs HFM: both brokers check the key boxes for trading platforms and tools. Each offers a free demo (paper trading) account, a proprietary platform, Windows desktop software, a web-based platform, copy trading, and full support for MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). You can place trades directly from charts with both. Indicator and watchlist features are available on each, though exact counts were not provided and can vary by platform.
While both earned 4 out of 5 stars for platforms and tools, ForexBrokers.com ranks Vantage #21 out of 63 brokers and HFM #43. That gap may come down to differences in platform experience, available add-ons, or workflow. If you’re deciding between them, consider which platform ecosystem you prefer (MT4/MT5 or the broker’s own), how important copy trading is to you, and test-drive each broker’s features using their free demo accounts.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Vantage and HFM both deliver capable mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts, 30 technical studies for charting, trendline drawing, and auto-saving your chart annotations. One notable limitation is that neither broker offers watchlist syncing between the mobile app and the web platform, so changes you make in one place won’t update in the other.
In terms of quality, both apps earn 4 out of 5 stars. However, Vantage ranks higher in ForexBrokers.com’s Mobile Trading Apps category, placed 29th out of 63 brokers, compared with HFM at 40th. If you value charting tools and alerts, the two are evenly matched; if rankings matter to you, Vantage has a slight edge. Your choice may come down to which interface you prefer and the markets you trade most often.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | 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 (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
If you’re new to forex or CFDs, Vantage vs HFM is a close call for education. Both brokers host ongoing client webinars at least once a month and offer large video libraries for every level—10+ beginner videos to get you started and 10+ advanced videos when you’re ready to go deeper. In practice, that means each broker clears a common 10-piece education threshold and gives beginners helpful coverage of trading basics, risk management, and platform how-tos.
On quality scores, both Vantage and HFM earn 4 out of 5 stars for Education. Looking at placement, ForexBrokers.com ranks Vantage 24th out of 63 brokers for Education, ahead of HFM at 37th. So if you care about a higher education ranking plus frequent webinars and deep video content, Vantage gets a slight edge, while HFM remains a solid choice for learners seeking steady webinars and plenty of beginner-friendly videos.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 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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Online brokers Vantage and HFM do not offer the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but both provide access to cryptocurrency CFD trading.
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 |
| Broker Screenshots | Vantage | HFM | |
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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 (FSA 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. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | No | |
| 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 | Vantage | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.30 | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.75 | 0.7 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order 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 | |
| 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 [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - 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 (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central | 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 [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| 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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