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.
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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 |
Comparing commissions and fees, Vantage earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #12 of 63 brokers for this category, while HFM scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #28 of 63 (per ForexBrokers.com). In short, Vantage offers more granular pricing via multiple account types and publishes useful averages, whereas HFM’s costs tend to sit slightly above the industry average and rely more on “typical” (non-averaged) figures.
Vantage has three account choices: the spread-only Standard STP account and two commission-based ECN accounts (RAW and PRO). Typical EUR/USD spreads were 1.30 pips on the Standard account in March 2023. The RAW ECN account averaged 0.15 pips plus a $3 commission per side ($6 round turn), totaling about 0.75 pips that month. The PRO ECN account lowers the commission to $2 per side ($4 round turn) and is Vantage’s best-priced option if you qualify (Australia requires wholesale client status; the Cayman entity requires a $10,000 minimum). Vantage also offers an active trader program with rebates of $2–$8 per standard lot based on balance and volume (tiers start at $10,000 and go up to $300,000), but note it’s only available on the higher-spread Standard account. Overall pricing is around the industry average and not as low as leaders like Saxo, IG, and CMC Markets.
HFM’s trading costs are slightly above average. The company cites a typical 1.2-pip spread for its standard account (no date range provided), and a Zero account with an effective 0.7-pip spread after commission—also not an average. In a like-for-like view, Vantage’s RAW ECN averaged about 0.75 pips during a stated period, while HFM’s 0.7-pip figure is headline-only and may differ in live conditions. For spread-only pricing, HFM’s stated 1.2 pips appears a touch lower than Vantage’s 1.30 pips, but the absence of time-stamped averages at HFM makes direct comparison less certain.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.32 | 1.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.72 | 1.1 |
| 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.
Comparing Vantage vs HFM for range of investments: Vantage lists about 1,000 tradeable symbols, double HFM’s 500, making it the broader multi-asset lineup. HFM, however, offers more currency pairs for forex traders (102 vs 61). Both brokers support forex via CFDs and/or spot contracts, offer copy trading, and provide cryptocurrency CFDs—but neither lets you buy actual crypto or purchase exchange-traded stocks on U.S. or international exchanges.
Ratings reflect these strengths: Vantage earns 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #32 of 63 for Range of Investments, while HFM scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #28. Choose Vantage if you want more overall symbols across markets; choose HFM if your priority is a wider selection of forex pairs.
| 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 and HFM both check the key boxes for trading platforms and tools. Each broker offers a free demo (paper) trading account, a proprietary platform, copy trading, and support for MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). You can trade in a web browser or install a Windows desktop platform, making it easy to choose the setup that fits your routine.
Both brokers let you trade directly from charts and include a range of technical indicators and customizable watchlists. According to ForexBrokers.com, both earn 4 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools, with Vantage ranked #20 out of 63 brokers and HFM ranked #33. If platform quality and breadth of tools matter most, Vantage’s higher ranking may give it a slight edge.
| 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 stock and forex price alerts, 30 built-in technical studies, and drawing tools such as trendlines, with your chart annotations auto-saved between sessions. A shared limitation is watchlist symbol syncing: neither provider syncs watchlists between the mobile app and the online account, so edits made in one place won’t appear in the other.
For quality, both Vantage and HFM earn 4 stars for Mobile Trading Apps. In ForexBrokers.com’s ranking of 63 brokers, Vantage places #24 while HFM ranks #32. If a higher ranking matters to you, Vantage has a slight edge; otherwise, the mobile features are closely matched for day-to-day trading on the go.
| 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.
Vantage and HFM deliver similar market research essentials: daily market commentary, forex news from leading sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, an economic calendar, and a sentiment tool showing the ratio of long vs. short positions. Both also integrate Autochartist for trade ideas. The main difference is Trading Central: Vantage includes Trading Central research (such as Technical Analytics), while HFM does not. Neither broker offers TipRanks insights or tools from Acuity Trading/Signal Centre.
Both earn 4 stars for Research. According to ForexBrokers.com, HFM ranks #18 out of 63 brokers for Research, while Vantage ranks #20. Choose Vantage if you want access to Trading Central in addition to Autochartist and sentiment data; pick HFM if a slightly higher third-party research ranking matters more. Either way, you get daily commentary, real-time news, and a useful economic calendar.
| 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.
Vantage and HFM both offer forex and CFD education that’s beginner-friendly. Each broker provides a full learning path with at least 10 beginner video lessons, plus 10 or more advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper. You’ll also find frequent live educational webinars (at least one each month), which can help new traders ask questions and learn in real time.
Both brokers earn 4 out of 5 stars for Education. In ForexBrokers.com’s rankings, Vantage sits slightly higher at 23rd out of 63 brokers, while HFM is 29th. If a small edge in third-party rankings matters to you, Vantage has it; if you want similar depth of beginner and advanced learning with monthly webinars, HFM keeps pace.
| 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 #24, while HFM finished with an overall rank of #27.
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 | 1.32 | 1.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.72 | 1.1 | |
| 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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