Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Pepperstone vs Octa, 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.
Pepperstone (founded 2010) and Octa (founded 2011) are online forex brokers that are not publicly traded and are not banks. According to ForexBrokers.com’s Trust Score, Pepperstone scores 94/99—classified as highly trusted (90–99)—while Octa scores 73/99, which falls into the average-risk range (70–79).
On regulation, Pepperstone holds 3 Tier-1 licenses (highly trusted) and 2 Tier-2 licenses (trusted). Octa holds 1 Tier-1 license and 1 Tier-2 license. This gives Pepperstone a stronger regulatory profile than Octa, a point to consider if you value stricter oversight and clearer safety benchmarks.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2011 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
Pepperstone comes out ahead of Octa on commissions and fees, thanks to its low-cost Razor account and helpful Active Trader rebates for frequent traders. Pepperstone is rated 5 stars and ranked #6 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com in the Commissions and Fees category. Its Razor account uses commission-based pricing, and while the average EUR/USD spread was just 0.10 pips, the all-in cost rises to about 0.80 pips after commission. That is close to the industry average, but still better than Pepperstone’s Standard account, which is commission-free yet has a higher average EUR/USD spread of 1.1 pips.
Octa has improved its pricing and now offers a more competitive cost setup than it used to, but it still trails Pepperstone overall. Octa is rated 4 stars and ranked #26 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees. Its pricing depends on the account type and the entity holding the account, with average EUR/USD spreads listed at 0.5 pips for the EU entity and 0.9 pips for international entities. Octa also advertises no overnight carry costs and no slippage on 97.5% of executed orders, but some trading restrictions may make it less appealing for very active traders.
In simple terms, Pepperstone is the better pick for traders who want lower overall trading costs, especially if they trade often and can benefit from rebates. Octa is still reasonably priced and has improved a lot, but its higher ranking, lower star rating, and less transparent spread data put it behind Pepperstone in a direct fees comparison.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Pepperstone offers a wider range of investments than Octa, making it the stronger choice for traders who want more market variety. Both brokers support forex trading, copy trading, and cryptocurrency CFDs, but Pepperstone lists 1,726 tradeable symbols and 65 forex pairs, compared with Octa’s 300 symbols and 35 forex pairs. Neither broker lets you buy actual, delivered crypto, and neither offers U.S.-listed shares as exchange-traded securities rather than CFDs.
One key difference is that Octa does offer exchange-traded securities on international exchanges, while Pepperstone does not. Even so, Pepperstone earns a higher range of investments score, with 4 out of 5 stars and a ForexBrokers.com ranking of #23 out of 36 brokers. Octa is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #33, which reflects its smaller product list overall.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1726 | 300 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 35 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes |
| 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.
Pepperstone and Octa both give traders a wide set of platform options, including free demo accounts, a proprietary platform, Windows desktop software, web-based trading, copy trading, and access to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Each broker also lets users trade directly from charts, which is helpful for quick order entry while watching price moves. In short, both brokers cover the main platform and tool needs most traders look for.
When it comes to trading platforms and tools, the two brokers are rated the same at 4 out of 5 stars. However, Pepperstone places higher in ForexBrokers.com’s ranking, coming in at #21 out of 36 brokers, compared with Octa at #30. That makes Pepperstone the slightly stronger choice in this category, even though both brokers offer a similar range of trading features.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 15 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Pepperstone and Octa both give traders a solid mobile experience, with iPhone and Android apps, price alerts, 30 technical studies, trendline drawing, and auto-saving chart drawings. Each broker is also rated 4 out of 5 stars for mobile trading apps, so on the basics, they are evenly matched for users who want to trade on the go.
The main difference is watchlist syncing. Pepperstone lets you sync watchlists between its mobile app and online account, so updates carry over automatically, while Octa does not offer this feature. That extra convenience helps Pepperstone stand out slightly in mobile usability, which is reflected in its stronger ForexBrokers.com ranking of #19 out of 36 brokers compared with Octa’s #29.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | 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.
Pepperstone and Octa both give traders a helpful range of market research tools. Each offers daily market commentary, forex news from top sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, Autochartist tools, and an economic calendar for tracking upcoming global events. Neither broker includes Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading research, so their core research offerings are fairly similar on paper.
The main difference is that Pepperstone adds a sentiment tool showing the balance of long and short positions, which Octa does not offer. That extra feature, along with Pepperstone’s higher research rating of 4.5 stars versus Octa’s 4 stars, and its better ranking at #13 out of 36 brokers compared with Octa’s #24, gives Pepperstone the edge for market research overall.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Pepperstone and Octa both give beginners a solid range of learning tools, including forex and CFD education, regular online webinars, and at least 10 beginner and 10 advanced trading videos each. This means new traders can find clear starting points, while more experienced users also have material to build on. If you want a broker with a stronger overall education offering, though, Pepperstone has the edge.
Pepperstone is rated 4.5 out of 5 for Education and ranks #15 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, compared with Octa’s 4 out of 5 rating and #32 rank. In plain terms, both brokers cover the basics well, but Pepperstone appears to offer a wider and better-regarded learning experience for beginners.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Pepperstone is better than Octa. Pepperstone finished with an overall rank of #17, while Octa finished with an overall rank of #34.
Pepperstone offers a growing range of tradeable markets, good-quality research, and support for multiple social copy trading platforms.
| Feature |
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Octa
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| Trust Score | 94 | 73 |
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Pepperstone vs Octa: neither broker allows you to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
Comparing online brokers Pepperstone vs Octa: Pepperstone supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wire transfers but not Skrill, while Octa supports Skrill and bank wires but not ACH/SEPA or PayPal; Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either.
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 | Pepperstone | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 94 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Pepperstone Review | Octa Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Pepperstone | Octa | |
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| Regulation | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 94 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2011 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| 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) | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1726 | 300 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 35 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes | |
| 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 | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.1 | 0.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | 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 | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Pepperstone | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Pepperstone Review | Octa Review |
| Overall | Pepperstone | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 94 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Pepperstone Review | Octa Review |
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