Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Plus500 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.
Plus500 and Octa are online brokers with different trust profiles. Plus500, founded in 2008, is publicly traded on a stock exchange; Octa, founded in 2011, is not. Neither company is a bank. According to ForexBrokers.com, Plus500 holds a Trust Score of 99/99, which is considered highly trusted (90–99), while Octa scores 73/99, placing it in the average risk range (70–79).
Regulatory coverage also varies. Plus500 holds 7 Tier-1 licenses and 4 Tier-2 licenses, reflecting wide oversight by top-tier regulators. Octa holds 1 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2 license, indicating a more limited regulatory footprint. For traders comparing safety and oversight, Plus500’s higher-grade licensing and top Trust Score stand out versus Octa.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2011 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 4 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
When comparing commissions and fees, Plus500 comes in a little above the industry average, but it is not among the cheapest choices for active forex traders. Its EUR/USD spread averaged 1.5 pips in April 2024, which is higher than many low-cost rivals. Plus500 does not offer retail client discounts, though eligible Professional clients may qualify for cash rebates. Plus500 is rated 4.0 stars and is ranked #25 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
Octa has made a lot of progress on pricing and now looks more competitive, especially among MetaTrader brokers. Depending on the account type and regulatory entity, Octa’s EUR/USD spread can be as low as 0.5 pips for EU clients or 0.9 pips for international clients. Octa also advertises no overnight carry costs and no slippage on 97.5% of executed orders, though its account rules may not suit high-frequency traders. Octa is rated 4 stars and is ranked #27 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
Overall, Plus500 and Octa are fairly close in this category, with Plus500 edging out Octa in the ranking, while Octa may appeal more to traders looking for lower spreads on certain account types. For most everyday traders, both brokers offer pricing that is better than average, but neither is the clear low-cost leader.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €50 | $25 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.3 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | 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.
When it comes to range of investments, Plus500 gives traders a much wider selection than Octa. Plus500 offers about 5,500 tradeable symbols and 65 forex pairs, compared with Octa’s 300 symbols and 35 forex pairs. Both brokers support forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts, and both offer cryptocurrency CFDs. However, if you want to trade actual shares on U.S. exchanges, Plus500 has that option while Octa does not. On international exchanges, both brokers offer exchange-traded securities, which may appeal to investors looking beyond forex and CFDs.
Octa does have one feature Plus500 does not: copy trading. Even so, Plus500 scores higher for investment choice overall, with a 4.5-star rating for Range of Investments versus Octa’s 3.5 stars. ForexBrokers.com also ranks Plus500 ahead of Octa in this category, placing Plus500 at #16 out of 36 brokers and Octa at #34 out of 36. For shoppers comparing online brokers by market access and product variety, Plus500 is the stronger pick.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 300 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 35 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. | 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.
When comparing Plus500 and Octa for trading platforms and tools, both brokers give you a free demo account and a web-based platform, so you can practice and trade from a browser without downloading software. Each also offers its own in-house platform. Plus500 stands out for its simple setup and strong Trading Platforms and Tools rating of 4.5 stars, and it ranks #14 out of 36 brokers in this category from ForexBrokers.com.
Octa offers more platform choice for active traders, including a Windows desktop download, copy trading, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5. It also lets you trade directly from charts, which can make order entry quicker. While Octa earns a solid 4-star rating, it ranks #32 out of 36 in the Trading Platforms and Tools category, so Plus500 may suit traders who want a more streamlined experience, while Octa may appeal more to those who want more trading tools and platform options.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Plus500 and Octa both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with stock and forex price alerts, so either broker can work well for traders who want to follow the market on the go. Both apps also let users draw trendlines on charts. Where Plus500 stands out is watchlist syncing, which keeps changes aligned between the mobile app and online account, while Octa does not offer this feature. Plus500 also includes 115 technical studies in its mobile charting tools, compared with 30 at Octa, giving it a wider range of chart analysis options.
Octa does have one useful advantage: it automatically saves chart drawings in the mobile app, while Plus500 does not. Even so, Plus500 earns a higher mobile trading app rating at 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #14 out of 36 brokers in this category, ahead of Octa’s 4-star rating and #30 ranking. For most mobile traders, Plus500 offers the better app overall, especially if charting tools and watchlist syncing matter most.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 115 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Plus500 and Octa both give traders daily market commentary and an economic calendar, so each platform covers the basics for staying on top of news and events. That said, Octa has an edge for outside news and research depth because it offers forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, plus Autochartist tools for technical and chart-based analysis. Plus500 does not offer those two features, but it does include Trading Central research and a sentiment tool that shows the balance of long and short positions across markets.
Overall, Plus500 appears to have the stronger market research offering, with a 4.5-star rating and a #16 ranking out of 36 brokers for Research, compared with Octa’s 4-star rating and #25 ranking. In simple terms, Plus500 may be the better pick for traders who want more built-in research tools, while Octa may appeal more to those who value access to major news sources and Autochartist.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners looking for trading help, both Plus500 and Octa offer a solid range of learning materials focused on forex and CFDs. Each broker provides at least 10 educational pieces on these topics, plus monthly online webinars and a strong selection of beginner and advanced videos. That means new traders can find basic lessons to get started, along with more in-depth content as their skills grow.
When comparing the two, Plus500 has the edge in education quality and ranking. It scores 4.5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #27 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Octa scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #33 out of 36. So, although both brokers give beginners plenty of ways to learn, Plus500 comes out slightly ahead overall for educational resources.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
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 Plus500 is better than Octa. Plus500 finished with an overall rank of #11, while Octa finished with an overall rank of #36.
Plus500 is a trusted global brand that offers an easy-to-use trading platform for online traders, alongside access to a thorough selection of CFDs. Share trading is available, but only via its Plus500 Invest product offering.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 |
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Online brokers Plus500 and Octa do not allow purchasing actual delivered cryptocurrencies, but both provide cryptocurrency CFD trading.
Plus500 vs Octa: for deposits and withdrawals, neither supports ACH or SEPA, both offer Skrill and bank wire transfers, but only Plus500 supports PayPal.
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 | Plus500 | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Octa Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Plus500 | Octa | |
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| Regulation | Plus500 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2011 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 4 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Plus500 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Plus500 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Plus500 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 300 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 35 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. | 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 | Plus500 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.3 | 0.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.3 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Plus500 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €50 | $25 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | Plus500 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Plus500 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Plus500 | 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 | 115 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Plus500 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Plus500 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Plus500 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Octa Review |
| Overall | Plus500 | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Octa Review |
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