Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of XM Group 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.
XM Group (founded 2009) and Octa (founded 2011) are online brokers that are not publicly traded and are not banks. According to ForexBrokers.com, XM Group earns a 93/99 Trust Score (highly trusted), while Octa scores 73/99 (average risk).
Regulation-wise, XM Group holds 4 Tier-1 licenses (highly trusted) and 3 Tier-2 licenses (trusted), compared with Octa’s 1 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2 license. In short, XM Group carries more top-tier oversight and a higher trust rating than Octa.
| Feature |
XM Group
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2011 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
In ForexBrokers.com’s commissions and fees review, Octa comes out ahead of XM Group on pricing. Octa has improved a lot in recent years and is now closer to the lowest-cost MetaTrader brokers, though its fees can vary by account type and the entity that handles your account. It also advertises no slippage on 97.5% of executed orders and no overnight carry costs, but some features and limits may not suit high-frequency traders. Octa is rated 4 stars and ranks #27 out of 36.
XM Group, by contrast, is less competitive in this category. Its standard account spreads are considered expensive, and it does not publish average spread data for its commission-based XM Zero account, which makes direct cost comparison harder. XM Group is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #35 out of 36 for commissions and fees.
Overall, Octa is the better choice for traders focused on lower trading costs, while XM Group may appeal more to those who value its platform or account setup over pricing. If commissions and spreads are your main concern, Octa has the stronger fee profile, although its pricing details are not always as transparent as they could be.
| Feature |
XM Group
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $5 | $25 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.7+ | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
XM Group offers a wider range of investments than Octa, making it the stronger choice for traders who want more variety. XM Group provides 1,583 tradeable symbols and 54 forex pairs, compared with Octa’s 300 symbols and 35 forex pairs. Both brokers offer forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts, copy trading, and cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither allows clients to buy actual, delivered crypto.
When it comes to shares, XM Group stands out by offering exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, while Octa only offers international exchange-traded securities and does not provide U.S.-listed shares such as Apple. These differences are reflected in independent ratings too: XM Group is rated 4.5 out of 5 for Range of Investments and ranked #19 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while Octa is rated 3.5 out of 5 and ranked #34.
| Feature |
XM Group
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1583 | 300 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 54 | 35 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | 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.
XM Group and Octa both give traders a solid mix of platform choices and tools. Each broker offers a free demo account for practice, plus MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, web trading, Windows desktop platforms, copy trading, and the ability to place trades directly from a chart. That makes both options familiar and easy to use for beginners and experienced traders alike.
The main difference is that Octa also offers its own in-house platform, while XM Group does not. In independent ratings, both brokers score 4 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools, though XM Group ranks higher overall in this category at #28 out of 36 brokers, compared with Octa at #32. If you want a broker with a built-in platform as well as the usual third-party tools, Octa has the edge; if you prefer a slightly better category ranking, XM Group comes out ahead.
| Feature |
XM Group
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | 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) | 100 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
XM Group and Octa both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each supports stock or forex price alerts. Both apps also let you draw trendlines on charts, and both are rated 4 out of 5 stars for mobile trading apps. In ForexBrokers.com’s ranking of 36 brokers, XM Group places higher at #26, while Octa comes in at #30.
XM Group has the edge in charting and account syncing on mobile. Its app includes 100 technical studies, compared with Octa’s 30, and its watchlists sync with the client’s online account so changes stay matched across devices. Octa does have one convenience advantage: it auto saves chart drawings, while XM Group does not.
| Feature |
XM Group
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 100 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
XM Group and Octa both give traders daily market commentary, forex news from top sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, and an economic calendar for tracking upcoming events. Each broker covers the basics well, making it easy for beginners and active traders to stay updated on market-moving news and scheduled releases.
Where XM Group stands out is in its wider set of research tools. It offers Trading Central tools and a sentiment indicator that shows how traders are positioned, while Octa offers Autochartist instead. Neither broker includes TipRanks or Acuity Trading tools. Overall, XM Group has the edge in market research, with a 5-star rating and an #8 ranking out of 36 brokers, compared with Octa’s 4-star rating and #25 ranking.
| Feature |
XM Group
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | 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.
XM Group and Octa both give beginners plenty of learning material, including forex and CFD education, monthly live webinars, and at least 10 beginner and 10 advanced trading videos. That means new traders can find basic lessons to help them get started, as well as more detailed content for building skills over time. Both brokers also make it easy to learn through online sessions and video-based training.
Where XM Group stands out is in its overall education quality. It is rated 5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #5 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Octa is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #33. So, although both brokers support beginners well, XM Group offers a stronger and more highly rated educational experience overall.
| Feature |
XM Group
|
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 XM Group is better than Octa. XM Group finished with an overall rank of #16, while Octa finished with an overall rank of #36.
XM Group is a multi-regulated forex and CFD broker offering 1,583 tradeable symbols across MetaTrader 4 and 5 and a new proprietary web and mobile platform. Its live trading rooms and integrated Trading Central research are among the best in the industry. Standard account spreads are expensive, though the Ultra Low and Zero accounts are competitive.
| Feature |
XM Group
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 93 | 73 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
XM Group vs Octa: neither broker lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but both allow traders to buy and trade cryptocurrency CFDs.
XM Group vs Octa: neither supports ACH/SEPA or PayPal for deposits or withdrawals, both support Skrill and bank wire transfers, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified.
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.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | XM Group Review | Octa Review |
| Broker Screenshots | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2011 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | XM Group | 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) | No | 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) | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1583 | 300 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 54 | 35 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | 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 | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.1 | 0.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.7+ | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $5 | $25 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | 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 | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 100 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | XM Group | 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 | 100 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | XM Group Review | Octa Review |
| Overall | XM Group | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | XM Group Review | Octa Review |
IG
FOREX.com
CMC Markets
XTB
eToro
Capital.com
AvaTrade
XM
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill
HFM Markets