Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Plus500 vs Pepperstone, 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.
Founded in 2008, Plus500 is a well-established online broker known for its high trustworthiness in the trading community. It boasts a perfect Trust Score rating of 99 by ForexBrokers.com, making it highly trusted. Plus500 is publicly traded and holds an impressive six Tier-1 licenses, enhancing its credibility. It also has three Tier-2 licenses, further supporting its trusted status. Despite not being a bank, Plus500's regulatory standing makes it a go-to choice for many investors.
Pepperstone, founded in 2010, is another reputable online broker with a solid Trust Score of 95, indicating a high level of trust. Unlike Plus500, it is not publicly traded but still carries significant weight with three Tier-1 licenses and two Tier-2 licenses under its belt. While Pepperstone is not a bank, it remains a favored option for traders due to its commendable regulatory approval and trusted reputation in the industry.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
Comparing commissions and fees, Pepperstone generally comes out cheaper for active traders, while Plus500 tends to cost a bit more than the industry average. Pepperstone earns 4.5 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #6 out of 63 brokers. Plus500 earns 4.0 out of 5 stars and ranks #24 out of 63.
Plus500’s pricing is slightly above average with no discounts for retail clients. For the EUR/USD, the average spread was 1.5 pips in April 2024. While there are no retail rebates, Plus500 does offer cash rebates if you qualify as a Professional client.
Pepperstone’s Razor account uses commission-based pricing and is the better value for frequent traders: the average EUR/USD spread was 0.10 pips (July 2024), and when you add the commission equivalent of 0.70 pips, the all-in cost is about 0.80 pips—near the industry average. The Standard account is commission-free but pricier, with a 1.1-pip average spread on EUR/USD. Pepperstone’s Active Trader program can reduce costs further with volume-based rebates. In the U.K. and EU, Professional clients trading at least £20 million in forex per month can get a 15% rebate per lot, rising to 25% above £200 million. In Australia, Professional clients starting from 100 lots (over three months) receive a 10% discount per standard lot at Tier One, and up to 30% off for more than 3001 lots monthly at Tier Three.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €50 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Plus500 lists 5,500 tradeable symbols versus Pepperstone’s 1,726. Both brokers support forex trading via CFDs, each offering 65 currency pairs. For crypto, neither lets you buy actual coins, but both provide cryptocurrency CFDs. In the Range of Investments category, Plus500 scores 4.5/5 stars (ranked 17th of 63), while Pepperstone scores 4/5 stars (ranked 23rd).
If you want access to real, exchange-traded shares, Plus500 lets clients buy U.S. stocks like Apple and international listings such as Vodafone — not just CFDs. Pepperstone doesn’t offer real share dealing, but it does support copy trading, which Plus500 lacks. In short, choose Plus500 for the broader selection and the ability to buy shares outright, or Pepperstone if copy trading and CFD-focused markets match your needs.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 1726 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 65 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| 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.
Plus500 vs Pepperstone for trading platforms and tools: both online brokers offer a free demo (paper trading) account and their own in-house platform, accessible in your web browser. Pepperstone also provides a Windows desktop download, while Plus500 does not. If you like placing orders directly from charts, Pepperstone supports chart trading; Plus500 does not. According to ForexBrokers.com, Plus500 is rated 4.5/5 stars and ranked #14 of 63 for Trading Platforms & Tools, while Pepperstone is rated 4/5 stars and ranked #21.
When it comes to third-party platforms and extra features, Pepperstone expands your options with MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and copy trading. Plus500 doesn’t support MT4, MT5, or copy trading, so your experience centers on its proprietary web platform. If you want MetaTrader or social/copy strategies, Pepperstone is the better fit; if you prefer a streamlined, browser-based platform with a strong rating, Plus500 stands out.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Plus500 and Pepperstone both offer iPhone and Android mobile trading apps with price alerts and watchlist syncing between mobile and web. Each app lets you draw trendlines on charts. If you value a large set of built-in indicators, Plus500 stands out with 115 technical studies in its mobile charting, compared with 30 on Pepperstone.
There is a key difference in chart annotations: Pepperstone’s app auto-saves your drawings, while Plus500’s does not. According to ForexBrokers.com, Plus500 earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #14 of 63 for Mobile Trading Apps, while Pepperstone scores 4 out of 5 and ranks #19. Pick Plus500 for more indicators, or Pepperstone if automatically saving chart edits is important to you.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 115 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing market research at Plus500 and Pepperstone, both brokers publish daily market commentary, provide an economic calendar of global events, and include a sentiment tool showing the ratio of long vs. short positions. Pepperstone earns a higher research score—4.5 stars and No. 12 of 63 on ForexBrokers.com—while Plus500 holds 4.0 stars and ranks No. 17.
The biggest differences are in news coverage and analytics partners. Pepperstone offers forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, and includes Autochartist for technical and fundamental screening. Plus500 does not offer those two, but it does include Trading Central tools, which Pepperstone lacks. Neither broker provides TipRanks or Acuity Trading (Signal Centre). Pepperstone may suit you if you want premium news flow and Autochartist pattern recognition; Plus500 may suit you if Trading Central is your preferred toolkit.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | 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.
For beginners comparing education, both Plus500 and Pepperstone make it easy to start learning about forex and CFDs. Each broker runs online client webinars at least once a month and offers a sizable video library with 10+ beginner lessons, plus a set of advanced videos for when you’re ready to go further. This mix of live sessions and on-demand videos helps new traders learn the basics, practice strategies, and build confidence at their own pace.
Pepperstone has the edge in overall quality: it’s rated 4.5 out of 5 for Education and ranks #15 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. Plus500 earns 4.0 out of 5 and ranks #26. Both are solid for first-time traders, but if you want a deeper curriculum and higher-rated learning experience, Pepperstone is the better pick; if you prefer straightforward video-led learning with regular webinars, Plus500 also fits well.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Pepperstone. Plus500 finished with an overall rank of #14, while Pepperstone finished with an overall rank of #17.
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
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 99 | 95 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
In the Plus500 vs Pepperstone comparison, neither broker offers the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both allow trading cryptocurrency CFDs instead.
Plus500 vs Pepperstone: For deposits and withdrawals, Plus500 offers PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers but not ACH/SEPA, whereas Pepperstone supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wires but not Skrill; Visa/Mastercard availability was not specified for either broker.
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 | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 95 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Pepperstone Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 95 | |
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2010 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 2 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | 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 | Yes | |
| 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 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 1726 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 65 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 1.1 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.3 | 0.8 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €50 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| Trading Tools | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Pepperstone Review |
| Overall | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 95 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Pepperstone Review |
IG
CMC Markets
FOREX.com
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill