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.
Plus500 vs Pepperstone: Plus500 was founded in 2008 and is publicly traded, while Pepperstone, founded in 2010, is privately held. Neither broker is a bank. According to ForexBrokers.com, Plus500 holds a Trust Score of 99 and Pepperstone 94—both in the 90–99 range, which is considered highly trusted.
On regulation, Plus500 holds 6 Tier-1 and 4 Tier-2 licenses, compared with Pepperstone’s 3 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2 licenses. ForexBrokers.com views Tier-1 regulators as highly trusted and Tier-2 as trusted, indicating strong oversight for both brokers, with Plus500 offering broader top-tier coverage.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 4 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
Pepperstone is the stronger pick on commissions and fees, earning 5/5 stars and ranking #6 out of 63 brokers, while Plus500 scores 4.0/5 stars and ranks #24. For EUR/USD, Plus500’s average spread was 1.5 pips in April 2024, whereas Pepperstone’s Razor account listed a 0.10-pip average spread in July 2024 that comes to 0.80 pips all-in after commissions—near the industry average. Pepperstone’s Standard account is commission-free with a 1.1-pip average spread, making it pricier than Razor’s all-in cost.
Plus500’s pricing sits slightly above the industry average. It does not offer retail discounts; however, qualified Professional clients can receive cash rebates similar to an active trader program. Its EUR/USD spread averaged 1.5 pips in April 2024, which is higher than the industry average and less compelling for high-volume traders.
Pepperstone uses an agency-execution model and offers the Razor account on TradingView, MetaTrader (MT4/MT5), and cTrader with commission-plus-spread pricing (0.80 pips all-in on EUR/USD as of July 2024). The commission-free Standard account averaged 1.1 pips. Active traders can lower costs further via rebates: in the U.K. and EU, Professional clients trading at least £20 million per month can receive about 15% per-lot rebates, rising to 25% above £200 million; in Australia, Professional clients start at a 10% reduction from 100 lots (over three months) and can reach a 30% reduction above 3001 lots per month.
| 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.
Comparing Plus500 vs Pepperstone for market research: both brokers provide daily market commentary, an economic calendar, and a sentiment tool that shows the ratio of long and short positions. Key differences lie in their research add-ons and news feeds. Pepperstone includes top-tier forex news (e.g., Bloomberg/Reuters/Dow Jones-style sources) and offers Autochartist for pattern recognition and trade ideas. Plus500 does not carry those two, but it does include Trading Central’s technical and fundamental research tools, which Pepperstone lacks.
In terms of quality scores, both Plus500 and Pepperstone earn 4.5 out of 5 stars for Research. According to ForexBrokers.com, Pepperstone ranks #12 out of 63 brokers in the Research category, while Plus500 ranks #17. In short, pick Pepperstone if you want integrated premium news and Autochartist; choose Plus500 if Trading Central’s analysis is your priority. Either way, you’ll get daily commentary, a useful sentiment gauge, and a clear economic calendar.
| 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.
If you’re new to forex and CFD trading, Plus500 and Pepperstone both make it easy to start learning. Each broker runs client webinars at least once a month and offers 10+ beginner videos on trading basics, with additional advanced videos when you’re ready to level up. This mix of live sessions and on-demand lessons helps beginners learn at their own pace and revisit topics as needed.
Both brokers earn 4.5/5 stars for Education. However, in ForexBrokers.com’s Education category, Pepperstone is ranked #15 out of 63 brokers, while Plus500 is ranked #26. If ranking is part of your decision, Pepperstone holds the edge; if you simply want frequent webinars and plenty of starter videos, both are strong choices for building foundational skills.
| 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 |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 |
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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.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Pepperstone Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
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| Regulation | Plus500 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| 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 | 4 | 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 CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | 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 | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Pepperstone Review |
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