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Plus500 vs ThinkMarkets 2025

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

February 05, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Plus500 vs ThinkMarkets, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Plus500
4.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: €50 info
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 5500 info
ThinkMarkets
4/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $50 info
  • Trust Score: 92
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 4000

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.

Regulation

When comparing the online brokers Plus500 and ThinkMarkets, both platforms offer reliable trading options but differ in some key areas. Plus500, established in 2008, is publicly traded and holds six Tier-1 licenses, contributing to its exceptional Trust Score of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com. ThinkMarkets, founded in 2010 and not publicly traded, holds five Tier-1 licenses and achieves a commendable Trust Score of 92. Neither broker operates as a bank, yet they are prominently regulated, reflecting their commitment to providing secure trading environments.

The higher number of Tier-1 licenses held by Plus500 indicates a stronger regulatory foundation, which can be particularly appealing to traders prioritizing trust and security. ThinkMarkets, while slightly behind in licenses, maintains a solid reputation with its impressive regulatory measures. Despite their differences, both brokers are considered highly trusted by industry standards, offering traders peace of mind when engaging in financial markets.

Feature Plus500 logoPlus500
ThinkMarkets logoThinkMarkets
Year Founded info 2008 2010
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes No
Bank info No No
Tier-1 Licenses info 6 5
Tier-2 Licenses info 3 2
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 2 3

Fees

Comparing commissions and fees, Plus500’s pricing sits slightly above the industry average and trails top choices for active traders, whereas ThinkMarkets lacks published average spread data for a direct apples-to-apples view. According to ForexBrokers.com, Plus500 earns 4.0 out of 5 stars and ranks 24th out of 63 brokers for Commissions and Fees, while ThinkMarkets is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranks 48th out of 63.

For traders focused on spreads, Plus500’s EUR/USD averaged 1.5 pips in April 2024, which is higher than the industry average. Plus500 does not offer retail discounts, but eligible Professional clients can access cash rebates similar to an active trader program. Active traders may find sharper pricing at leaders like IG or Saxo, while ThinkMarkets’ lack of average spread data makes direct fee comparisons harder.

Feature Plus500 logoPlus500
ThinkMarkets logoThinkMarkets
Minimum Deposit info €50 info $50 info
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard info 1.3 info 1.1 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 1.3 info N/A info
Active Trader or VIP Discounts info No Yes
ACH or SEPA Transfers info No No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) info Yes Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Featured Offers


Range of investments

Plus500 and ThinkMarkets both support forex trading via CFDs/spot, but Plus500 offers broader market access overall. Plus500 lists about 5,500 tradeable symbols and 65 currency pairs, compared with ThinkMarkets’ roughly 4,000 symbols and 46 pairs. For real share dealing (not CFDs), both brokers provide access to international exchanges; Plus500 also offers U.S.-listed shares such as Apple, while ThinkMarkets does not support U.S. share dealing.

ThinkMarkets includes copy trading, which Plus500 does not. Neither broker lets you buy actual cryptocurrency, but both offer crypto derivatives for trading. For Range of Investments, each earns 4.5 out of 5 stars; Plus500 ranks slightly higher at 22nd out of 63 brokers, with ThinkMarkets close behind at 24th.

Feature Plus500 logoPlus500
ThinkMarkets logoThinkMarkets
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes info Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 5500 info 4000
Forex Pairs (Total) info 65 46
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes No
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No Yes info
Cryptocurrency (Physical) info No No
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) info Yes info Yes info
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.

Trading platforms and tools

Both Plus500 and ThinkMarkets offer traders the advantage of practicing with free virtual demo accounts. While Plus500 impresses with its proprietary, web-based platform offering user-friendly features and advanced drawing tools, it lacks alternative platform support such as MetaTrader 4 or 5. Conversely, ThinkMarkets provides a broader range of platform options, including a proprietary web-based platform and a Windows-based desktop platform. It also supports MetaTrader 4 and 5, catering to traders who prefer these widely-used platforms.

In addition to platform variety, ThinkMarkets stands out with copy trading features and the ability to trade directly from stock charts. It provides more columns for watch list customization compared to Plus500 but offers fewer drawing tools. Overall, Plus500 is rated higher for its trading platforms and tools with a 4.5-star rating, ranking 14th among 63 brokers, while ThinkMarkets holds a 4-star rating and ranks 28th. Each broker brings distinct features to the table, allowing traders to choose based on their specific needs and trading styles.

Feature Plus500 logoPlus500
ThinkMarkets logoThinkMarkets
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Proprietary Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info No Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No Yes info
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No Yes
DupliTrade info No No
ZuluTrade info No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 115 30
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) info 36 15
Charting - Trade From Chart info No Yes
Watchlists - Total Fields info 10 15

Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.

Forex trading apps

When it comes to mobile trading apps, both Plus500 and ThinkMarkets provide comprehensive iPhone and Android apps, making them accessible for traders on the go. Each app delivers essential features like price alerts for stocks or forex and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. However, Plus500 stands out with its watchlist symbol syncing capability, ensuring that any modifications on the mobile app automatically update the online account as well. Plus500 also offers an impressive 115 technical studies for charting, compared to ThinkMarkets' 94. Although ThinkMarkets' app auto-saves chart drawings, Plus500 does not support this feature.

In terms of user ratings and industry rankings, Plus500 slightly edges out ThinkMarkets. With a 4.5-star rating for its mobile app compared to ThinkMarkets' 4 stars, Plus500 demonstrates a high level of user satisfaction. Furthermore, when ranked by ForexBrokers.com, Plus500 achieves the 14th position out of 63 brokers in the Mobile Trading Apps category, while ThinkMarkets is ranked 20th. Both apps enable users to create a watchlist with real-time quotes, but Plus500's combination of seamless watchlist syncing and a broad array of technical studies makes it a favored choice among traders seeking a feature-rich mobile trading experience.

Feature Plus500 logoPlus500
ThinkMarkets logoThinkMarkets
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields info Yes Yes
Watchlist Syncing info Yes No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 115 94
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave info No Yes
Mobile Watchlist info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Plus500 and ThinkMarkets both cover the basics for market research: each offers daily market commentary, an economic calendar, and sentiment tools that show the ratio of long vs. short positions. Neither broker includes Autochartist or TipRanks. The key differences are in premium add‑ons and news: ThinkMarkets streams forex news from top‑tier sources (e.g., Bloomberg, Reuters, Dow Jones) and provides Acuity Trading tools like Signal Centre, while Plus500 counters with Trading Central analytics—features ThinkMarkets doesn’t include.

Overall, Plus500 earns 4.0 stars for research and ranks #19 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, compared with ThinkMarkets at 3.5 stars and a #51 ranking. Choose Plus500 if you want Trading Central’s technical and fundamental insights built into the platform. Pick ThinkMarkets if real-time premium news and Acuity Trading signals matter more to your workflow.

Feature Plus500 logoPlus500
ThinkMarkets logoThinkMarkets
Daily Market Commentary info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info No Yes
Autochartist info No No
Trading Central (Recognia) info Yes No
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs info Yes Yes
TipRanks info No No
Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) info No Yes
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

When comparing the educational resources offered by Plus500 and ThinkMarkets, both online brokers provide a comprehensive learning experience for beginners interested in forex and CFDs trading. Each offers over ten educational pieces, including articles, videos, and archived webinars, specifically designed to enhance beginner knowledge. Both platforms also host monthly webinars and provide a searchable archive of past sessions, allowing users to learn at their own pace. This attention to beginner education is reflected in Plus500's slightly higher education rating of 4.0 stars compared to ThinkMarkets' 3.5 stars.

In addition to extensive beginner resources, both brokers offer over ten advanced educational videos for more experienced traders. However, Plus500 lacks an investor dictionary, which is something ThinkMarkets provides, offering definitions for over 50 investing terms. Despite this difference, Plus500's more diversified and accessible educational resources place it at 31st in ForexBrokers.com's education category rankings, compared to ThinkMarkets' 52nd position, highlighting Plus500's edge in educational offerings for novices.

Feature Plus500 logoPlus500
ThinkMarkets logoThinkMarkets
Education (Forex or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Client Webinars info Yes info Yes
Client Webinars (Archived) info Yes info Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) info No Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.

Winner

After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Plus500 is better than ThinkMarkets. Plus500 finished with an overall rank of #14, while ThinkMarkets finished with an overall rank of #27.

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 logoPlus500
ThinkMarkets logoThinkMarkets
Overall Rating info 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 92
Range of Investments 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.0/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 4.0/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 4.0/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Plus500 or ThinkMarkets?

Both Plus500 and ThinkMarkets do not offer the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.

What funding options does each broker offer?

When comparing the online brokers Plus500 and ThinkMarkets, both do not support ACH or SEPA transfers, but Plus500 uniquely accepts PayPal alongside Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires for fund transactions, whereas ThinkMarkets matches only the options for Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires.




announcementPlease 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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Compare

0 of 5
Overall Rating Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Overall Rating info 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.0/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 4.0/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 4.0/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 92
Winner check_circle
Review Plus500 Review
Broker Screenshots Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info
Regulation Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Trust Score info 99 92
Year Founded info 2008 2010
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes No
Bank info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes info
Tier-1 Licenses info 6 5
Tier-2 Licenses info 3 2
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 2 3
Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info Yes Yes
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info No No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info No No
Japan (SFC Authorised) info Yes Yes
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info Yes No
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info Yes Yes
USA (CFTC Authorized) info No No
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info Yes Yes
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes info
Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
Israel (ISA Authorised) info Yes No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info Yes Yes
UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) info Yes Yes
India (SEBI Authorised) info No No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info
Investments Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes info Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 5500 info 4000
Forex Pairs (Total) info 65 46
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes No
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No Yes info
Cryptocurrency (Physical) info No No
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) info Yes info Yes info
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 ThinkMarkets
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard info 1.3 info 1.1 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 1.3 info N/A info
Active Trader or VIP Discounts info No Yes
Inactivity Fee info Yes Yes
Execution: Agency Broker info No Yes
Execution: Market Maker info Yes Yes
Funding Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Minimum Deposit info €50 info $50 info
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) info Yes Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes
ACH or SEPA Transfers info No No
Trading Platforms Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Proprietary Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info No Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No Yes info
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No Yes
cTrader info No No
DupliTrade info No No
ZuluTrade info No No
Trading Tools Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Alerts - Basic Fields info Yes Yes
Watchlists - Total Fields info 10 15
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 115 30
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) info 36 15
Charting - Trade From Chart info No Yes
Charts can be saved info Yes Yes
Mobile Trading Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlist info Yes Yes
Watchlist Syncing info Yes No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 115 94
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave info No Yes
Mobile Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Research Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Daily Market Commentary info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info No Yes
Autochartist info No No
Trading Central (Recognia) info Yes No
TipRanks info No No
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs info Yes Yes
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Education Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Education (Forex or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Client Webinars info Yes info Yes
Client Webinars (Archived) info Yes info Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) info No Yes
Major Forex Pairs Plus500 ThinkMarkets
GBP/USD info Yes info Yes
USD/JPY info Yes info Yes
EUR/USD info Yes info Yes
USD/CHF info Yes info Yes
USD/CAD info Yes info Yes
NZD/USD info Yes info Yes
AUD/USD info Yes info Yes
Review Plus500 Review
Overall Plus500 ThinkMarkets
Overall Rating info 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.0/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 4.0/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 4.0/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 92
Winner check_circle
Review Plus500 Review
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