Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Plus500 vs Vantage, 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 Vantage are both prominent online brokers, yet they differ in some critical aspects. Founded in 2008, Plus500 has established itself as a highly trusted broker, with a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99 out of 99. It is publicly traded, reflecting transparency and market confidence. Plus500 does not operate as a bank but maintains solid regulatory standings with six Tier-1 and three Tier-2 licenses, signifying its strong compliance with top financial authorities worldwide.
In comparison, Vantage, established in 2009, also enjoys a solid reputation in the industry with a Trust Score of 90. However, it is not publicly traded and holds fewer Tier-1 licenses, numbering two, and one Tier-2 license. While it does not function as a bank either, Vantage's regulatory coverage shows it is trusted by key financial entities, making it a reliable choice for online trading. Both brokers offer secure and regulated platforms, each with distinct characteristics catering to various trading preferences.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of Plus500 and Vantage, Plus500 has a slightly higher pricing structure than the industry average, particularly for active trader accounts. The EUR/USD spreads for Plus500 averaged at 1.5 pips in April 2024, which is above the industry norm. Plus500 does not offer discounts to retail clients, although Professional clients can benefit from cash rebates. The broker is rated 4.0 stars in this category and is ranked #23 among 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com.
On the other hand, Vantage offers three account types that influence its trading costs: the spread-only Standard STP, and the commission-based RAW ECN and PRO ECN accounts. In March 2023, Vantage’s Standard account had spreads of 1.30 pips for the EUR/USD. The RAW account offered tighter spreads, averaging 0.15 pips, with a $6 commission per round turn, resulting in an effective cost of 0.75 pips. The PRO ECN account provides even more competitive pricing with a $4 commission per round turn, although specific requirements must be met to open this account, such as a minimum of $10,000 under Vantage’s Cayman Islands entity. The PRO account stands as Vantage’s best-priced option and is also compared to offerings from FP Markets and Tickmill. Vantage receives 4.5 stars for commissions and fees and is ranked #19.
Active traders looking into Vantage can access rebates ranging from $2 to $8 per standard lot based on their balance and monthly trading volume. However, this program is only available for the Standard account, which has the highest spreads among Vantage’s account options. Overall, both brokers offer distinct pricing structures, but Vantage tends to offer more competitive choices, particularly for those meeting the account requirements.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €50 | $50 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.3 | 1.30 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.3 | 0.75 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Both Plus500 and Vantage offer forex trading primarily through CFDs, with Plus500 providing access to a greater number of tradeable symbols—5,500 compared to Vantage's 1,000. While Plus500 supports 65 forex pairs, Vantage features 61 pairs, creating a slight edge for Plus500 in forex diversity. Additionally, Plus500 allows clients to invest directly in exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international markets, giving traders the opportunity to buy shares of well-known companies such as Apple and Vodafone. Vantage, however, does not offer this feature, focusing instead on CFDs.
Though neither broker supports the buying of actual cryptocurrencies, both provide derivatives. A notable distinction is that Vantage offers copy trading, a feature not available with Plus500. Despite this, Plus500 is rated more favorably for its range of investments, achieving a 4.5-star rating and ranking 21st out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, Vantage has a 3.5-star rating and ranks 50th for its range of investments, underscoring Plus500's broader selection and higher flexibility for investors.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 1000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 61 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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 it comes to trading platforms and tools, both Plus500 and Vantage offer a solid package for users, each with unique features tailored to different trading needs. Plus500 provides a proprietary platform accessible through web browsers but lacks a Windows-based desktop application. In contrast, Vantage boasts both a proprietary platform and additional support for popular trading platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Both brokers offer a free virtual demo account, although only Vantage supports copy trading features, such as DupliTrade, enhancing its offering for those interested in social trading.
Charting tools also show variation between the two. Plus500 provides a wider variety of drawing tools with a total of 36, whereas Vantage offers 15. However, Vantage enables direct trading from stock charts, a feature Plus500 does not include. For watch lists, Plus500 allows more fields with ten options compared to Vantage's seven. In terms of Trading Platforms and Tools ratings, Plus500 scores 4.5 out of 5 stars, securing the 14th rank out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Vantage has a rating of 4 stars at the 21st position.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | Yes |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 36 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 10 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing the mobile trading apps of Plus500 and Vantage, both platforms offer seamless experiences for iPhone and Android users. They allow traders to receive stock and forex price alerts and provide the functionality to draw trendlines on charts. You can explore different time frames, such as daily, weekly, or intraday. Both apps support the creation of watchlists with real-time quotes. However, Plus500 takes the lead in syncing watchlist symbols across mobile and online accounts, ensuring changes reflect across all devices—a feature Vantage lacks.
Plus500 stands out with an impressive 115 technical studies available on its mobile app, compared to just 30 in Vantage's offering. While Plus500 misses the autosave feature for chart drawings, Vantage makes it convenient for users by including this capability. With a rating of 4.5 stars for Plus500 compared to Vantage's 4 stars, these differences contribute to Plus500's higher rank, placing 14th among 63 brokers in ForexBrokers.com's Mobile Trading Apps category, whereas Vantage is ranked 28th. Overall, Plus500 provides a more comprehensive mobile trading experience for users seeking advanced charting tools and integrated watchlist management.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 115 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing the market research offerings of Plus500 and Vantage, both brokers provide daily market commentary and feature sentiment-based trading tools to keep investors informed. Plus500 and Vantage also support traders with technical analysis from Trading Central. However, there are significant differences in the depth of their market news sources and analytical tools. Vantage takes the edge in news coverage by providing forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, which Plus500 lacks. Moreover, Vantage offers the Autochartist set of analysis tools, an area where Plus500 falls short.
Both brokers provide an economic calendar to track global economic events, but neither offers research tools from Acuity Trading or market insights from TipRanks. When it comes to ratings, Plus500 slightly edges out with a research rating of 4.0 stars compared to Vantage's 4 stars. On the ForexBrokers.com research category ranking, Plus500 sits at 19th place out of 63 brokers, while Vantage is positioned at 21st. This comparison highlights that while both brokers have solid research capabilities, Vantage offers more comprehensive news and analytical tools for traders looking for detailed market insights.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners interested in forex and CFD trading, both Plus500 and Vantage provide a wide range of educational resources. Each platform offers more than ten educational pieces, including articles, videos, and archived webinars, making them rich sources of trading knowledge. Additionally, beginners can benefit from monthly online educational webinars offered by both brokers, with the convenience of accessing past webinars through searchable archives. Plus500 and Vantage each offer over ten beginner-focused videos to help newcomers understand trading fundamentals, while also catering to experienced traders with an equal number of advanced educational videos.
However, when it comes to additional educational features, Vantage has an edge with its investor dictionary, offering definitions for over 50 investing terms, a resource that Plus500 lacks. Despite this difference and both being awarded an Education rating of 4 stars, Vantage is ranked slightly higher than Plus500 by ForexBrokers.com, coming in at #24 compared to Plus500's #31 out of 63 brokers. For those who prioritize educational resources, these factors might influence which broker to consider as a trading education partner.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | 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 Vantage. Plus500 finished with an overall rank of #14, while Vantage finished with an overall rank of #26.
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
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 90 |
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Both Plus500 and Vantage provide the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives, but neither offers the ability to purchase actual (delivered) cryptocurrency.
Both Plus500 and Vantage provide various methods for depositing and withdrawing funds, such as PayPal, Skrill, Visa, and Mastercard, as well as bank wire transfers, but neither offers ACH or SEPA transfers as options.
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 | Vantage | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 90 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Vantage Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Plus500 | Vantage | |
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| Regulation | Plus500 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 90 | |
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Plus500 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| 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 | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Plus500 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | Plus500 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 1000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 61 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.3 | 1.30 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.3 | 0.75 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Plus500 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €50 | $50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | Plus500 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | Yes | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Plus500 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 10 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 36 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Plus500 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 115 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Plus500 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Plus500 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Plus500 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Plus500 Review | Vantage Review |
| Overall | Plus500 | Vantage | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 90 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Vantage Review |
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