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PepperstoneXTB Review
Written by Steven Hatzakis
Edited by John Bringans
Fact-checked by Blain Reinkensmeyer
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 74-83% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
As a trusted multi-asset broker, XTB offers outstanding customer service, a wide variety of forex and CFDs, and an excellent overall trading experience. Its xStation 5 trading platform is well-designed and packed with innovative features, and XTB’s comprehensive educational content and research helped the broker finish Best in Class for Research in 2024.
-
Minimum Deposit:
$0 -
Trust Score:
96 -
Tradeable Symbols (Total):
6200
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XTB pros & cons
Pros
- Founded in 2002, XTB is publicly traded and regulated in multiple top-tier jurisdictions.
- The xStation trading platform offers excellent usability and robust trading tools.
- Extensive educational resources include 200+ lessons in its Trading Academy.
- Zero-commission trading on share CFDs and cash equities is now available in the U.K., with added investment plans and currency conversion services.
- A solid choice for traders preferring a market maker broker.
Cons
- English video content for research has improved but still trails behind other languages.
- No support for third-party platforms like MetaTrader.
- Custom investment basket tool has been temporarily discontinued from xStation 5 platform.
- The new social trading feature, XTB Social, is currently limited to Poland.
Overall summary
| Feature |
XTB
|
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| Trust Score | 96 |
| Offering of Investments |
|
| Commissions & Fees |
|
| Platform & Tools |
|
| Research |
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
| Education |
|
ForexBrokers.com has been reviewing online forex brokers for over eight years, and our reviews are the most cited in the industry. Each year, we collect thousands of data points and publish tens of thousands of words of research. Here's how we test.
Is XTB safe?
XTB is considered Highly Trusted, with an overall Trust Score of 96 out of 99. XTB is a publicly traded company that is authorised by two Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), two Tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and two Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). XTB is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulator: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Securities & Exchange Commission (CySEC). Learn more about Trust Score or see where the different XTB entities are regulated.
| Feature |
XTB
|
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2002 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes |
| Bank | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 |
Offering of investments
XTB provides traders access to CFDs on 2,022 stocks, 167 ETFs, 27 commodities, 33 indices, 40 cryptocurrencies, and over 70 forex pairs. XTB also provides over 3400 cash equities (non-leveraged) and more than 360 cash ETFs as part of its securities offering (though these are not available from its Cyprus branch). The following table summarizes the different investment products available to XTB clients.
Cryptocurrency: XTB was featured among our top picks for the best crypto trading platforms. Cryptocurrency trading is available at XTB through CFDs and through trading the underlying asset (e.g. buying Bitcoin). Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except for professional clients).
| Feature |
XTB
|
|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 6200 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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). |
Commissions and fees
XTB offers two account types; there’s a spread-only Standard account, and a commission-based Professional account – though this option is reserved for clients who meet the definition of elected Professionals in the U.K. and Europe. Overall, pricing at XTB is in line with the industry average but trails the best brokers in this category.
Average spreads: Using data from Q4 2023, XTB average forex spreads on the EUR/USD stood at 1 pip (note: the commission-based pro account is being phased out and is no longer promoted).
Standard vs. Pro accounts: XTB’s Standard and Professional accounts have similar pricing when trading at higher volumes – and minimum deposits start at 250 base currency (£250, €250, or $250). For smaller amounts, however, the Standard account appears to be cheaper. My choice for retail forex traders would be the Standard account, especially as the Pro account is no longer available in most regions – except for certain legacy clients.
Active trader discounts: For active traders (and those in the EU who meet the definition of elective professionals), XTB will rebate a portion of the spread (from 5% to 30%) back to you when you reach certain volume thresholds, starting from 20 lots per month to as much as 1000 lots for the full 30% discount. This active trader program is known as XTB's Lower Spread Group, and helps the company compete with similar offerings from FXCM, FOREX.com, and CMC Markets.
| Feature |
XTB
|
|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.00 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.00 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
Mobile trading apps
While the MetaTrader 4 mobile app is no longer available at the broker, XTB's proprietary xStation 5 mobile app is far superior. There’s no question; XTB's mobile app can compete with the best forex mobile platforms.
xStation mobile features: The xStation 5 app is cleanly designed with several features that mirror its web counterpart, such as streaming news, predefined watchlists, an economic calendar, top movers, and client sentiment data. Several integrated videos in the mobile app also provide webinar-style educational content, with multiple videos that are over an hour long.
xStation charting: xStation 5 charts are good, but not great; I was disappointed to find that watchlists do not sync with the web version of the trading platform, and that there are only half as many indicators (13 total). Nice features in xStation 5 mobile charts include an automatic-save feature for your trend lines and drawings, and the ability to easily add indicators to your charts while zooming in on various time frames.
Other trading platforms
While XTB ended support for MT4 in all locations, its feature-rich xStation 5 platform steals the show with its minimalist design and powerful tools.
Platforms overview: XTB offers a flagship web-based trading platform: its proprietary app xStation 5.
Charting: Beyond its responsive modern design (and its 30 drawing tools and 39 technical indicators), there are several unique features that help xStation 5 stand out. For example, I loved the fact that charts include a countdown timer showing the remaining time left in each candlestick. Also, economic news releases appear along the bottom axis of its charts, providing traders with helpful insights during important economic events.
xStation 5 trading tools: XTB's flagship platform offering, xStation 5, delivers an excellent experience for web, mobile, tablet, and even iOS and Android smartwatches. Trading tool highlights include color-coded heat mapping for analyzing top movers, a versatile stock screener, and sentiment data that shows the percentage of XTB clients that are long or short for a given trading symbol.
| Feature |
XTB
|
|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No |
| DupliTrade | No |
| ZuluTrade | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 39 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 32 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 8 |
Market research
XTB’s research content can compete with the best in the industry, thanks to high-quality analysis from in-house staff as well as third-party providers. That said, XTB does not publish as many daily English articles and videos as some of the best brokers in this category – though it does have a strong international presence in other languages.
Research overview: XTB makes up for the absence of Trading Central and Authochartist by offering exclusive strategies as part of its Premium Research service. In addition to streaming headlines from top-tier news providers, the broker offers an economic calendar, market sentiment, and other platform tools for research. XTB also provides written articles from its staff and weekly video webinars on YouTube, including in other supported languages, such as Polish, German and Italian.
Market news and analysis: XTB publishes quality articles on its Market News section which are then streamed as headlines within the xStation 5 trading platform. The research includes both fundamental and technical analysis, with features such as its “Chart of the day” series. Trading signals are also included within XTB’s news panel, with price analyses from Thomson Reuters, Barclays, Citi Group, and other top-tier providers.
News filtering: Identifying articles written by in-house staff (versus third-party content) is now labeled so that you can differentiate, for example, trading signals from other content that streams within the news headlines fo the xStation 5 platform. Saxo's web platform, for example, allows for the ability to filter news content by source (in-house vs third-party). As a trader, I appreciate what XTB's staff has to say, so the ability to filter or easily identify in-house content was a welcomed enhancement recently.
| Feature |
XTB
|
|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes |
| Autochartist | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes |
Education
I was impressed with XTB's educational offering, thanks to its extensive written content, video materials, and archived webinars. The broker generally does a great job incorporating education throughout its trading platform suite and website. The only drawback is the lack of organization of its video content– it doesn’t all live in one place, and is instead scattered throughout its platform and its YouTube channel.
Learning center: XTB provides a variety of materials on its website under the "Learn To Trade" section, all of which can be sorted by topic or experience level. There are more than 200 lessons available in the broker's well-organized Trading Academy, along with enhanced FAQs, platform tutorials, financial market education, premium content for live account holders.
There are at least ten lessons that cover forex and CFD education, and each category features quizzes. There are also dozens of articles covering broader subjects like "What are macroeconomic indicators?"
Room for improvement: XTB provides a good balance of videos within its Trading Academy and on its YouTube channel, including 17 videos in its Masterclass series. Many of these videos are also integrated in the Premium section within the xStation 5 web platform and mobile app. Organizing all these videos by category or experience level, and keeping them in one place – such as within the Trading Academy or a dedicated video library – would be a great way to arrange for seamless access to all of XTB’s video content. In addition, I liked that progress tracking is incorporated, giving traders the option to measure their learning progress – though quizzes or tests would be a welcome addition.
| Feature |
XTB
|
|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No |
Final thoughts
XTB is a trusted brand that provides a broad selection of tradeable securities, outstanding customer service, competitive research, and its innovative xStation 5 proprietary trading platform suite.
XTB's high-quality research content, including news headlines, in-house (and third-party) analysis, and dedicated videos across a number of its YouTube channels and playlists helped it earn Best in Class honors for Research in our 2024 Annual Awards. XTB's balanced educational materials and uncluttered platforms helped it place Best in Class in our Beginners category in 2024. Additionally, the expansion of its crypto offering (including a wide range of cryptocurrency CFDs) led to XTB's Best in Class finish in our Crypto category for 2024.
Though pricing is just average, XTB has a well-balanced offering and is worth close consideration from traders seeking a broker for trading forex and CFDs in 2024.
About XTB
XTB was founded in Poland in 2002 and has since grown to become a well-known broker for trading forex and CFDs. With a market capitalization of $1.6 billion as of March 31, 2024, XTB is publicly traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE: XTB.PL). XTB serves over 1 million active clients globally as of 2024. XTB maintains offices in over a dozen countries across Europe and is licensed by numerous regulators, including the U.K.'s FCA, Poland's KNF, Germany's BaFIN, Spain's CNMV, France's AMF, Cyprus' CySEC, the U.A.E’s DFSA, South Africa’s FSCA, The FSA of Seychelles, and Belize's FSC. XTB holds indemnity insurance of up to $1M per client claim and up to $5M total through its Belize entity.
ForexBrokers.com 2024 Annual Awards
For the ForexBrokers.com 2024 Annual Awards, brokers were evaluated against ForexBrokers.com’s 8 Primary Categories: Commissions & Fees, Offering of Investments, Platforms & Tools, Mobile Trading Apps, Research, Education, Trust Score, and Overall.
Best in Class honors were awarded to the Top 7 forex brokers in each of the following areas: Beginners, Social Copy Trading, Ease of Use, MetaTrader, Algo Trading, Crypto Trading, and Professional Trading.
For more information, see how we test.
Category awards
|
XTB
|
Research | Beginners | Crypto Trading |
| Rank #1 | |||
| Streak #1 | |||
| Best in Class | |||
| Best in Class Streak | 4 | 2 | 2 |
2024 Review Methodology
At ForexBrokers.com, our reviews of online forex brokers and their products and services are based on our collected data as well as the observations and qualified opinions of our expert researchers. Each year we publish tens of thousands of words of research on the top forex brokers and monitor dozens of international regulator agencies (read more about how we calculate Trust Score here).
Our research team conducts thorough testing on a wide range of features, products, services, and tools (collecting and validating thousands of data points in the process). We test all available trading platforms for each broker – whether they are proprietary or come from third-party providers – and evaluate them based on a host of data-driven variables.
We also take an in-depth look at each broker’s commissions and fees, such as bid/ask spreads – including the average spread data for some of the most popular forex currency pairs. We research other trading costs, such as inactivity or custody fees, minimum deposit requirements, VIP rebates and/or discounts, and a range of other important fee-based data points.
Some of the other important research categories that are factored into our testing include mobile trading accessibility and capability, availability of market research and educational content, and each broker’s overall Trust Score.
All content on ForexBrokers.com is handwritten by a writer, fact-checked by a member of our research team, and edited and published by an editor. Our ratings, rankings, and opinions are entirely our own, and the result of our extensive research and decades of collective experience covering the forex industry.
Read our full explanation and accounting of our research and testing process to learn more about how we test.
Forex Risk Disclaimer
There is a very high degree of risk involved in trading securities. With respect to margin-based foreign exchange trading, off-exchange derivatives, and cryptocurrencies, there is considerable exposure to risk, including but not limited to, leverage, creditworthiness, limited regulatory protection and market volatility that may substantially affect the price, or liquidity of a currency or related instrument. It should not be assumed that the methods, techniques, or indicators presented in these products will be profitable, or that they will not result in losses. Read more on forex trading risks.
Article Resources
XTB Regulation, XTB Education, YouTube channel
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About the Editorial Team
Steven Hatzakis is the Global Director of Online Broker Research for ForexBrokers.com. Steven previously served as an Editor for Finance Magnates, where he authored over 1,000 published articles about the online finance industry. A forex industry expert and an active fintech and crypto researcher, Steven advises blockchain companies at the board level and holds a Series III license in the U.S. as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA).
John Bringans is the Managing Editor at ForexBrokers.com. An experienced media professional, John has a decade of editorial experience with a background that includes key leadership roles at global newsroom outlets. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from San Francisco State University, and conducts research on forex and the financial services industry while assisting in the production of content.
Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 2,500 trades placed during that time. He heads research for all U.S.-based brokerages on StockBrokers.com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. Blain’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets.