ECN Brokers
ECN brokers enable traders to use electronic communication networks for direct access to forex and stock markets. In this review, we provide a step-by-step guide to finding the best true ECN brokers in the UK. We also look at the ECN model vs market makers, taking into account spreads and leverage.
ECN Brokers
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Founded in Australia in 2010, Pepperstone is a highly regarded broker specialising in forex and CFDs. Serving more than 400,000 clients globally, it provides access to over 1,300 financial instruments through popular platforms like MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView. Its fee structure is both low and transparent. With regulation by reputable bodies such as the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC, Pepperstone guarantees a safe trading environment for traders at every level.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs, Forex, Currency Indices, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Crypto (only Pro clients), Spread Betting FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, CMA, BaFin, SCB MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, AutoChartist, DupliTrade, Quantower Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $0 0.01 Lots 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro) -
FXCC, a well-established brokerage since 2010, offers cost-effective online trading. Registered in Nevis and regulated by CySEC, it is distinguished by its ECN conditions and absence of a minimum deposit requirement. The account opening process is efficient, taking under five minutes.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs, Forex, Indices, Commodities, Crypto CySEC MT4, MT5 Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $0 0.01 Lots 1:500 -
IC Markets is an internationally acclaimed forex and CFD broker, admired for its competitive pricing, diverse trading instruments, and superior technology. Established in 2007 and based in Australia, the firm is under the regulation of ASIC, CySEC, and FSA. It has successfully drawn over 180,000 clients from more than 200 nations.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, Futures, Crypto ASIC, CySEC, FSA, CMA MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, TradingCentral, DupliTrade, Quantower Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $200 0.01 Lots 1:30 (ASIC & CySEC), 1:500 (FSA), 1:1000 (Global) -
IC Trading belongs to the reputable IC Markets group. Designed for dedicated traders, it offers highly competitive spreads, dependable order execution, and sophisticated trading tools. However, it operates from Mauritius, an offshore financial centre, allowing high leverage but within a less regulated environment.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, Cryptos, Futures FSC MT4, MT5, cTrader, AutoChartist, TradingCentral Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $200 0.01 Lots 1:500 -
Eightcap, an acclaimed broker regulated by the FCA, offers exceptionally low trading costs. Recognised as the top-rated brand by TradingView's vast user base of 100 million, traders can directly access the platform. UK traders can open a live account with a minimum deposit of just £100.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities ASIC, FCA, CySEC, SCB MT4, MT5, TradingView Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage £100 0.01 Lots 1:30 -
Established in 1999, FOREX.com is now integrated into StoneX, a prominent financial services entity catering to more than one million clients globally. The broker is regulated in numerous jurisdictions, including the US, UK, EU, and Australia. It offers a vast array of markets beyond forex, delivering competitive pricing on state-of-the-art trading platforms.
Instruments Regulator Platforms Forex, CFDs, Stock CFDs, Indices, Commodities, Futures, Options, Crypto NFA, CFTC, CIRO, FCA, CYSEC, ASIC, SFC, FSA, MAS, CIMA WebTrader, Mobile, MT4, MT5, TradingView Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $100 0.01 Lots 1:30 -
Fusion Markets, an online broker since 2017, operates under the regulation of ASIC, VFSC, and FSA. Renowned for offering cost-effective forex and CFD trading, it provides various account options and copy trading solutions to suit diverse trading needs. New clients can begin trading with a simple three-step registration process.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Crypto ASIC, VFSC, FSA MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, DupliTrade Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $0 0.01 Lots 1:500
Pepperstone
FXCC
IC Markets
IC Trading
Eightcap
Forex.com
Fusion MarketsSafety Comparison
Compare how safe the ECN Brokers are and what features they offer to protect traders.
| Broker | Trust Rating | FCA Regulated | Negative Balance Protection | Guaranteed Stop Loss | Segregated Accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | |
| FXCC | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | |
| IC Markets | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | |
| IC Trading | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | |
| Eightcap | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | |
| Forex.com | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | |
| Fusion Markets | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ |
Payments Comparison
Compare which popular payment methods the ECN Brokers support and whether they have trading accounts denominated in British Pounds (GBP).
| Broker | GBP Account | Debit Card | Credit Card | Neteller | Skrill | Apple Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| FXCC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| IC Markets | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| IC Trading | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Eightcap | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Forex.com | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Fusion Markets | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
Mobile Trading Comparison
How good are the ECN Brokers at mobile trading using apps or other mobile interfaces.
| Broker | Mobile Apps | iOS Rating | Android Rating | Smart Watch App |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | iOS & Android | ✘ | ||
| FXCC | iOS & Android | ✘ | ||
| IC Markets | iOS & Android | ✘ | ||
| IC Trading | iOS & Android | ✘ | ||
| Eightcap | iOS & Android | ✘ | ||
| Forex.com | iOS & Android | ✘ | ||
| Fusion Markets | iOS & Android | ✘ |
Beginners Comparison
Are the ECN Brokers good for beginner traders, that might want an affordable setup to get started, along with good support and educational resources?
| Broker | Demo Account | Minimum Deposit | Minimum Trade | Support Rating | Education Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | ✔ | $0 | 0.01 Lots | ||
| FXCC | ✔ | $0 | 0.01 Lots | ||
| IC Markets | ✔ | $200 | 0.01 Lots | ||
| IC Trading | ✔ | $200 | 0.01 Lots | ||
| Eightcap | ✔ | £100 | 0.01 Lots | ||
| Forex.com | ✔ | $100 | 0.01 Lots | ||
| Fusion Markets | ✔ | $0 | 0.01 Lots |
Advanced Trading Comparison
Do the ECN Brokers offer features that allow for more advanced trading strategies?
| Broker | Automated Trading | Pro Account | Leverage | VPS | AI | Low Latency | Extended Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader | ✔ | 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| FXCC | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader | ✘ | 1:500 | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| IC Markets | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cBots on cTrader, Myfxbook AutoTrade | ✘ | 1:30 (ASIC & CySEC), 1:500 (FSA), 1:1000 (Global) | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| IC Trading | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cBots on cTrader | ✘ | 1:500 | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Eightcap | TradingView Bots | ✘ | 1:30 | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Forex.com | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader | ✘ | 1:30 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Fusion Markets | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cBots on cTrader | ✘ | 1:500 | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
Detailed Rating Comparison
Use this heatmap to compare our detailed ratings for all of the ECN Brokers.
| Broker | Trust | Platforms | Mobile | Assets | Fees | Accounts | Support | Research | Education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | |||||||||
| FXCC | |||||||||
| IC Markets | |||||||||
| IC Trading | |||||||||
| Eightcap | |||||||||
| Forex.com | |||||||||
| Fusion Markets |
Our Take On Pepperstone
"Pepperstone is a premier trading platform, providing tight spreads, swift execution, and sophisticated charting tools for seasoned traders. Beginners benefit from no minimum deposit, comprehensive learning materials, and outstanding 24/7 support."
Tobias Robinson
Reviewer
Pros
- Support for top-tier charting platforms such as MT4, MT5, TradingView, and cTrader. These tools accommodate different short-term trading methods, including algorithmic trading.
- Pepperstone now offers spread betting via TradingView, delivering a streamlined and tax-efficient trading experience with sophisticated analytical tools.
- Over the years, Pepperstone has consistently garnered recognition from DayTrading.com’s annual awards. Recently, it was honoured as the 'Best Overall Broker' in 2025 and was the 'Best Forex Broker' runner-up the same year.
Cons
- Pepperstone doesn't offer cTrader Copy, a favoured feature for copying trades found in the cTrader platform, which is available on other platforms such as IC Markets. However, Pepperstone has launched its own user-friendly copy trading app.
- Although its market range has improved, its crypto offerings remain limited compared to brokers specialising in this sector, lacking real coin investment options.
- Pepperstone's demo accounts expire after 30 days, which may not provide sufficient time to explore various platforms and evaluate trading strategies.
Our Take On FXCC
"FXCC remains a top choice for forex traders, offering over 70 currency pairs, very tight spreads from 0.0 pips in tests, and high leverage up to 1:500 with the ECN XL account."
Pros
- The complimentary education section, featuring the 'Traders Corner' blog, provides a wide array of resources suitable for traders of all experience levels.
- FXCC offers competitive and transparent ECN spreads starting from 0.0 pips, with no commissions. This makes it one of the most cost-effective forex brokers available.
- There are no limitations on short-term trading techniques such as trading and scalping.
Cons
- Unaware traders might face steep withdrawal fees, such as a notable $45 for bank transfers.
- While the MetaTrader suite excels in technical analysis, its outdated design detracts from the overall trading experience, particularly when contrasted with contemporary platforms such as TradingView.
- The range of research tools, such as Trading Central and Autochartist, is quite limited. Leading platforms in this category, like IG, offer more advanced features.
Our Take On IC Markets
"IC Markets provides excellent pricing, swift execution, and easy deposits. With cutting-edge charting tools like TradingView and the Raw Trader Plus account, it continues to be a preferred option for intermediate and advanced traders."
Pros
- IC Markets provides reliable 24/5 support, especially for account and funding queries, drawing from direct experience.
- IC Markets provides some of the industry's narrowest spreads, offering 0.0-pip spreads on major currency pairs. This makes it an extremely cost-effective choice for traders.
- In 2025, IC Markets earned DayTrading.com's accolade for 'Best MT4/MT5 Broker' due to its top-tier MetaTrader integration. This achievement highlights the broker's continuous refinement over the years to enhance the platform experience.
Cons
- Interest is not paid on idle cash, a feature gaining popularity with alternatives such as Interactive Brokers.
- The tutorials, webinars, and educational resources require enhancement, lagging behind competitors such as CMC Markets, which diminishes their appeal to novice traders.
- Certain withdrawal methods incur fees, including a $20 charge for wire transfers. These costs can reduce profits, particularly with frequent withdrawals.
Our Take On IC Trading
"IC Trading offers an ideal environment, featuring top-tier execution speeds of around 40 milliseconds, extensive liquidity, and advanced charting tools, perfect for scalpers, traders, and algorithmic traders."
Christian Harris
Reviewer
Pros
- IC Trading provides exceptional flexibility, allowing traders to open as many as 10 live accounts and 20 demo accounts. This enables the management of distinct profiles for various activities, including manual and algorithmic trading.
- Trading Central and Autochartist provide valuable technical analysis and actionable ideas. These tools are readily available within the account area or on the cTrader platform.
- IC Trading offers top-tier spreads, with some major currency pairs like EUR/USD featuring spreads as low as 0.0 pips, making it an excellent choice for traders.
Cons
- Although IC Trading operates under the reputable IC Markets group, it is licensed by the FSC in Mauritius, a regulator known for its limited financial transparency and lack of robust safeguards.
- The educational materials require significant enhancement unless accessed via the IC Markets website. This limitation is particularly disadvantageous for beginners seeking a thorough learning experience, especially when compared to industry leaders such as eToro.
- Customer support was inadequate during testing, with multiple live chat attempts going unanswered and emails ignored. This raises significant concerns regarding their capacity to manage urgent trading issues.
Our Take On Eightcap
"Eightcap excels for traders, offering diverse charting platforms, educational Labs, and AI tools. With over 120 crypto CFDs, it stands out in crypto trading and has won our 'Best Crypto Broker' award twice consecutively."
Pros
- In 2021, Eightcap enhanced its lineup, now providing an extensive range of cryptocurrency CFDs. It offers crypto/fiat and crypto/crypto pairs, along with crypto indices for comprehensive market exposure.
- Eightcap excels with a suite of advanced trading tools, such as MT4 and MT5, and has recently joined the 100-million-user social trading network, TradingView.
- Eightcap has excelled in all essential trading areas, surpassing all rivals to clinch our 'Best Overall Broker' award for 2024. It also earned the titles of 'Best Crypto Broker' and 'Best TradingView Broker' for 2025.
Cons
- The demo account is available for 30 days, after which it requires a request for extension. This is less convenient than XM's offering, which provides an unlimited demo mode.
- Eightcap must enhance its range of over 800 instruments to rival top competitors like Blackbull Markets, which offers 26,000+ assets, especially improving its limited commodities selection.
- Despite the growing range of tools available, Eightcap lacks popular industry resources such as Autochartist and Trading Central. These provide advanced charting analytics, live news, and essential market insights for traders focused on short-term strategies.
Our Take On Forex.com
"FOREX.com excels in serving traders of all levels, offering more than 80 currency pairs, spreads starting at 0.0 pips, and competitive commissions. Its robust charting platforms provide over 100 technical indicators and comprehensive research tools."
Pros
- An abundance of educational resources is available, such as tutorials, webinars, and an extensive YouTube channel, designed to enhance your understanding of financial markets.
- FOREX.com provides top-tier forex rates beginning at 0.0 pips, along with attractive cashback rebates up to 15% for dedicated traders.
- The in-house Web Trader remains a standout platform, excellently crafted for budding traders. It features a sleek design and offers more than 80 technical indicators for thorough market analysis.
Cons
- Funding choices are restricted when compared to top options such as IC Markets. Many popular e-wallets, including UnionPay and POLi, are noticeably absent.
- US clients are not protected against negative balances, which means you could end up owing more than your initial deposit.
- Demo accounts are typically limited to 90 days, hindering effective strategy testing.
Our Take On Fusion Markets
"Fusion Markets offers forex traders competitive pricing with minimal spreads, low commissions, and new TradingView integration. It is an excellent choice, especially for Australian traders, given its base and regulation by ASIC."
Pros
- Fusion Markets provides exceptional support, characterised by rapid, friendly, and efficient responses. Unlike other platforms, it doesn't utilise automated chatbots, ensuring traders experience a seamless interaction.
- With an average execution speed of approximately 37 milliseconds, traders can secure optimal prices more effectively, outpacing many competitors in rapidly changing markets.
- The selection of charting platforms and social trading features is outstanding. Options like MT4, MT5, cTrader, and the newer TradingView meet diverse trader preferences.
Cons
- Fusion Market falls short compared to competitors like IG in education, offering few guides and live video sessions for enhancing trader skills.
- Traders from outside Australia need to register with loosely regulated international firms that offer limited protection, lacking both safeguards and negative balance protection.
- The broker stands out with its extensive selection of currency pairs, surpassing most competitors. However, its alternative investment options are merely average, lacking stock CFDs outside the US.
How ECN Brokers Work
True ECN brokers use electronic communication networks to connect trade participants and execute deals. ECN brokers are non-dealing desk (NDD) brokers, which means they work directly with liquidity providers. Traders, therefore, get access to interbank market rates, unlike when using market makers.
Traders receive quotes from multiple market participants which can lead to competitive bid and ask prices. The electronic communication network aims to match open buy and sell orders. If this isn’t possible, it will provide the most competitive prices available on the market. The broker will then use ultra-fast ECN technology to instantly execute the quote.
ECN Brokers Vs Market Makers
A market maker (also known as a dealing desk broker), defines its own quote to generate profit from the bid-ask spread, rather than quoting the market price. This is effectively their commission for the risk of holding the asset after it’s sold but before it’s bought. This helps to increase liquidity in the market making it easier for traders to buy and sell. As ECN brokers don’t set prices or profit off the spread, they usually charge a commission per trade instead.
Pros Of ECN Brokers
The use of ECN technology offers traders several advantages over dealing desk brokers.
Price Transparency
As ECN brokers’ prices come directly from liquidity providers, they do not trade against the client and receive a commission regardless of whether the client makes a profit. All traders have access to the same price information when using ECN brokers.
This is opposite to market makers, who are on the other side of the trade to you and therefore set the rate according to their own interests.
Spreads
ECN brokers receive quotes from multiple market participants, which can lead to competitive bid and ask prices. ECN brokers are therefore generally able to offer lower spreads than traditional brokers. However, ECN brokers charge a commission for each trade, which can quickly eat into profits if executing a high number of trades.
Trading Hours
Electronic communication networks can be used for extended trading, outside the hours of the traditional market opening. This allows traders to act on economic news at any time, as well as providing additional flexibility. However, liquidity is lower outside traditional operating hours, which may make it more difficult and expensive to buy and sell.
Choosing The Best ECN Brokers
The best ECN broker for you will depend on multiple factors including what you want to trade, how regularly you want to trade, and in what volume. Here, we explain how to identify a true ECN broker and provide a list of factors to consider when opening an account.
True ECN Brokers
First, determine if the broker is a pure ECN broker. Some brokers are ECN-only brokers, while some offer different account types.
True ECN brokers should have narrow spreads. You can check this by picking a forex pair and comparing the spread with other ECN brokers. Additionally, the fast execution of trades is another indicator of an ECN broker.
Be aware that ECN brokers are very similar to STP brokers, who also have no dealing desk. However, ECN acts as a central liquidity hub, unlike STP which routes the trader directly to the liquidity provider. Admiral Markets is an example of an STP broker rather than a true ECN broker.
Location
UK-based ECN brokers are recommended. Advantages of trading with a UK-based broker include guaranteed English-speaking customer support and no foreign currency charges if depositing in GBP.
Regulation
Traders should use FCA-regulated ECN brokers. The Financial Conduct Authority has many regulations in place to protect UK clients, such as the segregation of broker and client money. Additionally, the Financial Services Conduct Authority (FSCS) will cover up to £85,000 of funds should the broker become insolvent.
Note, you won’t normally find regulated ECN brokers with no deposit bonus deals.
Spreads
ECN brokers usually have low spreads, even with low minimum deposits. Pepperstone is an ECN broker offering some of the lowest forex spreads, starting at zero pips (average 0.09 pips) for EUR/USD with their Razor Account. However, this is in exchange for a commission, unlike their Standard Account that primarily makes money through spreads.
Deposits & Withdrawals
Brokers often have minimum deposit requirements depending on the account type with micro accounts typically offering lower limits. FXTM is an ECN broker with a low minimum deposit requirement of £10. It’s also possible to trade using ECN brokers that have no minimum deposit requirements, such as Pepperstone.
Make sure to check withdrawal requirements including fees and timescales. Withdrawal times should be no longer than a few days.
Markets
Ensure your ECN broker offers the virtual instruments you’re looking to trade. Forex is the most popular market for ECN trading, but it’s possible to trade CFDs too. ECN brokers offering binary options are rare.
Leverage
With the best FCA-regulated brokers, leverage is limited to between 1:30 and 1:2, depending on the asset. For high leverage limits, traders may consider ECN brokers regulated outside the UK. For example, FXCC is an ECN broker that offers leverage up to 1:500.
However, we recommended sticking with UK-regulated brokers to reduce the risks that come with using high leverage. FXTM and Pepperstone are some of the best UK-regulated ECN brokers, that also offer the highest leverage in line with the FCA limitations.
Platforms
The trading platform is the software you’ll use to facilitate trades. Some brokers offer a proprietary platform, while others lease third-party software such as MetaTrader. Often, ECN brokers will offer more than one platform option. IG and Pepperstone are good ECN brokers that offer the MT4, MT5 and cTrader platforms via web, tablet and mobile.
Consider if the platform is intuitive and whether the charting and indicator functionality supports your trading strategy. A demo account is a great way to test this first.
Final Word On ECN Brokers
ECN brokers provide traders with direct access to markets that can result in competitive spreads, though traders should be aware of commission fees. FCA-regulated ECN brokers are highly recommended for traders based in the UK, offering multiple protections for clients looking to enact high-volume scalping strategies, for example.
FAQs
What Is An ECN Broker?
The simple definition is that ECN brokers are non-dealing desk brokers that use electronic communication networks to provide traders with direct access to forex and stock markets. Receiving quotes from multiple market participants means spreads are often more competitive than at traditional brokers.
What Is The Difference Between ECN Vs STP Brokers?
ECN and STP are both forms of no dealing desk brokers. However, STP brokers route the trader directly to the liquidity provider, unlike ECN, which acts as a central liquidity source for all market participants.
What Are The Top 5 ranking UK Forex ECN brokers?
What Is The Difference Between Forex ECN Brokers Vs Market Makers?
A market maker is a dealing desk broker, which defines its own quote to generate profit from the bid-ask spread. ECN brokers receive quotes directly from market participants, meaning spreads are more competitive. However, a commission is charged per trade.