HYCM or FP Markets – which is better for UK traders 2026? Compare HYCM and FP Markets in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.
HYCM, authorised by four global entities including the FCA, is an online broker. It provides short-term CFD trading on forex, shares, commodities, indices, ETFs, and Bitcoin. The broker supports MT4, MT5, and Trading Central analysis.
Founded in 2005 in Australia, FP Markets is a broker regulated by both ASIC and CySEC. It offers a wide range of tradable assets and provides Standard and Raw accounts suitable for traders of all levels. The platform excels in tools, featuring the MetaTrader suite, user-friendly TradingView, and practical insights from Trading Central and AutoChartist.
Pros
HYCM, established in 1977, has endured events like Black Wednesday, the 2008 financial crisis, the SNB shock, and various FCA regulatory changes that saw many rivals restructure or exit. While many brokers recently obtained FCA regulation, HYCM's longstanding compliance spans a full generation of retail traders. This signifies a uniquely established track record.
Instead of a fixed leverage cap, HYCM's model automatically decreases leverage as position volume grows, safeguarding traders from excessive exposure on large trades without manual margin adjustments. Typical retail brokers set a static leverage limit, leaving risk control entirely to traders. The dynamic model provides a structural risk safeguard, especially beneficial for novice traders gradually expanding positions.
While most retail CFD brokers offer gold, oil, and silver, HYCM goes further by providing agricultural soft commodities. This is available from a standard account without requiring a higher minimum deposit or professional status. For those seeking true commodity diversification beyond metals and energy, such access is unusually available at this level.
FP Markets provides an excellent range of trading options, thanks to its broadened commodities offerings and support for more than 10,000 stocks.
FP Markets stands out as a highly accommodating broker for platform selection, offering MetaTrader, cTrader, Iress, and the more recent addition of TradingView.
FP Markets provides swift and reliable support, accessible 24 hours a day, five days a week, with average response times under one minute during tests.
FP Markets offers a smooth onboarding process, featuring cryptocurrency deposits and a choice of more than 10 base currencies, appealing to traders worldwide.
FP Markets now offers advanced research tools from Trading Central and Autochartist. These tools assist traders in spotting short-term opportunities by analysing chart patterns, indicators, and other technical elements.
Cons
The limitation appears solely in HYCM's terms. Investors opening a Fixed or Classic account, creating a short-term strategy, and executing rapid trades risk having profits seized and accounts suspended without notice. The Raw account allows more precise trading, but the threshold between allowed and forbidden trading frequency is not clearly defined on hycm.com.
HYCM still uses the same MT4, MT5, and proprietary mobile app infrastructure from five years ago. There's no TradingView, cTrader, social trading, copy trading, or PAMM available. Despite having nearly 50 years of history and FCA regulation, the lack of platform development shows little focus on technology investment. This is crucial as rivals integrate TradingView and expand social trading to appeal to new retail traders.
Brokers such as eToro, Pepperstone, and IC Markets have created client acquisition channels centred on social and copy trading. HYCM lacks this approach. This leaves new traders wishing to invest in proven strategies and experienced traders aiming to profit from managing external capital without a platform. Consequently, HYCM fails to serve this segment of retail traders.
The Raw account offers excellent pricing. However, the Standard account has wider spreads, averaging 1.1 pips on EUR/USD, which lags behind the competitive 0.8-pip spread at IC Markets.
FP Markets’ Iress platform is exclusively available to Australian clients. The platform is geared towards stock trading rather than forex. Data fees may accumulate quickly unless you are an active trader or hold a high-balance account.
FP Markets falls short of leading MetaTrader brokers. Although it provides a Trader's Toolbox on MT4, it offers only 130 instruments, restricting opportunities for serious traders. In contrast, Pepperstone offers 1,300 assets.
Traders Hub offers valuable resources such as the Daily Report, Technical Report, Market Insights, and Fundamental Analysis. Yet, it should diversify its daily content and ensure its forex news remains current to compete with market leaders like IG.
Awards
Best Global Forex Value Broker 2023 - Global Forex Awards
Best Forex Partners Programme Asia 2023 - Global Forex Awards
Best Forex Broker Europe 2023 - Global Forex Awards
Best Global Forex Value Broker 2022 - Global Forex Awards
Best Global Forex Value Broker 2021 - Global Forex Awards
FP Markets lacks a proprietary web or mobile app, which may deter beginners. Yet, mobile versions of MT4/MT5, cTrader, and TradingView provide real-time quotes, advanced charts, account management, and order execution. Australian clients gain exclusive access to the Iress mobile platform, featuring advanced analytics, module linking, and portfolio management.
iOS App Rating
3
4
Android App Rating
3.6
4
Margin Trading
Yes
Yes
Margin Rate
Variable upon regulation and jurisdiction
MetaTrader 4
Yes
Yes
MetaTrader 5
Yes
Yes
cTrader
No
Yes
AlgoTrader
No
No
OmniTrader
No
No
TradingView
No
Yes
Autochartist
No
Yes
eSignal
No
No
Trading Central
Yes
Yes
STP Account
No
Yes
ECN Account
Yes
Yes
DMA Account
No
Yes
MAM Account
No
Yes
PAMM Account
No
Yes
LAMM Account
No
No
Demat Account
No
No
AI / Machine Learning
No
No
Robo Advisor
No
No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes
Yes
Market Maker
No
No
P2P Trading
No
No
Spot Trading
Yes
Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No
Yes
Copy Trading Platform
FP Markets has launched its own social copy trading platform and provides access to the MetaTrader signals market. Additionally, it supports Myfxbook, making FP Markets a strong choice for social copy trading. Despite the platform being less user-friendly than cTrader Copy, these features enhance its appeal for traders.
Social Trading
No
Yes
VPS Hosting
No
Yes
Tournaments
No
No
Demo Competitions
No
No
Ethical Investing
No
No
Custodial Account
No
No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No
No
Inactivity Fee
$10
$0
Islamic Account
Yes
Yes
Account Currencies
USD
EUR
GBP
RUB
AED
USD
EUR
GBP
CAD
AUD
NZD
JPY
CHF
HKD
SGD
Commodities
Gold
Silver
Coffee
Oil
Cotton
Copper
Palladium
Platinum
Sugar
Gold
Silver
Natural Gas
Oil
Platinum
Palladium
Copper
Aluminium
Soybeans
Corn
Wheat
Steel
Iron
Cocoa
Cotton
Sugar
Coffee
CFD
HYCM offers traders the opportunity to engage in trading CFDs across various stocks, indices, commodities, and ETFs, all featuring floating spreads. Leverage limits differ depending on the specific instrument. Clients can select from two top-tier trading platforms.
FP Markets provides CFD trading across an excellent range of financial instruments, including stocks, major global indices, commodities, metals, cryptocurrencies, and bonds. Traders benefit from competitive spreads, rapid execution, and leverage up to 1:500, supported by top-tier liquidity. This ensures a smooth and efficient experience for short-term market participants.
Leverage
1:301:500
1:30 (UK), 1:500 (Global)
FTSE Spread
1.5
1.64
GBPUSD Spread<
0.1
1.9 average
Oil Spread
2.0
0.04
Stocks Spread
2.2%
Variable
Forex
HYCM provides over 40 forex pairs for trading on the MT4 or MT5 platforms. Leverage is capped at 1:30, compliant with regulatory standards. The Raw account features tight spreads starting at 0.2, while the commission-free Classic account offers spreads from 1.2.
FP Markets is an outstanding choice for forex enthusiasts, offering more than 70 currency pairs, with an expanded range of exotic options. Traders benefit from competitive pricing, with average spreads as low as 0.1 on EUR/USD in the Raw account.
Assets
40+
70+
GBPUSD Spread
0.4
0.2
EURUSD Spread
0.1
0.1
EURGBP Spread
0.4
0.3
Currency Indices
USD
Cryptocurrency
HYCM provides trading options exclusively on Bitcoin, available as CFDs paired with USD. Although this allows traders to engage with the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation, offering a wider selection of digital currencies would align the broker more closely with its competitors.
FP Markets offers CFDs on major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin. Traders can engage in speculation on price fluctuations through these derivatives. However, direct coin ownership is not provided. Additionally, emerging tokens for avid crypto traders are not available on FP Markets.