HYCM vs Pepperstone
HYCM or Pepperstone – which is better for UK traders 2025? Compare HYCM and Pepperstone in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.
| HYCM | Pepperstone |
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| HYCM is ranked #62 among CFD brokers. | Pepperstone is ranked #1 among CFD brokers. |
| HYCM is an online broker regulated by four international authorities, including the FCA and CySEC. It provides short-term CFD opportunities in forex, shares, commodities, indices, ETFs, and Bitcoin. Traders can utilise the MT4 and MT5 platforms, alongside Trading Central analysis. | 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. |
| CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. | |
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| Awards | |
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| FCA Regulated | |
| Yes | Yes |
| Instruments | |
| CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs | CFDs, Forex, Currency Indices, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Crypto (only Pro clients), Spread Betting |
| Demo Account | |
| Yes | Yes |
| Minimum Deposit | |
| $20 | $0 |
| Payment Methods | |
| Minimum Trade | |
| 0.01 Lots | 0.01 Lots |
| Regulator | |
| FCA, DFSA, CIMA, CySEC | FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, CMA, BaFin, SCB |
| Mobile Apps | |
| iOS & Android | iOS & Android |
| Trading App | |
Pepperstone excels for its excellent integration with the MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView apps, making it a standout option for traders familiar with these leading third-party trading solutions. These platforms deliver a stable and reliable mobile trading experience, enhanced by Pepperstone’s almost unrivalled execution speeds and wide range of asset classes. Recent improvements also helped it secure second place in DayTrading.com’s annual ‘Best Trading App’ award for 2025. |
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| Android App Rating | |
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| 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 | No |
| STP Account | |
| No | Yes |
| ECN Account | |
| Yes | Yes |
| DMA Account | |
| No | Yes |
| MAM Account | |
| No | Yes |
| PAMM Account | |
| No | No |
| LAMM Account | |
| No | No |
| Demat Account | |
| No | No |
| AI / Machine Learning | |
| No | Yes |
| 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 | |
| Pepperstone offers the replication of skilled traders' strategies via MetaTrader Signals, DupliTrade, and its new proprietary copy trading app, in collaboration with Pelican Trading. This service, available in select regions, grants access to numerous experienced traders and customized risk settings. However, it does not support cTrader Copy, which might discourage traders who prefer Spotware's platform. | |
| Social Trading | |
| No | No |
| Trade Signals | |
| Yes (Via Chartist Software) | |
| 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 | |
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| Commodities | |
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| 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. | In our recent assessment, Pepperstone remains a top-tier CFD broker, renowned for its speed and reliability. With execution times averaging 30ms and a remarkable 99.90% fill rate, traders benefit from a smooth experience free from requotes and dealing desk disruptions. Additionally, it offers extensive opportunities with access to more than 1,300 assets. |
| Leverage | |
| 1:301:500 | 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro) |
| FTSE Spread | |
| 1.5 | 1.0 |
| GBPUSD Spread< | |
| 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Oil Spread | |
| 2.0 | 2.5 |
| Stocks Spread | |
| 2.2% | 0.02 |
| 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. | Pepperstone provides forex spreads on the EUR/USD averaging just 0.12 pips with their Razor account. This is highly competitive. Their extensive portfolio includes over 100 currency pairs, which exceeds what most rivals offer. Furthermore, Pepperstone stands out by offering three unique currency indices: USDX, EURX, and JPYX, which are rare on other platforms. They have been recognised with our 'Best Forex Broker' award twice. |
| Assets | |
| 40+ | 100+ |
| GBPUSD Spread | |
| 0.4 | 0.4 |
| EURUSD Spread | |
| 0.1 | 0.1 |
| EURGBP Spread | |
| 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Currency Indices | |
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| 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. | Pepperstone remains a highly reputable crypto broker. Despite an average range of digital currencies, traders can access popular options like Bitcoin and altcoins such as Ripple with leverage up to 1:10. Its crypto indices offer comprehensive insights into digital currency markets, a feature unmatched by many other platforms. |
| Spread | |
| Variable | BTC 30, ETH 0 |
| Coins | |
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| Crypto Lending | |
| No | No |
| Crypto Mining | |
| No | No |
| Crypto Staking | |
| No | No |
| Auto Market Maker | |
| No | No |
| HYCM | Pepperstone |
| CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. | |
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HYCM vs |
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