XTB or easyMarkets – which is better for UK traders 2025? Compare XTB and easyMarkets in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.
Established in Poland in 2002, XTB caters to over a million clients worldwide. This forex and CFD broker offers a robust regulatory framework, a diverse range of assets, and prioritises trader satisfaction. It provides an intuitive proprietary platform equipped with excellent tools to support aspiring traders.
Founded in 2001, easyMarkets has earned a reputation as a reliable fixed spread broker. With continuous advancements, it distinguishes itself in the market. The firm has integrated the MetaTrader suite and TradingView, and enhanced unique risk management tools such as dealCancellation.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 73% 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
Pros
XTB offers a diverse range of over 7,000 instruments, including CFDs on shares, indices, ETFs, commodities, forex, and cryptocurrencies. The platform also provides real shares, real ETFs, share dealing, and the latest addition, Investment Plans, serving both traders seeking short-term gains and investors focused on long-term growth.
The xStation platform stands out with its user-friendly design and intuitive tools, such as adaptable news feeds, sentiment heatmaps, and a trader calculator. These features streamline the learning process for new traders.
XTB offers a superb array of educational resources, such as training videos and articles, embedded within the platform to assist traders of all experience levels.
XTB has raised its interest rate on uninvested funds and introduced zero-fee ISAs for UK clients, offering access to 3,000 stocks and 700 ETFs for diverse investment opportunities.
Setting up an XTB account is straightforward and fully online, requiring only a few minutes. This simplicity eases new traders into the world of trading.
Top-notch customer support, available 24/5, includes a welcoming live chat with response times under two minutes during tests.
XTB ensures swift access to funds, providing fast withdrawals with same-day payments for requests made before 1 pm.
While most brokers we've reviewed—over 90%—offer variable spreads, easyMarkets stands out by providing fixed spreads starting at 0.7 pips. Fixed spreads ensure predictability in trading costs, a major benefit for novices and those operating in volatile markets.
In 2019, easyMarkets introduced Bitcoin as a base currency. This distinguished the platform from much of the market by removing the necessity to convert cryptocurrencies into fiat money. Consequently, conversion fees are lowered, and it simplifies administration for traders focusing on cryptocurrencies.
Having over two decades of experience, numerous accolades, and authorization from two top-tier regulators, easyMarkets consistently upholds its reputation as a reliable broker for active traders.
easyMarkets prioritises risk management by offering negative balance protection and guaranteed stop losses. In 2024, its dealCancellation feature on the Web Trader was improved to allow for cancellation periods of 1, 3, or 6 hours.
Cons
XTB lacks a raw spread account, a feature increasingly offered by competitors such as Pepperstone. This omission might not satisfy traders seeking the most competitive spreads.
The demo account lasts only four weeks, posing a challenge for traders wanting to fully explore the xStation platform and refine short-term strategies before investing actual money.
XTB has stopped supporting MT4, restricting traders to its own platform, xStation. This decision may discourage experienced traders accustomed to using the MetaTrader suite.
Trading fees are competitive, with average EUR/USD spreads of about 1 pip. However, they are not as low as the most affordable brokers, such as IC Markets. Additionally, an inactivity fee applies after a year.
The research tools at XTB are commendable but have the potential to excel further. Enhancing them with access to top-tier third-party services like Autochartist, Trading Central, and TipRanks would significantly elevate their offering.
It is frustrating that XTB products do not allow traders to modify the default leverage level. Manually adjusting leverage can greatly reduce risk in forex and CFD trading.
easyMarkets lacks a zero-spread account, unlike Pepperstone, which may disadvantage traders and high-frequency traders needing low transaction costs.
easyMarkets is lagging due to the absence of copy trading features found at industry leader eToro. These features are highly sought after by novices wishing to emulate strategies of seasoned traders.
easyMarkets delivers solid educational resources tailored for beginners, though it doesn't quite meet the needs of seasoned traders. The Academy presents well-structured courses with interactive gamification, yet the content is somewhat superficial.
Awards
Best Forex Broker for Beginners 2022
Best Customer Service 2021
Best Forex Broker for Low Costs 2021
Best Mobile App for Investing 2020
#1 EMEA Bloomberg spot for FX accuracy in Q2 of 2020 and Q3 of 2018
Best Polish Forex Broker 2019
Best Execution Broker 2019
Leading Broker of the Year 2024 - Forex Expo Dubai
Best Regulated Broker 2024 - Smart Vision Summit – South Africa
Best Forex Broker 2024 - TradingView Broker Awards
Best Global Broker 2023 - Dubai Expo
Best Cryptocurrency Innovation UAE 2022 - Finance Derivative Magazine
Most Trusted Broker 2022 - Smart Vision Investment Expo Egypt
Most Reputable Multi-Asset Broker 2022 - Forex Expo Dubai
Most Trusted Forex Broker in Middle East 2022 - Fin Expo Egypt
Each year, XTB's app impresses with its sleek design and clear interface. It's fast, responsive, and full of practical features like integrated sentiment data, market news, economic calendars, and educational content. The intuitive order panel below the chart simplifies trade execution, including take profit and stop loss settings.
The easyMarkets app is ideal for active traders. It offers complete customisation with light and dark modes, plus market news, a macroeconomic calendar, and trading signals integrated into one app. It excels with advanced features, such as various trading ticket options (Trade, Vanilla Options, Pending Orders) and dealCancellation, which allows you to reverse losing trades within 1, 3, or 6 hours.
iOS App Rating
4.7
4.6
Android App Rating
4.1
3.6
Margin Trading
Yes
Yes
Margin Rate
4.5%
MetaTrader 4
No
Yes
MetaTrader 5
No
Yes
cTrader
No
No
AlgoTrader
No
No
OmniTrader
No
No
TradingView
No
Yes
Autochartist
No
No
eSignal
No
No
Trading Central
No
Yes
STP Account
Yes
No
ECN Account
No
No
DMA Account
Yes
No
MAM Account
No
No
PAMM Account
No
No
LAMM Account
No
No
Demat Account
No
No
AI / Machine Learning
No
No
Robo Advisor
No
No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes
Yes
Market Maker
Yes
Yes
P2P Trading
No
No
Spot Trading
Yes
Yes
Auto Trading
Open API
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No
No
Social Trading
No
No
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
No
No
Tournaments
No
No
Demo Competitions
No
No
Ethical Investing
Yes
No
Custodial Account
No
No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Yes
Yes
Inactivity Fee
$0
$25
Islamic Account
Yes
Yes
Account Currencies
USD
EUR
GBP
PLN
USD
EUR
GBP
CAD
AUD
JPY
ZAR
TRY
SEK
NOK
CHF
HKD
SGD
PLN
CZK
MXN
CNY
Commodities
Gold
Oil
Silver
Copper
Cotton
Sugar
Precious Metals
Gasoline
Cocoa
Coffee
Natural Gas
Nickel
Soybeans
Aluminium
Livestock
Corn
Palladium
Platinum
Wheat
Zinc
Lean Hogs
Cattle
Gold
Silver
Palladium
Soybeans
Platinum
Copper
Oil
Natural Gas
Wheat
Sugar
Coffee
Corn
Cotton
Cocoa
CFD
XTB provides an extensive choice of over 2,100 CFDs, covering forex, indices, commodities, stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies, depending on location. In the EU and UK, leverage is capped at 1:30, while global clients and professional traders can benefit from leverage up to 1:500. Renowned for its trading resources and tutorials, XTB excels in helping traders devise effective short-term strategies.
With over 275 CFDs, easyMarkets may not match the extensive offerings of category leaders like BlackBull, which boasts more than 26,000 assets. However, easyMarkets excels with innovative risk management tools. Their unique features include easyTrade, which limits risk exposure, and dealCancellation, allowing traders a 1, 3, or 6-hour window to cancel orders when the market shifts unfavourably.
Leverage
1:30
1:2000
FTSE Spread
1.8
1.0
GBPUSD Spread<
1.4
0.9
Oil Spread
0.03
1.1
Stocks Spread
0.2%
0.25 (Apple)
Forex
XTB offers access to over 70 currency pairs, with competitive spreads averaging about 1 pip for major pairs. Its xStation platform is user-friendly, providing traders with top-tier charting tools, over 30 indicators, and diverse order types to support different strategies and risk management needs.
easyMarkets provides over 60 major and minor currency pairs, excluding exotic ones. Traders will value the access to MT4, a top software in the market, alongside fixed spreads starting at 0.7 pips for EUR/USD. This arrangement allows for a level of price certainty.
Assets
70+
60+
GBPUSD Spread
1.4
0.9
EURUSD Spread
1.0
0.7
EURGBP Spread
1.4
1.0
Cryptocurrency
XTB provides a robust array of over 50 cryptocurrencies, featuring competitive spreads beginning at 0.22% on Bitcoin and leverage up to 1:5. The xStation platform facilitates trading with pairs like ETH/BTC and DSH/BTC. Traders can operate round-the-clock in a secure and transparent cryptocurrency trading environment.
easyMarkets is ideal for committed crypto traders, offering 20 popular digital tokens such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, all paired with the US dollar. The introduction of a BTC account enhances the user experience and reduces conversion costs.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 73% 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