Our principles
- Every review follows the same five steps and the same scoring weights.
- Safety comes first: a broker that fails our regulation check is not rated, however cheap it is.
- We publish real drawbacks for every broker, including those we rank highly.
- Commercial partnerships never change a score.
The five-step review process
1. Regulation and legal entity
We identify the exact legal entity that onboards UK clients, confirm its status and permissions on the FCA Financial Services Register, and check the FCA Warning List for clones. We read the client agreement to confirm client-money segregation, negative balance protection and FSCS eligibility.
2. Account opening
We go through the sign-up process as a UK retail client, noting the appropriateness test, verification documents and time to approval, and checking that the risk warning and loss percentage are displayed correctly.
3. Costs
We record spreads on major pairs during the London and New York sessions, add commission where it applies, and calculate an all-in cost per standard lot. We also compare overnight financing, inactivity and conversion fees.
4. Platforms and tools
We test each platform available to UK clients — desktop, web and mobile — for order types, charting, automation support and stability, along with research and education tools.
5. Payments and support
We check deposit and withdrawal methods, fees and processing times, and contact customer support with specific questions to judge accuracy and speed.
Scoring weights
| Category | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Regulation & safety | 25% | Regulator, legal entity, client money rules, FSCS, history |
| Trading costs | 22% | Spreads, commission, financing, non-trading fees |
| Platforms & tools | 18% | Platform choice, features, stability, mobile |
| Execution | 15% | Order execution policy, slippage, requotes |
| Deposits & withdrawals | 10% | Methods, fees, processing time |
| Support & education | 10% | Availability, quality of answers, learning resources |
Each category is scored out of 5 and combined using the weights above to give the overall rating.
How we stay independent
This site is free to use. We may receive a commission when you open an account through our links. To keep that from influencing reviews, scores are calculated from the criteria on this page, every review lists cons as well as pros, and we update or remove a broker if its regulation, pricing or behaviour changes.
Corrections
Broker conditions change often. If you spot an out-of-date figure, contact us and we'll check it and update the review.
What disqualifies a broker
- No FCA authorisation for the entity that onboards UK retail clients
- FCA warnings, clones we can't distinguish from the real firm, or serious unresolved enforcement action
- Offering UK retail clients leverage above FCA limits, bonuses or crypto CFDs
- Misleading claims about profits or protections
- Repeated, credible reports of blocked withdrawals
What our ratings mean
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 4.5 – 5.0 | Excellent — strong regulation and competitive across most categories |
| 4.0 – 4.4 | Very good — recommended for most traders, with some trade-offs |
| 3.5 – 3.9 | Good — suits specific needs |
| Below 3.5 | Not recommended at this time |
Sources we use
- The FCA Financial Services Register and Warning List
- Brokers' client agreements, key information documents, order execution policies and fee schedules
- Our own account and platform checks
- Direct questions to each broker's support and press teams
Frequently asked questions
Do brokers pay for higher ratings?
No. We may earn a commission when readers open accounts through our links, but the score is calculated from the criteria on this page and commercial relationships don't change it.
How often are reviews updated?
We re-check every review at least once a quarter, and immediately after material changes such as new pricing, a regulatory action or a change of legal entity.
Why do you only list FCA-authorised brokers for UK traders?
Because FCA authorisation is what gives UK retail clients leverage limits, negative balance protection, the Financial Ombudsman and FSCS cover.
CFDs and spread bets are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Most retail investor accounts lose money when trading these products. You should consider whether you understand how they work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.