How it compares

Octa review

Where Octa wins and loses against the rest of the field, spec by spec.

Last checked

Octa loses more of these comparisons than it wins, and it is worth seeing which, because a broker that is behind on cost and ahead on protection may still be the right pick for you. Regulated by CySEC (372/18); Mauritius FSC (GB21027161); FSCA South Africa (FSP 51913); MISA Comoros (T2023320), offering OctaTrader, MetaTrader 5, Octa mobile app.

Our rating

7.3/10

One rating, identical across our sites - only the way it is shown changes. It averages six assessments: regulation, trading costs, platforms, markets, support and education.

What it costs to trade

9.0/10
Spread from
0.6 pips
EUR/USD spread
Approx. 0.9 pips
GBP/USD spread
Approx. 1.1 pips
Commission
$0
All-in cost, EUR/USD
Approx. 0.9 pips
Spread type
Variable
Overnight swap
Swap-free trading; administration fees may apply to qualifying positions/instruments
Withdrawal fee
None internally
Currency conversion
Conversion at applicable exchange rate

Cost comparisons only hold when the account types are the same, so this compares like with like.

Spreads from 0.6 pips suggest an all-in account, where the broker's fee is built into the price rather than charged separately. There is usually no commission on top, which makes the cost easier to predict.

Quoted spreads are best-case figures on the most liquid pair, in normal conditions. What you actually pay widens around news and at the session open.

Octa lists a minimum deposit of $25. Treat it as the cost of opening an account, not the cost of trading one - position sizing on a small balance is what tends to cause damage.

Markets and execution

7.6/10
Markets
Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Metals, Cryptocurrencies
Currency pairs
35+
Total instruments
300+
Crypto CFDs
Yes
Maximum leverage
1:1000
Execution model
Market maker / STP hybrid
Execution speed
Under 100ms
Order types
Market, limit, stop, stop-loss, take-profit, trailing stop
Servers
Global financial data-centre infrastructure

Leverage up to 1:1000 is available on this entity. High leverage does not increase your expected return - it increases position size for the same deposit, and shortens the move needed to close you out.

Octa covers forex, stocks, indices, commodities, metals, cryptocurrencies. A wider range matters less than depth in the instruments you actually trade.

Funding options: bank cards, bank transfer, e-wallets, cryptocurrency and regional payment methods. Check withdrawal routes as well as deposit ones - they are often not the same, and the difference only becomes apparent when you try to take money out.

Platforms and tools

8.3/10
Platforms
OctaTrader, MetaTrader 5, Octa mobile app
Own platform
Yes, OctaTrader
Mobile app
Both proprietary and third-party
Browser trading
Yes
Automated trading
Yes, through MetaTrader 5 Expert Advisors
Copy trading
Yes, Octa Copy
Indicators
30+ proprietary/platform indicators; 38+ MT5 indicators plus custom indicators
Third-party tools
MetaTrader 5
API access
No standard retail API

MetaTrader 5 handles more asset classes and order types than MT4, but expert advisors are not compatible between the two - an MT4 EA will not run on it.

Regulation and safety

7.6/10
Regulated by
CySEC (372/18); Mauritius FSC (GB21027161); FSCA South Africa (FSP 51913); MISA Comoros (T2023320)
Regulator tier
Tier 1
Register entry
CySEC CIF Register, licence 372/18
Client money segregated
Yes
Held at
Regulated banking institutions
Negative balance protection
Yes
Compensation scheme
Investor Compensation Fund up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients; no statutory compensation scheme for international clients
Audited by
Independent external auditors
Not available to
European Union, United Kingdom, United States, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Philippines and other restricted jurisdictions for the international offering

This is the comparison where brokers separate most sharply, and it is rarely close.

Octa holds a tier-one authorisation from CySEC. That matters more than any headline spread: it determines your leverage cap, whether losses can exceed your deposit, and what happens to your money if the firm fails.

It also operates an offshore entity (FSC). Which one you are onboarded to depends on where you live, and the two carry very different protections - worth confirming before you deposit.

CySEC licences passport across the EU and follow the 1:30 retail leverage cap, with the Investor Compensation Fund covering eligible claims.

The FSCA licenses derivative providers in South Africa without a fixed retail leverage cap, so headline leverage is often higher than an FCA or ASIC entity may offer.

An FSC licence (Mauritius or Belize, depending on the entity) is an offshore authorisation with lighter reporting duties than a tier-one regulator.

Check the licence yourself: the CySEC register of investment firms, the Mauritius FSC register of licensees, the FSCA list of regulated entities.

Accounts

Minimum deposit
$25
Account types
OctaTrader, MetaTrader 5, Islamic/Swap-Free, Demo
Account currencies
USD, EUR
Islamic account
Yes
Demo account
Yes
Professional account
No dedicated retail professional account
Minimum trade size
0.01 lots
Time to open
Typically a few minutes

Deposits and withdrawals

Deposit methods
Bank cards, bank transfer, e-wallets, cryptocurrency and regional payment methods
Withdrawal methods
Bank transfer, cards, e-wallets, cryptocurrency and supported local methods
Deposit time
Most electronic methods instant; bank transfers can take several business days
Withdrawal time
Typically processed within 1-3 hours; settlement varies by method
Minimum withdrawal
$5
Local payment methods
Extensive country-specific bank transfers, e-wallets and regional payment systems

Support and education

6.4/10
Support hours
24/7
Contact channels
Live chat, email, Help Centre
Languages
Multilingual
Telephone
N/A
Email
support@octabroker.com
Live chat response
Typically under 2 minutes
Education
Extensive: webinars, trading courses, articles, platform tutorials, videos and forex education
Research
Market news, technical/fundamental analysis, trading ideas, calculators and market insights

The company behind the brand

Legal entity
Octa Markets Ltd
Company number
HY00623410
Headquarters
Limassol, Cyprus
Founded
2011
Publicly listed
No
Parent company
Independent
Employees
500+
Also trades as
Octa; OctaFX

Questions people ask about Octa

How many instruments can I trade at Octa?

Octa lists 300+, across forex, stocks, indices, commodities, metals, cryptocurrencies. A long instrument list is worth little if the ones you actually trade are not on it, so the count matters less than the coverage.

Is Octa a market maker or does it pass orders through?

Octa runs a market maker / STP hybrid model, which means it takes the other side of your trade. That is not dishonest in itself, and it does mean its book and your position point in opposite directions.