How it compares
XM review
Where XM wins and loses against the rest of the field, spec by spec.
Last checked
Put XM against anything else on this site and it wins on more measures than it loses on, which is rarer than the marketing across this industry suggests. Regulated by Belize FSC (8557558); CySEC (120/10); ASIC (AFSL 443670); DFSA (F003484); FSCA (49976), offering MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, XM App.
Our rating
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
9.4/10- Spread from
- 0.8 pips
- EUR/USD spread
- Approx. 0.8 pips
- GBP/USD spread
- Approx. 1.0 pip
- Commission
- $0 on Standard and Ultra Low accounts
- All-in cost, EUR/USD
- Approx. 0.8 pips
- Spread type
- Variable
- Overnight swap
- Both: swaps apply on applicable instruments/accounts; swap-free conditions available
- Inactivity fee
- $10/month after 90 days inactivity
Cost comparisons only hold when the account types are the same, so this compares like with like.
Spreads from 0.8 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.
XM lists a minimum deposit of $5. 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
9.0/10- Markets
- Forex, Cryptocurrencies, Stocks, ETFs, Indices, Commodities, Precious Metals, Energies, Shares, Thematic Indices
- Currency pairs
- 55+
- Total instruments
- 1,400+
- Crypto CFDs
- Yes
- Maximum leverage
- 1:30
- Execution model
- Market maker / principal
- Execution speed
- 99% of orders executed in under 1 second
- Order types
- Market, limit, stop, stop-loss, take-profit, trailing stop
- Servers
- London and global data-centre infrastructure
Leverage is capped at 1:30, which is the retail limit under tier-one regulation. It is a protection rather than a restriction: it caps how quickly a position can move against your balance.
XM covers forex, cryptocurrencies, stocks, etfs, indices, commodities, precious metals, energies, shares, thematic indices. A wider range matters less than depth in the instruments you actually trade.
Funding options: visa, mastercard, bank transfer, electronic payment providers and local 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
9.1/10- Platforms
- MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, XM App
- Own platform
- Yes, XM App
- Mobile app
- Both proprietary and third-party
- Browser trading
- Yes
- Automated trading
- Yes; Expert Advisors and backtesting supported on MT4/MT5
- Copy trading
- Yes, XM Copy Trading
- Indicators
- 30+ MT4; 38+ MT5; additional advanced charting in XM App
- Third-party tools
- VPS, advanced charting and analytical tools
- API access
- No public retail API
MetaTrader 4 remains the most widely supported platform for expert advisors. If you rely on an existing EA, this is usually the deciding factor.
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
9.5/10- Regulated by
- Belize FSC (8557558); CySEC (120/10); ASIC (AFSL 443670); DFSA (F003484); FSCA (49976)
- Regulator tier
- Tier 1
- Register entry
- Belize FSC Register
- Client money segregated
- Yes
- Held at
- Top-tier global banks
- Negative balance protection
- Yes
- Compensation scheme
- ICF up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients
- Audited by
- Independent external auditors
- Not available to
- United States, Canada, Israel, Iran and other sanctioned/restricted jurisdictions
This is the comparison where brokers separate most sharply, and it is rarely close.
XM holds tier-one authorisations from ASIC and 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.
ASIC caps retail leverage at 1:30, requires negative balance protection, and obliges the broker to hold client money in a separate trust account.
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.
Check the licence yourself: the CySEC register of investment firms, ASIC Connect, the DFSA public register, the FSCA list of regulated entities.
Accounts
- Minimum deposit
- $5
- Account types
- Standard, Ultra Low, Shares, Islamic, Demo
- Account currencies
- USD, EUR, GBP, JPY
- Islamic account
- Yes
- Demo account
- Yes
- Professional account
- Yes, where available by jurisdiction
- Minimum trade size
- 0.01 lots
- Time to open
- Approx. 5 minutes
Deposits and withdrawals
- Deposit methods
- Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer, electronic payment providers and local payment methods
- Withdrawal methods
- Credit/debit card, bank transfer, electronic wallets and supported local payment methods
- Deposit time
- Instant for most electronic methods; bank transfer typically 2-5 business days
- Withdrawal time
- Instant/same-day processing where automatically approved; bank wire and cards typically 2-5 business days
- Minimum withdrawal
- $5
- Local payment methods
- Yes, multiple region-specific electronic and local payment methods
Support and education
8.9/10- Support hours
- 24/7
- Contact channels
- Live chat, email, Help Centre
- Languages
- 30+ languages
- Telephone
- +501 223-6696
- support@xmglobal.com
- Live chat response
- Typically within seconds
- Education
- Extensive: Learning Center, live education, webinars, courses, tutorials and educational videos
- Research
- Extensive: news and analysis, analytical tools, market insights and forex calculators
The company behind the brand
- Legal entity
- XM Global Limited
- Company number
- 000261/397
- Headquarters
- Limassol, Cyprus
- Founded
- 2009
- Publicly listed
- No
- Parent company
- Trading Point Group
- Employees
- 1,700+
- Also trades as
- XM; XM Global; Trading Point
Information is regularly updated. Last compiled from XM's own website on 26 August 2026.
Questions people ask about XM
How many instruments can I trade at XM?
XM lists 1,400+, across forex, cryptocurrencies, stocks, etfs, indices, commodities, precious metals, energies, shares, thematic indices. 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 XM a market maker or does it pass orders through?
XM runs a market maker / principal 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.