HFM
Not regulated in your country HFM does not accept residents in Australia because it is not regulated by ASIC.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Pepperstone
Regulated in your country Pepperstone is allowed by ASIC to onboard clients residing in Australia.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders HFM and Pepperstone are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in Australia.Pepperstone is better than HFM for high-volume traders. Professional traders, scalpers and swing traders can choose either Pepperstone or HFM.
| Overall score | HFM 84 | Pepperstone 83 -1 |
|---|---|---|
| Day trading i | ||
| Long-term investing i | ||
| Professional traders i | ||
| High-volume traders i | ||
| Scalpers i | ||
| Swing traders i | ||
| News traders i | ||
| Algo traders i | ||
| Stock traders i | ||
| Crypto traders i | ||
| Futures traders i | ||
| Options traders i |
Regulation
What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise HFM and the ones that supervise Pepperstone.Only Pepperstone is regulated in Australia, by ASIC. HFM holds no licence in Australia and is regulated by CySEC and the FCA (United Kingdom).
| Section score | HFM 100 | Pepperstone 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 regulators | ||
| ESMA (European Union) i | ||
| FCA (United Kingdom) i | ||
| ASIC (Australia) i | ||
| CFTC (United States) i | ||
| NFA (United States) i | ||
| SEC (United States) i | ||
| CIRO (Canada) i | ||
| MAS (Singapore) i | ||
| SFC (Hong Kong) i | ||
| JFSA (Japan) i | ||
| FINMA (Switzerland) i | ||
| Tier-2 regulators | ||
| FMA (New Zealand) i | ||
| CBR (Russia) i | ||
| FSCA (South Africa) i | ||
| DFSA (Dubai) i | ||
| CSRC (China) i | ||
| ISA (Israel) i | ||
| LFSA (Malaysia) i | ||
| JSC (Jordan) i | ||
| CMA (Kenya) i | ||
| Tier-3 regulators | ||
| FSA (Seychelles) i | ||
| MMA (Maldives) i | ||
| SCB (Bahamas) i | ||
| FSC (Mauritius) i | ||
| VFSC (Vanuatu) i | ||
| FSC (Belize) i | ||
| CIMA (Cayman Islands) i | ||
| SV FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) i | ||
| FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) i | ||
| BMA (Bermuda) i | ||
| BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) i | ||
| EDR (External Dispute Resolution) i | ||
Safety
What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that HFM and Pepperstone have in place to protect your money in Australia.Both HFM and Pepperstone offer segregated client funds and two-factor authentication. HFM also offers additional money insurance.
| Section score | HFM 74 Best | Pepperstone 65 -9 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 2010 | 2010 |
| Parent company i | HF Markets Group | Pepperstone Group Limited |
| CEO i | Domluke Da Silva | Tamas Szabo |
| Money safety | ||
| Segregated client funds i | ||
| Two-factor authentication i | ||
| Investor compensation scheme i | ||
| Additional money insurance i | ||
| Partner bank i | N/A | N/A |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 3,500,000 | 909,000 |
| Annual revenue i | US$13,000,000 | |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 1.3M monthly visits | |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with HFM and with Pepperstone in Australia, both on each trade and on holding the account.Pepperstone is better than HFM for costs, given that Pepperstone is cheaper on EUR/USD, at US$9 per lot (against HFM's US$10.5), has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.21 points (against HFM's 0.32 points), and charges lower Bitcoin CFD fees, at US$15 (against HFM's US$39). Neither HFM nor Pepperstone charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
| Section score | HFM 59 -15 | Pepperstone 74 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Broker fees | ||
| Deposit fees i | ||
| Withdrawal fees i | ||
| Overnight fees i | ||
| Inactivity fees i | ||
| Currency conversion fees i | ||
| Discounts on volume i | ||
| Real time market data fee i | ||
| Dividend withholding i | ||
| Account opening fees i | ||
| Account maintenance fee i | ||
| Portfolio management fee i | ||
| Fees on CFDs | ||
| Forex commission per lot i | US$6 | US$7 |
| EUR/USD average standard spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average raw spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average fixed spread i | ||
| EUR/USD total cost per lot i | US$10.5 | US$9 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.4 points | 0.5 points |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.32 points | 0.21 points |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | US$39 | US$15 |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | US$0.1 | US$0.02 |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission, Percentage | Commission, Percentage |
| US stocks fees (real) i | ||
| ETF fees (real) i | ||
| Management costs i | ||
| Connection costs i | ||
| Fees on futures | ||
| Futures fees per contract i | ||
| Platform fees i | ||
| Fees on options | ||
| Options fees per contract i | ||
| Event fees i | ||
| Fees on savings plans | ||
| IRA opening fee i | ||
| IRA maintenance fee i | ||
| 401k opening fee i | ||
| 401k maintenance fee i | ||
Available markets
What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with HFM and with Pepperstone in Australia, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.There is little between HFM and Pepperstone on available markets. Both HFM and Pepperstone offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, ETFs, forex, indices and stocks. Pepperstone goes a step further, as it gives access to 1,350 tradable symbols (against HFM's 500).
| Section score | HFM 75 | Pepperstone 75 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 500 | 1,350 |
| Currency pairs i | ||
| Indices i | ||
| Commodities i | ||
| Stocks i | ||
| ETF i | ||
| Cryptocurrencies i | ||
| Bonds i | ||
| Interest rates i | ||
| Portfolios i | ||
| CFDs i | Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks | Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks |
| Futures i | ||
| Options i | ||
| Assets you can own i |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that HFM and Pepperstone make available to their clients in Australia.Pepperstone is better than HFM for platforms, because Pepperstone offers a proprietary platform, cTrader and TradingView, which HFM does not. HFM and Pepperstone both offer MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4.
| Section score | HFM 71 -26 | Pepperstone 97 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary platform i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 i | ||
| cTrader i | ||
| Social trading platform i | ||
| Copy trading platform i | ||
| ZuluTrade i | ||
| TradingView i | ||
| Duplitrade i | ||
| Mirror Trader i | ||
| NinjaTrader i | ||
| AutoChartist i | ||
| Real time pricing i | ||
| 5 digit pricing i | ||
| One-click trading i |
Mobile
What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of HFM and Pepperstone in Australia, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.HFM is better than Pepperstone for mobile trading, given that HFM offers a social trading app and a copy trading app, which Pepperstone does not. HFM and Pepperstone both offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 5 app.
| Section score | HFM 93 Best | Pepperstone 86 -7 |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary app i | ||
| Social trading app i | ||
| Copy trading app i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 app i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 app i | ||
| cTrader app i | ||
| Mobile trading signals i | ||
| Mobile alerts i | ||
| Mobile charting tools i | ||
| Mobile drawing tools i | ||
| Mobile watchlist i | ||
| Smartwatch app i |
Trading features
What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that HFM and Pepperstone allow on their platforms in Australia.HFM and Pepperstone are equally good for trading features, since HFM offers guaranteed stop losses while Pepperstone allows for high-frequency trading. Both HFM and Pepperstone offer negative balance protection and trailing stops. The leverage shown for HFM is set by its Saint Vincent and the Grenadines entity and exceeds the retail limit in Australia (30:1 on major currency pairs).
| Section score | HFM 89 | Pepperstone 87 -2 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | NDD | Hybrid |
| Average execution time i | 50 ms | |
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | 0.08% | |
| Tier-1 liquidity providers i | ||
| PFOF i | ||
| Leverage | ||
| Major FX pairs leverage i | 2000:1 | 30:1 |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 2000:1 | 20:1 |
| Major indices leverage i | 1000:1 | 20:1 |
| Minor indices leverage i | 500:1 | 10:1 |
| Gold leverage i | 2000:1 | 20:1 |
| Commodities leverage i | 500:1 | 10:1 |
| Equities leverage i | 5:1 | 5:1 |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | 1000:1 | 2:1 |
| Risk management | ||
| Stop losses i | ||
| Take profits i | ||
| Limit orders i | ||
| Trailing stop i | ||
| Margin call i | ||
| OCO orders i | ||
| Guaranteed stop loss i | ||
| Negative balance protection i | ||
| Minimum trade size (FX) i | 0.01 lots | 0.01 lots |
| Minimum trade size (stocks) i | US$0 | US$1 |
| Fractional stocks i | ||
| Trading compliance | ||
| Scalping strategies allowed i | ||
| Hedging strategies allowed i | ||
| Automated trading strategy allowed i | ||
| EAs use allowed i | ||
| HFT strategy allowed i | ||
| VPS use allowed i | ||
| API use allowed i | ||
| Price scraping allowed i | ||
| FIFO rule applies i | ||
Account types
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at HFM and at Pepperstone in Australia, and of who each one is meant for.HFM is better than Pepperstone for account types, given that HFM offers an ECN account, an unlimited demo account and a micro account, which Pepperstone does not. Both HFM and Pepperstone offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
| Section score | HFM 97 Best | Pepperstone 77 -20 |
|---|---|---|
| Demo account i | ||
| Unlimited demo account i | ||
| Standard account i | ||
| Micro account i | ||
| Cent account i | ||
| Nano account i | ||
| Raw spread account i | ||
| ECN account i | ||
| Swap-free account i | ||
| Islamic account i | ||
| Professional traders account i | ||
| Fixed spread account i | ||
| Spread betting account i | ||
| Copy trading account i | ||
| Corporate account i | ||
| Managed account i | ||
| Stock investing account i | ||
| Margin investing account i | ||
| Savings account i | ||
| Retirement account i |
Account opening
What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with HFM and with Pepperstone in Australia.Pepperstone is better than HFM for account opening, because Pepperstone offers 6 account base currencies (against HFM's 2), supports 3 e-wallets (against HFM's 2), and credits deposits faster, within the same day (against HFM's 1 day). Neither HFM nor Pepperstone requires a minimum deposit. HFM holds no licence in Australia.
| Section score | HFM 80 -5 | Pepperstone 85 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | US$0 | US$0 |
| Minimum withdrawal i | US$0 | US$0 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | Neteller, Skrill | PayPal, Neteller, Skrill |
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | EUR, USD | USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, SGD, HKD |
| Deposit waiting time i | up to 1 business days | Instant |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 2 business days | up to 2 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of HFM and Pepperstone in Australia, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Pepperstone is better than HFM for customer care, given that Pepperstone offers customer support in 10 languages (against HFM's 1). Both HFM and Pepperstone offer a dedicated account manager and phone support.
| Section score | HFM 75 -3 | Pepperstone 78 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 16 | 10 |
| Website languages i | Arabic, German, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, Chinese | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | English | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese |
| Customer support in English i | ||
| Call back request i | ||
| Email support i | ||
| Phone support i | ||
| Live chat i | ||
| Priority customer support i | ||
| Dedicated account manager i | ||
| Cash sweep i | ||
| Stock lending i | ||
| Distributes proceeds i | ||
| Tax withholding agent i | ||
| Tax assistance i |
Learning
What we compare A comparison of the educational material that HFM and Pepperstone provide to their clients in Australia.HFM is better than Pepperstone for learning, because HFM offers professional reports and a glossary, which Pepperstone does not. Both HFM and Pepperstone offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
| Section score | HFM 100 Best | Pepperstone 84 -16 |
|---|---|---|
| Education | ||
| Education center i | ||
| Education for beginners i | ||
| Education for advanced traders i | ||
| Webinars i | ||
| Tutorials i | ||
| Glossary i | ||
| Research | ||
| Economic calendar i | ||
| Traders' sentiment i | ||
| Daily market commentary i | ||
| Daily trading ideas i | ||
| News via social media i | ||
| Professional reports i | ||
| Watchlist i | ||
HFM vs Pepperstone: which one should you choose?
HFM
CFD/FX Choose HFM if you want a CFD and forex broker with cent accounts, micro accounts and ECN accounts and live in a country where it is licensed to operate.
Not licensed in Australia CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Pepperstone
CFD/FX Choose Pepperstone if you want an online CFD broker regulated in Australia by ASIC, with cTrader, TradingView and a proprietary trading platform.
Open Account CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.Other popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include HFM or Pepperstone, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
