Markets.com
Not regulated in your country Markets.com 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.
Plus500
Regulated in your country Plus500 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 Markets.com and Plus500 are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in Australia.Markets.com is better than Plus500 for professional traders, high-volume traders and scalpers. Swing traders, news traders and CFD stock traders can choose either Markets.com or Plus500.
| Overall score | Markets.com 80 Best | Plus500 75 -5 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Markets.com and the ones that supervise Plus500.Only Plus500 is regulated in Australia, by ASIC. Markets.com holds no licence in Australia and is regulated by CySEC.
| Section score | Markets.com 90 -10 | Plus500 100 Best |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Markets.com and Plus500 have in place to protect your money in Australia.Both Markets.com and Plus500 offer segregated client funds and two-factor authentication.
| Section score | Markets.com 72 | Plus500 72 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 2008 | 2008 |
| Parent company i | Finalto | Plus500 Ltd |
| CEO i | Andreas Kyriacou | David Zruia |
| 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 | 4,700,000 | 33,000,000 |
| Annual revenue i | US$768,000,000 | US$768,300,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | ||
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with Markets.com and with Plus500 in Australia, both on each trade and on holding the account.Markets.com and Plus500 are equally good for costs, as Markets.com has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.5 points (against Plus500's 0.75 points), and charges lower Bitcoin CFD fees, at US$50 (against Plus500's US$118.34). On the other hand, Plus500 is cheaper on EUR/USD, at US$8 per lot (against Markets.com's US$10), and has tighter S&P 500 CFD spreads, at 0.7 points (against Markets.com's 1 point). Neither Markets.com nor Plus500 charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
| Section score | Markets.com 62 -2 | Plus500 64 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Free | Free |
| 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 | US$8 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 1 points | 0.7 points |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.5 points | 0.75 points |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | US$50 | US$118.34 |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | US$0.35 | Free |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Spread | Spread |
| 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 Markets.com and with Plus500 in Australia, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.Markets.com is better than Plus500 for available markets. Both Markets.com and Plus500 offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks.
| Section score | Markets.com 85 Best | Plus500 75 -10 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 2,200 | 2,800 |
| Currency pairs i | ||
| Indices i | ||
| Commodities i | ||
| Stocks i | ||
| ETF i | ||
| Cryptocurrencies i | ||
| Bonds i | ||
| Interest rates i | ||
| Portfolios i | ||
| CFDs i | Commodities, Crypto, 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 Markets.com and Plus500 make available to their clients in Australia.Markets.com is better than Plus500 for platforms, because Markets.com offers MetaTrader 4 and social trading, which Plus500 does not. Both Markets.com and Plus500 offer a proprietary platform and one-click trading.
| Section score | Markets.com 89 Best | Plus500 72 -17 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Markets.com and Plus500 in Australia, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Markets.com is better than Plus500 for mobile trading, given that Markets.com offers the MetaTrader 4 app, mobile trading signals and a mobile watchlist, which Plus500 does not. Markets.com and Plus500 both offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
| Section score | Markets.com 93 Best | Plus500 74 -19 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Markets.com and Plus500 allow on their platforms in Australia.Markets.com is better than Plus500 for trading features, since Markets.com offers API access, which Plus500 does not, and allows for scalping and automated trading. Markets.com and Plus500 both offer negative balance protection and trailing stops. The leverage shown for Markets.com 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 | Markets.com 77 Best | Plus500 67 -10 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | Agency | Agency |
| Average execution time i | 0.35 ms | |
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | ||
| Tier-1 liquidity providers i | ||
| PFOF i | ||
| Leverage | ||
| Major FX pairs leverage i | 1000:1 | 30:1 |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 500:1 | 20:1 |
| Major indices leverage i | 200:1 | 20:1 |
| Minor indices leverage i | 200:1 | 10:1 |
| Gold leverage i | 1000:1 | 20:1 |
| Commodities leverage i | 150:1 | 10:1 |
| Equities leverage i | 10:1 | 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 Markets.com and at Plus500 in Australia, and of who each one is meant for.Markets.com is better than Plus500 for account types, given that Markets.com offers a corporate account, an Islamic account and a swap-free account, which Plus500 does not. Both Markets.com and Plus500 offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
| Section score | Markets.com 64 Best | Plus500 38 -26 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Markets.com and with Plus500 in Australia.Plus500 is better than Markets.com for account opening, given that Plus500 requires a lower minimum deposit, at US$70 (against Markets.com's US$100), and credits deposits faster, within the same day (against Markets.com's 1 day). Markets.com and Plus500 both offer credit cards and debit cards. Markets.com holds no licence in Australia.
| Section score | Markets.com 62 -7 | Plus500 69 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | US$100 | US$70 |
| Minimum withdrawal i | US$0 | US$100 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | PayPal, Skrill | |
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | EUR, USD | AUD |
| Deposit waiting time i | up to 1 business days | Instant |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 2 business days | up to 3 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of Markets.com and Plus500 in Australia, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Plus500 is better than Markets.com for customer care, since Plus500 has a website in 29 languages (against Markets.com's 9), and offers a dedicated account manager and priority support, which Markets.com does not. Both Markets.com and Plus500 offer live chat and email support.
| Section score | Markets.com 58 -13 | Plus500 71 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 9 | 29 |
| Website languages i | Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese | Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | Arabic, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish | English |
| 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 Markets.com and Plus500 provide to their clients in Australia.Markets.com is better than Plus500 for learning, because Markets.com offers professional reports and daily market commentary, which Plus500 does not. Both Markets.com and Plus500 offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
| Section score | Markets.com 100 Best | Plus500 80 -20 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
Markets.com vs Plus500: which one should you choose?
Markets.com
CFD/FX Choose Markets.com if you want a CFD and forex broker for scalping, with MetaTrader 4 and fast execution 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.
Plus500
CFD/FX Choose Plus500 if you want an online CFD broker regulated in Australia by ASIC, with a wide choice of markets, guaranteed stop-loss orders and conditions for high-volume trading.
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 Markets.com or Plus500, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
