Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers: leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers: real shares and ETFs you own outright.
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.
XM
Not regulated in your country XM 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.
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders Pepperstone and XM are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in Australia.Pepperstone is better than XM for professional traders and high-volume traders. XM, on the other hand, is better for long-term investors. Both are a good fit for scalpers, swing traders and news traders.
| Overall score | Pepperstone 83 Best not offered | XM 74 -9 73 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Pepperstone and the ones that supervise XM.Only Pepperstone is regulated in Australia, by ASIC. XM holds no licence in Australia and is regulated by CySEC.
| Section score | Pepperstone 100 Best not offered | XM 90 -10 90 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Pepperstone and XM have in place to protect your money in Australia.Both Pepperstone and XM offer segregated client funds and two-factor authentication.
| Section score | Pepperstone 65 not offered | XM 65 65 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 2010 | 2009 |
| Parent company i | Pepperstone Group Limited | Trading Point Holdings |
| CEO i | Tamas Szabo | Tasos Anastasiou |
| 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 | 909,000 | 20,000,000 |
| Annual revenue i | US$13,000,000 | US$1,000,000,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 1.3M monthly visits | |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with Pepperstone and with XM in Australia, both on each trade and on holding the account.Pepperstone is better than XM for CFD/FX costs, as Pepperstone is cheaper on EUR/USD, at US$9 per lot (against XM's US$20), has tighter S&P 500 CFD spreads, at 0.5 points (against XM's 0.6 points), and has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.21 points (against XM's 0.55 points). Neither Pepperstone nor XM charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so XM and Pepperstone cannot be compared for real stock costs.
| Section score | Pepperstone 74 Best not offered | XM 26 -48 72 |
|---|---|---|
| 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$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$9 | US$20 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.5 points | 0.6 points |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.21 points | 0.55 points |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | US$15 | US$40 |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | US$0.02 | Free |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission, Percentage | Commission, Percentage, Spread |
| US stocks fees (real) i | US$2.8 | |
| 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 Pepperstone and with XM in Australia, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.There is little between Pepperstone and XM on CFD/FX markets. Both Pepperstone and XM offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, ETFs, forex, indices and stocks. XM goes a step further, as it gives access to 1,400 tradable symbols (against Pepperstone's 1,350), and lets you own stocks outright.
XM and Pepperstone cannot be set side by side for real stock markets, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike XM.
| Section score | Pepperstone 75 not offered | XM 75 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 1,350 | 1,400 |
| 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 | Stocks |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that Pepperstone and XM make available to their clients in Australia.Pepperstone is better than XM for platforms, as Pepperstone offers a proprietary platform, cTrader and social trading, which XM does not. Pepperstone and XM both offer MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4.
XM and Pepperstone cannot be compared for platforms, because XM is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Pepperstone is a CFD broker.
| Section score | Pepperstone 97 Best not offered | XM 63 -34 63 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Pepperstone and XM in Australia, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Pepperstone and XM are close on mobile trading, as both offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 5 app. Pepperstone goes a step further, as it offers the cTrader app.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so XM and Pepperstone cannot be compared for mobile trading.
| Section score | Pepperstone 86 not offered | XM 86 86 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Pepperstone and XM allow on their platforms in Australia.Pepperstone and XM are equally good for CFD/FX trading features, since Pepperstone executes orders faster, within 50 ms (against XM's 66 ms). On the other hand, XM reports no requotes (against Pepperstone's 0.08%). Both Pepperstone and XM offer negative balance protection and trailing stops. The leverage shown for XM is set by its Belize entity and exceeds the retail limit in Australia (30:1 on major currency pairs).
XM and Pepperstone cannot be set side by side for real stock trading features, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike XM.
| Section score | Pepperstone 87 not offered | XM 87 77 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | Hybrid | Agency |
| Average execution time i | 50 ms | 66 ms |
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | 0.08% | 0% |
| Tier-1 liquidity providers i | ||
| PFOF i | ||
| Leverage | ||
| Major FX pairs leverage i | 30:1 | 1000:1 |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 20:1 | 1000:1 |
| Major indices leverage i | 20:1 | 500:1 |
| Minor indices leverage i | 10:1 | 250:1 |
| Gold leverage i | 20:1 | 1000:1 |
| Commodities leverage i | 10:1 | 400:1 |
| Equities leverage i | 5:1 | 20:1 |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | 2:1 | 1000:1 |
| 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$1 | US$0 |
| 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 Pepperstone and at XM in Australia, and of who each one is meant for.Pepperstone is better than XM for CFD/FX account types, given that Pepperstone offers a professional traders account, a copy trading account and a raw spread account, which XM does not. Both Pepperstone and XM offer a demo account and a corporate account.
XM and Pepperstone cannot be compared for real stock account types, because XM is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Pepperstone is a CFD broker.
| Section score | Pepperstone 77 Best not offered | XM 60 -17 68 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Pepperstone and with XM in Australia.XM is better than Pepperstone for account opening, because XM offers 10 account base currencies (against Pepperstone's 6), pays out withdrawals faster, within 1 day (against Pepperstone's 2 days), and offers a bonus program, which Pepperstone does not. That said, Pepperstone asks for no minimum deposit at all (against XM's US$5). XM holds no licence in Australia.
There is no like-for-like comparison for account opening, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks. XM holds no licence in Australia.
| Section score | Pepperstone 85 -10 not offered | XM 95 Best 95 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | US$0 | US$5 |
| Minimum withdrawal i | US$0 | US$5 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | PayPal, Neteller, Skrill | Neteller, Skrill |
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, SGD, HKD | AUD, CHF, EUR, GBP, HUF, PLN, RUB, SGD, USD, ZAR |
| Deposit waiting time i | Instant | Instant |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 2 business days | up to 1 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of Pepperstone and XM in Australia, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Pepperstone and XM are equally good for customer care, as Pepperstone offers priority support. On the other hand, XM offers customer support in 20 languages (against Pepperstone's 10), and has a website in 19 languages (against Pepperstone's 9). Pepperstone and XM both offer a dedicated account manager and phone support.
XM and Pepperstone cannot be set side by side for customer care, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike XM.
| Section score | Pepperstone 78 not offered | XM 78 78 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 10 | 20 |
| Website languages i | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese | Arabic, Czech, German, Greek, English, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese | Arabic, Czech, German, Greek, English, French, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, 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 Pepperstone and XM provide to their clients in Australia.XM is better than Pepperstone for learning, as XM offers a glossary, which Pepperstone does not. Pepperstone and XM both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
Only XM can be assessed for learning, since Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Pepperstone 84 -4 not offered | XM 88 Best 88 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
Pepperstone vs XM: which one should you choose?
Pepperstone
CFD/FX Choose Pepperstone if you want a CFD and forex broker regulated in Australia by ASIC, with cTrader, TradingView and fast execution.
Open Account CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
XM
CFD/FX Choose XM if you want an online CFD broker with fast withdrawals, micro accounts and corporate accounts and live in a country where it is licensed to operate.
Stocks Choose XM if you want a share dealing service with stocks to own 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.Other popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include Pepperstone or XM, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
