Best CFD Brokers In The UK 2023 – Compare The Top CFD Trading Platform UK

Contracts for Difference (CFDs) are massively popular trade instruments. And in this guide, we will tell you about the best CFD brokers in the UK. These grant traders access to thousands of CFD instruments associated with such assets as commodities, forex, equities, and more.

This guide compares the different top CFD trading platforms in the UK, contrasting their key features and helping you identify the one that works best for you. It also introduces you to the key features that you must put into consideration when vetting CFD brokerages.

 

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Below, we discuss each of the above popular CFD brokers in detail and tell you everything you need to know about how they work. We will cover such factors as the ease of trading on the platform, cost of trading, supported CFD assets, trading tools, and customer support.

A Closer Look At The Best CFD Brokers UK  

There currently are hundreds of online CFD trading platforms operating in the UK today. And when vetting these brokers and coming up with this list, our analysts paid special attention to such critical factors as their regulation and reputation, the efficiency of their trading platforms, and affordability.

Here is a detailed overview of the 10 most popular CFD brokers in the UK.

1. eToro – Overall Best CFD Brokerage in the UK 

eToro is one of the most popular CFD brokers in the UK. Established in 2007, it has already onboarded over 25 million online traders across the world who are primarily drawn in by its appeal to beginner and expert traders.

But they could also be drawn in by its reputation and the fact that it supports a wide range of assets. In the UK, for instance, eToro is licensed and regulated by the FCA. It also gives you access to 3000+ CFD assets, including forex, indices, commodities, stocks, and ETFs.

eToro also makes it here because it has one of the smoothest client onboarding processes and a highly intuitive user interface. Plus, it maintains affordable deposit/trading minimums – set at $10. This can be deposited through a host of supported payment options, including bank transfers, credit cards, debit cards, and eWallets like PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller.

The broker then facilitates trading through its proprietary web and mobile trader. Here, you will have access to some of the most advanced trading, analysis, and risk management tools. You will also have access to leverages between 1:5 and 1:30 – depending on your preferred trading instrument.

Since it is a commission-free broker, you will only have to pay variable spreads when trading CFDs on eToro. But you may also have to pay equally variable swap fees for leveraged trades that remain open overnight.

Other factors that make eToro one of the best CFD brokers in the UK include the integration of social and copy trading tools. These make passive earning for both beginner and expert traders on the platform possible. Through copy trading, beginner traders can make money by copying the trade settings of expert traders. PRO traders, on the other hand, earn passively when they receive 20% as commission from profits made from their copied trades.

Pros:

• ✅ Overall the best CFD broker in the UK 
• ✅ The broker allows you to trade real stocks and cryptocurrencies commission-free
• ✅ eToro integrates a lot of free educational content and demo accounts to help beginner traders
• ✅ In addition to copying trade strategies, you could diversify investment by copying smart portfolios
• ✅ eToro maintains a transparent pricing structure

Cons:

• ❌ eToro has only one base currency – the USD.
• ❌ eToro has several overhead fees, including withdrawal charges, inactivity, and currency conversion fees.

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

2. Plus500 – One Of The Most Experienced CFD Broker in the UK 

Plus500 is one of the most experienced-friendly online trading platforms on our list of best CFD brokers in the UK. It has a straightforward account opening process, supports a wide range of payment methods, and its native web, and mobile app trading platforms are highly intuitive and user-friendly.

But this isn’t the only reason why we feature Plus500 among the most popular CFD brokers in the UK. It also makes it here because of its solid reputation, as evidenced by its regulation by the FCA and the fact that it is listed with the LSE. Additionally, it supports a decent range of CFD contracts – as many as 2800 instruments – in the form of stocks, commodities, forex, indices, ETFs, and options.

To start trading these CFDs on the brokerage, you will need to deposit a minimum of £100, and the broker doesn’t charge any deposit fees or commission. And when trading, you will have access to a broad range of research, analysis, and risk management tools. You will also have access to leverages between 1:5 and 1:30, depending on your preferred CFD asset.

Pros: 

• ✅ Plus500 offers Advanced risk management tools.
• ✅ Plus500 UK LTD holds client funds on a segregated basis, in accordance with the FCA's client money rules. Customers cannot lose more than the funds they have in their account.
• ✅ Plus500 charges 0% commissions and competitive spreads for all CFD trades.
• ✅ The broker’s ultra-fast transaction processing speeds guarantee real quotes.

Cons: 

• ❌ Plus500 doesn’t support third-party trading platforms.
• ❌ The broker maintains a relatively high initial deposit limit.

3. Capital.com – Best CFD Broker with Access to Thousands of Markets 

Capital.com makes it to this list of best CFDs in the UK because of its innovativeness and access to thousands of markets. The commission-free broker, for starters, gives its platform users access to 6000+ CFD contracts for such assets as stocks, commodities, ETFs, Forex, and indices.

It also maintains some of the fastest transaction processing speeds and has also embedded the AI (artificial intelligence) tool into its trading platform. The tool also comes in handy, helping traders eliminate bias when trading by offering post-trade behaviour analysis.

Capital.com is a pure-CFD broker, and it also makes it here because of its user-friendliness. For starters, it maintains a smooth and straightforward onboarding process. Further, you only need to deposit $20 to start trading. Margin trading with leverages of between 1:5 and 1:30 then lets you open large trades with relatively small amounts.

Since Capital.com is a commission-free broker, you will only pay variable and highly competitive spreads when trading CFDs on the platform. You will also pay equally variable and competitive carry-over fees for leverage trades that remain open overnight.

Other factors that make Capital.com one of the best brokerages include its support for a wide range of payment options. Plus, the fact that it supports a wide range of trading platforms, including their native web and app traders, MT4, and TradingView.

Pros: 

• ✅ Rich in educational content for beginners, including a demo account.
• ✅ Supported trading platforms integrate a wide range of advanced trading, analysis, and risk management tools.
• ✅ Highly reputable broker licensed and regulated by the FCA.
• ✅ Capital.com maintains a highly accessible customer support team, available online and on the phone.

Cons:

• ❌ The broker only offers CFD assets – no real stocks.
• ❌ One may consider the stock and ETF trading fees high.

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

4. AvaTrade – Best Commission-Free CFD Broker in the UK 

AvaTrade is one of the most popular zero-commission CFD brokers in the UK. Like most of the online trading platforms in this list, AvaTrade is a multi-asset and multi-platform brokerage offering its platform users access to 1000+ CFD contracts.

These are derived from both the UK and international markets and include stocks, forex, commodities, ETFs, indices, bonds, and options. But unlike most other popular CFD brokers in the UK, AvaTrade offers spread betting – allowing UK traders to make money online without being burdened with capital gains.

To start trading CFDs on AvaTrade, however, you will first need to create an investor account and deposit a minimum of £100. These can be made via such supported payment methods as debit cards, credit cards, bank transfers, and eWallets like Skrill and Neteller. The broker charges no deposit fee, and when trading, you will only pay competitive spreads and overnight fees.

Other factors that make AvaTrade one of the best CFD brokers in the UK include the fact it lets you interact with a wide range of trading platforms. These include their proprietor web trader, AvaTrade GO app, and AvaOption. Its accounts can also be accessed via MT4, which supports automated trading, as well as DupliTrade and ZuluTrade – both of which allow copy trading.

Pros: 

• ✅ All AvaTrade trading platforms integrate the widest range of educational resources and advanced trading tools.
• ✅ AvaTrade provides users with a free demo account with £100,000 in virtual funds.
• ✅ AvaTrade is a multi-regulated brokerage licensed by the FCA in the UK.
• ✅ The broker maintains a responsive customer support team online, on-phone, and via live chat.

Cons: 

• ❌ You cannot trade real assets like stocks on AvaTrade.
• ❌ The broker maintains relatively high deposit/trade minimums.

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

5. IG – Popular CFD Broker with 18000 CFD Instruments 

We feature IG on our list of best CFD brokers in the UK primarily because it provides its platform users with the widest range of CFD contracts. Here you get to interact with as many as 18000 contracts for stocks, forex, commodities, futures, options, bonds, indices, and interest rates.

This leading UK CFD broker supports spread betting, which doesn’t require traders to pay capital gains tax. But IG also makes it here because it lets you invest in real stocks – both UK and international stocks.

CFD trading on IG is commission-free. You will only have to pay a variable spread and overnight fee for leveraged trades that remain open at the end of the day. For such margined trades, leverage ranges from 1:5 to 1:30 for retail traders, depending on the asset. Trading real stocks, on the other hand, attract a commission of between £3 and £8 per position – depending on your 30-day trading volume.

Several other factors make IG one of the top CFD brokers in the UK. These include its reputation, as evidenced by its licensing and regulation by such tier-1 authorities as FCA. It is one of the few CFD brokers on our list that is listed with and publicly traded at the LSE. Additionally, it is a multi-trader platform available on both proprietary platforms as well as the versatile MT4.

Pros: 

• ✅ IG supports the widest range of payment options and doesn’t charge a deposit fee.
• ✅ The IG trading platforms appeal to both beginners and experts and even offer a free demo account.
• ✅ IG maintains an easily accessible and highly responsive customer support team.

Cons:

• ❌ One may consider the £250 initial deposit limit prohibitive.
• ❌ Does not offer fractional trade when trading real stocks.

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

6. CMC Markets – Top CFD Broker in the UK with Competitive Fees

Several key factors help CMC Markets stand out and make it to our index of best CFD brokers in the UK. For starters, the broker supports one of the widest ranges of CFD contracts – as much as 12000 – drawn from such instruments as stocks (both UK and international), forex, ETFs, commodities, and indices.

Additionally, unlike most other online trading platforms operating in the UK, CMC Markets doesn’t have a minimum deposit limit.

All the CFDs are also traded commission-free on the online brokerage – except stocks and ETFs that attract a broker commission – starting from 0.10% of the trade amount. The only other fee you have to contend with when trading CFDs here is the competitive spread and swap fees.

The multi-regulated broker runs its own native trading platform. Together with the CMC Markets website, they are rich in educational resources for beginners and integrate a wide variety of advanced research, analysis, and risk-management tools.

Each CMC Markets trader will even have access to a free demo account with £10,000 in virtual funds. The native platforms are then complemented by the universal MT4 trading platform, which supports automated trading.

Pros: 

• ✅ CMC Markets is regulated by the FCA, and its UK client deposits are insured with the FSCS.
• ✅ CMC Markets maintains a responsive customer support team available online and on-phone.
• ✅ The broker maintains a highly transparent pricing structure and no hidden costs.
• ✅ CMC Markets offers negative balance protection for its CFD traders.

Cons: 

• ❌ You cannot trade real stocks or crypto on CMC Markets.

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

7. Pepperstone – Popular CFD Broker with ECN-Like Spreads 

Pepperstone is one of the most popular CFD brokers in the UK among active traders. And much of this is attributable to its Razor spread account that guarantees the lowest spreads and competitive commissions.

On this account, for example, spreads for such popular assets as the EUR/USD Forex pair often drop to 0.0 pips. It also guarantees some of the fastest transaction processing speeds, though you will have to pay a £3.50 commission per lot.

Retail traders, on the other hand, get to use their zero-commission standard account. Here, you will only have to pay a competitive spread and possible overnight fees when trading these CFDs.

In both instances, traders have access to 1200+ CFD contracts drawn from such assets as stocks, forex, commodities, ETFs, and indices. They all can be margin traded with leveraged of between 1:5 and 1:30 - depending on the preferred asset. These are also traded via such universal trading platforms as MT4, MT5, TradingView, and cTrader.

Pros: 

• ✅ Pepperstone has a straightforward account opening process with no minimum deposit limit.
• ✅ The broker’s razor account offers ECN-like spreads.
• ✅ It supports major platforms that integrate advanced trading tools like algo-traders and copy trading.
• ✅ Pepperstone is a multi-regulated broker licensed by the FCA.

Cons:

• ❌ Pepperstone doesn’t have a proprietary trading platform.

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

8. Skilling – Best CFD Broker in the UK with a Highly Effective Mobile Trading App 

We also include Skilling in our basket of top CFD brokers in the UK because it has one of the most intuitive and user-friendly mobile trading apps. It is also highly efficient and allows traders to perform complex functions – as they would on the web trader.

The broker, for instance, makes it possible for its traders to perform technical analysis on its mobile app. It also integrates customizable charts, is easily navigable, and maintains some of the fastest trader execution speeds.

But an efficient app isn’t the only reason we feature the Skilling app here. We also list it here because it gives its platform users access to 900+ CFD contracts, including stocks, commodities, forex, and indices.

To start trading these, you will need to create a trader account and deposit a minimum of £100. All the listed CFD contracts can, however, be margin-traded with leverages of between 1:5 and 1:30, depending on your preferred asset.

Importantly, we feature Skilling among the best CFD brokers in the UK because of its affordability. The broker charges no commission on CFD trades and maintains highly competitive spreads – starting from 0.7 pips for the all-popular EUR/USD forex pair. It doesn’t charge deposit/withdrawal processing fees, but you may have to part with carry-over fees for leveraged trades that remain open overnight.

Pros:

• ✅ Skilling is a multi-platform broker available in native web and app traders as well as MT4 and cTrader.
• ✅ Supports all the popular payment options.
• ✅ The broker is regulated by FCA and insures client deposits with FSCS.

Cons:

• ❌ Skilling has a comparatively smaller CFD asset library.
• ❌ One may consider the £100 deposit minimum prohibitive.

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

9. XTB – Popular CFD Broker With Some of the Lowest Spreads 

XTB makes it to our list of best CFD brokers in the UK today primarily because of its competitive cost of trading. The spreads for popular stocks start from £0.50 per slide, while that of popular forex pairs like the EUR/USD may dip to around 0.1 pips.

This CFD broker is also commission-free, and the only other trading cost you have to contend with is the variable but highly competitive swap fee for margined trades that remain open overnight.

This affordability extends to trading amounts where the broker maintains no minimum initial deposit limit. And when buying or selling these CFD assets, you will have access to the FCA-approved maximum leverages, i.e., up to 1:30 – depending on your preferred CFD asset.

When trading on XTB, you will have access to at least 2100 CFD contracts – from both local and international markets. The assets covered by these instruments include stocks, indices, commodities, ETFs, and forex. And they can be traded on the proprietary XTB web and mobile app trading platform referred to as the xStation.

Pros: 

• ✅ The xStation trading platform is rich in both educational and advanced trading/risk management resources.
• ✅ The broker maintains an accessible and highly responsive customer support team.
• ✅ XTB is a multi-regulated exchange – licensed by FCA in the UK.

Cons: 

• ❌ The broker doesn’t support universal and more versatile third-party trading platforms like MT4//5.

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

10. XM – Popular CFD Broker in the UK With a Low Minimum Deposit 

XM makes it to the list of top CFD brokers in the UK because of its affordability and beginner-friendliness. This starts with the low minimum deposit limit of £4. It then extends to low trading fees that include zero commission on CFD trades for the micro and standard accounts. You will only have to contend with highly competitive spreads – starting from 1 pip.

XM also integrates a wide resource of educational content into its website and trading platform. These are then complemented by a wide range of features, including a free demo account with £100,000 in virtual funds. And they all are designed to make the broker as beginner-friendly as possible.

When trading on XM, you will have access to 1000+ CFD contracts based on such assets as stocks, commodities, ETFs, forex, and indices. You will also have the option of trading them on XM’s proprietary trading app or the universal MT4 and MT5 trading platforms. They all integrate a range of advanced trading, analysis, and risk management tools. They are also ultra-fast in processing CFD trades, which leaves no room for requotes or rejects.

Pros: 

• ✅ XM provides traders with multiple account options, including the Islamic account that has no swap fees for overnight trades.
• ✅ XM maintains a highly transparent fee structure.
• ✅ The broker maintains a highly responsive customer support team available online 24/7.
• ✅ The broker also matches traders with personal account managers.

Cons:

• ❌ XM maintains relatively high trading fees - starting from 1 pip on a standard account.
• ❌ The broker has a comparatively low library of assets.

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Factors To Consider When Choosing The Best CFD Broker UK 

In the above section, we have discussed the 10 most popular CFD brokers in the UK today. And they all have highly competitive and appealing features.

But how do you find the broker that works best for you from such a wide pool? Here are a few must-haves that your preferred broker must have:

• Regulation and reputation: It is important that you only register with a regulated CFD broker. They should also have a solid reputation for reliability and excellent customer service.
• Cost of trading: Your preferred broker should also be transparent and highly competitive with the total cost of trading on their platform. 
• Product list: Your preferred broker should also support a diverse range of CFD instruments that capture all your favourite assets.
• Payment methods: In addition to maintaining affordable deposit and trading minimums, the broker should also support your preferred deposit/withdrawal methods.
• Trading and analysis tools: The broker should also support effective trading platforms which integrate advanced trading, analysis, and risk management tools.

Conclusion – Best CFD Brokers In The UK

Throughout this guide, we have introduced you to what our analysts and the majority of online investors consider the best CFD brokers in the UK. Some of their shared features include support for a broad range of CFD contracts, user-friendliness, zero commission and competitive spreads, highly regulated, and solid reputation.

Want to start trading CFDs right away? Start by identifying a reputable and regulated CFD broker like eToro, register a trader account and verify your identity, deposit at least £10, identify the CFD asset you wish to trade and start buying and selling.

eToro - The Best Trading Platform In The UK

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

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