Trade.com review

Our rating

Trade.com scores 7.5 out of 10 on our table. That figure is an average of six things we assess, and it hides the shape of the broker: its strongest area is regulation at 9.0, its weakest is education at 5.0. Whether that gap matters depends entirely on which of the six you were going to use.

Regulation and safety9.0/10

Trade.com lists its authorisations as Mauritius FSC (C119023948); CySEC (227/14); FCA (738538); FINRA/SEC (CRD 316822). That is a mixed structure, and the mix is the point: it holds at least one tier-one licence alongside offshore entities, and which one takes your account depends on where you live rather than on which you would prefer.

The licence that matters to you is the one held by the entity that opens your account, and at a multi-entity broker that is decided by your country of residence. Its registration can be checked directly on the FCA Financial Services Register, FRN 738538. It is a two-minute check and it is the only way to confirm that the firm taking your deposit is the firm named on the website.

Client money is held separately from the firm's own funds, with major global banks - so that if the business fails, client balances are not part of what its creditors can reach. Negative balance protection applies to for eligible retail clients under regulated entities, so a gap through your stop cannot leave you owing the broker money.

On compensation: ICF up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients; FSCS protection for eligible UK clients; no statutory investor compensation scheme under Mauritius entity. That covers the broker failing, not your trades losing money - the two are frequently confused and only one of them is insured.

Trade.com does not accept clients from European Union, United Kingdom, Switzerland, United States, Iran, North Korea and other jurisdictions where services would contravene local law under the global Mauritius offering. Restriction lists move, so confirm your own country before you spend time on an application.

What it costs to trade7.8/10

Trade.com advertises spreads from 0.3 pips. There is no separate commission on its standard pricing, so the whole of the broker's charge sits inside that spread - one number to think about, and no arithmetic at the end of the month. Put the two together and a EUR/USD round turn works out at approx. 0.8 pips, Exclusive, which is the figure worth comparing against other brokers.

An advertised minimum is the best price a broker has ever quoted, not the price you will get. On our record its measured average on EUR/USD is approx. 0.8 pips, Exclusive, and approx. 0.8 pips, Exclusive on GBP/USD. Spreads are variable, so they move with liquidity and widen around releases and the daily rollover.

Positions held overnight accrue a financing charge, which is irrelevant to a day trader and compounds for anyone holding for weeks. Currency conversion applies where your account and the instrument use different currencies, which is a charge worth avoiding by funding in the currency you actually trade.

Leave the account dormant and it costs you: yes, after 90 days inactivity. That is the charge most often missed when comparing brokers, and it matters disproportionately if you trade seasonally or infrequently.

Platforms and tools8.5/10

Trade.com runs TRADE.com WebTrader, TRADE.com App, MetaTrader 5. MetaTrader 5 without MetaTrader 4 is worth noting if you are bringing existing software - two decades of expert advisors are written in MQL4 and none of them will run here.

Automation is supported: yes, through MetaTrader 5. There is API access (yes, institutional connectivity) for anyone connecting their own software. Copy trading is not offered.

Charting runs to 100+ across WebTrader/MT5. Additional tools include metaTrader 5. On mobile: both proprietary and third-party.

Markets, leverage and execution8.5/10

Trade.com covers Forex, Shares, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Bonds, Cryptocurrencies. That comes to 1,200+ instruments in total. On the currency side specifically it lists 55+ pairs. Breadth is worth less than depth in the markets you actually trade - a hundred instruments priced well beats a thousand you will never open.

Leverage runs to 1:300 on the entity that offers most. That does not improve your expected return; it lowers the deposit a given position requires, and shortens the move needed to close you out. Whatever the headline, the number that governs your position is the margin requirement on the specific instrument - it is always lower on shares and crypto than on major currency pairs.

Execution is market maker / principal, meaning the broker is the counterparty to your trade rather than routing it to an external venue. It is a legitimate and very common model, and it is worth knowing which one you are dealing with. Measured speed is under 100ms. Its servers sit in global financial data-centre infrastructure, which is what determines latency more than any software choice.

Order types available: market, limit, stop, stop-loss, take-profit. Stops and limits are table stakes; what separates platforms is whether the ones you rely on are there and how quickly they can be modified once a position is open.

Accounts

Account types run to silver, Gold, Platinum, Exclusive, Professional, Demo. The minimum deposit is $100. The smallest position it will take is 0.01 lots, which is what actually governs how precisely you can size risk on a small account.

A demo account is available, which is the cheapest way to find out whether the platform suits you. Swap-free Islamic accounts are offered. Professional classification is available for clients who qualify, which lifts leverage caps and lowers the protections that come with retail status - a trade rather than an upgrade. Opening takes a few minutes.

Accounts can be denominated in USD, EUR, GBP. Funding in the currency you trade removes a conversion charge from every position, which is a small saving repeated indefinitely.

Deposits and withdrawals

Deposits can be made by Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer, Skrill, Neteller and regional payment methods. They clear in instant for most cards/e-wallets.

Withdrawals go out by bank transfer, cards, Skrill, Neteller and applicable original funding methods. Expect typically processed within 1 business day. The minimum withdrawal is $20. Check the withdrawal routes rather than the deposit ones. They are frequently not the same list, anti-money-laundering rules usually require funds to return the way they came, and the difference only becomes apparent at the point you want your money back.

Local payment methods include multiple jurisdiction-specific banking and electronic payment methods - which matters more than it looks if you are outside the broker's home market, since an international wire is slow and expensive compared with a domestic transfer.

Support and education6.2/10

Support runs 24/5, which covers the trading week but not the weekend - relevant if you hold positions through it, and particularly if you trade crypto. You can reach them by live chat, email, WhatsApp, enquiry form. Live chat typically answers in under 2 minutes. Support is offered in multilingual.

Its education is substantial - trading guides, educational articles, platform tutorials, webinars and market education - which is the difference between a broker that will teach you and one that will simply take the deposit. Research output covers market analysis, technical/fundamental commentary, trading tools and market news.

The company behind the brand

The company behind the brand is Lead Capital Global Ltd, registered as C107110. It operates from Ebene, Mauritius. It has been trading since 2013, so there is about 13 years of record to look at.

It sits within Trade Capital Holding Limited. It is privately held, so its finances are not published the way a listed group's are. Headcount is in the 200+ range.

You may also see it under TRADE.com; Trade Capital Markets. Brands and legal entities rarely map one to one in this industry, and the name on the website is not always the name on the client agreement.