Markets.com vs HFM 2024

Markets.com is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by three Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), one Tier-2 regulator (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulator (Average Risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). Markets.com is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC).

HotForex is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. HotForex is authorised by two Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), Three tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). HotForex is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulator: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and regulated in the European Union via the MiFID passporting system.

Thanks to its web-based MarketsX platform, Markets.com is easy to use and new trader friendly. However, Markets.com is pricey and lacks the feature-rich trading tools required to compete with the best trading platforms.

Alongside its enhanced MetaTrader offering and quality research, HFM (HF Markets), previously known as HotForex, offers a proprietary copy trading platform, HFcopy, a proprietary HF mobile app, and a decent selection of over 1,000 CFDs and 47 forex pairs. Still, trading costs at HFM are slightly above the industry average.

To open a trading account with Markets.com, you'll need to make an initial minimum deposit of $100.

HFM requires a minimum deposit of $0 before you can open an account and start trading.

It's important to make sure that your forex broker accepts the funding options and deposit methods that work best for you. Markets.com offers Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) and Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) for banking, whereas HFM provides Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) and Neteller (Deposit/Withdraw). Neither have PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw).

Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spread data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough, data-driven testing of each broker's commissions and fees, we found that HFM offers better pricing overall for traders.

Methodology: When testing each broker's commissions, fees, and pricing, we analyze multiple trade scenarios and award points based on the expansiveness (or inexpensiveness) of the broker's spreads. We then run multiple scenarios for different investor types, incorporating any miscellaneous fees, to determine an "all-in" cost per trade. Learn more about how we test.

At ForexBrokers.com, we track over 110 international regulatory agencies and sort them by tiers (Tier-1, Tier-2, Tier-3, Tier-4, and Tier-5) to help you choose well-regulated, highly trusted forex brokers. Learn more about our proprietary Trust Score rating system. Based on our research on the regulatory status of over 60 brokers, we've found that Markets.com holds 3 global Tier-1 licenses, while HFM holds 2. HFM holds 3 global Tier-2 licenses, while Markets.com holds 1.

After evaluating each broker based on their number of held licenses, years in business, and a range of other data-driven variables, we've determined that Markets.com (93) earned a higher Trust Score than HFM (86).

To compare the trading platforms of both Markets.com and HFM, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, Markets.com offers a better experience. With research, Markets.com offers superior market research. Finally, we found Markets.com to provide better mobile trading apps.

Here’s what trading platforms are available at Markets.com:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - Yes
• MT5 - Yes
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

Here’s what trading platforms are available at HFM:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - Yes
• MT5 - Yes
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

The MetaTrader trading platform suite is wildly popular among forex and CFD traders across the globe. Both Markets.com and HFM offer MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Forex traders also appreciate the ability to engage in social copy trading. Markets.com and HFM both offer copy trading.

HFM provides traders 102 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to Markets.com's 57 available pairs. If you are interested in trading a full range of securities, Markets.com offers traders access to 2179 tradeable symbols, while HFM offers access to 500 tradeable symbols; so Markets.com offers 1679 more tradeable symbols than HFM.

We found in our testing that Markets.com offers a more diverse selection of investment options than HFM, allowing you to trade both brokers allow traders to trade Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs), U.S. Stocks (CFD), Cryptocurrency (Derivative) and Social Trading / Copy Trading. Neither have Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD), Cryptocurrency (Physical) and Spread Betting.