Best Spread Betting Platforms In The UK

We put Pepperstone at the top of our list for this year after the broker scored 10/10 in five of the six categories we tested. This makes Pepperstone our best spread betting platform overall, as well as the broker with the lowest spreads and swiftest execution speeds .

The huge selection of over 1,200 markets for trading spread bets. and support for the TradingView, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader platforms, make this a great choice for you, regardless of your trading style. Taking all these aspects into account, we scored the broker 98/100 in our Pepperstone review, putting it out in front of its competitors.

73% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

Pepperstone delivered the best trading costs in our review, recording the tightest average spreads across the nine forex pairs we analysed. If keeping trading costs low is a priority, Pepperstone stands out as one of the strongest options.

Spread Bet Spreads	EUR/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDAUD/USDUSD/CADEUR/JPYAUD/JPYUSD/JPYUSD/SGD	EUR/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDAUD/USDUSD/CADEUR/JPYAUD/JPYUSD/JPYUSD/SGD	EUR/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDAUD/USDUSD/CADEUR/JPYAUD/JPYUSD/JPYUSD/SGD	EUR/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDAUD/USDUSD/CADEUR/JPYAUD/JPYUSD/JPYUSD/SGD	EUR/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDAUD/USDUSD/CADEUR/JPYAUD/JPYUSD/JPYUSD/SGD
	0.60	1.10	1.00	0.70	1.30
	0.90	1.20	1.40	1.10	1.80
	0.80	1.20	1.40	1.40	1.90
	0.85	1.40	1.40	0.82	1.77
	1.40	1.50	1.50	1.00	2.40
	1.10	1.30	1.40	1.40	1.60
	0.60	1.50	1.30	0.60	2.00
	0.90	1.70	1.00	0.80	1.90
	0.80	2.20	1.40	0.80	1.90
	1.20	1.80	1.70	1.10	2.70
	0.90	1.20	1.30	1.10	1.80
	0.80	1.00	1.00	1.00	2.50
	1.40	1.10	1.60	1.40	1.00
	0.80	1.20	1.10	1.10	1.90
	1.40	1.60	1.80	2.10	1.80

Avg. spreads are taken from each broker's website and updated monthly. Last update on 1 Aug 2026

The broker’s best result came on EUR/USD, where the average spread was just 0.60 pips or 0.52 pips tighter than the industry average of 1.12 pips. While the difference may appear small, consistently lower spreads can translate into significant savings over time, particularly for active traders.

*We update the average spreads for each broker monthly based on the spreads the broker publishes on their website. The last update on 20/09/2024

Pepperstone also outperformed the industry average on seven of the nine currency pairs we analysed. USD/CAD averaged 1.30 pips, 0.60 pips below the industry benchmark, while EUR/GBP came in at 1.10 pips, beating the average by 0.30 pips.

According to our Chief Technology Researcher Ross Collins: “These tests confirmed Pepperstone as one of the strongest choices for forex spread betting. These are some of the tightest spreads in the market.”

Beyond forex, Pepperstone impressed us with competitive spreads across other markets, including 4-point spreads on UK shares and a 0.10% flat spread on US, European, Asian and Australian shares.

Pepperstone also supports TradingView, MT4, MT5 and cTrader, alongside powerful tools such as Smart Trader Tools and Autochartist.

We were equally impressed with the broker’s execution speeds, averaging 77ms for limit orders and 100ms for market orders, making Pepperstone well suited to active and short-term traders.

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73% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

In the comparison of spread betting apps we found Spreadex was the easiest to use and had the most advanced features. This included the ability to make one-click trades, implement advanced features (E.G. active stop-loss orders) and access over 10,000 markets.

Another key feature is their advanced charting and price alerts which incorporate push features such as text messages. For these reasons, we scored the broker a very high 96/100 in our Spreadex review.

61% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

Spreadex stood out for its excellent mobile spread betting app, delivering a smooth and responsive trading experience on both iPhone and Android devices.

The app is particularly strong for forex analysis, offering more than 35 technical indicators, including MACD and moving averages.

We also liked the Pro Real Trend indicator, which automatically identifies support and resistance levels using multi-timeframe analysis. This is especially useful on mobile, where drawing trendlines manually can be difficult.

Another standout feature is guaranteed stop-loss orders (GSLOs). SpreadBet co-founder Noam Korbl said: “I really like to see GSLOs for beginners, as they help protect you in markets that are particularly sensitive to announcements, such as gold. With a guaranteed stop-loss, the platform automatically closes your position once losses reach a set level.”

The app is backed by solid trading conditions. Our analysis found reliable execution speeds and competitive spreads, with EUR/USD averaging just 0.90 pips, which was the third-lowest result in our analysis. Spreadex also beat the industry average across all nine forex pairs we analysed.

Beyond forex, the app provides access to more than 10,000 markets, including 70+ currency pairs, commodities, indices, and over 9,000 shares, bonds and ETFs.

Professional clients can also access crypto spread betting. Keep in mind that professional status means giving up standard FCA retail protections.

61% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

In our OANDA review, we scored the broker 91/100, largely thanks to its low spreads starting from 1 pip and its excellent beginner trading experience. The broker offers its own OANDA Trade proprietary platform, which we found to be excellent for beginners due to minimum stakes that start from just £0.01p. We also like the guaranteed stop-loss orders, and free Autochartist signals.

76.6% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

OANDA ranked as our third-best spread betting account overall and was our top choice for beginners. The main reason was its proprietary OANDA Trade platform, which combines strong features with a lower-risk trading experience that suits newer traders.

A key advantage is OANDA’s low minimum stake size. We were able to open spread bets from just £0.01 per point, significantly below the £0.50 minimum offered by some competitors, such as IG Markets. This allows beginners to start with smaller positions, reducing potential losses while you’re still practising.

OANDA also does not require a minimum deposit, meaning traders can start with an amount you feel comfortable risking. Even with a small account balance, you can access the platform and place trades without needing a large upfront commitment.

Trading costs were another highlight. Our analysis found OANDA offered competitive spreads, including a joint-lowest EUR/USD spread of 0.8 pips, beating the 1.12 pip industry average. This trend continued across five of the nine forex pairs we assessed, although the 1.9 pip USD/CAD spread was closer to the market average.

The main drawback was OANDA’s market range. With around 150 tradeable assets, its selection is smaller than many spread betting brokers that offer more than 1,000 markets. However, the offering should still be sufficient for beginners, with 68 forex pairs, 29 commodities and 16 indices available.

76.6% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

ThinkMarkets is the only broker to offer a free demo account with no minimum deposit and a large virtual balance of £200,000 for ThinkTrader. The broker also offers MT4, MT5 and TradingView but we viewed their own proprietary platform as the best in our demo account comparison. The broker also had one of the lowest trading costs as explained in our ThinkMarkets review.

For these reasons, we scored the broker highly at 84/100 in our ThinkMarkets review.

75.4% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

ThinkMarkets offers the best demo account we assessed for spread betting, making it an excellent choice if you want to practise strategies or learn the platform before risking real money. Unlike many brokers that limit demo accounts to 30 days, ThinkMarkets provides an unlimited demo account for funded clients, giving you as much time as you need to build confidence.

During our testing, we found the demo closely mirrored the live trading environment, making it easy to trial strategies under realistic market conditions. We particularly liked that the broker’s proprietary ThinkTrader platform is included, giving you access to professional-grade charting, one-click trading and advanced order management.

Signal Centre, powered by Trading Central, was another standout feature, automatically highlighting potential trading opportunities with technical analysis and price targets.

Beyond the demo account, ThinkMarkets also impressed us with its trading costs. Our spread analysis ranked the broker around 30% tighter than the industry average, with the second-lowest average forex spreads across the nine currency pairs we analysed. This means you can transition from demo to live trading without sacrificing competitive pricing.

The main limitation is the broker’s relatively small range of spread betting markets, with around 70 instruments covering forex, indices and commodities rather than thousands of shares. However, if your priority is finding the best environment to practise spread betting before trading live, ThinkMarkets is our top recommendation.

75.4% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

Capital.com has some key strengths from its trading costs (the 3rd lowest recorded) to its choice of MT4 or TradingView platform options. While the broker’s execution speeds slightly underperformed, what the broker truly lacked was good customer service, particularly when opening an account and trading which we found poor.

Still, the broker performed strongly enough to warrant a strong score of 88/100 in our Capital.com review.

61% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

Capital.com impressed us by combining competitive pricing with an intuitive trading experience, making it a strong all-round choice for spread bettors. During our review, the broker consistently delivered low spreads across major markets while offering an excellent proprietary platform alongside TradingView and MT4.

The standout result came when trading EUR/USD, where Capital.com averaged just 0.60 pips which was well below the industry average of 1.12 pips. We also found competitive pricing on AUD/USD at 0.60 pips and USD/JPY at 1.10 pips, while index and commodity spreads remained in line with the rest of the market. Overall, we felt the broker offered excellent value for traders looking to keep costs under control.

One feature we particularly liked was Capital.com’s proprietary platform. The interface is clean, responsive and easy to navigate, while advanced charting tools carry across seamlessly to the mobile app. If you prefer third-party software, support for TradingView and MT4 gives you plenty of flexibility.

Our execution testing also produced solid results, averaging around 32 milliseconds. While not the fastest broker we analysed, orders were filled reliably with no rejected trades during our assessment.

Finally, Capital.com provides access to more than 4,500 markets, including an impressive 147 forex pairs, giving active traders plenty of opportunities to diversify. If you’re looking for a low-cost spread betting broker with strong platforms, competitive spreads and a broad market range, Capital.com ticks these boxes.

61% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

We scored IG Markets 86/100 after the broker achieved strong results in our trading platform, costs and market selection assessment.

IG’s 17,000+ markets were the biggest range of any of the brokers we analysed. In our view, IG provides excellent trading conditions with tight spreads starting at 0.85 pips, and the broker supports platforms like MT4 and ProRealTime.

68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

IG Markets offers the largest range of spread betting markets we reviewed, with more than 17,000 products compared with an average of around 2,000 across competing brokers. Traders can access over 13,000 shares, 5,000 ETFs, 130 indices, 100 forex pairs, and 30 commodities from a single account.

One standout feature I appreciated is the availability of futures and options spread betting, making IG well suited to longer-term trading and portfolio hedging. Futures contracts can also help reduce costs by avoiding overnight funding charges.

I found IG’s proprietary platform provides access to its full market range and includes useful tools such as the Signal Centre, which delivers free trading signals and market analysis. More experienced traders can also choose ProRealTime or MT4.

Pricing was another strength we noted, with IG recording an average EUR/USD spread of 0.85 pips in our assessment, lower than the 1.12 industry average.

We rated City Index 82/100 in our broker review. The strongest results were in our trading platform, range of markets, and trading conditions analysis. City Index also scored highly in our execution speed analysis, clocking in at below 130ms.

You’ll gain access to 8,500 markets, while the City Index Web Trader platform provides TradingView charting and strong risk management tools. The guaranteed stop-loss order is our top pick for protecting your capital.

70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

City Index stood out for its Web Trader platform, which integrates TradingView’s advanced charts with more than 100 technical indicators and powerful drawing tools, including Fibonacci retracement. We also liked its built-in risk management features, particularly guaranteed stop-loss orders (GSLOs), which provide extra protection during volatile market conditions.

The platform includes Trading Central trading signals, helping you identify opportunities across forex, commodities, and indices. With access to around 8,500 spread betting markets, including 84 forex pairs, 4,700 shares, 20 indices, and 14+ commodities, there’s plenty of choice.

City Index also delivered excellent trading conditions in our tests, recording fast execution speeds of 95ms for limit orders and 131ms for market orders. Trading costs were consistently competitive, with an average EUR/USD spread of 1.10 pips, slightly below the 1.12-pip industry average and better than the benchmark across all nine forex pairs we analysed.

We found Trade Nation to be decent but lacking in any key strengths. Their trading fees, while largely competitive, are mid-tier, they have a limited range of markets and they offer just MT4 and their own trading platform (TN Trader). Their biggest strength is TradingView, which impressed us for its smooth trading experience. As such, our Trade Nation review yielded a respectable score of 76/100.

73.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

Trade Nation impressed us with its smooth trading experience and support for TradingView, a combination that is still rare among spread betting brokers. In our testing, we placed more than 25 spread bets without experiencing slippage or requotes, highlighting the platform’s stability. The broker also offers no minimum deposit, making it accessible for beginners.

Trading costs were competitive rather than market-leading. Trade Nation recorded an average EUR/USD spread of 1.10 pips, slightly above the 1.0-pip industry average, although it outperformed the benchmark on six of the nine forex pairs we tested.

The biggest drawback was its limited market coverage in some asset classes, particularly exotic forex pairs and soft commodities. However, traders still gain access to more than 1,000 shares, 38 global indices, futures markets, and a solid range of major forex pairs, making Trade Nation a good choice if you prioritise platform quality over the widest market selection.

During our FXCM review, we awarded the broker a score of 64/100. This was largely due to the great trading conditions provided on the MT4 platform and the tight spreads from 1 pip on the EUR/USD pair. We really liked the range of tools that enhance MT4, including a VPS and Smart Trader Tools to support automation.

67% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

We found FXCM to be a strong MT4 broker thanks to its competitive trading conditions and additional tools for MT4 users. The platform supports Expert Advisors (EAs) for automated trading, while FXCM’s published slippage statistics provide a level of execution transparency that many competitors lack.

In our review, FXCM delivered a solid trading experience, earning 7/10 for execution speed and pricing. Its average EUR/USD spread of 0.9 pips beat the industry average, helping keep our trading costs low.

For traders running automated strategies, FXCM also offers a VPS service for £30 per month, providing a stable 24/5 trading environment that can improve execution reliability.

The main drawback is its smaller market range. FXCM offers around 450 markets, including 41 forex pairs, 15 indices, and 21 commodities. However, its share and ETF selection is limited, with only 350 shares and a single ETF available.

We gave CMC Markets a score of 62/100 in our analysis, because of its great range of more than 330 currency pairs. The 12,000+ other financial markets, highly competitive spreads and the broker’s NGEN platform all stood out in our CMC Markets review. We particularly liked the NGEN platform’s advanced charts and tools like pattern recognition tools that automatically find new trading ideas.

68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

CMC Markets stood out for its extensive market range, offering more than 12,000 instruments across commodities, indices, shares, and forex. The broker provides over 330 currency markets, the largest forex selection among the brokers we reviewed, compared with an average of around 70.

Managing such a large range of forex pairs requires strong filtering tools, and we found CMC’s NGEN platform delivered in that regard. Traders can easily sort currency markets by USD, EUR, and JPY crosses, while also creating customised watchlists.

The platform also impressed us with its market analysis features, including more than 60 technical indicators and a powerful pattern recognition tool. We used this feature to automate candlestick and chart pattern analysis, allowing traders to focus on specific setups such as wedge patterns and engulfing candles across CMC’s full market range.

ActivTrades received a poor review score by our team primarily due to their trading costs. Their average spreads across the nine most traded currency pairs were the 2nd worst of the 14 accounts compared.

While the range of trading platforms is excellent as is their range of markets, the high fees were too much to overlook in our review of ActivTrades. For these reasons, we gave them an average score of 56/100.

71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

ActivTrades offers a solid platform experience, with support for MT4, MT5, TradingView, and its own ActivTrader platform. We particularly liked the range of markets available, with more than 1,000 instruments including 50 forex pairs, giving traders plenty of choice.

However, ActivTrades struggled in our overall assessment, mainly due to higher trading costs. When we tested the broker, EUR/USD spreads averaged 1.20 pips, which was competitive but still above some leading spread betting providers. Costs were also less attractive across several other markets, contributing to a low trading cost score.

We also found some drawbacks with funding, as ActivTrades charges fees on certain deposit and withdrawal methods. While the platform and market range are strengths, traders focused on keeping costs low should look to other brokers.

Spread Co is a UK based provider offering decent spreads and fixed spreads on indices. The biggest issue of our Spread Co review was there is no choice in trading platforms with a requirement to use their Saturn software which lacks the functionality and charting of more popular options such as TradingView. This is why we scored them a lowly 46/100.

64.3% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

Spread Co has a few standout features, particularly for beginners, thanks to its mini spread betting markets. In our review, we found traders can open positions from just 10p per point instead of the standard £1 minimum, making it easier to start with smaller stakes. The broker also offers fixed index spreads, including a FTSE 100 spread of 0.60 points during regular trading hours.

However, Spread Co fell short in several key areas. Its trading platform options are limited, with no support for popular alternatives such as MT4 or TradingView. We also found execution quality and trading costs were mixed. While EUR/USD spreads averaged 0.8 pips in our testing, other pairs were less competitive, including USD/CAD at 2.5 pips and USD/SGD at 8.0 pips.

Overall, Spread Co is best suited to beginners and index traders, but experienced traders may find better value and platform choice elsewhere.

Vantage had the 5th highest fees of the 14 trading accounts compared to under 100 tradeable instruments. While the broker does offer a solid MT4 trading experience with access to the SmartTrader tools add-on, there are no other trading platform options available leading to its low Vantage review score of 40/100.

72.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

Vantage offers a solid MT4 experience, enhanced by its SmartTrader tools, making it a suitable option for traders who prioritise advanced charting and automated strategies. We also found its forex offering reasonable, with 57 currency pairs available, covering the major and minor markets.

However, Vantage struggled in several areas during our testing. Trading costs were a major drawback, with EUR/USD spreads averaging 1.40 pips, compared with the 1.0-pip industry average. We also found spreads were higher than average across many of the nine forex pairs we tested, making it less attractive for cost-conscious traders.

The broker’s market range was another weakness with Vantage offering just over 100 spread betting instruments, including 29 indices and 22 commodities, significantly lower than many competitors. While the platform and MT4 tools are useful, traders looking for low-cost trading or a wider selection of markets may find better alternatives elsewhere.

FxPro had a mixed reception with our team. While we like the innovations within their Edge Web Platform we accept that most experienced traders don’t want to learn a new interface. The broker also had the third highest fees of the accounts we compared. Our FxPro review resulted in a score of 28/100, the worst of the 14 spread betting brokers we assessed.

76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

FxPro’s Edge Web platform was the standout feature in our testing, offering a clean alternative to traditional MetaTrader platforms. We found the platform particularly strong for manual traders, with more than 50 technical indicators, 15 timeframes, customisable watchlists, one-click trading from the charts, and built-in performance tracking tools.

However, FxPro struggled in some important areas. Trading costs were a major weakness, with our testing finding EUR/USD spreads averaged 1.40 pips, compared with the 1.0-pip industry average. The broker also has a limited spread betting range, with around 108 available instruments across forex, indices, metals, and energies.

While we liked Edge’s charting tools and Trading Central integration, the lack of automation, custom indicators, and Expert Advisor support on the platform will disappoint advanced traders.

Overall, FxPro is a capable choice for manual spread bettors, but higher costs and fewer markets limit its appeal compared with leading competitors like Pepperstone and Spreadex.