How We Compare Brokers

We are building broker comparisons the right way round: the method first, the rankings second. This page sets out the criteria we use so broker data can be checked against a fixed, transparent standard. No broker cards or rankings appear in this ad-free build.

What we will measure

• Regulation and safety. The specific licensed entity you would open with, its regulator, and client-money protections. A strong regulator carries the most weight.
• Real all-in trading cost. Typical spread plus commission, converted to a single cost per trade for a like-for-like instrument — using our own spread cost calculator — rather than a headline “from 0.0 pips”.
• Execution and platform. Order types, available platforms, and whether contract specifications (lot sizes, point values, margin) are published clearly.
• Funding and withdrawals. Methods, fees, and documented withdrawal reliability.
• Transparency. Whether the broker publishes its retail-loss rate and contract specs openly.

How scoring will work

When scoring is introduced, each criterion will carry a fixed weight, applied the same way to every broker, with the score and the date the data was captured shown on the page. We will publish the weights before publishing any ranked view.

Why no “best broker” list yet

An empty or invented ranking would be worse than none: it would mislead you and breach the standards we hold ourselves to. Until we have verified, dated data and a stable scoring method, the most useful thing we can do is show you the math behind trading costs and let you compare your own broker. Our calculators do exactly that.