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In the fast-paced world of forex trading, choosing the right broker is crucial. HFM and Alpari are two popular options, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. This comparison will dive into the key features of both platforms,helping you decide which one best suits your trading style and goals.
The radar chart above illustrates the comparison between HFM and Alpari across several key metrics, with the highest possible score being 100 in each category.
At FxScouts, our mission is to assist traders in finding the broker that best suits their needs. Comparing brokers side-by-side is an effective method to achieve this goal. We evaluated HFM and Alpari, using our standard criteria: trust and regulation, trading platforms, costs and trading conditions, and educational and market analysis resources.
Trust and regulation are crucial when selecting a Forex broker. A broker’s credibility is largely built on its regulatory status. We spend considerable time verifying the safety of each broker by examining their regulatory licenses. We also consider numerous factors when deciding which tier a regulator belongs to. Regulators that we rank as the world’s top regulators, gets a tier 1 rank, while regulators who only scores a tier 5-rank, provide virtually no regulatory oversight. The more top-tier authorities regulating a broker, the higher its trust rating. Read more about regulation and our tier system here.
In our comparison:
Based on these findings, Alpari earned a higher trust rating than HFM.
When comparing brokers, trading costs are a significant factor. We consider the minimum deposit required to open an account and ongoing costs, including spreads and commissions. We measure the cost to trade one lot of EUR/USD using the broker’s account with the lowest minimum deposit, including both the spread and any commission charged.
We found that HFM has overall lower trading costs than Alpari.
Trading Platforms Offered Traders prefer brokers that offer a variety of trading platforms. We rate brokers higher if they support multiple platforms like MetaTrader4, MetaTrader5, cTrader, and proprietary platforms.
Copy trading is beneficial for beginner traders or those unable to trade full-time. In this case both Alpari and HFM offer copy trading.
A broader range of CFD instruments provides more trading opportunities. Alpari offers a greater variety of instruments compared to HFM:
For those interested in trading cryptocurrencies, HFM offers 40 cryptocurrencies, while Alpari offers 4 cryptocurrencies. Therefore, HFM is the better choice for cryptocurrency trading.
Traders prefer brokers with quick and cost-effective deposit and withdrawal processes. We favor brokers that process withdrawals within 24 hours using multiple methods without charging fees.We found that Alpari charges a withdrawal fee and HFM does not. Overall, HFM has better deposit and withdrawal processes than Alpari.Â
We often find that brokers offer very little in the way of educational materials, forcing traders to use other third-party sites or self-educate elsewhere. Beginner traders need well-structured, well-presented materials in multiple formats to get a good start at trading. More experienced traders also benefit from webinars led by experts in the field and advanced trading strategy sections with new trading ideas.Â
HFM has better educational support than Alpari. Both Alpari and HFM offer educational support for more experienced traders.Access to frequent and high-quality market research and analysis is crucial.
We found that HFM offers better research analysis than Alpari and that both Alpari and HFM offer frequent webinars.
HFM is a well-known international broker with a strong presence in Zambia. It has local customer support, and also offers fast and free deposits and withdrawals from local banks.Â
HFM offers six standard accounts and one specialised copy trading account. Four of its six standard accounts have no minimum deposit requirements and have extremely competitive trading fees. Some accounts are available as Islamic accounts. We were also pleased to find that HFM has recently reintroduced cryptocurrency trading, no doubt because of the popularity of the asset. This is alongside an excellent range of trading instruments, including popular international stocks. The products and services available may vary according to the HFM Group entity a client’s account is registered under.
HFM supports the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms in addition to its own mobile HF App, which allows clients to trade from charts and make deposits and withdrawals. It also has several excellent trading tools to assist traders further. Unfortunately, access to tools such as Autochartist, which other brokers offer as a free service, requires an account balance of 100 USD.
With a range of accounts on the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms, Alpari caters well to professional traders who are prepared to pay high minimum deposits for low ongoing trading costs. However, Alpari offers a limited number of tradable assets, which may leave some traders dissatisfied.
Alpari offers four live accounts on the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 trading platforms. The Pro Account has spreads starting at 0.4 pips on the EUR/USD and no commission, making it one of the lowest-cost accounts in the industry. However, this is in exchange for a minimum deposit of 25,000 USD, putting it out of the reach of most traders. Alpari also offers an ECN account with a minimum deposit of 500 USD, and spreads of 0.4 pips with a commission of 3 USD (round turn), which may also appeal to experienced traders.Â
Alpari's CFD offering is limited compared to other brokers, with 22 indices, 4 metals, 3 commodities, 10 share CFDs, and 4 cryptocurrencies, but it has over 60 Forex pairs for trading. One drawback for beginner traders considering opening an account at Alpari is the lack of educational and market analysis materials, forcing traders to self-educate elsewhere.
For more detailed reviews, please read our comprehensive assessments of HFM and Alpari.
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Broker | Countries Regulated | Minimum Spread EUR/USD | Minimum Deposit | Trading cost/lot EURUSD Total trading cost at the time of last update, for 1 lot of EUR/USD using the account with the lowest minimum deposit. Includes spread and commission. | Broker Score | Broker Website | Select and Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |   | 0.10 pips | USD 3 | USD 7 | |||
 |     | 0 pips | USD 0 | USD 10 | |||
 | | 0 pips | USD 0 | USD 10 | |||
 |       | 0.60 pips | USD 0 | USD 6 | |||
 |    | 0.90 pips | USD 100 | USD 9 | |||
 | | 0.40 pips | USD 100 | USD 14 | |||
 |  | 0.70 pips | USD 5 | USD 7 | |||
| | 0.60 pips | USD 5 | USD 6 | |||
 | | 0.10 pips | USD 200 | USD 8 | |||
 | | 0.70 pips | USD 10 | USD 17 |
Select another broker to another broker to compare features, fees, and platforms side by side.
Alison and Chris cover a range of topics, including how to choose a Forex broker, safety and regulation, how to reduce your risk, trading psychology, trading platforms, and trading strategies, among others.
The FxScouts podcast helps beginner Forex traders get the best start to their trading careers.
