There are 15 spread betting platforms regulated by the FCA in 2025 and one regulated in Ireland. We focused on comparing all the spread bet accounts based on the factors that matter the most for UK traders.
How We Compared Spread Betting Accounts
Spread-Bet.co.uk established a methodology with weighted criteria based on the factors that matter the most for UK spread bettors. For more dynamic elements such as spreads we update the site monthly for the most accurate data possible.
| Trading Costs | Trading Platforms | Trading Enviroment | Repulation | Tradable Markets | Customer Service | Education Resources | Funding | |
| Weighting | 25% | 20% | 15% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 5% | 5% |
Below, we discuss each of the eight criteria we use for weighting, along with an explanation of what the category means.
1. Trading Costs
The main brokerage a provider charges is through the spread. This is the difference between the bid and ask of any currency pair. We looked at the average spread of the 9 most traded currency pairs in the UK. The primary source of this data is each spread betting provider’s website with secondary sources uses if updates are not frequent enough.
Other markets have spread as a percentage of based on points which we also compared. That said, as currency is the most traded instrument most of our focus was comparing those fees.
| Account Spreads | Inactivity Fees | Funding Fees | Other Fees | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weighting | 75% | 10% | 10% | 5% |
Other Fees
We also compared some of the other fees only some brokers charge. For example, the deposit and withdraw fees charge (which vary based on the method account are funded). Other notifiable fees include overnight financing (Swap or Rollover Fee) when a trader holds a position over 24 hours and inactivity fees if they don’t trade over several months.
2. Trading Platforms
The next most important criterion for UK spread bettors is the software they use.
There are generally three mainstream platforms used for spread betting:
- MetaTrader 4 (MT4)
- MetaTrader 5 (MT5)
- TradingView
We gave higher points for brokers that offered some (if not all) of these platforms as may experienced traders prefer the software they are familiar with. That said, we were open minded with brokers that had their own trading software such as CMC Market’s Next Generation platform or the ThinkTrader platform. We tested compared these trading platforms based on there:
- User Interface and Ease of Use
- Charting and Technical Analysis Tools
- Execution Speed and Reliability
- Mobile and Multi-Device Access
- Customisation and Add-ons
| Platform Range | Ease Of use | Trading App | Charting | Reliability | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weighting | 40% | 25% | 15% | 10% | 10% |
3. Trading Environment
We view the ease of opening an account and start trading seamlessly as important for UK traders. To compare this we looked scored this when opening each trading account and then comparing the execution speed and trade reliability. We also compared the funding methods (and associated fees) and how easy it was to deposit and then withdraw funds from each broker’s spread bet account.
Other elements we compared was the professional leverage available (for those that quality) and the slippage/order fill quantity when trading.
| Execution Speed | Ease of Opening | Ease of Withdrawal | Professional Leverage | Slippage | Account Manager | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weighting | 25% | 25% | 20% | 15% | 10% | 5% |
4. Reputation
We only compared brokers regulated in the UK (FCA) or in Ireland that offer spread betting. We then looked broader at each broker such as when they were founded, the headquarters of the broker, how popular they are and what current/past traders rate the broker.
Trust Scoring Factors
- Regulation (FCA)
- Search Volume
- Broker Age
- Headquarters Locations
- Trustpilot Score
5. Tradable Markets
The majority of spread betting occurs trading currencies. Based on this, we looks primary at the major, minor and exotic forex pairs each broker offers and under what conditions. After this, we looked at the other markets from shares, indices to commodities such as gold.
It’s worth noting that the FCA has banned the trading of cryptocurrency derivatives for retail traders, including spread betting on cryptocurrencies, due to their risk. Brokers providing spread betting and trading in actual shares (as opposed to CFDs on shares) also receive positive scores. This ensures a comprehensive market offering for UK traders.
| Forex | Shares | Commodities | ETFs | Indices | Bonds | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weighting | 50% | 15% | 10% | 10% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
6. Customer Service
We based our customer service score primary on how available each broker’s support channel is and how long it takes to get a response. This was the most noticeable when contact each website’s live chat feature. The next most important was how knowledgeable the support was both in terms of trading and the broker’s products. A key element was also if support could solve any issues that arose during the onboarding or trading stage.
| Availability and Response Time | Support Channels Offered | Expertise of Support Staff | Educational Resources | Problem Resolution | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weighting | 30% | 25% | 20% | 15% | 10% |
7. Broker Education
We looked at each website’s broker education coverage to see if it would satisfy beginner, intermediate and expert traders. Also we checked it it touched on key spread bet topics such as leverage, risk management and technical analysis. The format of this content was just as important from videos, articles to webinars.
Another key factor we looked at was the availability of live training and webinars. While we didn’t attend most of these (due to time constraints) we tried to look at what would be discussed during the training to make our evaluation.
Finally, we looked at if there were tutorials built into the platform and tools (both demo and live accounts). As most traders learn as they trade this can be a game changer at times of high volatility
| Range and Depth of Educational Content | Format Variety | Live Training and Webinars | Platform and Tool Tutorials | Demo Account Interaction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weighting | 15% | 10% | 5% | 10% | 10% |
8.Deposit And Withdrawal
Finally, we looked at how you can fund and then withdraw from each broker. It’s worth noting that due to FCA rules credit cards can no longer be used to fund an account. Some key factors we consider when scoring this criterion were:
- Payment Methods Supported
- Processing Times
- Fees And Changes
- Minimum And Maximum Limits
How Often We Update Spread Betting Information
Generally each year we compare all the above factors by spread betting platform before finalising our scores and rankings within the UK. We also each month update some dynamic elements such as trading fees (spreads) of each broker. Other monthly updates include the tradable markets each account offers and the percentage of traders that lose money reporting by each broker (an FCA requirement).
