Markets.com Review 2026: Spreads, Inactivity Fee and Platforms

Markets.com is a CFD broker. EU clients are served by Safecap Investments Limited, a Cyprus investment firm licensed by CySEC (092/08, company no. HE186196). Non-EU entities include Markets South Africa (FSCA) and Markets International (St. Vincent and the Grenadines).

In short: Markets.com offers its own platform, MT4, MT5 and free withdrawals, but has two notable drawbacks: a high share of losing clients (81.9%) and a $10 monthly inactivity fee after just 90 days. EUR/USD from 1.3 pips on the Markets.com platform (1.0 on MetaTrader), minimum deposit 100 USD/EUR/GBP. We checked markets.com on 25 October 2026.

1. Is Markets.com safe?

Yes, provided your account is with Safecap Investments Limited, licensed by CySEC (092/08). Retail clients have negative balance protection and the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund up to €20,000. The markets.com website lists CySEC (EU), FSCA (South Africa) and an SVG-registered entity.

2. Trading costs

• Floating spreads. Minimum spreads from the conditions table: EUR/USD 1.3 pips and GBP/USD 1.0 on the Markets.com platform; EUR/USD 1.0 on MT4/MT5.
• No separate commission on FX CFDs — the cost is in the spread; overnight swaps apply (tripled on Wednesday).
• Retail leverage up to 1:30 on major pairs.

3. Inactivity fee

This is the biggest drawback. An account with no trades, closed positions or deposits for 90 days is classed as inactive and charged $10 per month — many competitors start charging only after 12 months, and Pepperstone charges none.

4. Deposits and withdrawals

• Minimum deposit: 100 USD/EUR/GBP. Methods: debit and credit card, bank transfer, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Apple Pay.
• Withdrawals free of Markets.com fees; card 2–7 business days, wire 2–5, e-wallets up to 24 hours.

5. Pros, cons and verdict

6. Alternatives

• Pepperstone — no inactivity fee, Razor from 0.0 pips.
• Tickmill — Raw account from 0.0 pips.
• XTB — CFDs plus real stocks and ETFs.

7. How to open a Markets.com account — step by step

1. Register on the Markets.com website — EU clients should be served by an EU company: Safecap Investments Limited (Cyprus) — CySEC licence 092/08. Check the company name in your client agreement before depositing.
2. Enter your personal details and complete the questionnaire. Before offering CFDs, an EU broker must assess your knowledge and experience (the MiFID II appropriateness test) and warn you if CFDs are not appropriate.
3. Verify your identity with a passport or ID card and a proof of address (e.g. a utility bill or bank statement), as required by anti-money-laundering rules.
4. Choose the account type and base currency. An account in the currency you deposit in saves conversion costs.
5. Fund the account — minimum deposit according to the broker: 1.3 pips (Markets.com platform), 1.0 pips (MT4/MT5). Deposits are accepted only from accounts or cards in your own name; available methods: card, bank transfer, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Apple Pay.
6. Install the platform (Markets.com (web, app), MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5) or log in via your browser. Practise on a demo account first, if the broker offers one.

8. What trading with Markets.com really costs

Below are the costs from the summary table above — taken from Markets.com’s website and documents when we updated this review:

• Withdrawals: no Markets.com fees

How to work it out: on EUR/USD one pip on a 1-lot position (€100,000) is worth about $10, so a 1-pip spread costs about $10 when you open the trade. A commission quoted “per lot per side” is charged twice — on opening and on closing. Add overnight swaps for every night the position stays open and any currency conversion if your account currency differs from the instrument’s. On 0.1 lot all these amounts are ten times smaller.

Inactivity fee: $10 per month after 90 days without trading or deposits. If you plan a long break from trading, withdraw your funds or close the account so the fee does not eat into your balance.

9. Withdrawing money from Markets.com — how it works

You request a withdrawal in the client area. Under anti-money-laundering rules, funds usually go back via the method used to deposit (e.g. to the card up to the amount deposited by card) and only to an account or card in your own name. The first withdrawal may require full account verification, so upload your documents right after registering. Only free funds that are not used as margin can be withdrawn.

10. Markets.com compared with other brokers

For comparison, here is Markets.com next to other brokers whose reviews we updated in October 2026. Figures come from their summary tables — see the full reviews for details.

11. Leverage and client protection in the EU (ESMA)

As an EU investment firm, Markets.com applies the restrictions introduced by ESMA and adopted permanently by national regulators to retail clients:

• leverage up to 1:30 on major currency pairs, 1:20 on other pairs, gold and major indices, 1:10 on other commodities and indices, 1:5 on shares and 1:2 on crypto;
• margin close-out at 50% of required margin;
• negative balance protection — retail clients cannot lose more than they deposited;
• a ban on bonuses and trading incentives for retail CFD clients;
• a mandatory risk warning with the share of losing retail accounts — for Markets.com: 81.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Higher leverage is only available to professional clients who meet the MiFID II criteria — at the cost of some protections, including negative balance protection.

12. Tax on profits from Markets.com

Tax treatment depends on your country of residence. Markets.com generally does not file tax returns for you, so keep the annual statement of trades from the client area. For Polish residents: profits from a foreign broker are reported in the PIT-38 return (19% tax), with foreign-currency amounts converted at the National Bank of Poland average rate from the business day before each trade.

13. Glossary: terms to know before opening a Markets.com account

• Spread — the difference between the buy and sell price, paid on every trade.
• Pip — the smallest typical price move of a currency pair (0.0001 for EUR/USD).
• Lot — the standard position size: 1 forex lot is 100,000 units of the base currency; 0.01 lot (micro lot) is 1,000.
• Commission — a fixed fee per trade, usually on raw-spread (ECN/Raw) accounts.
• Swap — the daily cost or credit for holding a position overnight, based on the interest-rate differential.
• Margin — the part of the position value set aside as collateral; at 1:30 leverage about 3.33% of the position.
• Margin call and stop out — a warning and automatic closing of positions when equity falls relative to required margin.
• Slippage — execution at a different price than requested, common around news releases and price gaps.

14. FAQ

Risk warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 81.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. This review is for information only and is not investment advice.