How we rate forex brokers — ForexRev editorial rating methodology
The ForexRev editorial rating is a score from 0 to 10 that we give forex and CFD brokers using fixed, published rules. It is calculated from facts: documents of the company that serves clients in the European Union, regulators’ registers and decisions, and data checked by our editors on the broker’s platform. Every value has a source and a check date. The rating sets the order of our forex broker ranking.
The rating is the same in every language version of the site and does not depend on the reader’s country. Partner commissions do not affect the rating or the ranking order.
Four criteria and their weights
| Criterion | Weight | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Safety & regulation | 30% | regulator of the EU company, investor compensation scheme, additional insurance of client funds, negative balance protection, stock-exchange listing or banking licence, regulatory fines in the last 3 years |
| Costs & price transparency | 35% | EUR/USD cost (spread and commission), inactivity fee, deposit and withdrawal fees, commissions on real stocks and ETFs, public fee schedule |
| Products & platforms | 20% | forex and CFDs, real stocks and ETFs, number of instruments, MetaTrader, own platform and app, cTrader or TradingView, demo account |
| Deposits & withdrawals | 15% | payment methods (including instant payments and e-wallets), declared withdrawal processing time, minimum deposit |
Each criterion is scored 0–10. The final rating is a weighted average: 0.30 × safety + 0.35 × costs + 0.20 × products + 0.15 × deposits & withdrawals, rounded to one decimal place. In a tie, the broker with the higher safety score ranks higher.
Scoring thresholds
| Safety & regulation | Points |
|---|---|
| Regulator of the company: KNF, BaFin, AMF, CONSOB, or the company is an EU-licensed bank | 5 |
| Other EU/EEA regulator (e.g. CySEC, Central Bank of Ireland, CMVM) | 4 |
| Investor compensation scheme | 1 |
| Additional insurance of funds for every retail client | 1 |
| Negative balance protection | 1 |
| Company or its group listed on a stock exchange, or a bank | 2 |
| Fine or settlement with a regulator in the last 3 years (each, maximum two) | −1 |
| Costs & price transparency | Points |
|---|---|
| EUR/USD cost (spread + round-turn commission) on an account from ≤ €1,000: ≤ 0.7 / ≤ 1.0 / ≤ 1.4 / ≤ 2.0 pips | 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 |
| No inactivity fee / fee only after ≥ 12 months | 2 / 1 |
| Free bank-transfer deposits and withdrawals | 1 |
| Commission-free real stocks and ETFs / with commission | 1.5 / 0.75 |
| Full fee schedule available without logging in | 1.5 |
| Products & platforms | Points |
|---|---|
| Forex plus index and commodity CFDs for EU retail clients | 3 |
| Real stocks and ETFs | 2 |
| Number of instruments: ≥ 5,000 / ≥ 1,000 / ≥ 300 / fewer | 2 / 1.5 / 1 / 0.5 |
| MetaTrader 4 or 5 | 1 |
| Own web platform and mobile app | 1 |
| cTrader or TradingView | 0.5 |
| Demo account | 0.5 |
| Deposits & withdrawals | Points |
|---|---|
| Instant payments or e-wallets besides card and bank transfer / card and transfer only | 3 / 2 |
| Withdrawal processing: ≤ 1 business day / ≤ 3 days / longer or not stated | 3.5 / 2 / 0.5 |
| Minimum deposit: 0 / ≤ €100 / ≤ €500 | 3.5 / 3 / 2 |
Who we do not rate
We do not give a score — instead we show a warning or a “not rated” notice with the reason, and no partner link — when:
- the entity is on the warning list of a financial regulator;
- the broker is not authorised to serve retail clients in the EU (offshore licences only);
- the service is closed or being wound down;
- the broker does not offer forex or CFDs to EU retail clients (in the forex ranking);
- the brand is not offered in the EU.
Where our data comes from
- The company serving EU clients — its website, fee schedule, terms and documents; licences of other group companies do not raise the score.
- Regulators — licence registers, warning lists and decisions on fines and settlements (e.g. CySEC, BaFin, KNF, Central Bank of Ireland).
- Editorial checks — when a broker shows data only after login (e.g. spreads), we check it on the account or platform and record it as an editorial finding with a date.
- Missing data — if something cannot be verified, the broker gets no points for it.
Regulatory fines
We deduct one point for each fine or settlement with an EU or UK regulator (including court fines following a regulator’s referral) in the last 3 years that concerns investment services, client protection, market abuse or anti-money laundering — maximum two points. Appealed decisions also count; the rating box shows the date, authority and amount.
User reviews
We show the average of readers’ reviews separately, next to the editorial rating. Reviews are checked manually before publication, and we publish both positive and negative ones. They do not affect the editorial rating.
Independence and advertising
Some links on the site are partner links — if you open an account, we may receive a commission. This does not change the rating or the ranking order. Advertising placements, such as the sponsor box above the ranking, are labelled as advertising.
Updates and corrections
We review ratings at least every 6 months and after any significant event (fine, loss of licence, fee changes). The check date is shown in the rating box of every review. If you spot outdated information, contact us — we will correct it after checking the source.