Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FXCM vs ACY Securities, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
FXCM, established in 1999, and ACY Securities, founded in 2011, both serve as online brokers catering to traders with differing regulatory standings. FXCM is publicly traded, while ACY Securities is not. Neither of the companies operates as a bank. In terms of regulation, FXCM shines with 4 Tier-1 licenses, a benchmark for high trust, and 2 Tier-2 licenses. In comparison, ACY Securities holds 1 Tier-1 license and no Tier-2 licenses, indicating a lower level of existing regulatory trust than FXCM.
When it comes to trustworthiness as assessed by ForexBrokers.com, FXCM boasts a high Trust Score of 95 out of 99, hinting at its strong market reputation and reliability. On the other hand, ACY Securities has a Trust Score of 75, which places it in the average risk category. This distinction suggests that FXCM might offer more confidence to cautious investors seeking a strongly regulated trading environment.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2011 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
When it comes to commissions and fees, FXCM presents slightly higher forex trading costs than the industry average. Its standard account spreads, based on May 2024 data, average 0.78 for the EUR/USD pair in the EU, U.K., and Australia, but rise to 1.38 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, surpassing the industry norm. Conversely, FXCM's commission-based accounts offer average spreads of 0.28 pips, excluding commissions. The Active Trader Rebate Program, available outside of the U.K. and EU, can further reduce costs with rebates ranging from $5 to $25 per million traded. FXCM boasts a 4-star rating and ranks #24 out of 62 brokers for commissions and fees according to ForexBrokers.com.
ACY Securities offers various account types tailored to diverse trading needs. While the Standard account, with a $50 minimum deposit, features wider spreads averaging 1.2 pips for the EUR/USD, its ProZero account provides more competitive spreads, averaging 0.25 pips. The ProZero and Bespoke accounts, which are commission-based, require higher minimum deposits of $200 and $10,000, respectively, with commission rates of $5 to $6 per round turn. Notably, for Australian residents, the ProZero account's commission drops to $3 per round turn, achieving effective spreads of 0.55 pips. ACY Securities earns a 4.5-star rating and ranks #21 out of 62 brokers in the commissions and fees category as per ForexBrokers.com.
Overall, while both brokers offer opportunities for reducing trading costs through various account options and active trader programs, ACY Securities edges ahead with slightly better ratings and rankings in terms of commissions and fees. For traders prioritizing cost efficiency, examining the account types and pricing structures of both FXCM and ACY Securities is crucial for choosing the most suitable option.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $50 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.78 | 1.2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.78 | 0.85 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing FXCM and ACY Securities, both brokers offer forex trading as CFDs, allowing investors to participate in the forex market flexibly. However, ACY Securities provides a greater variety of tradeable symbols, boasting 2,200 compared to FXCM's 440. This broader selection includes 66 forex pairs, whereas FXCM offers 43. Neither brokerage supplies exchange-traded securities on U.S. or international exchanges, which means direct stock purchases, such as Apple or Vodafone, are not available through these platforms. Both brokers support copy trading for clients who prefer mimicking successful strategies. Additionally, while direct cryptocurrency purchases are unavailable, they both offer cryptocurrency derivatives, giving traders exposure to digital currencies without owning them outright.
Although both FXCM and ACY Securities cover similar investment ranges, ACY Securities earns a slightly better reputation in the market based on their assortment, receiving a 4-star rating compared to FXCM's 3.5 stars for their investment range. ForexBrokers.com ranks ACY Securities at #30 among 62 brokers for their range of investments, surpassing FXCM, which holds the #47 spot. These distinctions reflect ACY Securities' more extensive offerings that might appeal to traders seeking a wider array of symbols and forex pairs to choose from.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 2200 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 43 | 66 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Both FXCM and ACY Securities offer traders the convenience of simulated trading with free demo accounts, providing a risk-free environment for practice. They feature proprietary platforms along with support for the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4); however, only ACY Securities offers MetaTrader 5 (MT5) for those seeking an updated version. Both brokers provide a Windows-based desktop platform and a web-based option for browser access, ensuring users can trade in a manner that suits them. While each supports copy trading, FXCM also includes ZuluTrade as an additional platform for copy trading, setting it apart in this aspect.
In terms of charting capabilities, FXCM offers ten drawing tools compared to ACY Securities’ fifteen, although both allow traders to act directly from stock charts. FXCM surpasses ACY Securities with a more comprehensive watchlist feature, offering thirteen columns to ACY Securities’ seven. This might contribute to FXCM's higher user rating of 5 stars for trading platforms and tools, compared to ACY Securities’ 4 stars. In rankings by ForexBrokers.com, FXCM clinches the #6 spot among 62 brokers, significantly ahead of ACY Securities, which is ranked at #41.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 10 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 13 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing mobile trading apps from FXCM and ACY Securities, both brokerages offer apps for iPhone and Android devices, as well as essential features like stock or forex price alerts. However, FXCM stands out by offering watchlist symbol syncing, which allows for seamless integration between the mobile app and the online account. This feature is not available with ACY Securities. Additionally, FXCM provides a more extensive set of 59 technical studies for charting, compared to 30 offered by ACY Securities. Both platforms allow users to draw trendlines and view multiple time frames on charts, and they also auto-save these drawings.
Creating watchlists with real-time quotes is possible on both apps. When it comes to user ratings, FXCM receives 4.5 stars for its mobile trading app, while ACY Securities is rated at 4 stars. In terms of rankings by ForexBrokers.com, FXCM is placed higher at #16 out of 62 brokers, whereas ACY Securities finds itself at #40. This suggests that users might prefer FXCM for its additional features and slightly better user experience.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 59 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
FXCM and ACY Securities both provide daily market commentary, aiding traders with timely insights. However, when it comes to offering forex news from high-profile sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, FXCM stands out as the sole provider among the two. While neither broker offers tools from Autochartist, FXCM enriches its offerings with Trading Central's technical analysis tools, setting it apart from ACY Securities. Additionally, FXCM presents a sentiment-based trading tool and market research from TipRanks, features missing in ACY Securities’ arsenal.
Both brokers ensure traders have access to an economic calendar, displaying crucial upcoming events across global economies. FXCM's research features earn it a 4.5-star rating and rank it 11th out of 62 brokers as per ForexBrokers.com. In comparison, ACY Securities, with a focus mainly on foundational tools, is rated at 3.5 stars, placing it at 44th in the same category. This positions FXCM as a more research-intensive platform for traders seeking extensive market analysis tools and comprehensive news coverage.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners exploring the world of online trading, educational resources are crucial in building a strong foundation. Both FXCM and ACY Securities provide a solid array of educational materials aimed at helping newcomers understand forex and CFDs. With over 10 educational pieces each, including articles, videos, and archived webinars, both brokers ensure traders have easy access to essential learning resources. They also offer monthly online webinars to further support their clients' education, complete with archives of previous sessions for convenient reference.
However, there are distinct differences worth noting. FXCM differentiates itself by providing a comprehensive selection of advanced educational videos tailored for experienced traders and offers an investor dictionary with over 50 key investing terms. This dedication to a more extensive range of educational materials is reflected in their 4.5-star rating and ranking of #14 out of 62 brokers for education by ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, ACY Securities lacks advanced educational content and a comprehensive dictionary, resulting in a lower education rating of 3.5 stars and a ranking of #43.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that FXCM is better than ACY Securities. FXCM finished with an overall rank of #15, while ACY Securities finished with an overall rank of #42.
For traders who appreciate advanced trading tools and quality market research, FXCM is a winner, especially for algorithmic trading. Its range of tradeable markets is fairly narrow, however, and the pricing at FXCM is just average.
| Feature |
FXCM
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ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 95 | 75 |
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Both FXCM and ACY Securities do not provide options for purchasing actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they both allow trading in cryptocurrency derivatives.
FXCM and ACY Securities both support ACH or SEPA transfers, Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires for funding and withdrawals, but only FXCM offers PayPal as a payment option.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 75 | |
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| Review | FXCM Review | ACY Securities Review |
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| Regulation | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 95 | 75 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2011 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 2200 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 43 | 66 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.78 | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.78 | 0.85 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 13 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 10 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 59 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | FXCM Review | ACY Securities Review |
| Overall | FXCM | ACY Securities | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 75 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review | ACY Securities Review |
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