Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Admirals vs HFM, 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.
When comparing Admirals and HFM, both online brokers present trustworthy profiles for traders. Admirals, established in 2001, holds a commendable Trust Score of 93 out of 99 by ForexBrokers.com, which categorizes it as highly trusted. This reliability is backed by four Tier-1 licenses, the highest level of regulatory approval. HFM, founded in 2010, carries a Trust Score of 86, classifying it as trusted, with two Tier-1 licenses supporting its credibility. Both brokers are privately held and not connected to any banking institutions, ensuring independent operations to focus on trading services.
In addition to their Tier-1 licenses, both Admirals and HFM hold three Tier-2 licenses, reinforcing their trusted status with an additional layer of regulatory oversight. While neither broker is listed on a stock exchange, these multiple licenses indicate their compliance with at least moderate regulatory standards across different jurisdictions. Admirals, with its longer industry presence and higher count of top-tier licenses, offers a slight edge in perceived safety and trustworthiness, appealing to cautious investors seeking higher assurance in regulatory safeguards. Conversely, HFM remains a solid choice for those comfortable with a well-rated, yet slightly less established, trading platform.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
When comparing the online brokers Admirals and HFM in terms of commissions and fees, Admirals offers a competitive edge with typical spreads of 0.8 pips on their Trade account. The Zero account type at Admirals maintains similar competitive pricing, making it an attractive choice for cost-conscious traders. Admirals earns a commendable 4.5-star rating for its pricing structure and is ranked #17 out of 62 brokers in the commissions and fees category by ForexBrokers.com.
On the other hand, HFM's trading costs slightly exceed the industry average. Their standard trading accounts advertise typical spreads of 1.2 pips, though this figure lacks a specified date range, potentially impacting its accuracy. For the Zero account, the effective spread comes down to 0.7 pips when factoring in the commission, though this figure does not represent an average spread. HFM holds a 4-star rating for commissions and fees and is ranked #31 among 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com.
Both Admirals and HFM provide valuable options for traders, though Admirals stands out with its more favorable pricing and higher ratings, making it a potentially more cost-effective option for those prioritizing lower trading fees.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| 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 Admirals and HFM for their range of investments, both provide the ability to trade forex as either CFDs or spot contracts. Admirals stands out with an impressive offering of 8,702 tradeable symbols, a vast collection compared to HFM's 500 symbols. While HFM leads with 102 forex pairs available for trading compared to Admirals' 82 pairs, Admirals offers a unique advantage: clients can buy exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, allowing a wider range of investment options including direct stock purchases like Apple and Vodafone. In contrast, HFM does not provide access to exchange-traded securities outside of CFDs.
Both platforms support copy trading and offer the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives, although neither permits the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies. Admirals earns a slightly higher rating with 4.5 out of 5 stars for its range of investments, compared to HFM's 4 stars. This is further reflected in their rankings, with Admirals placed at #19 and HFM at #36 out of 62 brokers in the Range of Investments category by ForexBrokers.com. This comparative analysis suggests that Admirals may be a better choice for traders seeking a broader variety of investment opportunities, especially in direct stock purchases and the overall number of symbols offered.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8702 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 82 | 102 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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.
Admirals and HFM both offer comprehensive trading platforms that cater to the needs of traders at all levels. Admirals provides a proprietary platform alongside industry-standard options like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, mirroring HFM's offerings. Both brokers support simulated trading with free virtual demo accounts, allowing traders to practice without financial risk. Desktop and web-based platform accessibility is available from both brokers, making it easier for users to trade from their preferred devices. Admirals and HFM also facilitate copy trading, enabling users to mimic successful trades of others, although neither offers DupliTrade or ZuluTrade options. Admirals stands out slightly in terms of charting versatility, offering 106 drawing tools compared to HFM’s 30.
When it comes to supporting trader setups, Admirals and HFM both allow trading directly from stock charts and provide seven columns for customizing watch lists. Admirals received a four-star rating for its trading platforms and tools, ranking 20th among 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. In the same category, HFM garnered a matching four-star rating but was ranked significantly lower at 42nd. This disparity in rankings suggests that while both brokers offer well-rounded platform experiences, Admirals has a slight edge in overall tool accessibility and platform features.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 15 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 106 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing the mobile trading apps of Admirals and HFM, both brokers offer comprehensive platforms for iPhone and Android users. Each app provides essential features like stock and forex price alerts, the ability to draw trendlines, and multiple time frame viewing options for charts. Admirals and HFM also let users create watchlists with real-time quotes, although neither supports watchlist symbol syncing across devices. This means updates to your watchlist won't automatically synchronize between your mobile app and online account.
Charting capabilities in both apps include 30 technical studies, and any drawings made on charts are automatically saved. Despite these similarities, Admirals edges out HFM slightly in industry rankings for mobile trading apps; ForexBrokers.com ranks Admirals at #28, while HFM is at #39. However, both apps receive a solid 4-star rating, indicating a reliable experience for trading on the go. Whether you're with Admirals or HFM, you'll find a functional mobile trading platform that meets most traders' needs.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 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.
Admirals and HFM both excel in providing essential features to keep investors informed. They offer daily market commentary and timely forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. For those interested in tracking broader market sentiment, both brokers also provide sentiment-based trading tools that display the ratio of long or short positions across various instruments. Furthermore, they each offer economic calendars to help traders keep track of global economic events.
When it comes to specialized research tools, Admirals is equipped with features from Trading Central and provides market insights from TipRanks and Acuity Trading. On the other hand, HFM distinguishes itself by offering tools from Autochartist. Despite these differences, both brokers receive a commendable four-star rating for research according to ForexBrokers.com. Admirals ranks slightly higher in the research category at 15th place out of 62 brokers, with HFM following at 20th. These rankings demonstrate each platform's commitment to quality market research, making them both strong contenders for traders seeking insightful analysis and tools.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners, both Admirals and HFM provide ample opportunities for learning about forex and CFDs. Each offers a rich library of more than 10 materials, including articles, videos, and archived webinars that focus on these trading topics. Admirals and HFM cater to clients with monthly online educational webinars and ensure easy access with searchable archives of previously recorded sessions. For those starting out, each platform provides at least 10 beginner-focused videos, ensuring that new traders have a solid foundation from which to grow.
For advanced traders, both Admirals and HFM continue to deliver, offering over 10 advanced videos tailored to experienced traders. They also provide an investor dictionary with definitions for more than 50 investing terms, aiding in demystifying complex concepts. Admirals stands out with a higher rank of 12th in the Education category from ForexBrokers.com, compared to HFM's 37th rank, though both share a commendable four-star educational rating. Whether you're just beginning or looking to enhance your trading skills, each broker has a comprehensive suite of educational offerings to support your journey.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Admirals is better than HFM. Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18, while HFM finished with an overall rank of #30.
Traders choose Admirals for its excellent investor education and advanced MetaTrader features – such as the Supreme add-ons – alongside an extensive range of shares, forex and CFD markets, and premium research content.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 86 |
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Both Admirals and HFM do not offer the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrencies, but they do provide options to purchase cryptocurrency derivatives.
When comparing online brokers Admirals and HFM, Admirals offers a wider range of deposit and withdrawal options by supporting ACH and SEPA transfers, PayPal, Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires, whereas HFM also supports Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires, but lacks ACH, SEPA transfers, and PayPal options.
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 | Admirals | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Admirals Review | HFM Review |
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| Regulation | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 93 | 86 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2010 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | Yes | No |
| Investments | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8702 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 82 | 102 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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 | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.8 | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 0.7 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 | |
| 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 | No |
| Trading Platforms | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 15 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 106 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Admirals | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Admirals Review | HFM Review |
| Overall | Admirals | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Admirals Review | HFM Review |
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