Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Admirals vs TopFX, 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.
Admirals, established in 2001, stands out as a highly trusted online broker with a Trust Score of 93 according to ForexBrokers.com. Although not publicly traded and not a bank, Admirals demonstrates strong regulatory compliance, holding four Tier-1 licenses and three Tier-2 licenses. These credentials contribute to its reputation as a reliable choice for online trading.
In comparison, TopFX, founded in 2010, has a Trust Score of 67, indicating a higher risk level according to ForexBrokers.com. Like Admirals, TopFX is neither publicly traded nor a bank. However, it holds just one Tier-1 license and no Tier-2 licenses, which may affect its perceived trustworthiness for those prioritizing regulatory oversight in their broker selection process.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
TopFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
Admirals offers competitive pricing with typical spreads of 0.8 on its Trade account, mirroring similar pricing on the Zero account type. Rated 4.5 stars, Admirals ranks 17th out of 63 brokers for commissions and fees according to ForexBrokers.com. This impressive positioning highlights its strong appeal for investors seeking cost-effective trading options.
TopFX provides two account types, available on both MetaTrader and cTrader platforms. The spread-only ZERO account does not charge commission but comes with higher average spreads of 1.03 pips for the EUR/USD. The RAW account, on the other hand, is commission-based with an added fee of 2.75 EUR per side, resulting in a total cost roughly equivalent to 0.88 pips. While TopFX garners a solid rating of 4 stars, it ranks 40th in the commissions and fees category according to ForexBrokers.com.
When comparing these two brokers, Admirals seems favorable for traders looking to minimize trading costs, while TopFX provides flexible account options catering to different trading style preferences. The choice ultimately depends on whether a trader values lower commissions and tighter spreads or less complex pricing with potential savings on commission fees.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
TopFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | Depends on payment method |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.8 | 1.03 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 0.88 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Admirals and TopFX both provide an array of trading opportunities, but they present some key differences in the range of investments they offer. Admirals stands out with an extensive selection, offering 8,702 tradeable symbols, including 82 forex pairs. It also provides access to exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, allowing clients to invest in companies like Apple and Vodafone directly. On the other hand, TopFX offers 655 tradeable symbols and 60 forex pairs but does not provide access to exchange-traded securities on any exchanges. Both brokers offer forex trading in the form of CFDs or spot contracts, as well as cryptocurrency derivatives, although neither provides the option to buy actual cryptocurrencies. Admirals also features a user-friendly copy trading service, much like TopFX.
In terms of quality, Admirals receives a rating of 4.5 stars out of five for its range of investments, standing at 19th place out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, TopFX garners a 3.5-star rating and ranks 46th. These distinctions highlight Admirals as a more flexible choice for those interested in a broader selection of investment options, while TopFX may appeal to traders looking for fundamental forex and CFD offerings.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
TopFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8702 | 655 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 82 | 60 |
| 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 TopFX both provide comprehensive trading platforms and tools suitable for a range of traders. Admirals stands out with its proprietary platform developed in-house, while TopFX does not offer a custom platform. Both brokers offer MetaTrader 4, but only Admirals provides MetaTrader 5, adding to its versatility. Both companies also provide options for simulated trading via free virtual demo accounts, enhancing their appeal for beginners. Admirals boasts 106 drawing tools for charting, far surpassing TopFX's 15. Each broker permits trading directly from stock charts, providing ease of use for quick decisions. Despite these differences, both brokers are rated four stars for their trading platforms and tools.
TopFX and Admirals share several similarities, such as offering web-based and Windows desktop platforms, making them accessible from various devices. Both also support copy trading and display seven columns in their watchlists, catering to traders who prefer detailed market insights. Despite these commonalities, Admirals ranks higher at #19 compared to TopFX's #45 in the Trading Platforms and Tools category according to ForexBrokers.com. This higher ranking reflects Admirals' broader toolset and proprietary offerings, which might better support traders looking for advanced features.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
TopFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 106 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both Admirals and TopFX offer accessible mobile trading experiences, with apps available for iPhone and Android users. These platforms cater to traders by providing essential features such as stock and forex price alerts, the ability to draw trendlines, and multiple time frame views, fostering an engaging experience for users on the go. Admirals and TopFX each offer a robust set of 30 technical studies for charting, ensuring that users have the tools necessary for comprehensive technical analysis on their mobile devices. Moreover, both apps automatically save drawings on charts and allow traders to create customized watchlists with real-time quotes. However, neither platform supports the synchronization of watchlists between the mobile app and an online account, which may require users to update their lists manually in both locations.
In terms of user satisfaction, both Admirals and TopFX receive a solid four-star rating for their mobile trading apps. However, Admirals appears to edge ahead when looking at industry rankings. According to ForexBrokers.com, Admirals is ranked 23rd out of 63 brokers in the Mobile Trading Apps category, while TopFX is positioned at 51st. This distinction suggests a slightly stronger favorability for Admirals among users and reviewers, possibly implying a more refined mobile trading experience. Nevertheless, both platforms provide adequately equipped mobile trading solutions for those seeking real-time financial market engagement.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
TopFX
|
|---|---|---|
| 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.
When choosing between Admirals and TopFX for market research, there are distinct differences in the offerings. Admirals provides daily market commentary and access to high-quality forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, similar to TopFX. However, Admirals excels by also offering research tools from TipRanks and Acuity Trading, giving users a rich selection of insights. TopFX, on the other hand, features tools from Autochartist, which Admirals does not offer. Both brokers are equipped with sentiment-based trading tools and Trading Central research tools, ensuring a comprehensive analytical experience for traders. Admirals enhances its service with an insightful economic calendar, a feature also available with TopFX.
When considering the overall rankings and ratings in market research, Admirals significantly outpaces TopFX. Admirals is rated 4 stars for research and holds the 15th position among 63 brokers as per ForexBrokers.com, indicating a strong endorsement of their research capabilities. Conversely, TopFX receives 3 stars and is placed at a distant 60th rank, suggesting room for improvement in their research offerings. These rankings highlight Admirals as the favored choice for traders seeking in-depth and diverse market research tools.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
TopFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes |
| 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 beginner traders, Admirals stands out compared to TopFX. Admirals provides a comprehensive array of learning materials that make starting your trading journey easier. They offer a wide variety of educational content, including more than ten pieces focused on forex or CFDs. Additionally, Admirals holds webinars monthly to support continuous learning and maintains a searchable archive of past webinars. They also feature over ten educational videos specifically designed for both beginners and advanced traders, making it ideal for new and experienced traders alike. Admirals even includes an investor dictionary with definitions for over 50 terms, adding another helpful resource for traders to expand their knowledge.
On the other hand, TopFX falls short in several areas related to educational support. They lack a sufficient collection of educational pieces about forex or CFDs and do not host monthly webinars to keep traders informed. Moreover, TopFX does not provide a searchable archive of webinars or a beginner-friendly series of educational videos. The absence of an investor dictionary further highlights the gap in their educational offerings. Overall, Admirals receives higher recognition for education, earning 4 out of 5 stars and ranking #12 among 63 brokers based on ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, TopFX receives a 3-star rating and ranks much lower at #61 for their educational resources for traders.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
TopFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Admirals is better than TopFX. Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18, while TopFX finished with an overall rank of #61.
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
|
TopFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 67 |
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Both Admirals and TopFX do not offer the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they do provide options for purchasing cryptocurrency derivatives.
When comparing Admirals and TopFX, both online brokers facilitate deposits and withdrawals via PayPal, Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires, but only Admirals offers the additional convenience of ACH and SEPA transfers for managing account funds.
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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2 of 5| Overall Rating | Admirals | TopFX | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 67 | |
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| Review | Admirals Review | TopFX Review |
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| Regulation | Admirals | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 93 | 67 | |
| 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 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Admirals | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| 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 | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | Yes | No |
| Investments | Admirals | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8702 | 655 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 82 | 60 | |
| 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 | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.8 | 1.03 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 0.88 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Admirals | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | Depends on payment method | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | Yes | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Admirals | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 106 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Admirals | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Admirals | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Admirals | TopFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | TopFX Review |
| Overall | Admirals | TopFX | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 67 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Admirals Review | TopFX Review |
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