Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of BlackBull Markets vs Alpari, 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.
BlackBull Markets and Alpari are both online brokers catering to a wide range of traders, but they differ notably in their regulatory standings and perceived trustworthiness. Founded in 2014, BlackBull Markets, though young, has secured one Tier-1 license, which is a mark of high trust according to ForexBrokers.com. It holds a Trust Score rating of 78, placing it in the average risk category, suggesting a moderate level of confidence for users engaging with their services.
In contrast, Alpari, established in 1998, has more experience but no Tier-1 licenses under its belt. This absence could be a significant point of consideration for potential investors seeking credible protection measures. With a Trust Score rating of 68, Alpari falls into the high-risk bracket, indicating the need for heightened caution when choosing to trade through this platform. Neither BlackBull Markets nor Alpari is publicly traded, and neither functions as a bank, two factors prospective clients may want to consider when evaluating their options.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2014 | 1998 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of BlackBull Markets and Alpari, BlackBull Markets offers several account types that cater to different trading needs. BlackBull Markets is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for its commissions and fees, ranking #19 out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. For those opting for the Prime account, BlackBull Markets presents an appealing choice with an average spread of 0.16 on the EUR/USD currency pair and a total cost of 0.76 when including the $6 commission per 10,000 traded. However, the Prime account does require a $2,000 minimum deposit. On the other hand, the Standard account eliminates commissions but has higher spreads and no minimum deposit requirement. Meanwhile, the ECN Institutional account caters to active traders willing to deposit $20,000, with a competitive $4 round turn commission per lot.
Alpari, with a slightly lower rating of 4 out of 5 stars for its commissions and fees, is ranked #41 in the same category. Unfortunately, Alpari does not provide average spread data, which can make direct cost comparisons challenging. Despite this lack of specific data, Alpari maintains a presence in the trading community with competitive features tailored to meet various trading preferences.
Overall, BlackBull Markets stands out with its structured pricing and account options, appealing to both new traders and seasoned professionals seeking lower trading costs with the Prime account. In contrast, Alpari remains a viable option for traders who value other features beyond the immediate comparison of spread and fee details.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $20 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.76 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.76 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | 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 it comes to the variety of investment options, BlackBull Markets clearly stands out against Alpari. With an impressive suite of 26,000 tradeable symbols compared to Alpari's 105, investors have a vast array of opportunities at their fingertips with BlackBull Markets. Both brokers provide access to forex trading as a CFD or spot contract. However, BlackBull Markets takes the lead with 72 tradeable forex pairs compared to Alpari's 46. Importantly, BlackBull Markets also allows investment in exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, enabling clients to purchase shares in prominent companies like Apple. Alpari, meanwhile, offers international exchange-traded securities but lacks the option for U.S. exchanges.
Both brokers extend the feature of copy trading and provide access to trade cryptocurrency derivatives, though neither offers the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies. In terms of investment range, BlackBull Markets has achieved a 5-star rating, placing it 6th among 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. Alpari, on the other hand, received a 3-star rating, ranking last in the same category. Overall, for those seeking a broader selection of investments and a higher-rated broker, BlackBull Markets offers a more comprehensive service than Alpari.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 26000 | 105 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 72 | 46 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
When comparing BlackBull Markets and Alpari, both brokers provide comprehensive trading platforms, but there are notable differences. Both offer simulation features with free virtual demo accounts, making them appealing for novice traders who wish to practice without financial risk. However, while Alpari brings a proprietary platform to the table, BlackBull Markets focuses on established platforms like MetaTrader 4 and 5. Both brokers provide Windows desktop downloads and web-based applications, allowing for flexibility depending on user preference. In terms of copy trading, both brokers offer this feature, but BlackBull Markets goes a step further by supporting ZuluTrade, unlike Alpari.
Charting tools further highlight contrasts between the two, as BlackBull Markets extends a greater selection with 60 drawing tools compared to Alpari's 15. For those who rely heavily on chart analysis, this may be a key consideration. Additionally, BlackBull Markets allows for six columns in watch lists, whereas Alpari slightly surpasses this with seven. Despite both receiving a four-star rating for platforms and tools, ForexBrokers.com ranks BlackBull Markets more favorably at #28, compared to Alpari's #55. Ultimately, the choice between BlackBull Markets and Alpari depends on personal preferences for platform features and trading tools.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | No | 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 | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 109 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 60 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 6 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both BlackBull Markets and Alpari offer comprehensive mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android users, providing essential features for both novice and experienced traders. These apps are equipped with stock and forex price alerts, along with the ability to create watchlists with real-time quotes. Users can also access 30 technical studies for chart analysis and draw trendlines on their stock or forex charts. Additionally, both platforms allow traders to view stocks or forex across various time frames such as daily, weekly, or intraday.
While both apps are similarly rated with four stars for their mobile trading capabilities, BlackBull Markets takes the lead in some aspects. It offers watchlist symbol syncing, ensuring that any changes made on the mobile app are mirrored across a user's online account. Additionally, BlackBull Markets' app auto-saves drawings on charts, a feature not available with Alpari. This might be why BlackBull Markets ranks higher at #30 compared to Alpari’s #56 in ForexBrokers.com's Mobile Trading Apps category.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | 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 | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing BlackBull Markets and Alpari for market research offerings, several distinctions emerge. BlackBull Markets provides daily market commentary, helping traders stay informed with regular updates. While Alpari does not offer this feature, it excels in delivering forex news from prestigious sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters, which is absent in BlackBull Markets. Both brokers provide technical analysis tools from Autochartist, ensuring traders have access to sophisticated analytical resources. However, neither offers tools from Trading Central or research from TipRanks or Acuity Trading.
Additionally, BlackBull Markets offers a sentiment-based trading tool that shows the ratio of long or short positions, an area where Alpari lags. Both platforms feature an economic calendar, assisting traders in tracking key economic events globally. In terms of research ratings, BlackBull Markets is rated 4 stars and ranks 18th among 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com, outperforming Alpari, which holds a 3-star rating and ranks 57th. This comparative analysis highlights BlackBull Markets as a more comprehensive option for traders prioritizing regular commentary and sentiment tools, while Alpari shines in news coverage from leading sources.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For those new to online trading, education plays a vital role in understanding and participating effectively in the markets. BlackBull Markets and Alpari both recognize this need and offer various educational resources to help beginners get started. BlackBull Markets provides a wide range of educational content, including a minimum of ten articles, videos, or archived webinars focused on forex and CFDs. They also host at least one educational webinar per month, with a searchable archive available for accessing past sessions. Additionally, BlackBull delivers a substantial library of beginner and advanced trading videos. Meanwhile, Alpari also offers at least ten educational pieces along with beginner videos but lacks the regular webinars and access to archival content that BlackBull Markets provides.
Both brokers present an investor dictionary with definitions for over 50 investing terms, further aiding the educational journey for beginners. However, when it comes to more advanced video content, BlackBull Markets goes the extra mile with resources specifically designed for experienced traders, a feature that Alpari does not extend. Comparatively, BlackBull Markets holds a higher overall educational rating of four out of five stars, ranking 29th among 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Alpari is rated three stars, positioned at 48th. This suggests that BlackBull Markets might be a more comprehensive choice for those seeking a broader educational experience in online trading.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| 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 BlackBull Markets is better than Alpari. BlackBull Markets finished with an overall rank of #24, while Alpari finished with an overall rank of #57.
BlackBull Markets is a plain-vanilla MetaTrader broker with a growing range of products and support for a handful of third-party social copy trading platforms.
| Feature |
BlackBull Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 78 | 68 |
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Both BlackBull Markets and Alpari do not provide the option to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they do offer the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both BlackBull Markets and Alpari lack options for ACH or SEPA transfers and PayPal for depositing or withdrawing account funds, but they do provide Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires as payment methods.
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 | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 78 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | BlackBull Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
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| Regulation | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 78 | 68 | |
| Year Founded | 2014 | 1998 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | 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) | No | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 26000 | 105 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 72 | 46 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.76 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.76 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $20 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | No | 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 | Yes | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 6 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 109 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 60 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | BlackBull Markets Review |
| Overall | BlackBull Markets | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 78 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | BlackBull Markets Review |
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