Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of HFM vs Octa, 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 it comes to choosing an online broker, HFM and Octa present themselves with different trust levels and regulatory standings. HFM, established in 2010, boasts a solid regulatory foundation with two Tier-1 licenses and three Tier-2 licenses. This contributes to its trust score of 86 out of 99, making it a trusted option among users. In contrast, Octa, which started in 2011, holds one Tier-1 and one Tier-2 license, earning a trust score of 72. While neither HFM nor Octa are publicly traded companies or banks, their regulatory credentials differ significantly, which could be a deciding factor for potential users.
While both brokers aim to provide a reliable trading environment, their trust scores reflect their commitment to upholding regulatory standards. HFM's higher trust score indicates a greater degree of reliability. However, Octa still maintains a decent level of trust, described as average risk, which might appeal to those less concerned with top-tier regulation. As you ponder your choices, consider how each broker’s regulatory framework fits with your personal trading needs.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2011 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of online brokers HFM and Octa, it's clear both brokers have their unique strengths. HFM's trading costs are slightly above the industry average, with a standard trading account spread of 1.2 pips — though this figure lacks a specific date range and could vary. The Zero account at HFM offers a reduced spread of 0.7 pips post-commission, yet this too isn't an average. HFM holds a four-star rating for its commissions and fees and is ranked 31st out of 62 brokers evaluated by ForexBrokers.com.
Octa has shown significant improvement in its pricing model, now positioning itself among the lowest-cost MetaTrader brokers. The broker claims no slippage on 97.5% of executed trades and does not incur overnight carry costs, though certain restrictions might limit high-frequency traders. Octa's commission and fees, like those of HFM, are rated four stars but it ranks slightly higher at 29th out of 62 brokers.
Both brokers demonstrate a varied spread pricing structure depending upon account type and regulatory entity. Octa's average spread for the EUR/USD pair is more competitive through its EU entity at 0.5 pips, versus 0.9 pips via international avenues. However, the absence of date ranges for typical spread data from both brokers means these figures lack the weight of verified historical data. Despite this, Octa's pricing improvements help it keep pace with the leading MetaTrader brokers today.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| 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 assessing the range of investments offered by online brokers HFM and Octa, potential traders should consider various factors. HFM stands out with a larger number of tradable symbols, offering 500 options, compared to Octa's available 300 symbols. Within the forex market, HFM provides 102 tradable forex pairs, outpacing Octa's 35 pairs. Both brokers offer forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts, and they provide copy trading features along with access to cryptocurrency derivatives. However, neither broker allows for the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies.
While HFM does not offer exchange-traded securities on international or U.S. exchanges, Octa distinguishes itself by allowing trades on international exchanges but not on U.S. exchanges. In terms of ratings, HFM scores 4 out of 5 stars for its range of investments, while Octa closely follows with 3.5 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, HFM holds the 36th position out of 62 brokers in the range of investments category, while Octa is ranked at 52nd. These insights highlight HFM's broader selection in certain investment areas but also underscore Octa's unique advantage in international securities trading.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 300 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 35 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | 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.
Both HFM and Octa excel in offering versatile trading platforms and tools that cater to traders of all levels. Each broker provides a proprietary platform alongside the widely used MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, ensuring a familiar yet customizable trading experience. Traders can benefit from simulated paper trading through free virtual demo accounts available on both platforms. Both brokers also offer web-based platforms, Windows desktop platforms, and the ability to trade directly from stock charts, enhancing accessibility and convenience while trading. Copy trading is supported by both HFM and Octa for those interested in mirroring successful strategies.
When it comes to additional features, HFM offers 30 drawing tools for charting, compared to Octa's 15, providing more options for technical analysis. Both brokers allow for the creation of detailed watch lists with seven columns, giving users ample space to track important data. While neither broker supports DupliTrade or ZuluTrade, their emphasis on in-house and well-regarded trading platforms ensures a high-quality user experience. Overall, HFM and Octa are rated four stars out of five for their trading platforms and tools. In rankings by ForexBrokers.com, Octa leads slightly at 37th place out of 62 brokers, while HFM is rated 42nd, reflecting their competitive positioning in the market.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 15 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 15 |
| 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 HFM and Octa, both brokers provide a suite of features tailored for on-the-go traders. Both offer apps for iPhone and Android devices, ensuring accessibility across popular platforms. Traders can receive stock or forex price alerts from both brokers, keeping them in the loop on market movements. Both apps provide 30 technical studies for charting, the capability to draw trendlines, and the option to view stocks or forex charts across multiple time frames. Auto-saving of chart drawings and real-time quote watchlists are features present in both the HFM and Octa apps. However, neither platform offers sync capabilities for watchlist symbols between mobile and online accounts, which might be a consideration for some users.
In terms of user satisfaction, both HFM and Octa receive a rating of four out of five stars for their mobile trading apps. While these ratings are equal, Octa holds a slight edge in ranking, sitting at #35 compared to HFM's #39 out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. This slight difference may influence some traders, but overall, both apps present strong options for traders interested in seamless mobile trading experiences. Despite lacking watchlist sync features, their other offerings such as technical charting capabilities and real-time price alerts, provide significant value for traders on the go.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 comparing the market research offerings of online brokers HFM and Octa, both provide daily market commentary and access to forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. Each broker also offers technical analysis tools from Autochartist, ensuring traders have access to essential insights for better decision-making. However, neither broker includes technical tools from Trading Central, nor market insights from TipRanks and Acuity Trading. For those interested in sentiment analysis, HFM offers a tool that tracks the ratio of long vs. short positions across currency pairs, a feature not available with Octa. Both brokers, however, provide economic calendars that highlight global economic events, helping traders stay informed about potential market-moving news.
In terms of research quality, both HFM and Octa earn a rating of four out of five stars, reflecting their commitment to providing valuable tools and information for traders. Despite sharing the same star rating, HFM holds a slightly better position in the research rankings by ForexBrokers.com, landing at number 20 out of 62 brokers, while Octa ranks at number 26. This suggests that, while they are similar in many research features, HFM might have a slight edge in overall user satisfaction or other aspects not captured by the star rating alone.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | 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.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners, both HFM and Octa provide a solid foundation. They each offer a minimum of 10 educational pieces dedicated to forex or CFDs, including articles, videos, and archived webinars. Both platforms host regular online webinars at least once a month and maintain an accessible archive of these sessions for convenient on-demand learning. For those just starting their trading journey, HFM and Octa provide beginner-friendly video content with at least 10 informative videos specifically aimed at newcomers.
For more advanced traders, HFM and Octa also offer a selection of at least 10 educational videos tackling advanced trading topics. Additionally, both brokers provide an extensive investor dictionary with definitions of over 50 key investing terms to aid in understanding complex concepts. Although both HFM and Octa boast strong educational offerings with ratings of 4 out of 5 stars, HFM is ranked slightly higher, securing the 37th spot compared to Octa’s 41st in the ForexBrokers.com education category among 62 brokers.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 HFM is better than Octa. HFM finished with an overall rank of #30, while Octa finished with an overall rank of #47.
Alongside its enhanced MetaTrader offering and quality research, HFM (HF Markets), previously known as HotForex, offers a proprietary copy trading platform, HFcopy, a proprietary HF mobile app, and a decent selection of over 1,000 CFDs and 47 forex pairs. Still, trading costs at HFM are slightly above the industry average.
| Feature |
HFM
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Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 72 |
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Both HFM and Octa do not offer the ability to buy actual cryptocurrency, but they do provide the option to purchase cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both HFM and Octa do not offer ACH or SEPA transfers or PayPal for depositing or withdrawing funds, but they both support Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wire 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 | HFM | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 72 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | Octa Review |
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| Regulation | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 72 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2011 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | 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) | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 300 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 35 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | 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 | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | 0.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 | |
| 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 | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | HFM | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | HFM Review | Octa Review |
| Overall | HFM | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 72 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | Octa Review |
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