Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Pepperstone vs XM Group, 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.
Pepperstone, established in 2010, and XM Group, founded in 2009, are prominent online brokers known for their strong regulatory frameworks. Both companies are not publicly traded and do not operate as banks, ensuring a streamlined focus on brokerage services. Pepperstone holds a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 95, reflecting its standing as a highly trusted broker, while XM Group holds a slightly lower Trust Score of 88, placing it in the trusted category.
In terms of regulatory licenses, Pepperstone has secured 3 Tier-1 licenses, making it a highly trusted choice for traders seeking reliability. It also holds 2 Tier-2 licenses, reinforcing its trusted status. Meanwhile, XM Group boasts 4 Tier-1 licenses, demonstrating a strong commitment to meeting high regulatory standards, alongside 1 Tier-2 license. Overall, both brokers exhibit a commendable commitment to trust and regulatory compliance, each with its own strengths in licensing and trust scores.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
When comparing Pepperstone and XM Group in terms of commissions and fees, Pepperstone emerges as a strong contender with its Razor account. This account offers excellent pricing, especially for high-volume traders who can benefit from its Active Trader program. The Razor account follows a commission-based pricing model and showed an average spread of 0.10 pips for the EUR/USD. When commissions are included, the all-in cost rises to 0.80 pips, aligning closely with industry standards. In contrast, Pepperstone's Standard account does not charge a commission, but its EUR/USD average spread of 1.1 pips makes it a pricier option compared to the Razor account. High-volume traders might find extra value in Pepperstone's Active Trader program, which offers spread rebates based on trading volume.
XM Group, on the other hand, struggles to compete with its Standard account, primarily due to its higher costs. The broker does not disclose average spreads for its commission-based XM Zero account, making it challenging for potential clients to assess the account's cost-effectiveness. However, for those looking for detailed evaluations, Pepperstone proudly boasts a 4.5-star rating for commissions and fees, ranking 10th out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com, whereas XM Group holds a slightly lower rating of 4 stars and ranks 33rd.
Overall, Pepperstone seems to offer more competitive conditions, especially for traders engaging in substantial trading volumes. Diners opting for Pepperstone can leverage their Active Trader program to potentially lower costs further, while XM Group's transparency regarding pricing may deter some cost-conscious clients. Thus, traders prioritizing lower fees and detailed pricing information might be more inclined to choose Pepperstone over XM Group.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $5 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.00 | 1.6 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.70 | 0.8 |
| 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.
Pepperstone and XM Group are both strong choices for investors seeking diverse trading options. Pepperstone offers an extensive array of 1,726 tradeable symbols, including 65 forex pairs. Both brokers allow you to engage in forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts. However, when it comes to exchange-traded securities, Pepperstone does not offer access to U.S. or international exchanges, whereas XM Group allows clients to directly purchase shares, such as Apple and Vodafone, on these markets. Both platforms support cryptocurrency derivatives, but neither provides the option to buy actual cryptocurrencies.
For those interested in copy trading, both Pepperstone and XM Group have this feature available. In terms of ratings, Pepperstone receives 4 out of 5 stars for its range of investments, while XM Group slightly edges ahead with a 4.5-star rating. Looking at industry rankings, Pepperstone places as the 26th broker in this category according to ForexBrokers.com, whereas XM Group ranks higher at 23rd. These rankings highlight the broader investment options provided by XM Group, making it a potentially more attractive choice for those seeking a wider range of trading opportunities.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1726 | 1394 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 55 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes |
| 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.
Pepperstone and XM Group stand out as popular online brokers offering comprehensive trading tools and platforms to suit the needs of various traders. Both brokers provide simulated trading with free virtual demo accounts, allowing users to practice and refine their skills before engaging in real trades. While both offer MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, Pepperstone extends its platform offerings with a proprietary platform developed in-house, whereas XM Group does not. Furthermore, Pepperstone supports DupliTrade for copy trading, while XM Group does not include this option. However, both brokers facilitate copy trading through other means, ensuring traders have the flexibility to follow successful trading strategies.
In terms of desktop and web-based platforms, both Pepperstone and XM Group provide versatile options with support for Windows-based platforms and browser-based trading experiences. Pepperstone offers 30 drawing tools for charting compared to XM Group's 15, providing a more extensive range of tools for technical analysis. Both brokers allow trading directly from stock charts and offer seven columns for watch lists. Despite these comprehensive offerings, both brokers hold a four-star rating in Trading Platforms and Tools, as reviewed by ForexBrokers.com. Pepperstone ranks slightly higher at #22 out of 62 brokers, compared to XM Group's ranking at #30, highlighting some differences in platform performance and user satisfaction.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| DupliTrade | Yes | 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 it comes to mobile trading apps, both Pepperstone and XM Group have offerings on iPhone and Android, providing traders with flexibility across platforms. Each app allows users to receive price alerts for stocks or forex, as well as sync watchlist symbols with their online accounts, which keeps trading efficient and up-to-date regardless of device used. In terms of charting capabilities, both brokers provide 30 technical studies and the necessary tools to draw trendlines and switch between multiple time frames like daily, weekly, or intraday views.
However, a key difference emerges when it comes to saving drawings on charts: Pepperstone's app automatically saves these drawings, ensuring continuity across sessions, while XM Group's app does not offer this feature. Despite this, both apps enable the creation of watchlists with real-time quotes, making it easier for traders to manage portfolios on the move. Pepperstone scores slightly higher with a ranking of #21 out of 62 brokers for mobile trading by ForexBrokers.com, compared to XM Group's #27 position. Both apps have received similar consumer ratings of four stars out of five, reflecting solid overall performance in the mobile trading space.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
Pepperstone and XM Group both provide daily market commentary and access to forex news from respected sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring that traders stay informed. Additionally, both brokers offer sentiment-based trading tools that highlight the long or short positions across currency pairs. However, when it comes to technical analysis tools, Pepperstone partners with Autochartist, while XM Group offers services from Trading Central. Both brokers also supply an economic calendar to keep traders updated on global news and economic events.
Rated 4.5 stars for research, Pepperstone ranks 12th out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, XM Group boasts a 5-star rating and occupies the 8th spot in the same category. While neither broker collaborates with TipRanks or Acuity Trading for research, their varying partnerships with other analytical tools reflect differences in their research offerings. These distinctions play a vital role in helping traders decide which broker aligns best with their needs.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| 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 Pepperstone and XM Group shine with their offerings for those interested in forex and CFDs trading. Both brokers provide a wealth of resources like articles, videos, and archived webinars, exceeding the minimum of 10 educational pieces necessary for a solid foundation. They both host online webinars at least once a month and have searchable archives where beginners and experienced traders alike can continue learning at their own pace. Whether you're just starting out or seeking advanced insights, both brokers ensure you have access to more than 10 videos tailored to your experience level.
Despite offering extensive resources, Pepperstone and XM Group do have a few distinctions. Pepperstone provides an investor dictionary containing definitions for over 50 investing terms, which is a feature not offered by XM Group. While both firms are highly rated, with Pepperstone receiving 4.5 stars and XM Group securing a perfect 5-star rating for education, their rankings reflect a slight difference in standing; Pepperstone is ranked #18, while XM Group is positioned at #7 according to ForexBrokers.com. These rankings suggest that while both are strong choices, XM Group might have a slight edge in educational offerings according to industry evaluations.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Pepperstone is better than XM Group. Pepperstone finished with an overall rank of #16, while XM Group finished with an overall rank of #17.
Pepperstone offers a growing range of tradeable markets, good-quality research, and support for multiple social copy trading platforms.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
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XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 88 |
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Both Pepperstone and XM Group do not offer the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they do provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
Pepperstone offers a wider variety of deposit and withdrawal options than XM Group, including ACH, SEPA, and PayPal, while both platforms support Skrill, bank wires, and Visa or Mastercard transactions.
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 | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 88 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Pepperstone Review | XM Group Review |
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| Regulation | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 95 | 88 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2009 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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) | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1726 | 1394 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 55 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | |
| 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 | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.00 | 1.6 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.70 | 0.8 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $5 | |
| 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 | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | |
| cTrader | Yes | No | |
| DupliTrade | Yes | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Pepperstone Review | XM Group Review |
| Overall | Pepperstone | XM Group | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 88 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Pepperstone Review | XM Group Review |
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