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Our verdict on Forex.com
Forex.com is one of the most heavily regulated retail forex brands in the world, and it does not carry the name recognition of CMC Markets, IG Markets or Pepperstone with Australian traders. That is the headline tension in this review. Behind the brand sits StoneX Group, a NASDAQ-listed financial services firm trading as SNEX, which acquired the Forex.com parent GAIN Capital in 2020. The result is a broker with eight regulators across the group, six of them Tier-1, a global volume base most rivals cannot match, and pricing that is competitive rather than cheap.
For Australian retail traders the pitch is straightforward: ASIC AFSL 345646 oversight held since 31 May 2010, a A$150 minimum deposit, a Standard account pricing around 0.2 to 1.0 pips on EUR/USD depending on conditions, and a RAW Pricing account that measured 0.02 pips on EUR/USD before commission. Add MT4, MT5, the proprietary Web Platform and native TradingView, and the result is a genuine alternative to the better-known names. What is absent is a category Forex.com wins outright in this 32-broker set.
Pros
- ASIC AFSL 345646 current since 31 May 2010, plus seven further regulators including CFTC and NFA, FCA, CySEC, CIRO and MAS
- RAW Pricing measured 0.02 pips on EUR/USD and 0.39 pips across eight pairs, on A$3.50 per side
- NASDAQ-listed parent in StoneX Group, with audited public-company financials
- 4,500+ tradeable instruments including 80+ forex pairs, plus treasuries and bond CFDs few AU brokers carry
- Four platform routes: the proprietary Web Platform, MT4, MT5 and native TradingView
Cons
- Eight-pair basket measured 0.39 pips, ninth tightest of the raw accounts we tested, against 0.15 at IC Markets
- A$150 minimum deposit against A$0 at Pepperstone, CMC Markets and IG Markets
- US$15 monthly inactivity fee after 12 consecutive months without a trade
- No direct ASX share investing, and no per-class instrument counts published except forex
- Customer support runs 24/5, closing across the weekend, with no copy trading product at all
Forex.com score breakdown
3.5/5 · Great
The overall CFB Score comes from the full methodology, more than 100 data points per broker. The category ratings summarise each area and do not reconcile by simple average.
How is our rating calculated?Forex.com at a glance: 17 key facts
The Australian entity, StoneX Financial Pty Ltd, holds ASIC AFSL 345646, current since 31 May 2010, and lists more than 4,500 instruments from a A$150 minimum deposit. The 17 key facts in the table below cover the entity, seven further regulators and the fee schedule.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Australian regulator | ASIC, AFSL 345646, current since 31 May 2010 |
| Australian entity | StoneX Financial Pty Ltd (formerly GAIN Capital Australia) |
| Parent company | StoneX Group, NASDAQ:SNEX |
| Other regulators | CFTC/NFA (USA), FCA (UK), CySEC (Cyprus), CIRO (Canada), MAS (Singapore), FSAJ (Japan), CIMA (Cayman, offshore) |
| Year founded | 1999 (USA / UK); StoneX acquisition 2020 |
| Headquarters | New Jersey, USA; Australian office in Sydney |
| Trading platforms | Forex.com Web Platform (proprietary), MT4, MT5, TradingView (native), mobile |
| Account types | Standard, RAW Pricing, Direct Market Access (DMA) |
| Minimum deposit | A$150 |
| Maximum retail leverage | 30:1 (forex majors), ASIC-capped |
| Spreads, RAW Pricing (EUR/USD) | 0.02 pips measured, 0.39 pips across eight pairs, May to June 2026 |
| Spreads, Standard (EUR/USD) | 0.2 to 1.0 pips typical, advertised |
| Funding methods (AU) | Visa, Mastercard, BPAY, PayID, bank transfer, POLi |
| Inactivity fee | US$15 per month after 12 months |
| Negative balance protection | Yes (mandatory under ASIC) |
| AFCA member | Yes, member ID 19679 |
| Demo account | Free |
| Customer support | 24/5 phone, live chat, email |
The table rows for EUR/USD carry two figures and they are not versions of the same number. The first figure is a measured raw average and the second an advertised standard range, and the section below separates them.
Forex.com RAW Pricing and Standard spreads, measured
Forex.com RAW Pricing measured 0.02 pips on EUR/USD and 0.39 pips across the eight-pair basket over May to June 2026, with commission of A$3.50 per side on AUD-denominated MetaTrader accounts.
The Standard account is a different product on a different basis. The Standard account prices spread-only with no commission on forex, indices and commodities, at an advertised 0.2 to 1.0 pips on EUR/USD depending on session. The measured raw figure of 0.02 pips and the advertised standard floor of 0.2 pips describe different accounts, so neither is a correction of the other.
| Pair | Forex.com Standard (typical pips) | AU industry avg (Standard) |
|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | 0.2 to 1.0 | 1.1 |
| AUD/USD | 0.5 to 1.2 | 1.3 |
| GBP/USD | 0.7 to 1.3 | 1.4 |
| USD/JPY | 0.5 to 1.2 | 1.4 |
| EUR/JPY | 1.0 to 1.8 | 1.9 |
The 0.39 pip basket average ranked ninth tightest of the raw accounts we tested in the lowest spread brokers in Australia comparison. Share CFDs are the one Standard-account exception to the commission-free rule, with Australian equities carrying around 0.09%.
RAW Pricing commission
Commission on the Australian entity is quoted in Australian dollars: A$3.50 per side, A$7.00 round turn, per standard lot on AUD-denominated MetaTrader accounts, or A$3.00 per side per A$100,000 on the Web Trader commission tier.
What it costs to trade with Forex.com
Trading one standard lot of EUR/USD costs A$7.00 in round-turn commission on RAW Pricing plus the measured spread, so what it costs to trade with Forex.com typically lands around 0.7 to 0.9 pips equivalent depending on session and volatility.
| Account | EUR/USD typical (incl. commission equivalent) |
|---|---|
| Forex.com RAW Pricing | 0.7 to 0.9 pips |
| CMC FX Active | 1.0 pip |
| Pepperstone Razor | 0.55 pips |
| IC Markets Raw | 0.6 pips |
| Fusion Zero | 0.6 pips |
That total pricing is competitive with CMC Markets FX Active and wider than Pepperstone Razor or IC Markets Raw. The raw account model works the same way here as across the field, and this broker sits mid-pack on it rather than leading.
Direct Market Access (DMA)
The DMA account is the institutional-style execution option, routing orders against direct market liquidity rather than the internal book. Its pricing structure differs from RAW Pricing and it does not suit casual traders. No tested latency or slippage figure is published for the DMA route here, so the routing model is the claim rather than the fill speed.
Other fees AU traders should check
- Overnight financing applies to positions held past 5 PM New York time, direction-dependent.
- Currency conversion applies to any instrument denominated outside the account base currency.
- The inactivity fee runs US$15 per month after 12 consecutive months without a trade.
- Withdrawals carry no fee on standard Australian methods.
- Share CFD commission runs around 0.09% on Australian equities, where forex, indices and commodities are commission-free on Standard.
- Guaranteed stop-loss orders are platform-dependent, available on the proprietary Web Platform and not on either MetaTrader build.
Forex.com trading platforms
Forex.com trading platforms number four: the proprietary Web Platform, MT4, MT5 and native TradingView execution. The platform list excludes cTrader entirely.
Forex.com Web Platform (proprietary)
The Web Platform is the browser-based interface, carrying charting, technical indicators, news feeds and trade tickets with nothing to install. The Web Platform holds up for a trader who would rather not touch MetaTrader at all, and it is the only platform here carrying guaranteed stop-loss orders.
MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5
MT4 runs for Australian clients with the full execution stack and suits legacy expert advisors. MT5 matters because not every Australian broker provides both, supporting broader native asset classes across indices, stocks and futures, using MQL5 for newer expert advisors, and remaining the better choice for a trader building from scratch.
TradingView and copy trading
Forex.com is one of a small group of ASIC-regulated brokers offering native TradingView trading, connecting a TradingView Pro or Premium account and executing directly from the charts. Pepperstone, OANDA and Eightcap are the other Australian brokers with that integration. No dedicated copy or social trading product exists for Australian clients, and the closest substitutes are the TradingView community features and the MetaTrader Signals marketplace.
Is Forex.com safe? ASIC AFSL 345646
The Australian licence entity, StoneX Financial Pty Ltd, holds ASIC AFSL 345646, current since 31 May 2010, and the group adds seven further licences across major jurisdictions, six of them Tier-1.
ASIC regulation and global licences
The Australian entity holds AFSL 345646 with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The licence sits under StoneX Financial Pty Ltd, the rebadged GAIN Capital Australia entity following the 2020 acquisition.

The licence stack holds seven further entries:
- CFTC and NFA (USA), Tier 1
- Financial Conduct Authority, UK, Tier 1
- Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, EU, Tier 1
- Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization, Tier 1
- Monetary Authority of Singapore, Tier 1
- Financial Services Agency of Japan, Tier 2
- Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, Tier 3 offshore
Eight regulators across major jurisdictions is a list very few retail brokers assemble, and it is why the trust rating sits near the top of the categories on this page. Australian clients are onboarded to the AFSL 345646 entity rather than to the US or offshore arms, so the ASIC rules govern the account.
Parent company and ownership
The parent company StoneX Group acquired GAIN Capital in mid-2020, and StoneX Group lists on NASDAQ as SNEX. The parent-company structure is the material point: StoneX publishes audited financials and regulatory filings that a privately held broker never has to show anyone.
Forex.com client money protection and AFCA membership
Forex.com client money protection runs through segregated accounts at an Approved Australian Bank, with AFCA membership under member ID 19679 carrying disputes at no cost to the client.
Client money accounts sit separate from company funds. ASIC requires negative balance protection on retail CFD accounts, so a retail account cannot lose more than the money in it. AFCA hears claims up to A$1,263,000 and awards compensation up to A$631,500. The scheme caps behind that run to A$150,000 under the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort, which excludes CFD trading losses and covers unpaid awards for misconduct rather than losing trades. The retail standard is set out in the guide to the negative balance protection mandate.
The member ID for this entity is the reference to quote when lodging a complaint, and few Australian brokers publish one at all.
One account carve-out matters before a trader chases leverage. The Professional account classification surrenders the ASIC retail protections along with the leverage caps.
Public reviews
FOREX.com holds a Trustpilot rating of 4.6 out of 5 from 2,437 reviews, which Trustpilot labels excellent, captured August 2026. The profile has been claimed by the broker since June 2018.

Recurring platform praise covers stability, the instrument range and fast funding. The fee schedules between the US, UK and Australian entities draw recurring confusion, alongside complaints about response time during off-peak hours.
What other review sites say
FOREX.com's iOS app rates 4.29 out of 5 from 38 ratings on the Australian App Store (August 2026), listed as FOREX.com: CFD Global Markets.
TradingView users rate FOREX.com 4.5 out of 5 from 14,149 ratings (August 2026). 186.3K TradingView users have connected a FOREX.com account.

Forex.com account types and minimum deposit
Forex.com account types number three, and the minimum deposit is A$150 on Standard and RAW Pricing, higher than the A$0 entry at Pepperstone and CMC Markets.
| Account | Pricing model | Min deposit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Spread-only, no commission (share CFDs around 0.09%) | A$150 | Casual and multi-asset traders |
| RAW Pricing | Tighter spreads plus commission | A$150 | Active forex traders |
| Direct Market Access (DMA) | Institutional-style routing | Higher minimum, unpublished | High-volume and wholesale clients |
Standard and RAW Pricing are the same markets on two pricing models: Standard folds the cost into the spread, and RAW narrows the spread and bills a commission. The DMA account is a different product entirely, routed against direct market liquidity, and its minimum deposit is not published.
Professional account and swap-free
Eligible Australian traders apply for a Professional account as Pro A for wholesale or Pro B for sophisticated clients, trading outside the ASIC retail caps at 200:1 on forex, indices and gold, 100:1 on other commodities and on bitcoin and ethereum, and 30:1 on share CFDs. The account eligibility test runs on A$2.5 million in net assets or A$250,000 in gross income for Pro A, or a sophisticated investor test for Pro B.
Forex.com runs a swap-free account at group level, and it is not available to Australian residents, confirmed with the desk in July 2026. The group site advertises the swap-free account without making the eligibility boundary obvious, so a Sharia-compliant requirement cannot be served here whatever that page shows.
Minimum deposit
The A$150 minimum applies on both Standard and RAW Pricing. That minimum deposit is a low bar in absolute terms and still money down where Pepperstone and CMC Markets open an account on nothing at all.
Forex.com funding methods and withdrawal times
Forex.com funding methods number five, all at A$0, from instant card payments to bank transfer in one to two business days.
Deposit methods (AU clients)
| Method | Fee | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Visa / Mastercard | A$0 | Instant |
| PayID | A$0 | Same day |
| BPAY | A$0 | Next business day |
| Bank transfer | A$0 | 1 to 2 business days |
| POLi | A$0 | Instant |
Five funding methods is a narrow menu against the nine at Fusion Markets and ThinkMarkets, and the list covers the Australian rails that matter: PayID, BPAY and POLi all settle without a card network in the middle.
Withdrawals
Withdrawals are fee-free on standard methods and must use the same channel as the deposit wherever available, following anti-money-laundering rules. The withdrawal times run one to three business days on a card refund and one to two on a bank transfer.
Account opening
Account opening runs fully online and AUSTRAC-compliant, taking one identity document and one proof of address, and most Australian applications clear within 24 hours.
Forex.com markets and instrument counts
Forex.com markets and instrument counts reach more than 4,500 instruments across six asset classes, built around 80 plus forex pairs, with treasuries and bond CFDs few Australian brokers carry.
| Asset class | Count | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Forex | 80+ pairs | The AUD majors and minors |
| Share CFDs | Not published | NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, ASX and major EU exchanges |
| Indices | Not published | ASX 200, S&P/ASX SPI 200 and the major global indices |
| Commodities | Not published | Gold, silver, WTI and Brent crude, natural gas, softs |
| Cryptocurrencies | Not published | CFDs only, 2:1 retail cap |
| Treasuries and bonds | Not published | US T-Notes, German Bund, UK Gilts |
The treasuries row is the one most Australian brokers skip. The treasuries range gives a rates position on US T-Notes, the German Bund and UK Gilts without an ETF wrapper, though CMC Markets and IG Markets carry the deeper fixed-income feed.
The range gaps are worth stating plainly: no direct ASX share investing, and no per-class instrument counts published for anything except forex.
Share CFDs
Share CFDs cover NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, ASX and the major EU exchanges within the 4,500 plus total. The equity markets coverage is broad rather than deep on the ASX side, with no direct ASX investing at all, so every position is a CFD. Australian equities also carry the 0.09% commission noted above, where forex on the Standard account carries none. The share CFD markets are compared in the guide to global share CFD markets.
Forex.com leverage and margin under ASIC rules
Forex.com leverage and margin operate under a maximum retail leverage of 30:1 on major forex pairs, identical across the Standard, RAW Pricing and DMA tiers.
ASIC caps retail CFD leverage at 30:1 on major forex pairs, 20:1 on minor pairs, gold and major indices, 10:1 on commodities other than gold, 5:1 on share CFDs and 2:1 on crypto assets. The caps come from a product intervention order extended to 23 May 2027, so they apply at every ASIC broker rather than at Forex.com alone.
The three retail account tiers carry those caps identically, so the choice changes the pricing model and never the leverage. The Pro A and Pro B account classifications reach 200:1 on forex, indices and gold, 100:1 on other commodities and major crypto, and 30:1 on share CFDs.
Retail margin close-out sits at 50%. The retail margin rule requires every CFD issuer to close a retail client’s positions once account equity falls below half the total initial margin on all open positions, positions cannot be netted against each other to reduce that figure, and a gapping market can close a position below the 50% level. The margin mechanics are set out in how leverage changes risk.
Forex.com customer support
Forex.com customer support runs 24 hours a day, five days a week on phone, live chat and email, covering Sydney Monday morning through Saturday morning AEDT.
Live chat replied in under two minutes during Australian business hours in testing. The service stack runs to three channels including a phone line, and the response time sits mid-field rather than leading. The channel range is the same set most Australian brokers carry, so the differentiator here is the hours rather than the coverage.
The service stack loses its weekend cover entirely, which is the main knock here. Pepperstone, IG Markets and Plus500 all run 24/7, and a client holding a weekend position at this broker waits until Monday. That margin question matters most for a trader carrying leveraged exposure across the Sunday open, because it cannot wait two days for an answer.
The licence stack and the desk hours are worth separating on this page: the regulatory profile is close to the strongest in this coverage while the service rating sits below it.
Forex.com research, tools and education
Forex.com research, tools and education run to two stacks, a daily and weekly research desk publishing across forex, indices and commodities, and an education library covering beginner through intermediate material.
The research desk is the stronger half. The research bench at StoneX includes named analysts with public-facing track records, which is not true at every retail broker, where research often arrives unsigned or syndicated from a third party. The research feeds reach forex, indices and commodities daily, and the weekly note adds a macro view across the same three classes.
The education research library covers beginner forex basics, intermediate technical analysis, platform tutorials and webinars. The research library suits a trader who already knows their way around a chart, and a complete beginner gets a gentler start at Plus500 or eToro.
No third-party integration such as Trading Central or Autochartist appears here, so the research is in-house rather than bundled, which is a reasonable trade given the analyst bench behind it.
How Forex.com compares to CMC Markets and Pepperstone
Forex.com measured 0.39 pips across the eight-pair basket against 0.46 at Pepperstone, on A$7.00 round turn at both, and lists 4,500 instruments against 12,000 plus at CMC Markets. How Forex.com compares to CMC Markets and Pepperstone is a regulation win against a breadth and platform loss.
CMC Markets brings a broader product range, a stronger proprietary platform, a longer Australian history and integrated ASX stockbroking. Pepperstone brings five platforms, a measured execution figure and a A$0 minimum.
What Forex.com holds against both is the regulatory footprint and the listed parent, plus a DMA route neither offers at retail.
| If you value… | Consider |
|---|---|
| Tightest forex spreads | Pepperstone or IC Markets |
| Broader product range | CMC Markets or IG Markets |
| Direct ASX shares plus CFDs | CMC Markets |
| Native cTrader | Pepperstone or Fusion Markets |
| Native TradingView | Pepperstone, OANDA or Eightcap |
| Beginner-focused platform | Plus500 or eToro |
| Same listed-parent reassurance | Interactive Brokers |
Should you open a Forex.com account?
Forex.com suits traders who want a NASDAQ-listed parent and a three-tier account ladder running Standard, RAW and DMA, on RAW pricing that measured 0.02 pips on EUR/USD. The account fit breaks for traders filtering on total cost or wanting ASX ownership, who are served better elsewhere than by a Forex.com account.
Two groups of trader gain clear value from a Forex.com account. The licence stack reaches eight regulators and audited public-company filings, which almost nothing else in this field matches. The account ladder reaches a DMA route that is rare at retail and sits under the same Australian licence.
Two groups should look past a Forex.com account. The basket figure runs 0.39 pips against 0.15 at IC Markets on the same commission. Share investors find no ASX ownership and a 0.09% commission on Australian equities.
Forex.com ranks eighteenth among the highest-rated forex brokers in Australia on the 2026 scoring, held there by cost rather than by trust, where it rates near the top. A free demo account covers the Web Platform and both MetaTrader builds.
Advertiser disclosure: commercial arrangements on this page are set out in full.
FAQs
Is Forex.com safe for Australian traders?
Who owns Forex.com?
What leverage does Forex.com offer in Australia?
What's the minimum deposit at Forex.com in Australia?
Standard or RAW Pricing, which one?
Does Forex.com offer MT5 in Australia?
Does Forex.com charge an inactivity fee?
Related pages
About the author
Justin co-founded CompareForexBrokers in 2014 and has traded forex since 1998. Based in Melbourne, he has tested every ASIC-regulated broker on this site personally and has written for Forbes, Kiplinger, Finance Magnates, the Australian Financial Review and The Age. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and a Master of Marketing from Monash University. Justin is the co-founder and CEO of CompareForexBrokers.