Your broker, tested
before you fund it
We test forex brokers, crypto exchanges and prop firms with real money, check every licence on the regulator’s register and score them all the same way. Open your account through us and the trading tools are free.
- 63
- platforms reviewed
- 15
- tested with real accounts
- Oct 2026
- last re-check
Platforms we’ve tested
How we review
The same four-step method behind every score, so a 4.5 means the same thing on every page.
- Step 1
We open the account ourselves
Where we can, it is our own money on the line: we deposit, trade, withdraw and ring support. Every licence number is looked up on the regulator’s own register, not taken from the broker’s website.
- Step 2
The same yardstick for everyone
Spreads, leverage, platforms and payout rules sit in the same place on every review. Put two names side by side and you compare the same things, not two different brochures.
- Step 3
Checked again, not once
A score carries a date. We go back through every review at least once a year, and sooner when a fee changes, a licence lapses or the rules move.
- Step 4
You can see how we scored
Each review lists the marks it earned and where it lost them. Partner brokers pay for the free tools, never for a better rating, and the ones that pay us nothing are reviewed the same way.
Tools we use every day, now yours
The free ones are open to everyone. The member set unlocks with a single partner-broker referral code: no subscription, no card.
Money management expert
A MetaTrader 4/5 expert that sizes every position from your risk and manages stops for you.
Trade: size first, then place. Drag the stop and target; the lot size and risk update as you move them.
- 2
- platforms: MT4 and MT5
- 3
- ways to size: %, money or lots
- 1
- click to a real break-even
Free forex signals
Gold and major-pair signals with entry, stop loss and six targets, delivered to your dashboard.
Every signal is a complete trade plan, not a hint. You know the risk before you click. Opens with our referral code at a partner broker. No subscription, no card.
- 3–4
- signals per trading day
- 6
- take-profit levels per signal
- 1:1–1:6
- risk-to-reward ladder
Live trading sessions
Watch a professional trader analyse, enter and manage real trades on Zoom every trading day.
- 1Market analysis
- 2Trade entry
- 3Risk management
- 4Performance review
Every session follows the same four-part structure so you can learn the process, not just copy trades. Opens with our referral code at a partner broker. No subscription, no card.
- 5
- sessions per week
- 60
- minutes of live market
- XAUUSD
- plus EURUSD, GBPUSD and indices
Trading journal
Your trades imported straight from your terminal, with twenty-plus statistics computed every month. Nothing to type in.
- XAUUSD0.20+2.1R+412.00Signal
- EURUSD0.50-1.0R-95.50By hand
- GBPUSD0.30+1.6R+248.00Signal
Set a profit target, a maximum loss, trading days and a minimum win rate. The journal shows how close the month is to each. Free for everyone: sign in with Google and connect your terminal. No referral code needed.
- 12
- months of trades kept
- 0
- figures to type in yourself
- 20+
- statistics computed each month
Open to everyone, no sign-in needed
Position size calculator
Turn your account size, risk percentage and stop distance into the exact lot size.
Economic calendar
High-impact releases for the week ahead, so news never catches you in a trade.
Market sessions clock
See which sessions are open right now and when London and New York overlap.
Broker comparisons
Head-to-head comparisons of fees, regulation and platforms to settle the choice.
Trading guides
Plain-English guides from opening your first account to managing risk.
Top rated brokers
Ranked by our editorial score across fees, regulation, and platforms.
Stock-exchange-listed broker with no minimum deposit and an award-winning in-house platform.
- Min deposit
- $0
- From
- 0.5 pips (Standard, no commission)
Razor-thin spreads and top-tier multi-jurisdiction regulation across MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView.
- Min deposit
- $0
- From
- 0.0 pips (Razor account, FX majors)
Raw spreads from 0.0 pips with deep liquidity — a favorite of scalpers and algo traders.
- Min deposit
- $200
- From
- 0.0 pips (Raw Spread account)
The world's No.1 CFD provider, with 17,000+ markets and deep regulatory coverage.
- Min deposit
- $0
- From
- 0.6 pips (EUR/USD advertised minimum)
Top rated crypto exchanges
Ranked by security record, real trading fees, liquidity and fiat access.
Pro-grade trading tools, low fees, and a serious Web3 wallet, backed by monthly proof-of-reserves.
- Maker
- 0.08% spot / 0.02% perpetual futures (…
- Taker
- 0.10% spot / 0.05% perpetual futures (…
The world's biggest exchange by volume, now retreating from Europe over licensing gaps.
- Maker
- 0.10%
- Taker
- 0.10%
Crypto.com
MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) — Major Payment Institution licence (Digital Payment Token service)
The consumer super-app of crypto — cards, staking, and an exchange with some of the broadest licensing in the industry.
- Maker
- 0.02%–0.10% (tiered)
- Taker
- 0.10%–0.16% (tiered)
A decade-old altcoin giant that has since picked up real EU licensing alongside its offshore roots.
- Maker
- 0.10%
- Taker
- 0.10%
Top rated prop firms
Ranked by rule clarity, evaluation cost, profit split and payout reliability.
The prop-trading standard-bearer, with a fully refundable challenge fee and a decade of on-time payouts.
- Split
- 80% (2-Step, scaling to 90%) or 90% fr…
- Funding
- $200,000 per account (Scaling Plan to…
True instant-funding options and a scaling program that can grow accounts toward $4 million.
- Split
- 50-75% starting split, scaling up to 1…
- Funding
- $4,000,000 through the scaling program
A high-volume Dubai prop firm with weekly payouts and splits up to 95%.
- Split
- 80% standard (90% add-on available), s…
- Funding
- $200,000 per CFD account (scaling prog…
Alpha Capital Group
UK Companies House (company registration only — not FCA-authorized or a regulated financial services entity)
UK-registered prop firm with scaling to $2M and a heavy volume of payout reviews.
- Split
- 80% standard (up to 90% via add-on or…
- Funding
- $2,000,000 (scaling)
What you can hold us to
Licence first, no exceptions
Every review starts with the licence number, looked up on the regulator’s own register. If a broker is not regulated, we will not recommend it, however good the spreads look.
Compared like for like
Spreads, fees and platforms sit in the same slots on every review. Put two brokers side by side and you are comparing the same things, not two brochures.
Written so you can actually use it
From margin to staking, our guides say it plainly. If a sentence needs a glossary, we rewrite it until it does not.
Latest guides
Fresh, plain-English articles on brokers, markets and risk.
What Is a Take-Profit Order and How to Use One
A take profit (TP) closes a winning trade at a price you set in advance. Where to place it using risk-reward, partial take-profits, and when a trailing stop wins.
Stop-Loss vs Stop-Limit Orders: What's the Difference
A stop-loss fills at a worse price than you wanted. A stop-limit may not fill at all. Which risk to carry, and how gaps and weekends change the answer.
Pending Orders Explained: Buy Stop, Sell Stop, Buy Limit, Sell Limit
The four pending order types in forex, where each sits relative to price, when to use a stop (breakout) or a limit (pullback), and a worked placement example.
Market Orders vs Limit Orders Explained
Market orders buy certainty of execution, limit orders buy control of price, and you cannot have both. What each one costs, with the arithmetic.
What Is Negative Balance Protection in Forex Trading?
Can you lose more than your deposit? What negative balance protection covers, which regulators require it, and how to check your own broker account in 2026.
Prop Firm Payouts: How They Actually Work in 2026
How prop firm payouts work in 2026: profit splits, payout frequency, refundable fees, and what actually gets paid out at firms like FTMO and Funding Pips.
Frequently asked questions
How does BrokerSift make money?
Some links are affiliate links. Commissions never influence ratings — our scoring is set before any partnership.
How are brokers rated?
Each broker is scored on regulation, fees, platforms, funding options, and support quality, then verified with live accounts where possible.
Do you review platforms that do not pay you?
Yes. We cover every widely used broker, exchange and prop firm we can test, whether or not a partnership exists.
How often are reviews updated?
At least once a year, and sooner whenever a platform changes its fees, licenses, platforms or rules. Each review shows its last-reviewed date.
Can I compare two platforms side by side?
Yes. Pick up to three from any listing to compare their facts in one table, or read our written head-to-head comparisons.
Are the tools really free?
Yes. The calculators, economic calendar and market sessions clock are free for everyone, no sign-in needed. Forex signals, the money management expert and live sessions are free for members who open an account through our referral code.
Do you give trading advice?
No. Everything on BrokerSift, including signals and live sessions, is educational. You decide what to trade, and trading forex, CFDs and crypto carries a high risk of losing money.
Which broker should I choose?
It depends on your country, the markets you trade and your deposit size. Start with our top-rated lists, narrow down with a head-to-head comparison and always verify the license on the regulator’s register.
Questions? Talk to us
Not sure which broker fits, or stuck with a member tool? Send us a message and a real person replies.