HYCM vs Pepperstone

HYCM or Pepperstone – which is better for UK traders 2025? Compare HYCM and Pepperstone in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

HYCM vs Pepperstone Comparison Table 2025
HYCM Pepperstone
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3.8
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4.8
HYCM is ranked #62 among CFD brokers. Pepperstone is ranked #1 among CFD brokers.
Review
Review
HYCM is an online broker with authorization from four international bodies including the FCA and CySEC. The broker offers short-term CFD trading on forex, shares, commodities, indices, ETFs and Bitcoin, and supports the MT4 and MT5 platforms, as well as Trading Central analysis. Established in Australia in 2010, Pepperstone is a top-rated forex and CFD broker with over 400,000 clients worldwide. It offers access to 1,300+ instruments on leading platforms MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView, maintaining low, transparent fees. Pepperstone is also regulated by trusted authorities like the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC, ensuring a secure environment for traders at all levels.
CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
Pros
  • The low $20 minimum deposit is suitable for beginners, as well as the Fixed spread account with no commissions
  • The broker is overseen by trusted regulators, including the FCA
  • MT4 and MT5 integration ensures that active traders can access a vast selection of technical charting tools
  • There's a good range of free analytical tools, particularly Seasonax for pattern analysis
  • Spreads are competitive in the Raw account, starting from 0.1 pips for EUR/USD
  • Traders can access fee-free payments with rapid processing
  • Pepperstone boasts impressive execution speeds, averaging around 30ms, facilitating fast order processing and execution that’s ideal for trading.
  • There’s support for a range of industry-leading charting platforms including MT4, MT5, TradingView, and cTrader, catering to various short-term trading styles, including algo trading.
  • Pepperstone has greatly improved the deposit and withdrawal experience in recent years, adding Apple Pay and Google Pay in 2025, as well as PIX and SPEI for clients in Brazil and Mexico in 2024.
  • Pepperstone emerges as a low-cost broker, especially for serious traders with spreads from 0.0 in the Razor account and rebates up to 30% (index and commodities) and $3/lot (forex) through the Active Trader program.
  • Pepperstone has scooped multiple DayTrading.com annual awards over the years, most recently 'Best Overall Broker' in 2025 and 'Best Forex Broker' runner up in 2025.
  • Award-winning customer support is available via telephone, email or live chat with response times of <5 minutes during testing.
  • Now offering spread betting through TradingView, Pepperstone provides a seamless, tax-efficient trading experience with advanced analysis tools.
Cons
  • Not the best overall range of assets, with just 200+ stocks
  • Market coverage varies quite significantly between account types and platforms
  • There's a high commission of $4 each way on the Raw account
  • Pepperstone’s demo accounts are active for only 30 days, which may not be not long enough to familiarize yourself with the different platforms and test trading strategies.
  • Pepperstone does not support cTrader Copy, a popular copy trading feature built into the excellent cTrader platform and available at alternatives like IC Markets, though it has introduced an intuitive copy trading app.
  • Despite enhancements to its range of markets, crypto offerings are relatively limited compared to other brokers such as eToro, with no option to invest in real coins.
Awards
  • Best Forex Broker 2021-2022 - Spain, Middle East, Asia, Germany
  • Best Trading Platform App 2021 - Forex Expo
  • Best Mobile Trading App 2020 - World of Finance Forex Award
  • Best Overall Broker - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best Forex Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best Trading App Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best MT4/MT5 Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best TradingView Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best Forex Broker - DayTrading.com 2024
  • Best Overall Broker - DayTrading.com 2023
  • Best Trading App - DayTrading.com 2022
  • Best Forex Broker - DayTrading.com 2021
FCA Regulated
Yes Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs CFDs, Forex, Currency Indices, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Crypto (only Pro clients), Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$20 $0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, DFSA, CIMA, CySEC FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, CMA, BaFin, SCB
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
Trading App

Pepperstone excels for its excellent integration with the MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView apps, making it a standout option for traders familiar with these leading third-party trading solutions. These platforms deliver a stable and reliable mobile trading experience, enhanced by Pepperstone’s almost unrivalled execution speeds and wide range of asset classes. Recent improvements also helped it secure second place in DayTrading.com’s annual ‘Best Trading App’ award for 2025.
iOS App Rating
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3
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4.4
Android App Rating
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3.6
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4.1
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
Variable upon regulation and jurisdiction
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
Yes Yes
cTrader
No Yes
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
No Yes
Autochartist
No Yes
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
Yes No
STP Account
No Yes
ECN Account
Yes Yes
DMA Account
No Yes
MAM Account
No Yes
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No Yes
Robo Advisor
No No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
No No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No Yes
Copy Trading Platform
Pepperstone facilitates the replication of experienced traders' strategies through MetaTrader Signals, DupliTrade and now its own copy trading app (available in certain regions) through a partnership with Pelican Trading, providing access to thousands of experienced traders and personalized risk parameters. On the downside, it lacks support for cTrader Copy which may deter users familiar with the terminal from Spotware.
Social Trading
No No
Trade Signals
Yes (Via Chartist Software)
VPS Hosting
No Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No No
Inactivity Fee
$10 $0
Islamic Account
Yes Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • RUB
  • AED
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • JPY
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Coffee
  • Oil
  • Cotton
  • Copper
  • Palladium
  • Platinum
  • Sugar
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Oil
  • Corn
  • Palladium
  • Precious Metals
  • Platinum
  • Copper
  • Gasoline
  • Cocoa
  • Coffee
  • Cotton
  • Livestock
  • Sugar
  • Wheat
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Aluminium
  • Nickel
  • Zinc
CFD
HYCM traders can access CFDs on a range of stocks, indices, commodities and ETFs with floating spreads and maximum leverage varying by instrument. Clients also have a choice between two industry-leading platforms. Pepperstone maintains its position as one of the fastest and most dependable CFD brokers during our latest round of testing. With execution speeds averaging around 30ms and an outstanding fill rate of 99.90%, the broker ensures a seamless trading experience without requotes or dealing desk interference. It also provides ample trading opportunities across over 1,300 assets.
Leverage
1:301:500 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1.5 1.0
GBPUSD Spread<
0.1 0.4
Oil Spread
2.0 2.5
Stocks Spread
2.2% 0.02
Forex
HYCM offers 40+ forex pairs, with most available to trade on either the MT4 or MT5 platform. The maximum leverage on offer is 1:30 in accordance with regulations, and tight spreads start from 0.2 on the Raw account and from 1.2 on the commission-free Classic account. Pepperstone offers ultra-competitive forex spreads averaging 0.12 pips on EUR/USD in the Razor account, accompanied by a diverse portfolio comprising 100+ currency pairs - an extensive selection surpassing most competitors. Additionally, Pepperstone distinguishes itself by offering three currency indices (USDX, EURX, JPYX), not commonly found among alternative platforms. Pepperstone has now won our annual 'Best Forex Broker' award twice.
Assets
40+ 100+
GBPUSD Spread
0.4 0.4
EURUSD Spread
0.1 0.1
EURGBP Spread
0.4 0.4
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • EUR
  • JPY
Cryptocurrency
HYCM only offers trading opportunities on Bitcoin, which is traded via CFD in a pair with USD. Whilst exposure to the largest crypto by market cap is good, access to other digital currencies would bring the broker in line with competitors. Pepperstone continues to prove itself as one of the most trusted crypto brokers. Although its selection of digital tokens is average, you can trade popular cryptos like Bitcoin and altcoins like Ripple with up to 1:10 leverage, while its crypto indices provide a holistic view of the digital currency markets not found on most trading platforms.
Spread
Variable BTC 30, ETH 0
Coins
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • DASH
  • ADA
  • LINK
  • DOGE
  • EOS
  • DOT
  • XRP
  • XLM
  • XTZ
  • UNI
  • BNB
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
HYCM Pepperstone
Review
Review
CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
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