Headquartered in Israel, Plus500 is an online futures (USA only) and contract for differences (CFD) broker that strives to promote optimal transparency and professionalism in online trading. The broker caters to traders from over 50 countries, providing them with access to various financial markets via CFDs, including the stock, forex, commodity, cryptocurrency, ETFs, options, and index markets, using an innovative trading technology.
In this broker review, we will pay attention to the critical aspects of Plus500, which you need to consider before deciding whether to trade with this online broker. Plus500 boasts a solid rating of 4.2 stars, resulting from 16,681 customer reviews on Trustpilot. Feedback for this broker is predominantly positive, with 60% of all traders rating it with 5 stars compared to 15% for 1-star reviews.
Plus500 Overall Summary Table | |
---|---|
Year Founded | 2008 |
Minimum Deposit | $100 |
Tradable Instruments | CFDs on: Forex, Shares, Commodities, Crypto, ETFs, Options, Indices |
Open an Account | How to Open an Account at Plus500 |
Trading Costs | Spreads, Fees, and Commissions at Plus500 |
Key Pros and Cons
First, let us take a brief look at Plus500’s advantages and disadvantages.
Key Pros
- Regulated in multiple jurisdictions
- User-friendly trading platform
- Zero commissions
- Various payment methods
- Responsive client support
- A good selection of learning resources
- Economic calendar and other useful trading tools
- The CFTC-regulated entity accepts US traders
Key Cons
- Minimum deposit of $100
- $10 monthly inactivity fee
- Currency conversion fees of 0.7%
- No third-party platforms like MT4, MT5, or TradingView
Company Information
The Launch of Plus500
Plus500 was launched in 2008 to offer an innovative platform that allows traders to speculate on the price movements of various financial assets without owning the underlying instruments. The broker provides traders with the necessary resources, including useful trading tools, educational materials, reliable client support, and more, to ensure quality trading experience.
Other essential features of the broker include leverage of up to 1:30 for retail accounts and 1:300 for professional accounts (Professional accounts do not have ICF rights), zero commissions, fast and reliable order execution, and more. The minimum deposit required to start trading is $100.In 2013, Plus500 reached a significant milestone by becoming a publicly traded company on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), with a market capitalization valued at $202 million. Since going public, the company has expanded its offerings and platform capabilities to cater to a growing global client base
Thousands of Active Traders
Since its inception, the broker has remained on the growth path, expanding into various markets and offering securities from the UK, US, European, and Asian exchanges. According to the most recent data, as of the first quarter of 2025, Plus500 serves over 179,931 active traders, with their number increasing by over 56,165 during this period. Although the number of active traders is lower compared to 2021, the average value and engagement per client are increasing significantly.
The broker is a proud sponsor of powerful teams across the globe, including Atletico Madrid (from 2015 until 2022), Atlanta B.C. (from 2020 until 2023), Legia Warsaw, BSC Young Boys, and Chicago Bulls. Plus500 Ltd, the company behind the Plus500 brand, trades publicly on the LSE as a component of the FTSE 250 Index, which is an index of the leading mid-cap companies listed on the LSE. In early 2025, the broker also became a constituent of STOXX Europe 600 Index, a benchmark that represents 600 European companies of varying market capitalization.
Plus500 Group is comprised of the following corporate entities with their respective regulated offices:
- Plus500 UK Ltd, regulated by the FCA, with an office address at South Quay Plaza, 183, Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR, the United Kingdom.
- Plus500CY Ltd, regulated by the CySEC, with an office address at 169-171 Arch. Makarios III Avenue, Cedars Oasis Tower, Floor 1, 3027, Limassol, Cyprus.
- Plus500AU Pty Ltd, regulated by the ASIC, with an office address at Plus500AU Pty Ltd, P.O. Box H339, Australia Square, Sydney NSW 1215, Australia.
- Plus500AU Pty Ltd, regulated by the FMA, with an office address at Plus500AU Pty Ltd, P.O. Box H339, Australia Square, Sydney NSW 1215, Australia.
- Plus500AU Pty Ltd, regulated by the FSCA, with an office address at Plus500AU Pty Ltd, P.O. Box H339, Australia Square, Sydney NSW 1215, Australia.
- Plus500SG Pte Ltd, regulated by the MAS, with an office address at 1 Temasek Avenue, Millenia Tower #37-03, Singapore 039192
- Plus500SEY, regulated by the FSA, with an office address at Third Floor, Suite 18, Vairam Building, Providence, Mahé, Seychelles
- Plus500IL, regulated by the ISA, with an office address at Menachem Begin 125, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Plus500EE AS, regulated by the EFSA, with an office address at Liivalaia 13, 10118 Tallinn, Estonia
- Plus500AE Ltd, regulated by the DFSA, with an office address at Unit 109, Level 1, Gate Village Building 04, International Financial Center Dubai, Dubai, UAE
- Plus500JP Securities Ltd., regulated by the FSA, with an office address at Shiodome City Center, 33rd Floor, 1-5-2 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-7133, Japan
- Plus500BHS Ltd, regulated by the SCB, with an office address at Second Floor, Goodman’s Bay Corporate Centre, West Bay Street, Nassau, The Bahamas
- Plus500Gulf Securities L.L.C., regulated by the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority, with an office address at Unit 405, Building 4, One Central, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), Dubai, UAE
- Plus500US, regulated by the CFTC: office address: 333 W. Upper Wacker Drive, Suite 2101, Chicago, IL 60606, USA
Plus500 does not offer its services to residents of certain countries, such as Canada and Belgium due to strict regulatory requirements. Belgium, for example, prohibits the sale and active promotion of CFDs to retail traders, and CFDs make up the vast majority of Plus500’s trading portfolio.
Why Trade with Plus500?
Now, let us provide a quick list of the key features that we like about Plus500.
Aspect | What We Like |
---|---|
Regulation | A reputable broker, regulated in multiple jurisdictions: FCA, ASIC, CySEC, MAS, FSA, FSP, FMA, and others |
Pricing | Marked-up spreads but zero commissions |
Execution | Market maker |
Trading | CFDs on over 2,800 financial instruments across different asset classes, including shares, forex, commodities, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, options, and indices |
Platforms | A proprietary trading platform with a good range of useful trading tools. |
Customer Support | 24/7 client support team who are available via various contact channels. |
Regulation
With licenses in almost all jurisdictions where the broker’s services are available, it is safe to say that Plus500 is one of the most regulated brokerage firms across the globe.
In the United Kingdom, Plus500 is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 509909. The FCA is a tier-1 regulator known for its stringent regulatory standards, making it one of the most respected financial authorities globally. With the FCA regulation, clients’ funds are protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), up to £85,000, in the event of bankruptcy.
In the EU, Plus500 operates a subsidiary that is regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission under license number 250/14. As a result, EU traders’ funds are protected, in the event of insolvency, by the Investor Compensation Fund (CIF), with a maximum coverage of €20,000 as stipulated by the EU Directive 2014/49/EU.
Plus500’s international operations are handled by Plus500SEY, which is regulated by the Financial Services Authority of Seychelles under license number SD039.
In addition, the broker also serves traders through regulated entities in various regions as follows:
- In Australia, it is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) with AFSL number 417727
- In New Zealand, it operates under the supervision of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) with the FSP number 486026
- In South Africa, the broker is authorized by Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) with the registration number 47546
- In Singapore, the broker is regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) with license number CMS100648-1.
- In Israel, the entity is under the regulation of the Israel Securities Authority (ISA) under license number 515233914.
- In Estonia, Plus500 is regulated by the Estonian Financial Supervision and Resolution Authority (EFSA), with license number 4.1-1/18.
- In Dubai, the company is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) under license number F005651.
- In Japan, the brokerage operates under the Japan Financial Services Agency (FSA) with license number 156.
- In the Bahamas, the company is regulated by the Securities Commission of The Bahamas (SCB) under license number SIA-F250.
- In the United Arab Emirates, the broker is regulated by the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority under license number 20200000232.
A breakdown of the various regulatory regimes is presented below.
Region | Entity | Authority | License | |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | Plus500 UK Ltd | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) | License No: FRN 509909 | |
EU | Plus500CY Ltd | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) | Licence No. 250/14 | |
Internationally | Plus500SEY | Financial Services Authority of Seychelles (FSA) | License number: SD039 | |
Australia | Plus500AU Pty Ltd | Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) | AFSL number: 417727 | |
New Zealand | Plus500AU Pty Ltd | Financial Markets Authority (FMA) | FSP No.: 486026 | |
South Africa | Plus500AU Pty Ltd | The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) | Registration number: 47546 | |
Singapore | Plus500SG Pte Ltd | Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) | License number: CMS100648-1 | |
Israel | Plus500IL | Israel Securities Administration | License number: 515233914 | |
Estonia | Plus500EE AS | The Estonian Financial Supervision and Resolution Authority (EFSA) | License number: 4.1-1/18 | |
Dubai | Plus500AE Ltd | The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) | License number: F005651 | |
Japan | Plus500JP Securities Ltd. | The Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA) | License number: 156 | |
The Bahamas | Plus500BHS Ltd | The Securities Commission of The Bahamas(SCB) | License number: SIA-F250 | |
UAE | Plus500BHS Ltd | The United Arab Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) | License number: 20200000232 |
The regulation from the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC provides the broker with a solid regulatory status.
The Plus500 US entity, called Plus500US Financial Services LLC, is registered as a Futures Commission Merchant with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is a member of the National Futures Association (NFA) with NFA ID 0001398.
In June 2025, the company announced it had gained regulatory approval from the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), which enabled it to further expand its operations on the North American continent. With that said, the broker has yet to launch its services in the Great White North.
We should also note that the broker does not offer its products and services to clients from several other countries, including Nigeria and Belgium.
KYC Procedure for Account Creation and Depositing
Creating an account with Plus500 is free of charge and can be completed fully online in a few minutes. However, it may take up to 24 hours to get your trading account verified. Generally, the entire account creation process complies with the industry-standard procedure and follows these steps:
- Setting up your login details: You enter a valid email and choose a password.
- Filling the account creation form: You input your names, date of birth, city of residence, address, postcode, and phone number in the registration form.
- Choosing your preferred account type: Choose your preferred trading platform and account type (retail, professional, or demo account).
- Completing the suitability test: As per industry standards, you will be required to disclose information about your employment status and sources of income, as well as your trading experience. If you are approved based on your answers, you can proceed to the next step of the process, but if any of your answers do not meet up to the broker’s internal requirements, your application will be rejected.
- Read and accept the terms: You need to tick the box at the bottom of the account registration form to indicate that you agree to Plus500’s Terms and Conditions
- Upload your verification documents: You provide your proof of ID (passport, national ID card, or driver’s License) and proof of residency (utility bill or bank account statement that is less than three months) for Plus500 to verify your account. Additionally, each customer must verify they are the legitimate owner of the deposited funds by uploading photos of a recent bank statement or a card issued in their name.
While the account creation process can be completed in a few minutes, it may take up to 24 hours to verify your KYC documents and approve your account. When your account has been approved, you will need to fund your account using any available payment methods before starting a trade.
Account Types
The broker offers two main live account types, retail and professional. Traders can select the account they qualify for.
Retail Account
Professional Account
- A high volume of trading activity within the last 12 months.
- €500,000 or more to invest.
- A professional experience of at least one year in the financial sector
If you are new to Plus500, you must first complete the account registration process before applying for Plus500 Pro. Moreover, Professional account holders who are looking to downgrade to the Retail account can do so seamlessly by contacting the customer support team. Professional accounts do not have ICF rights but are still eligible for negative balance protection.
Feature | Retail | Pro |
---|---|---|
CFDs on 70 FX pairs, major indices, commodities, metals, and bonds | ||
ECN Execution | ||
Minimum account balance | $100 | $100 |
MetaTrader Compatibility | ||
Unlimited free wire transfers | ||
No requotes | ||
Negative balance protection | ||
Fully automated execution | ||
24/7 support | ||
Variable contract sizes (as low as 0.01 lots) | ||
Joint account | ||
Corporate account |
Demo Account
The broker also offers a demo account, which comes preloaded with virtual funds for practice purposes. It is beneficial for amateur and experienced traders alike. For example, experienced traders can use the demo account to test their trading strategies before implementing them on live trading accounts, while beginners can use it to familiarize themselves with the broker’s platform before going live. You can fund your demo account with an unlimited amount of virtual funds and you can reset the balance to the original sum at any time.
Trading Fees and Other Costs
It is important for every trader to always consider a broker’s trading fees and other costs before making a trading decision. Just like every other CFD and forex broker, Plus500 offers two types of trading fees, namely:
- Trading costs – spreads, commissions, and overnight financing rates;
- Non-trading costs – account management fees, deposit and withdrawal fees, non-activity fees.
Let us take a quick look at the trading fees that are available at Plus500.
Costs/Fees | What Is This? | With Plus500 |
---|---|---|
Spreads | The cost is incorporated into the price of what you trade. A wider bid-ask spread means higher costs. | Spreads start from 1.0 pip on EUR/USD |
Commission | A flat fee paid per position is often used as an alternative to charging via the spread. | Zero commission (all charges built into the spread) |
Financing Charges | The cost of holding a position active overnight. | The broker will not charge an extra fee on top of standard swap rates. An overnight funding amount is either added to or subtracted from the account when holding a position after a certain time. |
Deposit Fees | Fees charged by the broker to fund your account. | None |
Withdrawal Fees | Fees charged by the broker to withdraw money from your account. | None |
Inactivity Fees | Fees charged on dormant trading accounts. | $10 monthly inactivity fee after three months of inactivity. There are no inactivity fees at the US division. |
*Other fees may apply
Spreads
Plus500’ spreads are fair. There is no significant difference between the spreads offered on the Retail account and that of the Professional account. Generally, the broker offers two spread types for its instruments: fixed and variable spreads.
The variable spread is always adjusted according to the market spread during the period that a position is open. On the other hand, the fixed spread does not typically change with general market fluctuations while a position is open. Still, it may change to a new level when the market is volatile to reflect the underlying market conditions better.
Let us take a look at the average spreads offered by the Retail Account on the major forex pairs:
Instrument | Retail Account Spread |
---|---|
EUR/USD | 1.0 pip |
GBP/USD | 1.6 pips |
USD/JPY | 1.7 pips |
USD/CHF | 1.7 pips |
AUD/USD | 0.9 pip |
USD/CAD | 2.0 pips |
NZD/USD | 2.2 pips |
Since the broker does not charge trading commissions, it makes its money from the spreads alone, so it must have marked them up.
Now, let us estimate the trading costs for the Retail account. Let’s use a position of one standard lot in EUR/USD (one pip movement equals $10) and assume that the trade is opened and closed at the same price. By using the average spreads, the trading costs for the Retail account will be:
Retail Account
- Spread – 1 pip
- TOTAL COST – 1 x $10 = $10 per side and $20 per round turn
Plus500 does not offer a commission-based account so even when trading with a Professional account, you will only pay the spread. The main benefit of trading with a Professional account is getting access to significantly higher leverage while still paying no commission on your trades. If we draw a comparison with an industry competitor, we will see that an equivalent trade on a zero spread account with Fusion Markets will incur a $4.50 commission per round turn, which is, at present, among the most competitive offers within the industry, especially considering the raw spreads for the commission-based account.
Finally, let us compare Plus500 Standard Account spreads with those that other major brokerages offer on the most actively traded Forex pairs.
Instrument | Plus500 | Admirals | Avatrade | FP Markets |
---|---|---|---|---|
EUR/USD | 1.0 pip | 0.8 pips | 0.8 pips | 1.2 pips |
GBP/USD | 1.6 pips | 1.0 pips | 1.2 pips | 1.5 pips |
USD/JPY | 1.7 pips | 1.2 pips | 1.3 pips | 1.4 pips |
USD/CHF | 1.7 pips | 1.6 pips | 1.3 pips | 1.7 pips |
AUD/USD | 0.9 pip | 1.0 pips | 0.9 pips | 1.4 pips |
USD/CAD | 2.0 pips | 1.8 pips | 1.8 pips | 1.5 pips |
NZD/USD | 2.2 pips | 1.9 pips | 1.4 pips | 1.6 pips |
It is easy to see from the above table that the spreads offered by Plus500 Standard STP Account are a bit higher than those offered by the big names in the industry, such as Admirals and FP Markets.
Commissions
Plus500 does not charge any commission on trades. The broker only generates revenue through the “market spread.”
When trading EUR/USD, for example, at Plus500, you will notice a difference between the buy rate and the sell rate: if the buy rate is 1.12080, then the sell rate would be 1.12072, respectively, resulting in a market spread of 0.8 pips, in this example. This is how the broker is compensated for their services.
Financing Charges
The overnight funding amount is either added to or subtracted from your account when holding a position after a certain time.
At Plus500, you can see the overnight funding time and the daily overnight funding percentage in the “Details” link next to the instrument’s name on the main screen of the platform.
In addition, the broker charges a currency conversion fee for all trades on instruments denominated in a currency that is different from the currency of your account. This fee is currently up to 0.7% of the trade’s realized net profit and loss. The conversion charges are reflected in real-time into the unrealized net profit and loss of an open position.
Deposit Fees
Plus500 does not charge any deposit fees, just like most online brokerage firms. This is standard practice for brokers.
Withdrawal Fees
International bank transfer withdrawals carry a $6 fee. Additionally, if you request a withdrawal below the minimum amount, which is $100 for bank transfers and cards, and $50 for PayPal and Skrill, you will be charged a $10 processing fee. Each customer can make up to five free withdrawals per month, with any additional withdrawals incurring a $10 fee each.
Overall on Fees
Plus500 offers marked-up spreads on both the Retail and Professional accounts and charges zero dealing commission on both accounts. The inactivity fee of $10 per month is relatively high.
Overall, while Plus500 offers zero commission fees, their spreads are higher than their competitors like Admirals and AvaTrade.
Desktop Trading Platforms
Plus500 does not offer third-party trading platforms, such as the MT4, MT5, TradingView, or cTrader. Instead, they provide traders with a proprietary platform.
WebTrader
The Plus500 trading platform is developed in-house by the broker’s team of fintech experts. It is a web-based trading platform that runs directly on modern web browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge, without the need to first download and install an application before using it.
The Plus500 WebTrader is built with an intuitive interface, allowing clients to trade over 2,800 instruments across multiple markets with competitive spreads and zero commissions. In addition, the platform allows users to create watchlists, analyze charts, and place and monitor trades. The technical analysis charts offer more than 100 technical indicators that can be applied to many different timeframes, from tick charts to weekly charts. However, the Plus500 WebTrader does not support automated trading and is only suitable for manual trading.
The Plus500 will grant you access to the following useful trading tools:
- Economic Calendar: This tool can be accessed from the platform’s main menu. It allows users to plan their trades as it shows upcoming market events, such as national interest rates, inflation levels, trade balances, oil and natural gas stockpiles, monthly jobs reports, and more.
- Risk Management: This helps you to manage your risk using several simple yet powerful tools — Stop Limit/Stop Loss, Guaranteed Stop, and Trailing Stop.
- Guaranteed Stop Loss Order (GSLO): Plus500 offers a GSLO that guarantees closing your position at the specified stop price, protecting against losses beyond this level even during volatile market conditions or price gaps. This risk management tool comes at an additional cost, which is disclosed upfront, and is available on both the web and mobile versions of WebTrader.
Copy-Trading with Plus500
Unfortunately, Plus500 does not offer any copy-trading tools on their website.
Mobile Trading Platforms
The Plus500 trading platform is also available as a mobile app for Android and iOS devices. The mobile apps have the same functionalities as the desktop WebTrader, so there is nothing to miss out on when you trade on your smartphone device. For example, traders can access all of the broker’s instruments, account features, conditional orders, and charting tools, along with over 100 technical indicators, from their Android, iPhone, or iPad devices.
Also, the charts on the mobile platform can be expanded to full-screen mode to provide more clarity during the analytical process. Deposits and withdrawals are also possible via the mobile app. Additionally, app users can receive real-time price alerts via email, text messages, or push notifications.
Traders can download the mobile app from the relevant app stores and use it to place orders and monitor their positions anytime and from anywhere in the world, provided there is an internet connection.
Plus500 Mobile Trading Platform | ||
---|---|---|
Android | iOS | |
Minimum System Requirements | Android 8.0 and up | iOS 16.0 or later |
User Rating | 4.4/5 | 4.4/5 |
User Reviews | 119,000+ votes | 3,200+ ratings |
Supported Languages | English, Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish | English, Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish |
Forex Pairs | 70+ | 70+ |
Other Tradable Assets | Shares, Indices, Commodities, Crypto, ETFs, Options | Shares, Indices, Commodities, Crypto, ETFs, Options |
Features | No fees for deposits and withdrawals, low trading commissions, real-time alerts via email, push, and SMS, live market quotes, around-the-clock customer service, unlimited demo accounts | No fees for deposits and withdrawals, low trading commissions, real-time alerts via email, push, and SMS, live market quotes, around-the-clock customer service, unlimited demo accounts |
Biometric Authentication | Yes | Yes |
2-Factor Authentication | Yes | Yes |
Trading Instruments
Plus500 offers zero-commission CFDs trading on over 2,800 financial instruments, including shares, forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, commodities, ETFs, and options. This is comparable to the product range of other major brokerages like IC Markets and Pepperstone.
Asset Class | Plus500 | Rating | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
---|---|---|---|---|
Forex CFDs | 75 | Excellent | 61 | 93 |
Indices CFDs | 40 | Good | 25 | 26 |
Stocks CFDs | 1,500 | Excellent | 2,100+ | 1,162 |
Commodities CFDs | 29 | Good | 22 | 40 |
Cryptocurrency CFDs | 26 | Okay | 22 | 31 |
ETFs CFDs | 86 | Good | 4 | 95 |
Options CFDs | 300+ | Excellent | 0 | 0 |
Let us now take a closer look at the product list.
Futures
With Plus500 USA, you can access over 70 financial instruments for futures trading, including shares, indices, forex, cryptocurrencies, metals, and energies. As a regulated platform under the National Futures Association (NFA) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Plus500 US provides a secure and reliable trading environment. The platform is specifically designed for retail traders, offering demo live quotes to help you refine your strategy before transitioning to real-money trading. To get started, you can deposit a minimum of $100 using a variety of payment methods, including Debit Visa/Mastercard, wire transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay. Additionally, the platform adheres to NFA and CFTC regulations, with variable leverage and 0.89 standard contract commission (0.49 micro contract commission).
Forex CFDs
Plus500 offers access to the most liquid global FX markets, allowing customers to trade over 70 forex pairs with leverage. This means that with a deposit of just $100, you can control a trading position worth $30,000 through leverage. However, EU retail traders are limited to only 1:30 leverage, while professionals from this jurisdiction can use up to 1:300 for forex majors.
The broker offers other mixed trading conditions: there are zero commission charges, but the spreads are marked up. For example, on the Retail account, you can trade major forex pairs EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and EUR/GBP with spreads that start from 1.0 pips, which is high compared to some of the broker’s competitors, such as IC Markets and FP Markets.
Index CFDs
Plus500 allows clients to trade the most popular Indices worldwide, including USA 500, US-TECH 100, and France 40, with leverage of up to 1:150.
To trade CFDs on indices with Plus500, you can open the instrument and view the relevant information, such as charts, spread information, rollover details, and others. Choose whether to open a ‘buy’ order if you believe the index will rise or a ‘sell’ order if you believe it will fall. Trading CFDs means you are not buying or selling the underlying asset, but rather you are opening a contract in the direction you predict the market will move.
The Plus500 platform offers some trader-focused features to help you manage your positions. These include the ‘close at profit’ option, which closes your trades automatically at a specific level set by you to protect your profit, and ‘close at a loss’ (stop loss) if you want to set a limit for the amount you are willing to lose. Index traders can use maximum leverage of 1:20 or 1:300, depending on their client categorization (retail or professional).
Share CFDs
Plus500’s platform allows you to trade shares from major exchanges across 27 countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Japan, France, and Australia. You can even day trade US stocks without bothering about the pattern day trading rule that applies to US stock brokers. The broker facilitates extended hours trading for shares of major companies like Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Apple.
Traders can access leverage of up to 1:20 when using a professional account and 1:5 with a retail one. So, they can speculate on price movements of leading stocks without investing large sums in the underlying stock. While the use of leverage increases the potential profits, it also means that losses are amplified. The broker has advanced trading tools to help you to control your profits and losses. Also, Plus500 offers negative balance protection, which means that the maximum sum you risk at any one time is your account balance.
Commodities
The world’s key commodities are available for trading through CFDs at Plus500. The broker offers an intuitive trading platform for CFDs on commodities such as gasoline, gold, heating oil, natural gas, oil, Brent oil, palladium, wheat, soybeans, and more. You can use leverage of up to 1:20 for gold and 1:10 for other commodities with a retail account. Professionals benefit from higher ratios of up to 1:150.
You can also use the available tools, such as ‘Close at Profit’ (Stop Limit) or ‘Close at Loss’ (Stop loss), to manage your trades. And to avoid slippage, you can also set a Guaranteed Stop.
Cryptocurrencies
At Plus500, you can trade CFDs on some of the world’s most popular cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Stellar, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano, NEO, EOS, and IOTA. This means that you speculate on their price movements without actually owning them.
In addition to zero commissions and leverage of up to up to 1:2 for retail and 1:20 for professional traders, Plus500 offers competitive spreads to keep customers’ expenses at a minimum.
Options CFDs
At Plus500, you can trade CFDs on options at various strike prices that are the most relevant to the underlying index rate.
The broker offers two types of CFDs options: Call option and Put options. Opening a trade position on a Call/Put option means that you are entering a contract on the price an underlying instrument will reach or exceed at the expiry date. With a leverage of up to 1:5 for professionals, you can trade call and put options on commodities, indices, and individual shares.
ETFs
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are investment funds traded on stock exchanges that track the performance of indices, commodities, or other assets, offering investors diversified exposure in a single security.
Plus500 allows clients to trade over 80 ETFs, including VXX Volatility and SPDRUSA500 with leverage of up to 1:5 for retail and 1:100 for professional accounts. This means that by trading ETFs with $100, you can effectively control a position valued at $10,000 through leverage. The platform includes various tools to help you manage your profits and losses effectively, such as stop-loss and take-profit orders.
Trade Execution
Plus500 is a market maker, so it uses a dealing desk execution and acts as the counterparty to your trades. They charge zero commission on trades. This means that the spreads are marked-up, which is why they are wider than those of ECN brokers. However, Plus500’s market maker execution is beneficial in various ways, including fast trade executions, zero commissions, and more.
As a market maker, Plus500 quotes both buy and sell prices for each security, acts as principal, and profits mostly from the spreads. Plus500 does not appear to offer STP (Straight-Through Processing) or ECN (Electronic Communications Network) execution for any of its account types.
Deposit Methods
Plus500 allows traders to fund their accounts using various payment methods. The minimum deposit is $100, and the broker does not charge any deposit fees. Plus500 does not accept third-party payments, so all deposits must come from your own accounts, and the payment method used must be registered in your name.
Funding your trading account involves the following easy steps: Click on “Funds Management” → “Deposit” → Select your preferred deposit method from the available options → Fill in the fields and click the “Submit” button. On mobile devices, you can access the “Funds Management” screen from the menu button.
The following payment methods are accepted for account deposits at Plus500:
Method | Processing Time |
---|---|
Credit/Debit Card | Instant |
Neteller | Instant |
Skrill | Instant |
PayPal | Instant |
Bank Transfer | Instant |
Currently, there are no deposit bonuses available with this brokerage.
Withdrawal Methods
Clients can withdraw funds online by logging into the secure Plus500 client portal and selecting the Withdrawal tab from the Funds Management drop-down menu. The processing timeframe for withdrawal requests is normally 1 to 3 business days to allow the broker to complete various security checks before initiating the payment.
Also, the timeframe fore receiving the payment depends on the third-party remitter’s payment method and processing time. The withdrawal screen on the trading platform states the minimum withdrawal requirements for the respective payment method. Processing a withdrawal request for less than the minimum withdrawal amount may result in charges to your account. Normally, Plus500 does not charge any internal fees for deposits or withdrawals.
The broker’s policy is to return withdrawals to the same source that was used to fund the customer’s account. For example, if a customer deposits using a Visa card, the broker will only process a withdrawal to the same Visa card. Also, customers at the CySEC entity must verify their identities through a video call if their cumulative withdrawals exceed €15,000 within a calendar month.
Customer Support Contacts
Plus500 offers reliable customer support services to assist traders. The support team is available 24/7 and can be reached via any of the following contact channels:
Support Contact | Available | Response |
---|---|---|
Email Contact | 24/5 | Within several hours |
FAQs | 24/7 | Available on the website |
Live Chat | 24/7 | Instant |
- Email Contact: The broker allows traders to contact them via email. To send an email, fill in the contact form on the website, providing your name, email address, query type, and query details. You can attach a screenshot or an image if necessary (.pdf and .jpeg files are accepted). They will email an answer within several hours. After emailing the support team during business hours, we got a reply to our queries within a few hours.
- FAQs: This is a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions. It is divided into separate categories for account verification, deposits, fees and charges, financial instruments, account opening, regulation, withdrawals, and more.
- Live Chat: Plus500 supports a live chat service that is available on the website 24/7. You can access it by clicking or tapping the blue button in the lower right corner. Alternatively, customers seeking assistance can contact the support staff via WhatsApp.
Unfortunately, the broker does not provide phone support.
Research and Educational Materials
In a bid to help traders make informed decisions, the broker provides a good range of learning resources on its website. These educational resources include learning courses, eBooks, video tutorials, news, market insights, and more. Webinars are hosted on a regular basis. Here is what you will find:
- Ebooks on various trading topics
- News and market insights that keep traders up-to-date with the latest happenings in the financial markets
- Video tutorials on the following topics:
- What is CFD Trading?
- Slippage when opening a position
- How to trade with Plus500?
- What is a Rollover?
- What are Options?
- What are Trading Alerts?
- Understanding a Risk-Reward Ratio
Security and Money Guarantees
It is best to always trade with a regulated broker. Hence, at BestBrokers, we are bent on ensuring that our clients deal only with reputable brokers that have excellent regulatory standing like Plus500. Our key findings include:
- Nearly two decades of business history and growth
- Top-tier FCA, ASIC, and CySEC regulations
- Negative balance protection
Plus500’s regulation in multiple jurisdictions is a strong indication that the broker complies with the strict regulatory policies of various top-tier financial authorities, thus ensuring the overall safety of clients’ invested funds. Traders’ funds are kept in segregated bank accounts, and the data on the broker’s website is secured using SSL encryption technology.
Entity | Regulator | Amount covered | Negative Balance Protection |
---|---|---|---|
Plus500 UK Ltd | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) | £85,000 | |
Plus500CY Ltd | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) | €20,000 | |
Plus500SEY | Financial Services Authority of Seychelles (FSA) | N/A | |
Plus500AU Pty Ltd | Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) | N/A | |
Plus500AU Pty Ltd | Financial Markets Authority (FMA) | N/A | |
Plus500AU Pty Ltd | Financial Services Board (FSB) | N/A | |
Plus500SG Pte Ltd | Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) | N/A | |
Plus500IL | Israel Securities Administration | N/A |
Conclusion
Overall, our team at BestBrokers believes that Plus500’s offerings are fair and competitive compared to similar brokers. Our reasons for this verdict include:
- No commissions
- Over 2,800 tradable instruments
- Leverage of up to 1:300 for professional traders and FSA clients
- Fast and reliable order execution
- Innovative trading technology
- A good selection of educational resources
- Fully licensed and regulated since 2008
Please note that the US entity of Plus500 does not provide CFDs. Additionally, the information contained in this publication is based on publicly available data sourced from our partner. Plus500 US does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this content and disclaims any liability related to it.
*82% of retail investor accounts lose money