Axi vs XM — which broker is better?

Pros

• Pro account at USD 4.50 round turn per standard lot on 0.0-pip spreads, available from a USD 100 minimum rather than a five-figure balance
• Proprietary Axi Trading Platform covers 650+ markets with TradingView charting built in and true web-to-mobile position sync
• Three distinct crypto routes — CFDs to 200:1, perpetual futures on around 150 coins, and spot crypto you actually own
• Eleven account base currencies including CHF, PLN, HKD, JPY and SGD, which removes a conversion step for non-euro clients
• 24/7 support in 17 languages across live chat, phone, email and WhatsApp — better coverage than most brokers this size
• Axi Select funded-trader programme is free to join, with six stages from USD 5,000 to USD 1,000,000 and profit splits rising to 80%
• Long operating history since 2007 with tier-1 ASIC and FCA licences alongside a DFSA licence in the DIFC
• Copy trading via a dedicated app where copiers control their own sizing and risk rather than buying into a managed pool

Cons

• Most international clients are booked with AxiTrader LLC in St Vincent and the Grenadines — no prudential supervision, no compensation scheme, and The Financial Commission rather than a regulator as escalation
• We found no EEA-licensed Axi entity in its published legal documentation, so EU residents are contracting offshore by default
• An inactivity fee applies after 12 months of dormancy but the amount is disclosed only in the Product Schedule, never on the public fees page
• Leverage up to 1000:1 on the offshore entity, and 200:1 on crypto CFDs, is a retail-harm profile rather than a genuine benefit
• No real shares, no ETF units you can own, no bonds, no funds and no listed options — the equity and ETF range is CFD-only
• No German Abgeltungsteuer or Austrian KESt withholding, and Axi's own UK disclosures show 66–72% of retail accounts losing money

Pros

• USD 5 minimum deposit on Micro, Standard, Ultra Low and Zero — one of the lowest entry points among multi-regulated brokers
• Zero account prices EUR/USD at 0.0–0.2 pips for USD 3.50 per lot per side (USD 7 round turn), competitive with dedicated ECN brokers
• Around 1,400 tradable instruments including roughly 1,200 share CFDs, 55 FX pairs, 23 cash indices and 40 crypto CFDs
• Education is not decoration: live webinars and seminars run in 30+ languages, backed by a research desk publishing daily market notes
• No deposit or withdrawal fees on the XM side, and cards and e-wallets settle same day
• Five licences across CySEC (120/10), ASIC (443670), DFSA (F003484), FSCA and Belize FSC, with segregated client money and negative balance protection
• 24/7 live chat in more than 30 languages

Cons

• The default Standard and Micro accounts typically quote EUR/USD at 1.6–2.0 pips against an advertised from-1.0 headline — you pay a beginner tax unless you switch tier
• USD 5 per month inactivity fee after 90 days without a trade, which is unusual for a broker that also sells share CFDs to long-term holders
• Most non-EU retail clients are booked to XM Global Limited in Belize, a tier-3 jurisdiction with no investor compensation scheme
• Platform choice is MetaTrader or nothing — no proprietary desktop terminal, no TradingView order routing, and share CFDs exist only on MT5
• No ETFs, no exchange-traded options or futures, no bonds; the range is broad within CFDs and empty outside them
• Trustpilot sentiment sits near 3.8 with a persistent minority reporting withdrawal delays and spread widening around news