Libertex vs Plus500 — which broker is better?

Pros

• Transparent commission model — EUR 5 per side per lot on the Libertex platform instead of a hidden spread markup
• EUR 10 minimum deposit is one of the lowest entry points among CySEC-regulated brokers
• Libertex Invest, launched 2024, offers real exchange-traded shares commission-free with no inactivity fee
• 1,573 tradeable symbols including 1,313 share CFDs, 109 crypto CFDs, 46 FX pairs and 23 ETFs
• Group track record since 1997 under the Forex Club name — one of the longer histories in retail FX
• Full MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 support alongside the proprietary platform
• Volume-based commission discounts of 10%, 30% and 50% at EUR 1,500, 10,000 and 50,000 deposited
• Trading Central signals are integrated directly into the platform at no extra charge

Cons

• 2.5% fee on credit and debit card deposits (and 4% on Neteller) — paying to fund an account is a serious mark against a regulated broker
• Withdrawal fees on most methods: EUR 1 by card, 0.5% (min EUR 2, max EUR 10) by bank transfer, 1% via Neteller
• CySEC partially suspended the licence of operator Indication Investments in August 2021 over CFD marketing compliance; lifted after three weeks, but it is on the record
• All-in EUR/USD cost of roughly 1.3 pips is mid-table, so the commission model buys transparency rather than savings
• Mobile app is materially weaker than the web platform, lacking technical indicators and drawing tools
• Education is minimal with no structured curriculum or progress tracking, and no native copy trading through the EU-regulated entity

Pros

• The mobile app is fast, clear and well designed, and consistently among the top-rated trading apps in both stores, backed by a Trustpilot average around 4.2 from nearly 20,000 reviews
• Zero commission on every CFD instrument: no per-trade charge, no deposit fee and no withdrawal fee from Plus500's side
• Licensed by FCA (FRN 509909), ASIC (AFSL 417727), MAS (CMS100648-1), CIRO in Canada and CFTC/NFA in the US, with Plus500 Ltd listed on the London Stock Exchange and publishing audited accounts
• Account opening genuinely takes 10–30 minutes with electronic ID verification, and the USD 100 minimum makes it accessible
• Widest funding menu of the three brokers here — cards, SEPA and bank transfer, PayPal, Skrill, Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Swap-free status on request under the Plus500Gulf and Plus500SEY agreements, with a daily administration fee shown per instrument after a seven-day grace period
• Free guaranteed stop orders on many instruments, charged only through a wider spread rather than a separate premium

Cons

• The inactivity fee of up to USD 10 per month triggers after just three months of not logging in — not three months without trading. Three months of dormancy is normal, healthy behaviour, and charging for it is indefensible
• No MetaTrader 4 or 5, no cTrader, no TradingView integration and no API, so algorithmic traders, EA users and anyone with an existing charting workflow are locked out entirely
• Plus500 publishes no spread table. Costs are visible only inside the platform, which makes independent cost comparison against IG or CMC effectively impossible before you fund an account
• Research is close to non-existent — an economic calendar, basic sentiment data and price alerts, with no analyst coverage, no screeners and no third-party news feed of substance
• Around 2,800 CFD instruments against 12,029 at CMC and 17,000 at IG, with no bonds, no funds, no spread betting and no exchange-traded options for CFD clients
• Disclosed regulatory history: a 2012 FCA fine of GBP 205,128 for inaccurate transaction reporting, a 2015 FCA-ordered freeze of UK accounts pending AML review, and a EUR 550,000 settlement with Belgium's FSMA in 2017