Head to head
XM vs Skilling — which broker is better?
XM or Skilling? Fees, regulation, platform and product range compared side by side — with a verdict drawn from the data.
Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly. Investments can fall in value. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.
XM
A teaching-first CFD broker with a USD 5 door and spreads that make you pay for the welcome.
- Stocks (per order)
- in the spread
- Minimum deposit
- US$5
- EUR/USD spread
- 1.6 pips
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Skilling
A Scandinavian-founded, Cyprus-licensed CFD broker with an unusually clean platform — and a currency charge that outweighs its spreads.
- Stocks (per order)
- in the spread (CFD)
- Minimum deposit
- €100
- EUR/USD spread
- 1.2 pips
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
The verdict in numbers
Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.
Overall XM takes it, 3.7 against 3.4 out of 5. The two pricing models cannot be converted like for like; the fee rows in the table carry the detail. XM scores 74 against 49 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Skilling covers more ground with 8 of 14 asset classes against 7. On platform and app Skilling is ahead, 3.9 against 3.7 out of 5. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.
- XM
- 3.7 — Better
- Skilling
- 3.4
- XM
- in the spread
- Skilling
- in the spread (CFD)
- XM
- 74 of 100
- Skilling
- 49 of 100
- XM
- 7/14
- Skilling
- 8/14 — Better
- XM
- 3.7
- Skilling
- 3.9 — Better
Compare brokers side by side
Up to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.
Data as of: 30 Aug 2026
| Criterion | XM 3.7 Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | Skilling 3.4 Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 3.7 — Better | 3.4 |
| Group index | 74 of 100 | 49 of 100 |
| Best for | BeginnersMicro-lot position sizingMultilingual supportLearning by webinarVery small starting capital | cTrader usersBeginners wanting a simple platformCopy-trading followersLow-deposit CFD tradersCrypto CFD traders |
| Regulation | ASICCySECDFSAFSCAFSC | CySECFSA |
| Top-tier licences | 1 — Better | 0 |
| Investor protection | €20,000 | €20,000 |
| Listed group | No | No |
| Banking licence | No | No |
| Segregated client accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Negative balance protection | Yes | Yes |
| Audited financials | Yes | No |
| Disclosed regulatory actions | None | None |
| Founded | 2009 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Limassol, CY | Limassol, CY |
| Fees | 3.4 | 3.6 — Better |
| Safety & regulation | 3.6 — Better | 3.0 |
| Trading platform | 3.6 | 3.8 — Better |
| Product range | 3.8 — Better | 3.3 |
| Mobile app | 3.7 | 4.0 — Better |
| Research | 3.9 — Better | 2.8 |
| Customer support | 4.3 — Better | 3.4 |
| Deposit & withdrawal | 4.0 — Better | 3.4 |
| Account opening | 4.0 | 4.4 — Better |
| Education | 4.5 — Better | 3.0 |
| Reference order EUR 5,000 | in the spread | in the spread (CFD) |
| Minimum deposit | US$5 — Better | €100 |
| Stocks (per order) | in the spread | in the spread (CFD) |
| US stocks | in the spread | n/a |
| ETFs | Not offered | in the spread (CFD) |
| Options | Not offered | Not offered |
| Futures | Not offered | Not offered |
| Crypto | in the spread | in the spread |
| Bonds (order) | n/a | n/a |
| Funds (order) | n/a | n/a |
| EUR/USD spread | 1.6 pips | 1.2 pips — Better |
| Index CFD spread | 0.5 points | n/a |
| FX conversion | n/a | 0.7 % |
| Inactivity fee | US$5 · after 3 months | n/a |
| Custody fee | n/a | n/a |
| Withdrawal fee | free | free |
| Deposit fee | free | free |
| Overnight financing | n/a | n/a |
| Other fees |
|
|
| Asset classes (of 14) | 7 | 8 — Better |
| Exchanges | n/a | n/a |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | No | Yes |
| Options | No | No |
| Futures | No | No |
| Forex | Yes | Yes |
| CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds | No | No |
| Funds | No | No |
| Commodities | Yes | Yes |
| Indices | Yes | Yes |
| Warrants | No | No |
| Spread betting | No | No |
| Social trading | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | MetaTrader 4MetaTrader 5XM WebTraderXM AppXM Copy Trading | Skilling TradercTraderMetaTrader 4Skilling mobile apps |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Fractional shares | No | No |
| Maximum leverage | 1:30 · Pro 1:500 | 1:500 · Pro 1:500 |
| Account opening | Online form in about 10 minutes; document verification usually clears in 1–3 business days, though some regions report up to a week | Registration takes under a minute; live trading requires ID and proof of address, typically verified within one business day |
| Account types | MicroStandardXM Ultra LowZeroShares | StandardPremium |
| Payment methods | Credit cardDebit cardBank transferSEPASkrillNeteller | Bank transferCredit cardDebit cardSkrillNeteller |
| Account currencies | USDEURGBPJPYCHFAUDHUFPLN | EURUSD |
| Deposit time | Instant for cards and e-wallets; 2–5 business days for bank wire | Instant on cards and e-wallets; up to 7 business days on wire transfer |
| Withdrawal time | Processed within 24 hours; 2–5 business days to reach a bank account | 24 hours to 7 business days depending on the payment processor |
| Free withdrawals | n/a | n/a |
| Languages | EnglishGermanSpanishFrenchItalianPortugueseRussianArabicChineseJapanese+10 | EnglishSpanishFrenchPortugueseArabicRussianChineseMalayThai |
| Channels | Live chatEmailPhone | Live chatEmailPhone |
| Availability | 24/7 live chat; phone cover on business days | Monday to Friday, 04:00–22:00 — not the 24/5 coverage most CFD brokers offer |
Strengths and weaknesses side by side
Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.
XM
A teaching-first CFD broker with a USD 5 door and spreads that make you pay for the welcome.
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
Best for
Skilling
A Scandinavian-founded, Cyprus-licensed CFD broker with an unusually clean platform — and a currency charge that outweighs its spreads.
Pros
- Three platforms on one account: the beginner-friendly Skilling Trader, full cTrader with depth of market and cTrader Automate, and MetaTrader 4
- EUR 100 minimum on the Standard account with commission-free pricing across forex, indices, equities, ETFs, commodities and crypto
- Premium pairs EUR/USD spreads from 0.1 pips with commission of USD 35 per USD 1 million traded, which prices at or below the commission-free tier once volume builds
- CySEC licence 357/18 brings ESMA retail leverage caps and Investor Compensation Fund cover of 90% up to EUR 20,000 for EEA clients
- 800+ instruments on cTrader and Skilling Trader, including a crypto list broader than most FX-first brokers carry
- Account registration takes under a minute and the demo account has no time limit, so testing costs nothing
- Negative balance protection applies, and MAM/PAMM structures are supported for portfolio managers
- cTrader Copy provides copy trading without a separate app or a managed-fund wrapper
Cons
- Premium commission is quoted per USD 1 million of traded volume without saying whether it applies per side or per round turn, so a standard-lot round turn costs anywhere from USD 4.50 to USD 8.00 all-in — and the tier is gated by a reported EUR 5,000 minimum
- 0.70% currency conversion is expensive: converting EUR 10,000 costs about EUR 70, where the cheapest brokers charge a fraction of that, and a 2.9% charge applies to Skrill and Neteller funding
- Support runs Monday to Friday 04:00–22:00 only, with no weekend cover, while crypto CFDs trade through the weekend
- Essentially no in-house research — no analyst desk, no screener worth using, no structured market coverage; you supply your own analysis
- MetaTrader 4 is a restricted build with roughly 200 instruments and no third-party add-on support, and MetaTrader 5 is not offered at all
- CFD-only with no real ownership, and no Abgeltungsteuer or KESt withholding for German and Austrian clients
Best for
Open an account with either
A demo account costs nothing and answers the platform question in ten minutes.
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
More comparisons
Alternatives people weigh up alongside these two.
