How do Pepperstone and InstaForex stack up against each other?

The Radar Chart below highlights how the brokers stack up against each other across various metrics. The highest score a broker can receive in each area is 5.

At FX Scouts, we help traders find the broker that suits their trading needs. In many cases, the best way to achieve this is to compare brokers side-by-side.

To compare Pepperstone and InstaForex, we used the same factors we use when reviewing brokers: The trust and regulation of the broker, the trading platform, the costs and trading conditions, and the level of education and market analysis available at the broker.

Does Pepperstone or InstaForex have a better trust and regulation rating?

Trust and regulation are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing a Forex broker. Trust in the Forex trading business is almost entirely founded upon regulation. We spend many hours evaluating the safety of each broker by delving into their fine print and confirming each one of their regulatory licences on the online registers. The more top-tier authorities a broker is regulated by, the higher its trust rating.

In our comparison, we found that Pepperstone holds two Tier 1 and three Tier 2 licences, and InstaForex holds no Tier 1 and no Tier 2 licences.

 

Can I trust Pepperstone?

Yes as Pepperstone was founded in 2010 and is regulated by ASIC, BaFin, CMA, CySEC, DFSA, FCA and SCB.

 

Can I trust InstaForex?

Yes as InstaForex was founded in 2007 and is regulated by B.V.I FSC and FSA-St-Vincent.

 

Based on these findings, Pepperstone earned a higher trust rating than InstaForex.

Does Pepperstone or InstaForex have lower costs?

Another important aspect we consider when comparing brokers is the cost of trading. When evaluating trading costs, we always consider the minimum deposit required to open an account and the ongoing trading costs, including the spreads and commissions. When calculating trading costs, we measure the cost to trade one lot of EUR/USD using the broker’s account with the lowest minimum deposit. The cost includes both the spread and any commission charged. 

Not all brokers publish their trading costs, so we often open accounts and trade on their platforms to verify the spreads and commissions. Based on our reviews, we found that Pepperstone has overall lower trading costs than InstaForex. 

 

Does Pepperstone or InstaForex offer a better choice of trading platforms?

Traders want Forex brokers to offer them a choice of trading platforms, so we give brokers who offer multiple platforms higher ratings. Trading platforms we consider include MetaTrader4, MetaTrader5, cTrader and proprietary mobile and web-based platforms. 

In this case, Pepperstone offers support for cTrader, MT4 and MT5 and InstaForex offers support for MT4 and MT5. 

Do the brokers offer copy trading?

Copy trading is a great option for beginner traders who can’t trade full-time or lack experience with Forex trading. In this case both InstaForex and Pepperstone offer copy trading.

 

Which broker offers a better choice of trading instruments?

A variety of CFD instruments – and a large range of CFDs for each instrument category allow traders more opportunities for profitable trading. The best brokers will have thousands of CFDs to trade, covering all these instrument categories. We found that InstaForex offers a greater range and depth of instruments to trade than Pepperstone. InstaForex offers 110 Forex pairs to trade and Pepperstone offers 70 Forex pairs to trade.

And what about Cryptocurrencies?

In this case, Pepperstone offers 19 cryptocurrencies while InstaForex offers 12 cryptocurrencies. So if you want to trade cryptocurrencies, we advise trading with Pepperstone.

Which broker offers better deposit and withdrawal processes?

Although brokers may have reasonable trading fees, many traders are caught out by the high non-trading fees charged by some brokers, including deposits and withdrawals. Traders want to be able to deposit and withdraw funds quickly and cheaply. Most brokers have multiple funding methods with zero fees for making deposits, but some brokers make it more expensive and take longer to process withdrawals. 

We rate brokers more highly that process withdrawals within 24 hours by multiple withdrawal methods and without charging processing fees. We found that InstaForex charges a withdrawal fee and Pepperstone does not. Overall, Pepperstone has better deposit and withdrawal processes than InstaForex. 

Which broker offers better educational support?

We often find that brokers offer very little in the way of educational materials, forcing traders to use other third-party sites or self-educate elsewhere. Beginner traders need well-structured, well-presented materials in multiple formats to get a good start at trading. More experienced traders also benefit from webinars led by experts in the field and advanced trading strategy sections with new trading ideas. 

InstaForex and Pepperstone both have moderate educational support. Both InstaForex and Pepperstone offer educational support for more experienced traders.

 

Which broker offers better market analysis materials?

To successfully predict the price movements of an instrument, traders will need access to frequent market research and analysis. We find that research and market analysis are always better when they are produced in-house and updated frequently. Third-party resources don’t show the same expertise in trading ideas, so we place a strong emphasis on frequent in-house updates. Some brokers also often offer interactive webinars where traders can learn from experts in the field. 

We found that Pepperstone offers better research analysis than InstaForex and that both InstaForex and Pepperstone offer frequent webinars.

 

Our overall Verdict on Pepperstone

Founded in 2010, Pepperstone is a well-regulated, globally renowned ECN broker known for fast trade execution and broad trading platform support.   Its award-winning trading conditions provide the foundation for its exceptional customer satisfaction, including some of the tightest spreads in the industry, low commissions and no required minimum deposit.

Traders can also choose between a number of top trading platforms, including MT4, MT5, and cTrader and a wide selection of trading tools. Furthermore, Pepperstone does not charge any withdrawal or deposit fees and allows hedging, scalping, and copy trading.  Pepperstone provides a good selection of educational and market analysis material and provides negative balance protection for all clients. However, some Nigerians will be disappointed that Pepperstone doesn't offer Islamic swap-free accounts. As our highest-rated pure ECN broker, if you only want to pay a small commission for tight spreads, you won't find much better than Pepperstone.

Our overall Verdict on InstaForex

With a broad range of tradable instruments, excellent platform support, and fixed spread accounts, InstaForex appeals to traders who prefer predictable trading conditions. However, InstaForex's trading costs are significantly higher than average across all four of its trading accounts.

A well-regulated broker, InstaForex offers trading on shares, indices, commodities, metals, energies, cryptocurrencies, futures, and over 100 Forex pairs - a much larger range than is typically available at other brokers.  

InstaForex offers four live instant execution accounts, all with a minimum deposit of 1 USD. Spreads are fixed at 3 pips (EUR/USD) on its commission-free accounts and 0 pips (EUR/USD) on it's commission-based accounts in exchange for a commission of 30 USD (round turn) per lot traded.  These trading costs are significantly higher than other brokers, but don't vary with trade volume or market volatility.  

Both the MT4 and MT5 trading platforms are available, alongside two of InstaForex’s own web-based platforms. It also offers numerous trading tools, including VPS hosting services, various copy trading applications, and a number of technical analysis tools. 

One drawback is that the educational materials are poorly presented and lack depth, making it a poor choice for beginner traders.  However, InstaForex's market analysis materials are detailed and frequently updated to help traders make better trading decisions. 

Which broker has the highest overall rating?

Pepperstone has an overall rating of 4.61 and InstaForex has an overall rating of 2.92. For more detail please read our reviews of Pepperstone and InstaForex.