Compare Forex Brokers side by side

How do XM and FBS 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 FxScouts, 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 XM and FBS, 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 XM or FBS 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 XM holds two Tier 1 and one Tier 2 licences, and FBS holds two Tier 1 and no Tier 2 licences.

Is XM financially regulated?

Is FBS financially regulated?

Based on these findings, XM earned a higher trust rating than FBS.

Does XM or FBS 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 XM has overall lower trading costs than FBS. 

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Broker

Trading Conditions

Base Currencies

EURUSD (Standard)

Trading Cost (Standard)

EURUSD (Best)

GBPUSD (Best)

USDJPY (Best)

Commission

FBS

4.5/ 5

EUR, USD

0.70 pips

USD 7

0.70 pips

0.90 pips

1.00 pips

USD 0

XM

5/ 5

USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CHF, ‎AUD, HUF, PLN, RUB, SGD, ZAR

0.60 pips

USD 6

0.60 pips

0.60 pips

0.60 pips

USD 0

Does XM or FBS 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, FBS offers support for MT4 and MT5 and XM offers support for MT4, MT5 and FBS App. 

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 FBS and XM offer copy trading.

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Broker

Platform Choice

Copy Trading

Platforms

FBS

4.5/ 5

No

MT4, MT5, FBS App

XM

4.5/ 5

Yes

MT4, MT5

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 FBS offers a greater range and depth of instruments to trade than XM. FBS offers 72 Forex pairs to trade and XM offers 57 Forex pairs to trade.

And what about Cryptocurrencies?

In this case, XM offers 60 cryptocurrencies while FBS offers 5 cryptocurrencies. So if you want to trade cryptocurrencies, we advise trading with XM.

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 neither FBS nor XM charges a withdrawal fee. Overall, XM has better deposit and withdrawal processes than FBS. 

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. 

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Broker

Beginner Course

Advanced Course

Well Structured Education

Education Quality

Webinars

FBS

Yes

Yes

Yes

Medium

Yes

XM

Yes

Yes

Yes

High

Yes

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 XM offers better research analysis than FBS and that both FBS and XM offer frequent webinars.

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Broker

Economic Calendar

Autochartist

Trading Central

Trading View

Free VPS

FBS

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

XM

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

Our overall Verdict on XM

XM has some of the lowest fees in the industry, provides excellent research and education, and has a beginner-friendly trading app. With a large customer base and a good reputation, XM will be a good option for most Filipino traders. It has an outstanding range of trading tools and offers traders generous bonuses and incentives. It also has one of the best copy trading services in the industry. 

XM offers four trading accounts, three of which have a minimum deposit of 5 USD and have no commissions for Forex trading. The highlight is the commission-free Ultra Low Account with spreads that start at 0.6 pips (EUR/USD).

The main drawback is that Filipino clients will be trading through XM’s company in Belize, which has poor regulatory oversight.

Our overall Verdict on FBS

FBS is a well-regulated international broker with low costs. It offers a 5 USD minimum deposit, a single trading account, and an easy-to-use mobile trading app. 

Beginners should be wary of the high leverage available at FBS. Without proper risk management, high leverage can quickly wipe out smaller accounts, although FBS does offer negative balance protection. Otherwise, FBS provides a welcoming environment for beginner traders, with an excellent selection of educational and market analysis materials and 24/7 customer support.

Which broker has the highest overall rating?