Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FOREX.com vs Octa, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
FOREX.com vs Octa: FOREX.com, founded in 1999, is a publicly traded online forex broker and not a bank. Octa, founded in 2011, is privately held and also not a bank. Based on ForexBrokers.com ratings, FOREX.com holds a Trust Score of 99/99 (90–99 = highly trusted), while Octa scores 73/99 (70–79 = average risk).
On regulation, FOREX.com holds 7 Tier-1 licenses (considered highly trusted) and 2 Tier-2 licenses (trusted). Octa holds 1 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2 license. In simple terms, FOREX.com operates under a wider set of top-tier regulators, which supports its higher trust rating, while Octa’s smaller regulatory footprint aligns with an average-risk profile. Always verify the specific entity and rules that apply in your country.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2011 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
When comparing commissions and fees, FOREX.com comes out ahead of Octa overall. FOREX.com earns a 4.5-star rating and ranks #15 out of 36 brokers for this category, while Octa is rated 4 stars and ranks #27 out of 36. FOREX.com is generally a bit more expensive than the industry average, especially on its Standard account, which had average EUR/USD spreads of 1.4 pips in the U.S. by July 2023. Its Raw account can be cheaper, with typical EUR/USD spreads around 0.13 pips, but it adds a commission of $7 per standard lot, so pricing depends on how much you trade.
For active traders, FOREX.com’s Raw Spread account may be appealing because it offers commission-based pricing and volume rebates, with lower all-in costs for very high-volume traders. However, for many U.S. clients, the final cost is often similar to the Standard account unless monthly trading volume is very high. Octa has also improved its pricing and now competes more closely with low-cost MetaTrader brokers. It offers average EUR/USD spreads of 0.5 pips through its EU entity and about 0.9 pips through its international entities, though its spread data is less clear because it does not list a date range for those averages.
Octa has a few cost-friendly features, including no overnight carry costs and no slippage on 97.5% of executed orders, but it also has some limits that may not suit fast-paced traders. Overall, FOREX.com provides more transparent pricing and stronger value for many traders, while Octa can still be a good low-cost option depending on the account entity and platform used.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $25 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.00 | 0.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.13 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Join 239,000+ traders worldwide.
FOREX.com offers a wider range of investments than Octa, making it the stronger choice for traders who want more market variety. Both brokers support forex trading, including forex CFDs or spot contracts, and both offer cryptocurrency CFDs. FOREX.com stands out with about 5,500 tradeable symbols and 80 forex pairs, compared with Octa’s 300 symbols and 35 forex pairs. FOREX.com also lets clients buy exchange traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, while Octa only offers international exchange traded securities.
Octa does have one key feature that FOREX.com does not: copy trading. However, neither broker offers the ability to buy actual cryptocurrency. Based on range of investments, FOREX.com is rated 5 stars and ranked #6 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while Octa is rated 3.5 stars and ranked #34, reflecting FOREX.com’s much broader selection overall.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 300 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 35 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
FOREX.com and Octa both give traders a wide range of platform choices, including free demo accounts, a proprietary platform, desktop software for Windows, web trading, and access to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Each broker also lets users place trades directly from charts, which can make it easier to react quickly to market moves. For traders who want to practice before using real money, both brokers support simulated trading.
The biggest difference is that Octa offers copy trading, while FOREX.com does not. FOREX.com also stands out in third-party ratings, earning 5 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools and ranking #5 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, compared with Octa’s 4 out of 5 stars and #31 ranking. If platform quality and tools are a top priority, FOREX.com has the stronger overall score, while Octa may appeal to traders who want copy trading alongside the usual platform options.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 90 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
FOREX.com and Octa both make it easy to trade on the go with iPhone and Android apps, plus price alerts and chart tools like trendlines and auto-saving drawings. That means either broker gives mobile traders the basics they need to follow the market and manage trades from a phone or tablet.
FOREX.com stands out more for mobile trading apps overall. It offers watchlist syncing between mobile and online accounts, which Octa does not, and it provides 90 technical studies in its app compared with Octa’s 30. FOREX.com is also rated 5 stars and ranked #2 out of 36 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps by ForexBrokers.com, while Octa is rated 4 stars and ranked #30.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 90 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
FOREX.com and Octa both give traders useful market research features, including daily market commentary, forex news from trusted sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, plus an economic calendar for tracking upcoming global events. In a side-by-side comparison, both brokers cover the basics well for traders who want regular updates and key market news before placing trades.
Where FOREX.com stands out is in its extra research tools. It offers Trading Central analysis and a sentiment tool that shows how traders are positioned across currency pairs, while Octa includes Autochartist instead. FOREX.com is rated 5 stars for Research and ranks #7 out of 36 brokers, compared with Octa’s 4-star Research rating and #24 ranking, making FOREX.com the stronger choice overall for market research.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners looking for trading lessons, both FOREX.com and Octa provide a wide range of education on forex and CFDs, including at least 10 learning pieces on those topics, regular client webinars, and at least 10 beginner and 10 advanced videos. That means each broker gives new traders access to core market basics, platform guidance, and more advanced trading ideas in formats that are easy to follow.
That said, FOREX.com has the edge for education overall. It is rated 5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #4 out of 36 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Octa is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #32. In simple terms, both brokers offer useful learning tools, but FOREX.com appears to give beginners a stronger and more complete education experience.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that FOREX.com is better than Octa. FOREX.com finished with an overall rank of #4, while Octa finished with an overall rank of #35.
FOREX.com is a trusted brand that delivers an excellent trading experience for forex and CFDs traders across the globe. It offers a wide range of markets and provides an impressive suite of proprietary platforms – alongside limited access to MetaTrader.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 99 | 73 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
In this FOREX.com vs Octa comparison, neither online broker lets you buy and hold actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading so you can speculate on crypto prices without owning the underlying asset.
FOREX.com vs Octa: FOREX.com supports ACH/SEPA and PayPal deposits and withdrawals alongside Skrill and bank wire transfers, whereas Octa provides Skrill and bank wires but does not support ACH/SEPA or PayPal; Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either broker.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review | Octa Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2011 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 300 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 35 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.00 | 0.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.13 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $25 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 90 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 90 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | FOREX.com Review | Octa Review |
| Overall | FOREX.com | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review | Octa Review |
IG
FOREX.com
CMC Markets
XTB
eToro
Capital.com
AvaTrade
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill