7 Best Zero Spread Forex Brokers of 2024 (2024)

When comparing accounts offered by the best forex brokers for zero spread trading, spreads will still vary in most cases, and you may incur other fees, trading costs, and/or commissions. Therefore, it is essential to keep the subtle details in mind when reading the fine print for zero spread trading.

Check out a side-by-side comparison of the spread pricing offered by the best zero spread forex brokers based on our independent testing:

Note: Brokers listed in the above table rank best in class for Commissions & Fees.

The spread in forex is simply the difference between the bid price and the ask price for a given currency pair. The “ask” price is the rate (or, counter-currency price) at which you purchase the base currency in a forex currency pair. The “bid” price, on the other hand, is the rate at which you sell the base currency in a forex pair.

Let’s look at a hypothetical example. If the EUR/USD exchange rate is 1.1234 for the ask price and 1.1232 for the bid price, that means the spread is two pips.

(1.1234 - 1.1232 = 0.0002, or two pips).

Important note about spreads: Though many brokers may advertise “zero spreads” or “zero minimum spreads,” the best way to get a reasonable sense of a broker’s spread-based fees is to calculate the average spread. When rating brokers based on their Commissions & Fees, for example, I always calculate each broker’s average spread by taking all monthly price updates (tick data for the bid/ask prices) and computing the average price.

A zero spread forex broker attempts to offer a spread of zero pips. The spread is the difference between the bid price (where you can sell) and the ask price (where you can buy), measured in pips (fractions of a currency). These seemingly small trading costs can quickly add up, because trading forex takes place from within a margin account (that is, uses leverage), especially as your trading volumes increase.

A zero-pip spread may range from 0 to several fractions of a pip – or even more during volatile market conditions. An account that advertises zero spreads (or spreads close to zero) might make sense if your trading strategy is spread-sensitive or if you just want to reduce your trading costs as much as possible -- but there are potential trade-offs.

Pros of zero spread pricing

• A scalping strategy or other high-frequency trading program based solely on latency, or price delays that cause arbitrage, will likely require that you have lower costs (i.e., cost-sensitive) to be profitable.
• High-frequency algo trading based on technical indicators can perform better on zero spread accounts, even if there are execution delays or price requotes during fast markets.

Cons of zero spread pricing:

• You'll need to watch out for added commissions and fees.
• Execution quality can suffer in a zero spread account if your trading strategy relies on specific execution qualities, such as avoiding slippage (where your order can get filled at a worse price).

While many brokers advertise zero spreads, it can be misleading to look only at the minimum spread or the lowest spread of the day -- it's possible that the spread is worse (higher) the majority of the time.

That is why it is important to only trust the average spreads to determine the true cost of a broker claiming to offer zero-pip spreads. A zero spread implies there is no difference in pips between the bid price and ask price; they are exactly the same price when the spread is 0.

In our research, there are only a few brokers that truly average close-to-zero-pip spreads on the EUR/USD, but you still must pay a per-trade commission, thus the effective spreads average out to be higher. Any broker claiming to offer zero pips with no commissions should be considered carefully, as it could turn out to be either a potential forex scam or offer questionable execution practices. That's why it's always important to only use trusted, highly regulated brokers.

For example, Tickmill, FP Markets, and IC Markets feature spreads close to 0 for their commission-based accounts, with their effective spreads averaging anywhere from 0.42 to 0.62 on the EUR/USD pair (using monthly spread data obtained during our testing), helping them finish best in class in this category.

A zero-pip spread that is fixed, and doesn't vary, will likely include a commission. The broker may also be operating a dealing desk to attempt to make money when you trade, by being on the opposite side of each trade.

The way forex and CFD brokers earn money depends on their business model and available execution methods. All brokers will ultimately do one or more of the following:

1. Add a spread markup or earn a rebate (agency broker) when you trade with them, as they route your order to a third-party market-maker in return for compensation.
2. Charge a commission (agency broker) in lieu of any spreads when routing your order.
3. Manage risk as a dealer (agency broker or market maker) on zero spread accounts.

Pro tip: Some zero spread brokers combine some of these execution methods into a hybrid offering. Some brokers let you choose execution type from within your account or open an account specific to a particular execution method.

In order to really know which broker has lower spreads compared to the competition, we obtained average spread data for over 60 forex brokers and factored in any per-trade commissions to calculate their effective spreads. An effective average spread allows you to determine your true trading costs.

Tickmill provides the tightest spreads after factoring in trading costs (i.e., any commissions or added fees). CMC Markets follows closely in second place, with its competitive FX Active pricing. FX Active features zero-pip spreads on select major currency pairs, along with low per-trade commissions. .

Brokers with the lowest effective spreads in 2024 are as follows, based on average price data obtained for the EUR/USD pair:

While it's nice to avoid fees, a zero spread account can still end up costing you a per-trade commission, and even worse -- spreads can potentially widen in a zero spread account even if it is commission-free.

Depending on your strategy and trading needs, a zero spread account might not be good for you if certain order types or execution methods are not available. The key is knowing what the average spreads are, and whether there are any per-trade commissions -- this allows you to calculate the effective spread.

IC Markets is an excellent forex broker for scalping, and provides zero spreads (plus commission) via its Raw Spread Account. IC Markets is used by a significant number of algorithmic traders and provides access to third-party trading platforms like cTrader and MetaTrader. These platforms allow you to run automated high-frequency trading programs such as scalping-based strategies and can even place orders in between the spread. Want to use MetaTrader, but not sure which version to choose? My MT4 vs MT5 guide can help you make an informed choice (I've been using MetaTrader since 2005).

If you want to learn more about algorithmic trading and automated high-frequency trading systems, check out my guide to high-frequency trading or my guide to the best algo trading software.

Pro tip: Whether brokers are market makers or claim to offer Straight Through Processing (STP) or an Electronic Communications Network (ECN), these descriptions are not as important as how your broker's business model actually operates, including its order execution policy during fast markets when spreads can widen.

A standard account refers to the smallest trade size of 100,000 units of currency, which is also known as a standard lot size. A raw spread refers to the cost of trading reflected in the bid/ask price, where the broker is not adding any markup but instead provides the price as is (i.e., raw spread) straight from their liquidity providers.

Pro tip: In most cases, raw spread forex brokers will add a per-trade commission to make money or act as market makers.

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There is a very high degree of risk involved in trading securities. With respect to margin-based foreign exchange trading, off-exchange derivatives, and cryptocurrencies, there is considerable exposure to risk, including but not limited to, leverage, creditworthiness, limited regulatory protection and market volatility that may substantially affect the price, or liquidity of a currency or related instrument. It should not be assumed that the methods, techniques, or indicators presented in these products will be profitable, or that they will not result in losses. Read more on forex trading risks.