Best MT4 Brokers in the UK in 2025
MT4 remains Britain's favourite retail-FX platform, but the broker you trade through will determine your fees, leverage, and perhaps even more importantly, your legal protections. Use the checklist below to separate FCA-regulated firms from high-leverage offshore brokers in 2025.
Brokers we recommend
- Min. deposit: $100
- Platforms: MT4, MT5, TradingView, cTrader, Copy trading
- Regulators: Australia, Cyprus (EU), Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, St. Vincent & the Grenadines
FP Markets is an Australian broker open to UK clients via its offshore entity. Enjoy up to 1:500 leverage, and raw spreads from 0 pips + $3 commission across 1,000+ instruments. London servers for low latency.
- Min. deposit: $50
- Platforms: MT4, MT5, Copy trading
- Regulators: Cook Islands
Enjoy 1:500 leverage across 49 FX pairs plus metals, and high leverage across oil and indices with this offshore broker. Get AI-powered trade ideas when you deposit $500.
- Min. deposit: $100
- Platforms: MT4, MT5, Copy trading
- Regulators: Australia, BVI, Cyprus (EU), Ireland, Israel, Japan, South Africa, UAE
AvaTrade is an FCA-licensed broker with FSCS cover. Trade 800+ CFDs on fixed spreads across a wide range of markets, from FX to ETFs and government bonds.
- Min. deposit: $100
- Platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader, Copy trading
- Regulators: Bahamas, Cyprus (EU), South Africa, UK
FxPro is an FCA-licensed broker with FSCS cover. Trade 2,000 CFDs on MT4, MT5 or cTrader on variable or raw spreads. London servers for low latency.
- Min. deposit: $0
- Platforms: MT4
- Regulators: Cyprus (EU), Union of Comoros
Enjoy leverage up to 1:500 across 71 FX pairs, metals, indices, oil and crypto. Trade on low spreads from 0 pips plus $5/lot/side. FXCC is EU-regulated by offers high leverage through its offshore entity.
Comparison table
We rate brokers across 5 categories and 18 criteria, following a standardised methodology. Here are our overall and category-specific ratings:
| FP Markets | 4XC | AvaTrade | FxPro | FXCC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.0 |
| Markets | 5.0 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| Trading environment | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.2 |
| Deposits and withdrawals | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| Investor protection | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 3.8 |
| Customer service | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 3.8 |
| FP Markets | 4XC | AvaTrade | FxPro | FXCC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forex (CFD) | |||||
| Cryptos (CFD)* | |||||
| Stocks (CFD) | |||||
| Indices (CFD) | |||||
| ETFs (CFD) | |||||
| Metals (CFD) | |||||
| Energy (CFD) | |||||
| Commodities (CFD) | |||||
| Bonds (CFD) |
* Availability is subject to local laws and regulations.
| FP Markets | 4XC | AvaTrade | FxPro | FXCC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MT4 | |||||
| MT5 | |||||
| Copy trading | |||||
| TradingView | |||||
| cTrader |
| FP Markets | 4XC | AvaTrade | FxPro | FXCC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | |||||
| Credit card | |||||
| Debit card | |||||
| NETELLER * | |||||
| Skrill * | |||||
| BTC (Bitcoin) | |||||
| USDT (Tether) | |||||
| Broker to broker transfer |
* Availability is subject to local laws and regulations.
| FP Markets | 4XC | AvaTrade | FxPro | FXCC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | |||||
| BVI | |||||
| Bahamas | |||||
| Cook Islands | |||||
| Cyprus (EU) | |||||
| Ireland | |||||
| Israel | |||||
| Japan | |||||
| Kenya | |||||
| Mauritius | |||||
| South Africa | |||||
| St. Vincent & the Grenadines | |||||
| UAE | |||||
| UK | |||||
| Union of Comoros |
UK investor protections
As a retail trader in the UK, you can choose between a broker regulated by the FCA, and an offshore broker who accepts UK residents.
FCA-authorised firms must cap retail leverage at 30:1 on major FX, close out positions when margin falls to 50%, and provide negative balance protection since 20219. Importantly, you'll also be covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which can pay up to £85,000 should your broker fail.
Only AvaTrade and FxPro meet this standard: both offer FSCS coverage and segregate client funds at UK banks. FP Markets, 4XC and FXCC operate through either offshore or non-UK entities: you'll still enjoy segregated accounts and negative balance protection, but no statutory access to a compensation fund.
Offshore vs. FCA brokers
Offshore brokers tempt UK traders with up to 1:500 leverage, but the trade-off is the absence of FSCS coverage and sometimes a looser margin policing. Here's a table summarising key differences:
| FCA (UK) | Offshore | |
|---|---|---|
| Retail leverage | 1:30 on Forex majors | Up to 1:500 |
| Stop-out level | 50% margin | Broker-specific |
| Compensation fund | FSCS (£85k) | None |
FPMarkets.com, FXCC.com and 4xc.com all advertise up to 1:500 leverage on Forex and gold, giving you far greater buying power than their FCA-licensed rivals. If you go this route, use strict position sizing, or keep a second, low-leverage FCA account for balance.
Compare pricing models
If you're new to Forex trading, you might find the range of pricing options confusing. Fee structures generally fall into one of the following categories:
- Fixed-spread market maker: AvaTrade runs a single account with spreads that rarely move (e.g., GBP/USD stands around 1.2 pips). Predictable spreads tend to appeal to newer traders who value certainty over absolute tightness.
- Variable-spread + commission: FP Markets' Raw account charges $3 per lot per side with spreads as low as 0 pips, averaging 0.4 pips for the GBP/USD currency pair.
- Raw spreads: Others may allow you to trade on raw spreads and commission, with no spread mark-up.
Choose the pricing structure best aligned to your trading style: scalpers and high-frequency traders thrive on low and variable raw spreads, whereas longer-term swing traders, or beginners, may prefer fixed quotes.
Account funding methods
Hidden FX fees will eat into your profits when your account is denominated in the 'wrong' currency. Fortunately, all brokers reviewed in this guide let UK traders open a trading account denominated in sterling, and most support a wide range of other currencies:
| GBP Account | Other-base currencies | |
|---|---|---|
| FPMarkets.com | ✔︎ | 12 others, inc. AUD, BRL, EUR, USD |
| FxPro.com | ✔︎ | 12 others, inc. 12 others inc. AUD, CHF, USD |
| 4xc.com | ✔︎ | USD, EUR, BRL |
| AvaTrade.com | ✔︎ | AUD, CHF, EUR, USD |
| FXCC.com | ✔︎ | AUD, CHF, EUR, USD |
All of them accept Faster Payments or UK cards. FP Markets, FxPro and 4XC go further and support either PayPal and/or crypto for even faster deposits and withdrawals.
Execution speeds and servers
Latency is the silent cost that turns tight spreads into slippage. FP Markets and FxPro host their MT4 servers in London's Equinix LD4 data centre, giving most UK traders sub-20 ms pings. FP Markets will even cover the cost of a low latency VPS when you deposit US$ 1,000 and meet low monthly trading volume thresholds. Why not open an account and trade during the London session to get a feel for real-world fills?
Conclusion
If FSCS protection is top-of-mind, open a starter account with AvaTrade.com (fixed spreads) or FxPro.com (variable/raw). To chase razor-thin spreads or 1:500 leverage, open an account with FPMarkets.com or FXCC.com instead. And if you want high leverage with built-in copy-trading, consider 4xc.com.
And if you're unsure, why not run two small live accounts in parallel for a month to see which broker's combination of pricing, execution and service feels right—before you scale up?
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About the author
I'm Stefan, a trader and an entrepreneur. My mission with TrustedBrokers is to help you find the right broker for you, whether you're a beginner or a pro. I've personally used and tested the brokers mentioned in this article. I started my career in investment banking in London as an FCA-approved person.