Plus500 Review
📅 Year founded	2008
📈 Multiple top-tier regulation	Yes
📍 Headquarters	Sydney, Australia
🌍 Country of regulation	Australia / United Kingdom / Cyprus / New Zealand / South Africa / Singapore / Seychelles / Estonia / United Arab Emirates
✅ Regulators	ASIC / FCA / CySec / FMA / FSCA / MAS / FSA / FSRA / DFSA
📈 Execution Type	Market Execution
💰 Minimum Deposit	$100 USD
🛡️ Negative Balance Protection	Yes
📉 Trading Platforms	Plus500 / WebTrader
☪  Islamic account	No
📉 Trading Instruments	Forex / Commodities / Indices / Shares / ETFs / Options / Cryptocurrencies
📱 Mobile trading	iOS / Android / Windows
💳 Payment Types Accepted	Credit and Debit Cards / Bank Transfers / PayPal / Skrill
🎮 Demo Account	Yes
ⓒ Copy Trading	No
🎁 Bonus Offer	Bonus on deposit subject to “Trader Points”
💰 Account Currencies	USD / EUR / GBP / CHF / AUD / JOY / PLN / CZK / CAD / HUF / TRY / SEK / NOK / SGD
📈 Minimum Trade	0.01 lot
📈 Account Types
📈 Margin Trading	Yes
📈 Trading fees	Low
📈 Inactivity fee	$10 USD per month
💰 Withdrawal fee	None
☎ Customer Support	24/7
💰 Max. Leverage	30:1
✔️ Hedging Allowed	Yes
✔️ Scalping Allowed	Yes
💰 Commission	Zero
💰 Spreads	From 0.8 pips
💰 Leverage	Flexible
💰 Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs)	60 +
🔢 Number of clients	25 000 000 +
🥇 Instruments Offered	2 800 +
📙 Education	Trading Academy / eBooks / Videos / FAQs
Click here ✅ Open a Trading Account

 

WHAT IS PLUS500?

 

Found in 2008, Plus500 is a respectable forex and CFD brokerage firm with its headquarters located in Sydney, Australia. This online broker is regulated by multiple regulatory bodies mentioned above, including ASIC, FCA and CySec.

At Plus500, clients can trade a range of trading instruments such as forex, commodities, indices, shares, ETFs, options and cryptocurrencies. The broker also offers a proprietary Plus500 trading platform to its traders.

Plus500 is considered by the industry as one of the best brokers in forex.

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Since 2008, Plus500 has been a leading provider of CFDs, enabling traders to trade on price fluctuations of several trading instruments without the need to take ownership of the underlying asset.

The broker is an industry leader that has placed significant importance on its innovative trading technology throughout the years. Plus500 provides its clients with more than 2 800 tradable instruments and the company is listed on FTSE 250.

Plus500 offers a proprietary user-friendly trading platform, but does not offer MetaTrader4 and MetaTrader5, like many of its competitors do.

 

PROS & CONS

 

PROS

• The proprietary trading platform is very easy to use.
• Low trading fees charged.
• London Stock Exchange listed company.
• No fees charged on withdrawals.
• Competitive pricing.
• Variety of market instruments available.
• The broker is highly regulated.
• Website and customer support are offered in multiple languages.
• Plus500 demo account available.
• Low spreads and commissions.
• Cryptocurrencies are available.
• 24/7 customer support offered.
• Plus500 minimum deposit starts from $100.

 

CONS

• Limited educational resources and tools available.
• Limited research tools available.
• Inactivity fee applicable on accounts.
• Limited range of trading platforms.
• No swap account available.
• No phone support available

 

TRADING INSTRUMENTS

 

Plus500 offers CFDs on a range of trading instruments, including forex, commodities, indices, shares, ETFs, options and cryptocurrencies.

 

Shares

Shares, equities or stocks, represent the ownership in a company and can be traded on various stock exchanges.

Trading CFD shares allows traders to take advantage of price fluctuations of shares, without taking ownership of the underlying asset. Shares CFDs such as Alphabet, Apple, Meta and Microsoft can be traded.

At Plus500, clients can trade the globe’s most popular traded shares, equities or stocks through CFDs on the broker’s proprietary trading platform.

The broker allows its clients to trade shares with leverage and low spreads. Traders can also take control of their profits and losses with Plus500’s innovative trading tools.

Traders can establish stops and limits in advance in order to lock-in profits and minimise losses. Plus500 also offers a guaranteed stop feature in order to circumvent slippage.

Shares can be traded with leverage up to 30:1 at Plus500.

 

Forex

The foreign exchange market is where you can trade a certain currency with another. The forex market is the biggest financial market in the world.

At Plus500, clients can trade the globe’s most popular traded forex pairs through CFDs. Forex pairs such as EUR / GBP, EUR / USD and GBP / USD can be traded with the broker.

Clients can use Plus500’s innovative trading tools to limit losses and to keep their profits safe. Forex can be traded with leverage up to 30:1 at Plus500.

 

Indices

A stock index is basically an indicator that shows the collective value of a set of stocks. At Plus500, traders can trade major world indices through CFDs such as France 40, USA 500 and USTECH 100.

With leverage, clients can boost the size of their trades without using large capital amounts. The broker allows leverage up to 20:1 for trading Indices through CFDs. The broker offers real-time streaming quote service.

 

Cryptocurrencies (Crypto)

Cryptocurrency is a type of digital currency that uses a decentralised network of control to perform protected financial transactions, unlike typical conventional currencies.

In 2009, Bitcoin was introduced as the first cryptocurrency in the world. Since then, this type of digital currency has seen a dramatic rise in adoption and popularity, along with high volatility.

Altcoins, such as Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Ripple XRP and Litecoin are some of Bitcoin’s top rivals. At Plus500, traders can trade popular cryptocurrencies through CFDs, without taking ownership of them.

With Plus500, traders can trade Bitcoin, Ethereum and a variety of other cryptocurrencies with leverage of up to 2:1.

Advantages of trading Crypto CFDs:

• Selling and buying are equally accessible.
• You can trade round-the-clock 24/7, with the exception of one hour on Sundays.
• Traders can set stops and limits to better manage risk.
• Trade through CFDs, without taking ownership of the underlying assets.

 

Plus500 Commodities

Commodities are considered as hard assets, such as oil and gold.  Plus500 has gold, oil and silver options available to trade with. Since there are so many commodities, they have been categorised as follow:

• Agriculture;
• Energy; and
• Metals.

 

At Plus500, traders can trade a variety of commodities via CFDs with leverage up to 20:1. Commodity prices can change on a daily basis.

Commodities futures allow traders to trade a raw material or commodity at a predetermined price and at an exact date in the future.

 

ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds)

Exchange Traded Funds are considered as funds that track and copy the performance of commodity and index markets, such as NASDAQ 100 and the S&P 500.

At Plus500, traders can trade a range of popular ETFs through CFDs with leverage of up to 5:1. The broker offers ETFs such as SPDRUSA500 and VXX Volatility to trade with.

 

Options

Options are contracts or agreements whereby a seller provides the buyer with the opportunity to buy or sell a certain amount of units of the underlying asset at a set price within a fixed time period.

At Plus500, traders can trade a range of options on indices through CFDs with leverage of up to 5:1. The broker offers options on oil, Germany 30 and Meta amongst others.

 

TRADING PLATFORMS

 

Plus500 has its own user-friendly proprietary trading platform available for traders. Clients can download and install this proprietary trading platform on their PC for trading.

The broker’s proprietary trading platform is also available on the web which can be accessed via a browser on any device.  A variety of languages are offered on the web trading platform, such as Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish etc.

Plus500’s trading platform is also specifically designed to be used on mobile devices. The broker’s mobile trading app is compatible with Apple and Android mobiles.

The proprietary trading platform is intuitive and suitable for any type of trader. The platform is also considered as one of the easiest trading platforms to use in the world and allows clients to trade on a range of trading instruments.

Advantages of trading with Plus500:

• 24/7 customer support in most countries.
• Plus500 has leverage available on all trading instruments.
• Free and unrestricted Plus500 demo account available.
• The broker’s subsidiaries are regulated and authorised.
• No fees charged for opening or closing trades.
• The broker offers services in 50+ countries.
• The broker offers services and support in over 30 languages.

 

The broker unfortunately does not support automated trading and important trading functions for professional traders are unavailable. It further lacks the world renowned MT4 and MT5 trading platforms.

 

ACCOUNT TYPES

 

Plus500 has a single live trading account and does not provide a range of different trading accounts. The broker’s live trading account requires a minimum deposit of $100 USD.

The broker believes that traders should only focus on a single trading account. Plus500 reserves the right to shut down any additional trading accounts.

In cases where subsequent accounts are allowed by Plus500, the accounts should be used independently. Additionally, you will not be able to transfer funds between the separate accounts.

A trading account can be opened through an online application process. The first step in opening a trading account with Plus500 is to provide the broker with your e-mail address and password.

Traders have an option to log into their Plus500 trading account with their Facebook or Google accounts. In order to open an account, the broker’s verification process requires a copy of your ID document and proof of residency.

At Plus500, clients can trade with a leverage of up to 30:1 and have access to trading features such as risk management tools. The broker also offers a risk-free demo trading account.

 

HOW TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT

 

At Plus500, you can easily open a trading account within a day. The account opening process with the broker is fast, fully-digital and hassle-free.

A trading account can be open by means of an online application. This is a standard method of opening trading accounts in the industry.

1. First, you will need to provide your email address and password as the first step in the account opening process.

1. You can also login b using your Facebook or Google accounts. This is a useful option that is not commonly used by other brokerages.

1. You will be directed to a section where you can choose between a live (real money) account and Plus500 demo account option, and where you will be able to log into the broker’s trading platform.

1. In order to use the broker’s live trading account, traders need to go through a verification process. The verification process requires a trader’s proof of identity as well as proof of address. A copy of your ID or passport can be used for verification of your identity. A utility bill or bank statement can be uploaded for verifying your residency.

1. In order to start trading, you can select the “Start Trading” tab on Plus500’s website homepage.

 

It must be noted that this online broker does not offer trading services to clients from the USA, Cuba, Canada, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Belgium, North Korea, Syria and Nigeria.

 

DEMO ACCOUNT

 

Plus500 offers a demo trading account that is totally risk-free since the account allows traders to trade with virtual money.

Traders can open a demo account upon registering with Plus500 by simply selecting the “demo mode” option. Traders are also allowed to switch between the demo account and the actual trading account.

The Plus500 demo account is a great option for traders that are just starting out. This account is also available for professional traders.

Clients can use this account forever and the account does not have an expiry date. Demo accounts are specifically developed for traders to practice their trading skills before attempting to trade real money.

 

COMMISSIONS & FEES

 

Plus500 has no hidden fees and is upfront with the few fees they charge. Most of the broker’s services are free of charge to its clients.

No commissions are charged on trades and the broker makes its profits on the bid / ask variable spreads. The broker charges low trading fees and non-trading fees.

On Plus500’s trading platforms, spreads are indicated alongside the instrument.

At Plus500, traders can expect no fees on the following:

• Deposits.
• Actual share CFD prices.
• Actual forex quotes.
• Opening or closing trades.
• Dynamic graphs and charts.
• Rolling your position.

 

Traders may expect to pay brokerage fees on the following:

• Overnight funding amount.
• Currency conversion fee.
• Inactivity fee of up to $10 USD per month.

 

LEVERAGE

 

At Plus500, professional clients can get leverage of up to 30:1 on forex pairs while retail clients can also get a leverage of up to 30:1. Lower leverages are available on other trading instruments, such as 2:1 on cryptocurrencies and 5:1 on options.

 

WITHDRAWALS AND DEPOSITS

 

Plus500 has limited deposit and withdrawal options available that are user-friendly. The broker does not charge any brokerage fees on deposits or withdrawals.

The broker offers a number of different currencies, but traders need to contact customer support in order to change the base currency to their preferred currency.

The Plus500 minimum deposit amount is $100 USD and the broker has the following depositing options available:

• Bank transfer.
• Credit and Debit card.
• Skrill.
• PayPal.

 

Withdrawals at Plus500 can take up to 3 business days for processing.

 

CUSTOMER SERVICE

 

The broker has great 24/7 client support and they are very fast in responding.

• Live chat support availability.
• Customer support through WhatsApp.
• Requests through emails and contact form.
• FAQ section on the website that answers some basic questions.
• The website is available in over 30 languages.
• Customer support is offered in many languages.

 

SAFETY AND SECURITY

 

Plus500 is regulated by top-tier financial authorities. The broker is also listed on the Main Market of the LSA (London Stock Exchange).

Plus500 is regulated by the following financial authorities:

• CySEC (Cyprus).
• FCA (UK).
• ASIC (Australia).
• FMA (New Zealand).
• FSCA (South Africa).
• MAS (Singapore).
• DFSA (United Arab Emirates).

 

The broker offers negative balance protection for retail traders from the EU. Other clients are unfortunately not covered with any negative balance protection.

  

RESEARCH

 

The broker has limited research options available but has a well-designed economic calendar that can be found in the trading platform and on the website. Furthermore, Plus500 has great charting tools.

Unfortunately, the broker does not offer fundamental data, recommendations, newsletters or a news feed. The research options on offer are very basic which include forex news, weekly webinars and daily market commentary.

No social copy trading tools are provided by the broker, but Plus500 has started to publish educational video content on its website.

• The quality of the charting tool is good.
• 107 + technical indicators are provided.
• Great editor tools are available.
• Charts can be saved.
• An economic calendar is available to be used by clients.
• Macro events or company-related events can be filtered.
• The broker’s sentiment tool displays Plus500’s ratio between buyers and sellers.

 

The broker’s research offering is limited when comparing to other brokerages in the trading industry. Plus500’s demo account does not show any research and there are no top-tier news headlines from providers. There is also no technical-related analysis content.

 

EDUCATION

 

With Plus 500, you can expect a demo account along with a few very basic educational videos on trading. The videos can positively assist new traders in using the trading platform.

Under the broker’s “trader guide” section on the website, you will find a variety of different educational resources on trading. New traders can take advantage of a number of training videos, which cover valuable topics in the industry.

The broker also offers various eBooks, videos and a FAQ section to clients under its “Trading Academy” tab on the website.

 

GLOBAL AWARDS

 

According to our research, we could not find any awards listed on the broker’s website. However, this does not mean that the broker has not obtained any global awards in the past.

 

PROMOTIONS

 

The only promotion provided by Plus500 to its clients, is deposit bonuses once traders have earned enough “Trader Points”. The terms and conditions of which are unknown until a client has created an account with the broker.

 

SAFE OR A SCAM?

 

Is Plus500 legit?

The fact that Plus500 was found and established in 2008 is proof that the broker has a long, successful history in the industry. It also provides us with proof that the brokerage is not a scam and has survived previous financial crises.

As per regulatory requirements, some clients are protected under the FSCS for up to £85 000. The broker operates a number of subsidiaries that can serve you as a client which is subject to your residential address. When you sign up with a subsidiary, you will get an investor protection amount from Plus500. For example, you will receive £85 000 in investor protection if you are a UK based client. This means that you will fall under the Plus500 UK Ltd subsidiary.

If you are a client from the European Union (EU), the brokerage will protect you against negative balance for forex and CFD trading. However, traders that are professional or traders that are not from the European Union (EU) will not be covered by Plus500’s negative balance protection.

When not covered by negative balance protection, your funds will not be protected should your balance enter a negative zone. Negative balance protection ensures that you cannot lose more than what you have initially deposited into your account.

The company is listed on the LSE (London Stock Exchange) which is further proof that it is safe to trade with Plus500. The broker has to release its financial statements on a regular basis.

Plus500 has great security and risk management features in position, in order to keep its traders safe and secure.

• At Plus500, your funds are kept in segregated trust accounts. These accounts are managed in accordance with regulatory requirements. This will ensure that you are protected if the broker goes into liquidation.

• The broker’s trading platform is secured by SSL which is a Secure Socket Layer that transfers traders’ personal data to a secure location.

• You as a client will receive an option to use the broker’s 2-factor authentication to confirm your identity when providing your user name and password upon Plus500 login. This is an added protection feature to ensure that you are further protected against hackers or thieves.

• The broker has a range of tools available that can assist traders to manage their risk. These tools include the Stop Limit / Stop Loss, Trailing Stop and Guaranteed Stop.

• Plus500 also offers alerts on market events and price movements.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Plus500 is regarded as a good and reliable forex and CFD brokerage company. The brokerage has been operational since 2008 with extensive experience in the industry.

As indicated before in this review on Plus500, the broker is listed on the LSA (London Stock Exchange) and is also highly regulated by a number of international financial authorities. In our opinion, trading with Plus500 is considered to be safe.

The broker has a proprietary trading platform that is very user-friendly, which can be used by either beginner or professional traders.

Traders can enjoy the simplicity of their trading platform, with various trading instruments on offer for the broker’s clients. The broker also provides competitive spreads.

At Plus500, you can expect low trading fees in relation to other brokers. The broker also does not charge any fees on deposits or withdrawals. A required minimum deposit of $100 USD is very reasonable and comparable with its competitors in the industry.

Plus500’s 24/7 customer support is considered to be very good, with fast responses. Support is available on live chat, emails and WhatsApp. Unfortunately, phone support is not available.

According to our research, Plus500 is a good online broker, that can be trusted with your funds. The low fees and wide range of trading instruments are a big plus point for any potential traders.