Plain-English forex education. No hype, no signals.فارسی
BrokerCutForex Academy

Head to head

Exness vs ThinkMarkets

Exness is licensed by FSCA in South Africa, CMA (Kenya) in Kenya, CMA (UAE) in the United Arab Emirates, FCA in the United Kingdom and CySEC in the European Union, and also has an offshore registration. ThinkMarkets is licensed by FCA in the United Kingdom; CySEC in the European Union; ASIC in Australia; DFSA in Dubai (DIFC), UAE and FSCA in South Africa, and also has an offshore registration. The licence that applies to you depends on where you live, so check which company you would contract with before comparing anything else.

Minimum deposits start at $10 at Exness and $10 at ThinkMarkets (the Standard account needs $50). Only Exness offers negative balance protection. Both offer segregated client money.

Facts last checked: Exness on 20 October 2026, ThinkMarkets on 20 October 2026.

Exness profileThinkMarkets profile
Broker 1
Broker 2
Broker 3

Monthly cost uses the account chosen in each slot: cost per lot × your lots. Swap and other fees are extra. The lowest monthly cost is highlighted only as a fact about cost, not as a recommendation.

Broker
ExnessOffshore registration onlyRead the profile
ThinkMarketsStrictly regulatedRead the profile
Comparing
ExnessSeychelles
ThinkMarketsStandard account · United Kingdom

Overview

Founded
Not yet checked
2010
Headquarters
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Official websites
  • exness.com
  • exness.eu
  • exness.uk
  • exness.ke
  • thinkmarkets.com
Facts last checked
20 October 2026
20 October 2026

Regulation and protection

Company you would contract with
Exness (SC) Ltd
TF Global Markets (UK) Limited
Regulator
FSA Seychelles
Seychelles
FCA
United Kingdom
Regulation level
Offshore registration only
Strictly regulated
Licence number
SD025 (Securities Dealer)
Check the register
629628
Check the register
Clients this company serves
Clients who sign up through exness.com (Exness assigns the company by country; it names it in the client agreement)
UK residents
All licences held
  • FSA Seychelles (Seychelles)
  • FSC (BVI) (British Virgin Islands)
  • FSCA (South Africa)
  • CMA (Kenya) (Kenya)
  • CMA (UAE) (United Arab Emirates)
  • FCA (United Kingdom)
  • CySEC (European Union)
  • FCA (United Kingdom)
  • CySEC (European Union)
  • ASIC (Australia)
  • DFSA (Dubai (DIFC), UAE)
  • FSCA (South Africa)
  • FSA Seychelles (Seychelles)
Segregated client money
Yes
Yes
Negative balance protection
Yes
No
Compensation scheme
None
FSCS up to £85,000 (UK); ICF up to €20,000 (Cyprus); none for the Seychelles company

Costs

Your monthly cost
No accounts listed
$110$11 per lot × 10 lots
Cost per lot (EUR/USD)
No accounts listed
$11
Spread from
No accounts listed
0.4 pips
Typical EUR/USD spread
No accounts listed
1.1 pips
Commission per lot (round turn)
No accounts listed
None
Typical GBP/USD spread
Not yet checked
1.3 pips
Typical USD/JPY spread
Not yet checked
1.4 pips
Typical XAU/USD spread
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Swap-free account
Yes
Yes

Leverage and margin

Maximum retail leverage
Up to 1:Unlimited on some accounts (offshore companies)
1:30 on major pairs (UK, EU, Australia); up to 500:1 (2500:1 on ThinkTrader) at the Seychelles company
Retail leverage by asset class
Not yet checked
  • Major currency pairs (UK: 1:30
  • Currency pairs: up to 500:1
  • ThinkTrader account (Seychelles company): up to 2500:1
Margin call level
60% (Standard); 30% (Pro, Zero, Raw Spread)
Not yet checked
Stop-out level
0% (stocks differ)
50% (forced liquidation level)

Account

Minimum deposit (this account)
No accounts listed
$50
Base currencies
No accounts listed
USD, USDt, AUD, GBP, EUR, SGD, CHF
Execution
No accounts listed
Spread only, no commission (MT4, MT5)

Platforms and features

Platforms
  • MetaTrader 4
  • MetaTrader 5
  • Exness Terminal
  • Exness Trade app
  • ThinkTrader
  • MetaTrader 4
  • MetaTrader 5
  • TradingView
Markets
Currency pairs, metals, cryptocurrencies, energies, stocks and indices as CFDs
Forex, commodities, indices, crypto, stocks, ETFs and futures CFDs (up to 4,000 instruments on ThinkTrader)
Demo account
Yes
Yes
Copy trading
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Expert advisors (automated trading)
Yes
Yes
News trading allowed
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Guaranteed stops
Not yet checked
Not yet checked

Deposits and withdrawals

Deposit methods
Not yet checked
  • Bank wire
  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Neteller
  • Crypto
Withdrawal fee
No withdrawal fees from Exness; third-party fees may apply depending on the payment method
No fee on any funding method (international site)
Inactivity fee
Not yet checked
Not yet checked

Support

Customer support
Not yet checked
Not yet checked

Our notes

Strengths
  • Licences confirmed with the FSCA in South Africa, the CMA in Kenya and the UAE's Capital Market Authority
  • Low $10 minimum deposit on the Standard account and no withdrawal fees from Exness
  • Exness says client money is held in segregated accounts and retail accounts have negative balance protection
  • Licensed by the FCA, CySEC and ASIC, with client money in segregated accounts
  • Publishes target (typical) spreads for the Standard account, such as 1.1 pips on EUR/USD
  • No deposit or withdrawal fees on the international site's funding methods
Watch out for
  • Most retail clients join offshore companies (FSA Seychelles or BVI FSC), and the strictly regulated UK and Cyprus companies do not accept retail clients
  • Exness also says it holds licences from the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (Exness B.V., 0003LSI), the FSC of Belize (Forexite Ltd., 9110312), the FSC of Mauritius (Exness (MU) Ltd, GB20025294), the Jordan Securities Commission (Exness Limited Jordan) and an FSCA ODP authorisation for Exness (SC) Ltd. We could not confirm these on the regulators' registers on 2026-10-20.
  • Leverage up to 1:Unlimited and a 0% stop-out mean a position can be closed only when your margin is gone
  • International clients join TF Global Markets Int Limited in the Seychelles (offshore tier), where leverage goes up to 2500:1 on ThinkTrader and losses can exceed deposits
  • ThinkMarkets also says it is licensed by CIMA, an FSC, an FMA and (on its South African company) FSCA FSP 49835, without naming every company; we could not confirm these on 2026-10-20. Its FSCA OTC derivative provider approval is confirmed.
  • The ThinkZero minimum deposit is shown as $100 on the account types page and $500 on the ThinkZero page; ask before you fund.

Risk warnings

The buttons to a broker’s website above the table are partner links: we may earn a commission if you open an account through them. That never changes the facts shown here. Trading leveraged products such as forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money rapidly, and most retail accounts lose money. Each broker’s own warning:

  • Exness: Risk Warning: Our services relate to complex derivative instruments requiring appropriate knowledge and understanding. Their prices may fluctuate rapidly and may become valueless. Trading involves a high risk of loss, with traders likely to incur losses exceeding the potential for profits. Losses may extend up to the full amount of funds in the trading account. Under no circumstances shall Exness have any liability to any person or entity for any loss or damage in whole or part caused by, resulting from, or relating to any investing activity.
  • ThinkMarkets: Derivative products are leveraged products and can result in losses that exceed initial deposits. Please ensure you fully understand the risks and take care to manage your exposure and seek independent advice if necessary.

Open this comparison in the full tool to share a link with your own accounts and companies chosen.

Other head-to-head pages

Cost per lot is the typical EUR/USD spread in busy hours × $10, plus any round-turn commission, for one standard lot. “Not yet checked” means we have not confirmed that fact yet. This page compares facts; it does not rank the brokers or recommend either. Confirm costs and licences on each broker’s site and the regulator’s public register before opening an account: see how we review brokers and check a broker yourself.

Nothing on this page is financial advice. Read the full disclaimer.

BrokerCut on Telegram

Get the latest forex news and market analysis.

Join the channel