4 Best Forex Trading Apps for Beginners

How to Choose a Trading App for Beginners?

In this section, you will read about the most important things to consider when choosing a mobile app for beginners:

How to verify if the trading app is regulated?

To verify that the trading app you choose is safe to use, you need to verify that the forex broker offering it is fully licensed and regulated. Here’s how you can do it:

• Check the Broker’s Website: Start by looking at the broker’s official website. Regulated brokers typically display their licensing and regulation information, including license numbers and the names of the authorities that regulate them, often found in the footer of the website or on an ‘About Us’ or ‘Regulation’ page.
• Contact the Broker Directly: If you are still unsure, contact the broker directly and ask for their regulatory information. A legitimate broker should be willing and able to provide clear details about their regulatory status.

Read more about Best regulated forex brokers.

How to check a trading app’s protection level?

To find a mobile app offered by a trustworthy broker, make sure that it guarantees the following safety requirements.

• Segregation of client funds. Brokers must keep their clients’ funds in separate bank accounts from the ones used for their corporate capital. This is crucial for mitigating the risk of accounting errors.
• Negative balance protection. Negative balance protection is a safety mechanism that ensures a trader’s losses cannot exceed their account balance. This protection is indispensable when trading high-risk instruments, such as Contracts for Difference (CFDs).
• Limited market exposure. Limiting market exposure protects traders against adverse price fluctuations. That is why most top-tier regulators cap the maximum retail leverage at 1:30. In comparison, less strict regulators can allow leverage as high as 1:2000.
• Compensation scheme. Depending on the jurisdiction where a broker is situated, a compensation scheme may also protect its clients against the broker’s credit risk and liabilities. For example, ESMA-compliant brokers are required to participate in the Investor Compensation Fund (ICF). In the unlikely event of the broker becoming insolvent, traders can be compensated by up to 20,000 EUR.

Check out our guide on Best European regulated forex brokers.

What to Consider in the Trading App?

Mobile apps are primarily used to gain quick access to the account and the market. Traders use them to place new orders or adjust existing positions if necessitated by changing market conditions.

• User-Friendly Interface: Ensure the app is intuitive and easy to navigate, even for beginners.
• Security: Look for features like two-factor authentication (2FA) and data encryption to protect your account.
• Trading Tools: Check for advanced charting tools, technical indicators, and integrated market analysis.
• Supporting Content and Tools: Ensure the app has an extensive collection of educational materials – written articles, videos, and guides – and incorporates robust market research, such as market reviews and signals by Autochartist and Trading Central.
• Fees and Spreads: Verify the app’s trading fees (spreads and commissions) and other costs to ensure they align with your budget.
• Speed and Reliability: A good app should facilitate fast order execution. Preferably without requotes.
• Customer Support: Reliable customer service accessible through the app can be crucial for resolving issues promptly.
• Customizability: Features like personalized watchlists, alerts, and layouts enhance usability.
• Compatibility: Ensure the app works seamlessly on your preferred device and operating system.
• Social and Copy Trading: If you’re interested, check if the app supports features for following or copying experienced traders.

Check out our dedicated guide on Best forex trading apps.

What to Avoid When Choosing a Trading App for Beginners?

Here is a quick rundown of some of the most important things to avoid when choosing a broker with the best trading app for beginners:

• Unregulated brokers: Trading with unregulated brokers increases your exposure to fraudulent activities and unethical practices. Such brokers are not bound by regulatory standards, do not adhere to compliance measures, and often lack participation in compensation schemes, putting your investments at significant risk.
• Insufficient Client Protection: Avoid brokers that fail to provide at least two of the following safeguards: segregated funds, negative balance protection, compensation schemes, or a cap on retail leverage at 1:30. These measures are crucial for protecting your funds and limiting financial risk.
• Poor Execution Quality: Brokers unable to ensure at least two of the following should be avoided: a best execution policy, regular quality execution reports, or order execution speeds averaging under 100 milliseconds. These factors are essential for achieving efficient and accurate trade execution.
• High Spreads and Commissions: Avoid brokers with floating spreads of 1.8 pips or higher on STP accounts, as well as round-turn commissions exceeding $7 on ECN accounts. Excessive fees can significantly impact your trading profitability over time.

Read more about Best low spread forex brokers.

How to Avoid Forex and CFD Scams?

Scammers often exploit traders’ trust by promising quick and risk-free profits. They may also impersonate reputable companies by using deceptive branding. To counter this, regulators like the FCA maintain registers to help traders identify fraudulent entities.

The best and easiest way to protect yourself is to make sure you work with a trustworthy and transparent broker. You can find a comprehensive list of reliable brokers by jurisdiction here.

Steps to Protect Yourself

1. Choose a Reliable Broker: Work only with trustworthy and transparent brokers that are regulated and provide protection of client funds.
2. Ensure Online Safety: Avoid sharing personal information on suspicious pop-ups. Be cautious of unsolicited calls or emails promising enormous profits—licensed brokers don’t make cold calls.
3. Verify Promises: If someone contacts you with extraordinary offers, remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
4. Do Your Research: Always verify a broker’s licensing, regulation, and reputation before opening an account.

By staying vigilant and conducting thorough research, you can protect yourself from falling victim to trading scams.

Our Methodology

At FXEmpire, we’ve developed a unique methodology for evaluating over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives brokers worldwide. Our aim is to provide a clear picture of each broker’s strengths and weaknesses, helping readers make informed decisions and find the best partner for their trading needs.

Our dedicated team continuously refines this system to align with market trends. Each broker is systematically tested against over 250 variables across nine categories:

• Trust
• Fees
• Account Types
• Tradable Instruments
• Platforms and Tools
• Deposits and Withdrawals
• Customer Support
• Research
• Education

We prioritize objectivity by conducting unbiased examinations, reviewing broker licenses, and analyzing the fine print in Client Agreements. Reliability is assessed through regulation, fees, and website transparency.

We gather critical data by opening live accounts, testing services in real time, and measuring spreads, swaps, and commissions on popular account types. To ensure accuracy, our findings are compared to industry averages.

Additionally, we evaluate trading platform functionality, instrument variety, customer support reliability, and the quality of research and educational materials.

For this guide, we focus on trading apps for beginners. These apps had to be compatible with both Android and iOS, featuring intuitive interfaces and robust customization options. We also prioritized apps offering a comprehensive range of features, including integrated market research and educational content to enhance trading knowledge. Finally, we focused on apps with advanced charting capabilities, optimized for maximum flexibility and usability for traders.

We abide by our strict guidelines for editorial integrity, which are based on the objective standards we have set for our reviews. You can read more about our review process here.

Meet Our Writers

The forex and CFD analysis team at FXEmpire is made up of seasoned trading industry professionals and experienced financial journalists. Our experts have been featured on leading financial platforms, including Investopedia and Forbes, and bring extensive hands-on trading experience to their work.

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