5 Best STP Forex Brokers for 2025

List of Top STP Forex Brokers and Accounts

What is STP Model in Forex

STP, short for Straight-Through Processing, is an electronic order execution method in securities trading. For retail traders, using an STP account means automatic order execution without a dealing desk’s involvement. The main advantage of No-Dealing-Desk (NDD) brokers, including STP, is faster order execution, with a higher chance of orders being filled at or near the requested price, thereby reducing the risk of negative slippage.

In terms of pricing, STP accounts differ from ECN accounts. While ECN accounts typically have a fixed commission and raw spreads starting from 0.0 pips, STP accounts offer commission-free trading with floating spreads. Psychologically, STP’s single-cost structure might seem more appealing, though it’s not always the most cost-effective choice.

How Did FXEmpire Choose the Best STP Forex Brokers?

• Regulation. We only considered brokers that are regulated by top-tier financial institutions and adhere to the strictest financial requirements, ensuring maximum protection.
• Best execution policy. We prefer brokers that have a ‘best execution policy’, ensuring only the most favorable price quotes are fed to their clients at all times.
• STP accounts. STP accounts usually offer a combination of commission-free trading and floating spreads. We only looked for brokers that provide the most favorable combinations.
• Speed performance. We only considered brokers that can ensure fast and precise order execution, with an average execution speed no higher than 100 milliseconds. Additionally, at least two-thirds of all orders have to be executed at the requested price or with positive slippage.
• Trading software. We selected brokers offering user-friendly platforms with easy learning curves, such as MetaTrader 4&5, which are quite popular among newbies, and lean, sophisticated, and cutting-edge platforms catering to experienced professionals. We also looked for brokers that support the best third-party tools in the industry.
• Available instruments. We preferred brokers that offer a sufficient amount of tradable instruments from different asset classes to allow traders to exploit different opportunities.
• Supporting content. We evaluated brokers’ research and educational offerings for comprehensive insights into market trends as well as the scope and applicability of the available content for learning.

Our team of experts has identified brokers’ strengths and weaknesses using FX Empire’s comprehensive methodology. Here’s how we test.

Now let’s dive into the selected brokers.

How to Choose the Best STP Account?

Now it is time to identify the specific factors traders need to consider when searching for the most suitable broker offering an STP account.

How to Find a Safe Broker?

To make sure you are dealing with a trustworthy partner, you need to make sure that the broker entity you choose is tightly regulated and complies with all industry safety requirements.

I have broken down the most important safety mechanisms to look for in a broker below:

• 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 means that a trader’s losses cannot exceed their account balance. This protection is indispensable when trading high-risk instruments, such as Contracts for Difference (CFDs).
• Capped leverage. Beginners are especially susceptible to the risk of adverse price fluctuations, which is why the maximum leverage allowed for retail traders is set at 1:30. Anything beyond that can be too risky for inexperienced traders.
• Compensation scheme. Depending on the jurisdiction where a broker is situated, a compensation scheme may also protect its clients against the company’s credit risk and liabilities. For instance, brokers regulated by the CySEC participate in the Investor Compensation Fund (ICF), and in the case of a company’s insolvency, traders can be compensated by up to 20,000 EUR. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) under FCA UK protects traders by up to 85,000 GBP.

Read more about Best regulated forex brokers.

STP vs. ECN Accounts: Understanding Pricing

The key difference between STP and ECN accounts lies in their pricing mechanism. STP accounts typically offer commission-free trading with floating spreads, while ECN accounts feature fixed commissions and raw spreads, often starting as low as 0.1 pips. At first glance, STP accounts may seem more cost-effective since you only pay the spread, but brokers often inflate STP spreads, making them less competitive.

Read more about Best STP forex brokers and Best ECN forex brokers.

To evaluate pricing competitiveness, you can perform a simple test. For example, consider trading EUR/USD with a 0.9-pip spread on an STP account and a 0.1-pip spread plus a $6 commission per lot (100,000 units) on an ECN account. Use the formula: Cost = Spread x Pip Value + Commission

With a pip value of $10, this quick calculation helps you compare the true cost of trading on each account. When we pop in the above values, this is what we discover about our hypothetical broker:

This hypothetical example highlights how “more” can sometimes mean “less” in trading, emphasizing the importance of evaluating a broker’s costs before opening an account. Check out our guides on the Best lowest spread forex brokers and Best zero spread forex brokers to make the right choice.

How to Choose a Trading Platform?

A trading platform is your gateway to the market, enabling you to observe price action and identify trading opportunities. Technical traders rely on platforms with robust indicators, drawing tools, and features to analyze price patterns, volatility, and liquidity, helping them determine optimal entry and exit points.

The best platforms are versatile, offering tools like Fibonacci retracement levels, oscillators, trend lines, and channels, along with easy scaling of price action. Efficiency is also key—look for features like one-click trading, support for algorithmic trading with Expert Advisors (EAs), and the ability to execute various order types, such as market, limit, and stop orders.

MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) remain industry benchmarks for their simplicity, reliability, and solid range of technical tools. These platforms are excellent for beginners but may feel outdated compared to newer, sleeker platforms. Check out our dedicated guides on Best MT4 brokers and Best MT5 brokers.

Today, many brokers develop proprietary platforms, offering enhanced functionality and convenience. Features like instrument search by asset class, seamless price scaling, and advanced order execution give these platforms an edge over MetaTrader in terms of practicality.

Here are our picks of Best forex trading platforms.

What Is the Difference Between ECN, STP, and Dealing Desk Brokers?

Dealing Desk (DD), Straight Through Processing (STP), and Electronic Communication Network (ECN) describe different execution models used by forex brokers, each with distinct characteristics in trade execution, fee structures, and potential conflicts of interest:

• Dealing Desk (DD): Also known as Market Makers, DD brokers create an internal market, taking the opposite side of their clients’ trades and setting both bid and ask prices. While this provides liquidity, it may lead to potential conflicts of interest, as brokers can profit from client losses.
• Straight Through Processing (STP): These brokers route orders directly to the interbank market, matching them with the best available bid and ask prices. They earn by adding a spread markup from liquidity providers, avoiding direct involvement in clients’ trades and minimizing conflicts of interest.
• Electronic Communication Network (ECN): ECN brokers offer a transparent trading environment by connecting traders with multiple liquidity providers, such as banks and hedge funds. Trades are matched at the best available prices on a network, with brokers charging a fixed commission per trade instead of a spread markup. Read more about best ECN forex brokers.

What to Avoid When Choosing an STP Account?

When evaluating an STP account, it’s crucial to focus on two key aspects: the execution model and the pricing mechanism. Here are some red flags to watch out for:

• Lack of Execution Performance Monitoring:
  Brokers that don’t regularly assess their execution performance pose a risk to traders. Execution quality summaries, typically found in the legal documents section of a broker’s website, detail key metrics like execution speed and venues. Without this transparency, there’s a higher risk of poor performance and even price manipulation, particularly if the broker’s regulator doesn’t mandate such tests.
• No ‘Best Execution Policy’:
  Best execution is a legal mandate compelling brokers to provide their clients with the best possible price feeds under prevailing market conditions. It could be that a broker is capable of even delivering ultra-fast execution speeds of under 40 milliseconds. Still, without such a policy in place, there are no legal repercussions for them if they choose not to go above and beyond. Like the case with execution quality summaries, the best execution policy ensures just that – execution quality.
• Slow Execution Speeds:
  STP brokers should execute orders quickly to minimize negative slippage. Avoid brokers averaging execution times longer than 100 milliseconds, as delays increase the likelihood of price changes that could negatively impact your trade.
• High Floating Spreads:
  STP accounts typically feature floating spreads instead of fixed commissions. While this may seem cost-effective, spreads starting from 1.2 pips or higher can erode their competitiveness. Aim for brokers with floating spreads below 1.4 pips to ensure better value.

How to Avoid Forex and CFD Scams?

Scammers rely on the gullibility of traders. A common tactic fraudsters employ is to promise quick and easy profits at no risk to the trader. Often scammers would use labels that closely resemble the brands of real and legitimate companies. That is why regulators like the FCA have registers where traders can read about such fraudulent companies pretending to be others. The best and easiest way to protect yourself is to make sure you work with a trustworthy and transparent broker.

Check out our guide on Best FCA-regulated forex brokers.

Another important consideration is online safety. Be cautious about where you leave your personal information. Registering your details on suspicious pop-ups that promise enormous profits could lead to your contact information landing on a scammer’s dialing list. Remember, no licensed broker would make unsolicited cold calls.

The next time you get contacted out of the blue with promises of becoming the next Warren Buffet, you must remember that you are most likely speaking to a scammer. In my opinion, nowhere is the “if something sounds too good to be true…” saying more accurate than in the world of trading. That is why you should do your due diligence before opening an account with any broker.

Our Methodology

Here at FX Empire, we have pioneered a unique methodology for evaluating Over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives brokers worldwide. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive picture of a broker’s pros and cons so that our readers can make informed decisions. We understand their need to choose the best partner for their particular goals and needs.

Our team of dedicated professionals is working continuously to improve our system and keep it up-to-date with current market trends. We test each broker systematically by employing over 250 variables across nine categories:

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

We strive to be as objective as possible, which is why our rigorous examinations are devoid of any personal bias as much as possible. We review the licenses of all the subsidiaries of a broker and check the fine print in the Client Agreement. The reliability of a broker is further determined based on the regulation, fees, and general transparency of the website.

We collect essential information by opening a live account with a broker entity and testing its services in real time. We measure the spreads, swaps, and commissions on its most popular account type and compare our findings to the industry average.

We also test the functionality of the available platforms, the number and types of tradable instruments, the reliability of customer support, and the quality of the research and educational materials.

For this guide, we only considered brokers regulated by top-tier regulatory bodies and complied with most safety requirements. Due to the nature of STP accounts, we selected brokers that support fast and precise order execution and have competitive pricing mechanisms.

We evaluated the competitiveness of the prices by calculating the value of trade of a hypothetical 1 lot (100,000 units) position on the EUR/USD pair for each account, where the pip value is $10 (spread x pip value + commission = trade).

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

Meet Our Writers

The team of forex and CFD analysts and editors at FXEmpire is composed of trading industry professionals and seasoned financial journalists. Our experts have been published on leading financial websites such as Investopedia and Forbes. In addition, they all have extensive trading experience.

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