Americans continue to face stricter regulations and fewer broker choices than most other countries. However, with the increased regulation, greater transparency and safety are the trade-off. To determine the best forex brokers in the US, I focused only on those that offer their services to American traders legally.
It should be mentioned that the United States is by far the most regulated jurisdiction for retail trading. So I made sure that all brokers listed here are registered with the CFTC and are members of the NFA, meaning your funds are held to some of the highest regulatory standards in the industry.
To I know that trading experience is not less crucial than safety, so I ran a test drive on each broker in this list, testing their trading platforms, spreads and commissions, available instruments, and overall offering.
We’ve also made a video ‘Best Forex Brokers in the US’. Check it out below:
Our team of experts has identified each broker’s strengths and weaknesses using FXEmpire’s comprehensive methodology.
tastyfx might be a new name, but it’s not a new company. tastytrade got its start several years ago as a futures broker, but it was recently acquired by the massive IG Group, which has been running since 1974. IG is listed on the FTSE 250 and is well-known for its offerings in the CFD world. With over 85 currency pairs available for trading, there is a massive number of pairs to choose from.
Key Features:
During testing, I found the spreads very tight, with the major pairs being as low as 0.6 pips in the case of the EUR/USD pair, and 0.8 pips in the case of the USD/JPY market. The swap fees and credits are a bit above average, with premium clients also getting substantial cash rebates, which also lowers trading costs.
tastyfx has a strong proprietary platform, both in a web-based version and a mobile one. The proprietary platform offers everything that a trader would typically be looking for, including intuitive charting, 1-click orders, watchlists, and more. Also, it has trader sentiment, a useful tool for those looking to swing trade. MT4 and MT5 are both available, as well as TradingView and ProRealTime, one of the most in-depth trading platforms out there.
A giant of the CFD industry, Plus500 has recently expanded into the United States to offer futures trading via its state-of-the-art proprietary web platform and mobile app. Since launching in 2008, Plus500 is now available in over 50 countries and has 400,000 active clients. US clients can access futures contracts on forex, interest rates, commodities, equity rates, and cryptocurrencies.
Key Features:
Plus500 has invested heavily in its proprietary platform, and it shows. The platform has a large range of features, including drawing tools and watchlists. The ability to change between a live and a demo account easily in the platform is a massive advantage as well.
The Plus500 platform has long been one of the favorites of CFD traders, and the futures version brings the same intuitive functions and ease of access that the CFD traders will have come to expect. The margins for contracts are low, especially for those looking for day trading.
The above information is NOT relevant to EU residents. EU residents are to be serviced by European-regulated subsidiaries of the Plus500 Group, such as Plus500CY Ltd, which is authorized and regulated by CySEC, license No 250/14. Different regulatory requirements apply in Europe, such as leverage limitations and bonus restrictions.
OANADA is one of the older names in the forex trading world, opening back in 1996. The New York-based entity is registered with the CFTC and is a member of the NFA. OANDA US offers 68 currency pairs, allowing plenty of diversification in the forex markets. OANDA US also offers 8 spot cryptocurrencies to trade through its partner, Paxos.
Key Features:
OANDA’s web-based platform has been excellent for years, as it is tried and true, battle-tested, and offers a massive amount of indicators and tools to the trader. OANDA offers several different order types and real-time news from Dow Jones. Sentiment data, via position sizing, is also offered, a valuable insight at times.
OANDA also offers an order book for the positions placed at the broker, allowing you to see open positions and orders of the broker’s clients. The trader can access potential liquidity because of this, and it allows a bit of “fine-tuning” when it comes to order placement, especially for scalpers. There is also a heatmap tool, showing the market movers, helping you find the more volatile pairs for trading.
However, for those looking to trade via the MeatTrader 4 platform, OANDA offers this time-tested platform. All of the functions of Expert Advisors and other add-ons are available. The execution speed is excellent, and the ability to customize the platform is what traders keep coming back to MT4 for. OANADA’s speeds and reliable backend functionality make this an obvious choice.
The forex and CFD analysts and editors at FXEmpire bring together seasoned trading professionals and experienced financial journalists. Many of our experts have been featured in leading publications such as Investopedia and Forbes, and all of them combine strong industry credentials with hands-on trading experience.
Dan Blystone began his career in the trading industry in 1998 on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Later, Dan gained insight into the forex industry during his time as a Series 3 licensed futures and forex broker. He also traded at a couple of different prop trading firms in Chicago. Dan is well-equipped to recommend the best forex brokers due to his extensive experience and understanding of the brokerage industry.
Jitan Solanki is a professional trader, market analyst, and educator. He day trades major currency and index markets and focuses on swing trading US equities and commodities. A qualified Market Technician, Jitan also works with trader education and brokerage companies on various projects. These include market analysis, live trading events, and broker reviews. As an experienced trader and educator, Jitan brings all his qualities in action when reviewing and recommending brokers.
Having been a retail trader since 2013, Plamen has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges that novice traders face today. His expertise is swing trading and day trading with a heavy emphasis on psychological and fundamental analysis. Plamen’s favourite trading instruments include FX majors and gold. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations. Plamen's broad experience has equipped him with the expertise to recommend the best forex brokers.
In more than 15 years of trading in the financial markets, Vladimir dealt with a wide range of brokers and financial instruments. His career as a day-trader at a proprietary trading firm goes back to 2007. Later, Vladimir turned to longer time frames and became an independent trader and analyst managing his own portfolio. Using his experience, he helps traders find the best broker in his reviews.
Christopher Lewis is an experienced trader and technical analyst specializing on currencies, indices, and commodities. He also has been working as a proprietary trader for institutional accounts. Chris has been an FXEmpire analyst since the site's early days and shares his trading insights on his own blog, The Trader Guy. His sharp, practical understanding of the trading industry means he knows forex and CFD brokers inside-out, so you can trust his guidance on how they work and which one to choose.
At FXEmpire, we strive to provide unbiased, thorough and accurate broker reviews by industry experts to help our users make smarter financial decisions.