Head to head
Plus500 or BlackBull Markets? Fees, regulation, platform and product range compared side by side — with a verdict drawn from the data.
Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly. Investments can fall in value. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.
The cleanest mobile CFD app on the market, attached to the thinnest research and platform stack of any listed broker.
A New Zealand ECN broker with excellent platforms, real institutional plumbing — and no investor compensation anywhere.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.
Overall both land on 3.7 out of 5. BlackBull Markets is the cheaper of the two: a reference EUR 5,000 stock order costs €0.92 there against €5.00. Plus500 scores 83 against 73 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. BlackBull Markets covers more ground with 11 of 14 asset classes against 9. On platform and app Plus500 is ahead, 3.9 against 3.8 out of 5. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.
Up to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.
Data as of: 30 Aug 2026
| Criterion | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| Group index | 83 of 100 | 73 of 100 |
| Best for | Mobile-first CFD tradersBeginners wanting simplicitySmall accounts from USD 100Sharia-compliant swap-free tradingFast account opening | Active forex and CFD traderscTrader and TradingView usersCopy tradersTraders with no minimum capitalSwiss and non-EU clients wanting high leverage |
| Regulation | FCAASICJFSAMASCIROCFTC/NFACySECFinantsinspektsioonDFSACMA+3 | FMAFSA |
| Top-tier licences | 6 — Better | 1 |
| Investor protection | £85,000 — Better | None |
| Listed group | Yes | No |
| Banking licence | No | No |
| Segregated client accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Negative balance protection | Yes | Yes |
| Audited financials | Yes | Yes |
| Disclosed regulatory actions | 3 | None |
| Founded | 2008 | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Haifa, IL | Auckland, NZ |
| Fees | 3.4 | 4.0 — Better |
| Safety & regulation | 4.4 — Better | 3.0 |
| Trading platform | 3.3 | 3.9 — Better |
| Product range | 3.2 | 3.6 — Better |
| Mobile app | 4.4 — Better | 3.6 |
| Research | 2.6 | 3.0 — Better |
| Customer support | 3.6 | 4.1 — Better |
| Deposit & withdrawal | 4.3 — Better | 3.8 |
| Account opening | 4.6 | 4.8 — Better |
| Education | 3.0 | 3.9 — Better |
| Reference order EUR 5,000 | €5.00 | €0.92 — Better |
| Minimum deposit | US$100 | None — Better |
| Stocks (per order) | in the spread | US$0.02/share |
| US stocks | in the spread | n/a |
| ETFs | in the spread | Not offered |
| Options | in the spread | Not offered |
| Futures | in the spread | in the spread |
| Crypto | n/a | in the spread |
| Bonds (order) | n/a | n/a |
| Funds (order) | n/a | n/a |
| EUR/USD spread | n/a | 1.16 pips |
| Index CFD spread | n/a | 0.6 points |
| FX conversion | 0.7 % | 0.01 % — Better |
| Inactivity fee | US$10 · after 3 months | None — Better |
| Custody fee | n/a | None |
| Withdrawal fee | free — Better | US$5 |
| Deposit fee | free | free |
| Overnight financing | n/a | n/a |
| Other fees |
|
|
| Asset classes (of 14) | 9 | 11 — Better |
| Exchanges | n/a | n/a |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Options | Yes | Yes |
| Futures | Yes | Yes |
| Forex | Yes | Yes |
| CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds | No | Yes |
| Funds | No | No |
| Commodities | Yes | Yes |
| Indices | Yes | Yes |
| Warrants | No | No |
| Spread betting | No | No |
| Social trading | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Plus500 WebTraderPlus500 mobile appPlus500 Windows Trader | MetaTrader 4MetaTrader 5cTraderTradingViewBlackBull CopyTraderBlackBull InvestBlackBull Client PortalZuluTrade and Myfxbook AutoTrade |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Fractional shares | No | No |
| Maximum leverage | 1:30 · Pro 1:300 | 1:500 |
| Account opening | Fully online, typically 10–30 minutes with instant electronic ID verification | Fully online in roughly 10–15 minutes; usually approved within one business day |
| Account types | Retail CFD accountProfessional accountSwap-free accountPlus500 InvestPlus500 Futures | ECN StandardECN PrimePrime+Swap-free (Islamic)BlackBull Invest |
| Payment methods | Bank transferSEPACredit cardDebit cardPayPalSkrillApple PayGoogle Pay | Bank transferCredit cardDebit cardSkrillNeteller |
| Account currencies | USDEURGBPAUDCHFSGDPLNCZKNOKSEK | USDEURGBPAUDNZDSGDCADJPYZAR |
| Deposit time | Instant for cards and e-wallets; 1–3 business days by bank transfer | Cards and e-wallets typically instant; bank transfers 1–3 business days |
| Withdrawal time | 1–3 business days; card refunds can take up to 5 | Around 1 business day in independent testing; card and e-wallet withdrawals are capped at the amount deposited by that method |
| Free withdrawals | n/a | n/a |
| Languages | EnglishGermanFrenchItalianSpanishPortugueseDutchPolishCzechSwedish+7 | EnglishSpanishThaiArabicChinesePortugueseRussianUzbek |
| Channels | Live chatEmailWhatsApp | PhoneEmailLive chatWhatsApp |
| Availability | 24/7 live chat | 24/7, with separate English and Spanish WhatsApp lines and a New Zealand freephone number |
Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.
Plus500
The cleanest mobile CFD app on the market, attached to the thinnest research and platform stack of any listed broker.
Pros
Cons
Best for
BlackBull Markets
A New Zealand ECN broker with excellent platforms, real institutional plumbing — and no investor compensation anywhere.
Pros
Cons
Best for
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A demo account costs nothing and answers the platform question in ten minutes.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
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