Head to head

Skilling vs Axi — which broker is better?

Skilling or Axi? 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.

Skilling

A Scandinavian-founded, Cyprus-licensed CFD broker with an unusually clean platform — and a currency charge that outweighs its spreads.

3,4

Group index 49/100Protection depends on your legal entity

CySECFSA

Stocks (per order): in the spread
Minimum deposit: €100
EUR/USD spread: 1.2 pips

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Axi

A 2007-vintage Australian FX broker that has quietly become one of the better all-round CFD platforms — if you check which entity you sign with.

3,9

Group index 71/100Protection depends on your legal entity

ASICFCADFSA+1

Stocks (per order): in the spread
Minimum deposit: US$100
EUR/USD spread: 0.7 pips

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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.

The verdict in numbers

Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.

Overall Axi takes it, 3.9 against 3.4 out of 5. On commissions there is little between them — €5.00 against €5.00 for a reference EUR 5,000 order. Axi scores 71 against 49 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Both cover 8 of 14 asset classes. On platform and app Axi is ahead, 4.3 against 3.9 out of 5. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.

Overall score

Skilling: 3.4
Axi: 3.9 — Better

CostsTie

Skilling: €5.00
Axi: €5.00

Group indexNo winner

Skilling: 49 of 100
Axi: 71 of 100

Product rangeTie

Skilling: 8/14
Axi: 8/14

Platform & app

Skilling: 3.9
Axi: 4.3 — Better

Compare brokers side by side

Up to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.

Data as of: 30 Aug 2026

Best value in the row

Skilling · Axi
Criterion	Skilling 3,4 Visit broker	Axi 3,9 Visit broker

Overall score	3.4	3.9 — Better
Group index	49 of 100	71 of 100
Best for	cTrader usersBeginners wanting a simple platformCopy-trading followersLow-deposit CFD tradersCrypto CFD traders	Active FX and CFD tradersCopy-trading followers and signal providersTraders chasing funded capitalMulti-currency account holdersMetaTrader EA users

Regulation	CySECFSA	ASICFCADFSAFSA
Top-tier licences	0	2 — Better
Investor protection	€20,000	£85,000 — Better
Listed group	No	No
Banking licence	No	No
Segregated client accounts	Yes	Yes
Negative balance protection	Yes	Yes
Audited financials	No	No
Disclosed regulatory actions	None	1
Founded	2016	2007
Headquarters	Limassol, CY	Sydney, AU

Fees	3.6	4.1 — Better
Safety & regulation	3.0	3.4 — Better
Trading platform	3.8	4.2 — Better
Product range	3.3	3.6 — Better
Mobile app	4.0	4.3 — Better
Research	2.8	3.8 — Better
Customer support	3.4	4.2 — Better
Deposit & withdrawal	3.4	4.3 — Better
Account opening	4.4 — Better	4.2
Education	3.0	4.0 — Better

Reference order EUR 5,000	€5.00	€5.00
Minimum deposit	€100	US$100 — Better
Stocks (per order)	in the spread	in the spread
US stocks	n/a	n/a
ETFs	in the spread	in the spread
Options	Not offered	Not offered
Futures	Not offered	Not offered
Crypto	in the spread	in the spread
Bonds (order)	n/a	n/a
Funds (order)	n/a	n/a
EUR/USD spread	1.2 pips	0.7 pips — Better
Index CFD spread	n/a	n/a
FX conversion	0.7 %	n/a
Inactivity fee	n/a	n/a
Custody fee	n/a	n/a
Withdrawal fee	free	free
Deposit fee	free	free
Overnight financing	n/a	n/a
Other fees	Standard account: Commission-free. EUR/USD from 0.8 pips, roughly USD 8 per standard-lot round turn at that floor; independent measurement puts the account average nearer 1.2 pips. Minimum deposit EUR 100. Premium account: EUR/USD from 0.1 pips plus commission billed by volume: USD 35 per USD 1 million traded, or USD 40 per million on MT4 Premium. Skilling does not state whether that rate applies per side or per round turn, so a standard-lot round turn carries USD 3.50 to USD 7.00 in commission — at or below the all-in cost of the commission-free Standard account. Commission applies to forex and commodities only. Minimum deposit reported at EUR 5,000. Currency conversion: 0.70% on conversions into and out of the account base currency — high by industry standards and the single biggest hidden cost here Skrill / Neteller: 2.9% transaction charge on e-wallet funding Minimum withdrawal: EUR 50 Inactivity fee: Skilling's current schedule as reported in August 2026 shows none. An older secondary listing cites EUR 10 after 12 months of dormancy. We have not recorded a figure because the two sources disagree — confirm before leaving an account idle. +1	Standard account: No commission; EUR/USD from 0.7 pips, gold from 16 cents, BTC/USD from USD 12, ETH/USD from USD 1.25. Minimum deposit USD 100. Pro account: EUR/USD from 0.0 pips plus USD 4.50 commission per standard lot round turn; gold from 9 cents. Minimum deposit USD 100. Elite account: EUR/USD from 0.0 pips plus USD 3.50 commission per standard lot round turn. Minimum deposit USD 25,000; base currencies limited to USD, EUR, GBP and AUD. Inactivity fee: Axi reserves the right to charge a monthly fee after 12 months with no trading activity and no open positions. The amount depends on your account currency and is stated only in the Product Schedule, not on the public fees page — we have not recorded a figure because none is published. Deposit and withdrawal fees: None charged by Axi; card issuers may apply cash-advance charges and receiving banks may charge on international wires Swap / overnight financing: Applied daily at the 17:00 New York close, can be positive or negative; triple swap on Wednesdays or Thursdays depending on the instrument +1

Asset classes (of 14)	8	8
Exchanges	n/a	n/a
Stocks	Yes	Yes
ETFs	Yes	Yes
Options	No	No
Futures	No	No
Forex	Yes	Yes
CFDs	Yes	Yes
Crypto	Yes	Yes
Bonds	No	No
Funds	No	No
Commodities	Yes	Yes
Indices	Yes	Yes
Warrants	No	No
Spread betting	No	No
Social trading	Yes	Yes

Platforms	Skilling TradercTraderMetaTrader 4Skilling mobile apps	Axi Trading PlatformMetaTrader 4MetaTrader 5Axi Copy TradingAxi mobile apps
Demo account	Yes	Yes
Fractional shares	No	No
Maximum leverage	1:500 · Pro 1:500	1:1000
Account opening	Registration takes under a minute; live trading requires ID and proof of address, typically verified within one business day	Fully online with ID and proof-of-address upload; most accounts approved the same or next business day
Account types	StandardPremium	StandardProEliteSwap-free (Islamic)

Payment methods	Bank transferCredit cardDebit cardSkrillNeteller	Bank transferCredit cardDebit cardSkrillNetellerCrypto
Account currencies	EURUSD	AUDCADCHFEURGBPHKDJPYNZDPLNSGD+1
Deposit time	Instant on cards and e-wallets; up to 7 business days on wire transfer	Instant for cards and e-wallets; 1–3 business days for bank transfer. Local payment rails vary by region.
Withdrawal time	24 hours to 7 business days depending on the payment processor	Same-day processing on most methods; 1–3 business days to reach the account
Free withdrawals	n/a	n/a

Languages	EnglishSpanishFrenchPortugueseArabicRussianChineseMalayThai	EnglishGermanSpanishFrenchItalianPortuguesePolishArabicChineseThai+7
Channels	Live chatEmailPhone	Live chatEmailPhoneWhatsApp
Availability	Monday to Friday, 04:00–22:00 — not the 24/5 coverage most CFD brokers offer	24/7 multilingual support, advertised across 17 languages

Strengths and weaknesses side by side

Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.

Skilling

A Scandinavian-founded, Cyprus-licensed CFD broker with an unusually clean platform — and a currency charge that outweighs its spreads.

3,4

Pros

Three platforms on one account: the beginner-friendly Skilling Trader, full cTrader with depth of market and cTrader Automate, and MetaTrader 4
EUR 100 minimum on the Standard account with commission-free pricing across forex, indices, equities, ETFs, commodities and crypto
Premium pairs EUR/USD spreads from 0.1 pips with commission of USD 35 per USD 1 million traded, which prices at or below the commission-free tier once volume builds
CySEC licence 357/18 brings ESMA retail leverage caps and Investor Compensation Fund cover of 90% up to EUR 20,000 for EEA clients
800+ instruments on cTrader and Skilling Trader, including a crypto list broader than most FX-first brokers carry
Account registration takes under a minute and the demo account has no time limit, so testing costs nothing
Negative balance protection applies, and MAM/PAMM structures are supported for portfolio managers
cTrader Copy provides copy trading without a separate app or a managed-fund wrapper

Cons

Premium commission is quoted per USD 1 million of traded volume without saying whether it applies per side or per round turn, so a standard-lot round turn costs anywhere from USD 4.50 to USD 8.00 all-in — and the tier is gated by a reported EUR 5,000 minimum
0.70% currency conversion is expensive: converting EUR 10,000 costs about EUR 70, where the cheapest brokers charge a fraction of that, and a 2.9% charge applies to Skrill and Neteller funding
Support runs Monday to Friday 04:00–22:00 only, with no weekend cover, while crypto CFDs trade through the weekend
Essentially no in-house research — no analyst desk, no screener worth using, no structured market coverage; you supply your own analysis
MetaTrader 4 is a restricted build with roughly 200 instruments and no third-party add-on support, and MetaTrader 5 is not offered at all
CFD-only with no real ownership, and no Abgeltungsteuer or KESt withholding for German and Austrian clients

Best for

cTrader usersBeginners wanting a simple platformCopy-trading followersLow-deposit CFD tradersCrypto CFD traders

Axi

A 2007-vintage Australian FX broker that has quietly become one of the better all-round CFD platforms — if you check which entity you sign with.

3,9

Pros

Pro account at USD 4.50 round turn per standard lot on 0.0-pip spreads, available from a USD 100 minimum rather than a five-figure balance
Proprietary Axi Trading Platform covers 650+ markets with TradingView charting built in and true web-to-mobile position sync
Three distinct crypto routes — CFDs to 200:1, perpetual futures on around 150 coins, and spot crypto you actually own
Eleven account base currencies including CHF, PLN, HKD, JPY and SGD, which removes a conversion step for non-euro clients
24/7 support in 17 languages across live chat, phone, email and WhatsApp — better coverage than most brokers this size
Axi Select funded-trader programme is free to join, with six stages from USD 5,000 to USD 1,000,000 and profit splits rising to 80%
Long operating history since 2007 with tier-1 ASIC and FCA licences alongside a DFSA licence in the DIFC
Copy trading via a dedicated app where copiers control their own sizing and risk rather than buying into a managed pool

Cons

Most international clients are booked with AxiTrader LLC in St Vincent and the Grenadines — no prudential supervision, no compensation scheme, and The Financial Commission rather than a regulator as escalation
We found no EEA-licensed Axi entity in its published legal documentation, so EU residents are contracting offshore by default
An inactivity fee applies after 12 months of dormancy but the amount is disclosed only in the Product Schedule, never on the public fees page
Leverage up to 1000:1 on the offshore entity, and 200:1 on crypto CFDs, is a retail-harm profile rather than a genuine benefit
No real shares, no ETF units you can own, no bonds, no funds and no listed options — the equity and ETF range is CFD-only
No German Abgeltungsteuer or Austrian KESt withholding, and Axi's own UK disclosures show 66–72% of retail accounts losing money

Best for

Active FX and CFD tradersCopy-trading followers and signal providersTraders chasing funded capitalMulti-currency account holdersMetaTrader EA users

Open an account with either

A demo account costs nothing and answers the platform question in ten minutes.