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Head to head
XM 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.
A teaching-first CFD broker with a USD 5 door and spreads that make you pay for the welcome.
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.
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 Axi takes it, 3.9 against 3.7 out of 5. On commissions there is little between them — €5.00 against €5.00 for a reference EUR 5,000 order. XM scores 74 against 71 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Axi covers more ground with 8 of 14 asset classes against 7. On platform and app Axi is ahead, 4.3 against 3.7 out of 5. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.
AxiAxiAxiAxiAxiUp to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.
Data as of: 30 Aug 2026
| Criterion | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 3.7 | 3.9 — Better |
| Group index | 74 of 100 | 71 of 100 |
| Best for | BeginnersMicro-lot position sizingMultilingual supportLearning by webinarVery small starting capital | Active FX and CFD tradersCopy-trading followers and signal providersTraders chasing funded capitalMulti-currency account holdersMetaTrader EA users |
| Regulation | ASICCySECDFSAFSCAFSC | ASICFCADFSAFSA |
| Top-tier licences | 1 | 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 | Yes | No |
| Disclosed regulatory actions | None | 1 |
| Founded | 2009 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Limassol, CY | Sydney, AU |
| Fees | 3.4 | 4.1 — Better |
| Safety & regulation | 3.6 — Better | 3.4 |
| Trading platform | 3.6 | 4.2 — Better |
| Product range | 3.8 — Better | 3.6 |
| Mobile app | 3.7 | 4.3 — Better |
| Research | 3.9 — Better | 3.8 |
| Customer support | 4.3 — Better | 4.2 |
| Deposit & withdrawal | 4.0 | 4.3 — Better |
| Account opening | 4.0 | 4.2 — Better |
| Education | 4.5 — Better | 4.0 |
| Reference order EUR 5,000 | €5.00 | €5.00 |
| Minimum deposit | US$5 — Better | US$100 |
| Stocks (per order) | in the spread | in the spread |
| US stocks | in the spread | n/a |
| ETFs | Not offered | 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 | 1.6 pips | 0.7 pips — Better |
| Index CFD spread | 0.5 points | n/a |
| FX conversion | n/a | n/a |
| Inactivity fee | US$5 · after 3 months | n/a |
| Custody fee | n/a | n/a |
| Withdrawal fee | free | free |
| Deposit fee | free | free |
| Overnight financing | n/a | n/a |
| Other fees |
|
|
| Asset classes (of 14) | 7 | 8 — Better |
| Exchanges | n/a | n/a |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | No | 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 | MetaTrader 4MetaTrader 5XM WebTraderXM AppXM Copy Trading | Axi Trading PlatformMetaTrader 4MetaTrader 5Axi Copy TradingAxi mobile apps |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Fractional shares | No | No |
| Maximum leverage | 1:30 · Pro 1:500 | 1:1000 |
| Account opening | Online form in about 10 minutes; document verification usually clears in 1–3 business days, though some regions report up to a week | Fully online with ID and proof-of-address upload; most accounts approved the same or next business day |
| Account types | MicroStandardXM Ultra LowZeroShares | StandardProEliteSwap-free (Islamic) |
| Payment methods | Credit cardDebit cardBank transferSEPASkrillNeteller | Bank transferCredit cardDebit cardSkrillNetellerCrypto |
| Account currencies | USDEURGBPJPYCHFAUDHUFPLN | AUDCADCHFEURGBPHKDJPYNZDPLNSGD+1 |
| Deposit time | Instant for cards and e-wallets; 2–5 business days for bank wire | Instant for cards and e-wallets; 1–3 business days for bank transfer. Local payment rails vary by region. |
| Withdrawal time | Processed within 24 hours; 2–5 business days to reach a bank account | Same-day processing on most methods; 1–3 business days to reach the account |
| Free withdrawals | n/a | n/a |
| Languages | EnglishGermanSpanishFrenchItalianPortugueseRussianArabicChineseJapanese+10 | EnglishGermanSpanishFrenchItalianPortuguesePolishArabicChineseThai+7 |
| Channels | Live chatEmailPhone | Live chatEmailPhoneWhatsApp |
| Availability | 24/7 live chat; phone cover on business days | 24/7 multilingual support, advertised across 17 languages |
Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.
XM
A teaching-first CFD broker with a USD 5 door and spreads that make you pay for the welcome.
Pros
Cons
Best for
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.
Pros
Cons
Best for
Open an account with either
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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