List of Top Brokers for Futures Trading
| Name | Score | Visit | Disclaimer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 9.8 | Visitplus500 | CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Availability subject to regulations. FCA (FRN 509909). | |
 | 8.7 | Visitetoro.com | Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. | |
 | 3IG | 8.9 | Visitig.com | Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. |
 | 9.1 | Visitinteractivebrokers.com | ||
 | 8.8 | Visithome.saxo | CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs, FX or any of our other products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Losses can exceed deposits on some products. | |
 | 8.4 | Visittrading212.com | CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 83% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | |
 | 8.4 | Visitdegiro.com | ||
 | 6.6 | Visitcapital.com |
Best Futures Trading Platforms at a Glance
Overall best platform for futures trading - eToro
Best stocks futures trading platform - Fineco Bank
Best futures trading platform for advanced investors - IG
Best commodity futures - Saxo Markets
Best forex futures trading platform - Trading 212
Best futures trading platform with no minimum investment - Degiro
Best futures trading platform for beginners - Capital.com
Best futures trading platform with the lowest fees - CMC Markets
Top 10 Futures Trading Platforms Reviewed
Now let’s dive deeper into the top 10 futures trading platforms so you can better decide between them. Pay attention to the fees, leverage, and top noteworthy features.
eToro is the best overall futures trading platform because the platform allows you to trade 26+ commodities, including Gold, Platinum, Sugar, Oil, and much more. Trading these commodities is simple, owing to the clean user interface of the application. On top of that, you can also explore other innovative features like CopyTrade, which is an industry-leading social trading tool.
Also, eToro is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and has a Trustpilot rating of 4.3 out of 5, which is among the best in the industry. The mobile app is easy to use with quick response times, allowing slippage to be kept at a minimum. We encourage you to download the app to see what all the fuss is about for yourself.
Fineco Bank is a great UK stock futures trading platform because you can trade in British Pounds and the platform offers no stamp duty on profits. Along with low futures contract fee of £0.5 and tight spreads applied by Fineco Bank, you’ll receive one of the best futures trading deals in the industry.
Furthermore, the technical analysis tools provided by Fineco Bank ensure you can identify opportunities and develop customised strategies to increase your chances of executing profitable trades. It's also possible to benefit from the platform’s robust automated trading capabilities for those who seek a hands-off experience.
IG is our top UK futures trading platform for advanced investors because of the award-winning technology on the web-based platform and mobile app. Futures Traders can access advanced features to execute trades from a massive selection of markets, including indices, commodities, and bonds futures.
You can trade futures on IG 24/7, and there are more investment opportunities compared with other platforms. There are also no overnight funds fees, and the commission-free model allows you to keep costs low. Finally, you can access leverage that allows you to increase the size of your gains from a small deposit.
Saxo Markets is a top-tier commodity futures trading platform with exposure to 300+ futures from 28 global exchanges. The type of commodities you can trade with Saxo Markets includes energy, metals, and agriculture. Furthermore, the cost-effective volume-based pricing means you can start trading for only $1 (£0.81) per lot.
You can also take advantage of the advanced futures trading tools that allow you to trade directly from the charts. Also, the 24-hour expert advice helpline allows beginners to get the help they need to overcome trading challenges.
Trading 212 is our pick for the best forex futures trading platform with exposure to more than 180 forex pairs. This provides a large choice for investors to make the trade that matches their strategy. Also, the platform offers tight spreads, zero commission, no hidden fees, and negative balance protection.
Other futures trading options on Trading 212 include commodities, indices, and stocks. Hence, it’s a well-rounded platform for trading various futures. Trading 212 is regulated by the FCA and has a Trustpilot rating of 4.6 out of 5 based on over 20,000 reviews. Therefore, you can trust the platform to deliver a reliable and trustworthy experience when trading forex futures in the UK.
Degiro is a top choice for this category because it requires no minimum investment to open an account. Also, the low fee of £0.6 per futures contract, means you can execute large trades with small fees.
The platform offers futures on commodities, indices, equity and fixed income. Also, the advanced trading platform allows professional traders to utilise the features for a better outcome. It supports an easy-to-use design on the web platform and mobile app. Users can quickly learn the features to execute trades after opening a new account.
Strong customer support is another highlight since you can get help 24/7 through phone communication. Finally, Degiro earns the top marks for safety because top-tier financial authorities regulate it.
Capital.com is a beginner-friendly trading platform that offers some of the best educational resources in the industry. Using the Education Hub, you can discover how to trade in the financial markets and take courses that enable you to improve your proficiency level.
Furthermore, Capital.com is regulated by the FCA and has a great reputation among customers in the UK. The platform is easy to use because of the minimalist UI, allowing beginners to learn the trading basics quickly. Also, newcomers can use a demo account to learn the features before committing real money.
CMC Markets is the top choice for the best futures trading with the lowest fees because it provides tight spreads, no hidden fees, and tax-free profits. However, you’ll need to research the cost of each instrument since they vary significantly.
Also, CMC Market is considered the UK’s best spread betting broker and has one of the most advanced software solutions for traders. In total, you’ll access 12,000+ instruments across multiple categories, allowing traders more choices compared with other platforms.
The Financial Conduct Authority regulates CMC Markets, and the FSCS protects customer accounts for up to £85,000. Furthermore, it’s an FTSE 250 listed company, and they consistently win industry awards, which highlights the quality and reliability of CMC Markets.
What is Futures Trading?
Futures trading is defined as financial derivative contracts that obligate parties to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined future date and price. The buyer must buy the asset at the agreed-upon price, regardless of how futures market conditions have changed. The type of assets that can be traded with futures contracts vary based on the UK broker where trading. However, they can include stock market indices, currencies, agricultural products, oil, precious metals, and much more.
Futures can be traded on an exchange and the futures contract dictates if the delivery of physical goods or a cash transfer will settle the trade. Exchanges will require buyers to deposit a margin, which can be used to access leverage. The size of the leverage varies from one futures exchange to the next, but it provides significant access to more resources.
How much money is needed to begin?
The margin minimum is the minimum deposit amount required by a UK futures broker to start trading. The requirements are typically small and margin requirements are about 1-5% of the traded amount, which means you can get a lot of leverage when trading futures. Therefore, if the futures contract is £500-5,000, you only need to deposit around £50-400 per futures contract.
Picking a Good Broker for Futures Trading
Now let’s dive deeper into the noteworthy factors you should consider when picking the right futures trading platforms for your needs. These are the factors that the Moneyzine team used to find the best UK futures brokers highlighted in the list above.
FCA Regulation and Safety
The futures trading platform should be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ensure it is safe and will not result in getting scammed. The FCA is the UK’s top financial regulator, and they impose rules such as segregated accounts. This means the financial service must keep customer funds in separate accounts from business funds.
Also, the FCA investigates potential fraud and takes action against brokerage platforms that have illegal practices. This safeguards customer funds and increases trust in the financial industry.
Other notable UK regulatory bodies in the UK include the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), the Bank of England, the Financial Policy Committee, UK Competition Regulation, and the Payment Systems Regulator.
Platform Stability, Reliability, and Usability
Make sure you’ve chosen a UK futures broker with a stable trading experience via a reliable and well-optimised UI. Platforms with slow execution speeds are problematic because they can lead to significant slippage, which is the price difference between when the futures trade order was executed and when the exchange accepts the trade.
Also, bug-free experiences are important on all trading platforms you might use, including desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. It would be frustrating if you wanted to execute a trade when the security reaches a specific price, but the software fails to function correctly.
Order Management
Order management is important to trade futures and monitor positions in real-time, so traders can avoid regulatory violations and improve the speed & accuracy of trades. There are many different types of trades in futures, and an order management system helps maintain a bird’s-eye view.
Research and Analysis Tools
It’s important to understand the research and analysis tools available to assist with futures trades. Here are some of the top tools you can find from some of the most popular brokers:
Live Action scanner: This tool is offered by E*Trade and it has 100 pre-defined screens, which provide real-time data on live prices and other important trading-related information. This can include futures market sentiment and news events.
Active Trader Pro: This tool is offered by Fidelity, and it provides customizable charting functions and trade tools. Also, the tools send alerts when technical signals match your predefined amounts.
Trader Workstation: TWS is offered by Interactive Brokers, and includes 120 indicators and real-time streaming data. Also, the platform allows futures traders to improve their skills by offering test trading scenarios.
Customer Support
Responsive and helpful customer support is important to ensure you have help when running into problems. For example, customer support should be available to avoid major disruptions if you have trouble understanding the software or run into technical glitches.
Competitive futures brokers should provide communication channels like phone support, email, and live chat around the clock. This ensures traders can choose the communication channel that matches their preferences.
Trading Fees
Understanding the trading fees is important to correctly calculate profitability and compare brokerage platforms. In the list below, we share the most common fee you’ll come across when trading futures:
Exchange/clearing Fees: This fee is for receiving access to the market on the exchange. They might be charged per transaction and the fee structure varies between UK forex brokers.
Data Fees: This fee is charged by the exchange for streaming live data, and they are charged periodically. The subscription model can cost £15-100, depending on the service.
Brokerage Commission: Some futures brokers will charge a commission, which is a percentage of the trade amount. This cost can be high, so you need to compare futures brokers based on their commission structure. You can also find commission-free brokers and rely on the futures contract fee to profit.
Risks and Benefits Involved in Trading Futures
The risk of trading futures includes the leverage that many brokerage platforms provide. This means you can lose significantly more money than you have in the account, which leads to debt. Also, the value of the asset you want to buy might decrease in price at a future trade, so you’ll be losing money.
On the other hand, the benefits of accessing leverage mean you can access more resources than you’d have at your disposal otherwise. Therefore, futures traders that know what they are doing can quickly make large sums of money with a small investment.
Is futures trading worth it?
Futures trading is worth it for traders that enjoy speculating on the future price of a security. Also, those that want to access large amounts of leverage might find futures trading the correct route for their portfolio. However, you must understand the risk of high-leverage trades and using demo accounts is the smart choice to get started.
We recommend that you first learn the basics of investing, register for one of the accounts in our list and go through the platform’s educational content to determine if futures trading is the right move for your trading portfolio.
