Tickmill
Good for forex/CFD traders chasing tight raw spreads under FCA regulation. Skip if you want real shares or ETFs — Tickmill is CFD-only, no direct exchange access.
Good · at median
Affiliate link · doesn't change your terms
Tickmill is a CFD-focused FX/derivatives broker — not a real-shares broker despite some marketing implying otherwise. Best for FX day-traders wanting FCA-regulated raw-spread accounts (EURUSD ~0.1 pip on Pro/Raw). Skip if you want to own actual stocks, ETFs or bonds (CFDs only) or you're new to leverage trading.
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Take the 2-min quiz →About Tickmill
Tickmill is a CFD/Forex broker founded in 2014, with regulation across the FCA (UK), CySEC (EU), FSCA (South Africa), Labuan FSA and the Seychelles FSA. Client funds at the FCA-regulated entity are covered by FSCS up to £85,000.
The focus is sharp: tight raw spreads on FX, indices, commodities, bonds and crypto via MetaTrader 4/5 and CTrader, with commissions from $2 per side per lot on the Pro account. Minimum deposit is $100; leverage up to 1:30 retail / 1:500 professional.
Where Tickmill is weaker: no real stock or ETF investing, only CFDs; the educational and research surface is thinner than at IG or Saxo; offshore entities (Seychelles/Labuan) carry materially less consumer protection than the FCA/CySEC ones — pick the regulator carefully at signup.
FOUNDED
2014
12 years operating
HEADQUARTERS
London, UK
EU jurisdiction
MIN. DEPOSIT
$100
Below industry median
COMPENSATION
ICF (€20,000)
ICF / investor protection
What you'll actually pay
Estimated all-in annual cost on a $10,000 portfolio with 24 stock trades and one $10k FX conversion. Inactivity and custody not included unless you trigger them.
Heads-up: inactivity fee
Charged only after 12 months with zero trades — excluded from figures below.
- Stock commissions
- $12.00
- FX markup
- $1.50
- Custody
- Free
- Stock commissions
- $36.00
- FX markup
- $15.00
- Custody
- Free
- Stock commissions
- $72.00
- FX markup
- $150.00
- Custody
- Free
Interest on uninvested cash
What the broker pays on money sitting in your account between trades. Rates are variable and verified against the broker's own page.
Balance $100–$50,000
Balance £100–£40,000
Balance €100–€45,000
Interest on unused wallet funds; needs a balance of at least $100 plus an active account (a trade in the last 30 days or an open position). Swap-free accounts are excluded. A promotional "up to 7%" rate ran Apr–Jun 2026 and has expired.
Verified 2026-07-01 · broker source →
Why this broker scores 83/100
Full methodology →⚠ 1 axis accounts for 7 of 17 lost points
How safe is your money
Segregated client accounts
Client funds held separately from operating capital. Required by regulator.
Investor compensation: ICF (€20,000)
If broker becomes insolvent, your covered assets are reimbursed up to the scheme's limit.
Not a publicly traded company
Private — financials are not disclosed publicly.
12 years of operations
Founded 2014. No major regulatory actions on record.
Negative balance protection
You cannot lose more than your account balance.
CFD/crypto exposure
Offers high-leverage products. 74–89% of retail CFD accounts lose money in the long run.
What you can trade
CFDs & leveraged products
Forex
CFDs
Stocks
ETFs
Indices
Bonds
74-89% of retail CFD accounts lose money
This broker offers CFDs only — no direct share ownership
Where you trade
MetaTrader 4
Industry-standard for FX/CFD. Algo-trading via Expert Advisors
Win · Mac · Mobile
MetaTrader 5
Industry-standard for FX/CFD/crypto. Algo-trading support
Win · Mac · Mobile
Tickmill App
How to open + where you can
ACCOUNT TYPES
Individual · Corporate
BASE CURRENCIES
USD · EUR · GBP
DEMO ACCOUNT
Unlimited · $100k virtual
KYC VERIFICATION
1-2 days typical
WITHDRAWAL SPEED
Wire 1-3 days · Card 0-1 days
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
24/5 · EN · RU · DE · ES · PL
Available
EASY · 9Restricted / blocked
READ FIRST · 211 jurisdictions · grouped by friction
FCA-regulated Pro / Raw accounts with raw spreads (EURUSD ~0.1 pip)
For high-frequency FX strategies the spread cost dominates total fees. Tickmill's Pro/Raw account gets close to interbank pricing. Commission is $3/lot one-way; net cost still cheaper than typical retail FX brokers (1.0-1.5 pip all-in).
24/5 trading + phone support in multiple languages (en, ru, de, es, pl)
Phone is rare for retail FX/CFD brokers; chat-only is industry default. Multilingual support useful for non-English-native traders who need to escalate during market hours.
Fast withdrawals — cards typically same-day, wire 1-3 days
Faster than EXANTE (2-3d wire) or Admirals (1-3d wire). For FX traders moving capital between brokers / strategies, withdrawal speed matters more than for buy-and-hold investors.
Negative balance protection
Even with leverage, you cannot owe the broker more than you deposited
Unlimited demo account
Practice the platform with no expiry pressure
CFD-only — does NOT offer real stocks, ETFs or bonds despite 'Stock CFDs' branding
Tickmill's homepage lists 'Stock & ETF CFDs' as asset classes — these are derivatives, not actual securities. You don't own the shares, no dividends as cash (cash-adjusted via CFD price), no voting rights, no FATCA. If you want to compound a real-shares portfolio over years, Tickmill cannot serve you.
Trustpilot 'fake reviews removed' notice — material trust signal
Trustpilot flagged Tickmill's broker page for compensated/fake review patterns. Headline rating of 3.8 is post-cleanup but the flag itself is the signal: the broker historically incentivised reviews. Verify on the source link.
High-leverage retail accounts (1:500) under offshore FSA Seychelles
EU/UK clients get 1:30 ESMA-mandated leverage. Offshore (FSA Seychelles) gets up to 1:500 — but the FSA Seychelles license has weaker investor protection than FCA / CySEC. Tickmill's own risk warning reports 71% (UK) / 74% (EU) of retail CFD accounts lose money — and that is before stacking the higher offshore leverage.
No proprietary platform — MT4 / MT5 only
Tickmill doesn't operate its own UI; you use the standard MetaTrader stack. Fine for FX traders fluent in MT, but no differentiation vs other FX brokers. No web-trader, no mobile-first option, no integrated research.
Compensation caps at €20,000 — below FCA (£85k) / SIPC ($500k)
Investor compensation tops out at the listed cap — well below the FCA (£85k) or SIPC ($500k). Matters most if your balance exceeds it.
- ✓FX day-trader wanting FCA-regulated raw-spread account
- ✓Experienced derivatives trader using MT4/MT5
- ✓User who explicitly wants CFD exposure (not direct ownership)
- ×Anyone wanting real stocks, ETFs or bonds (Tickmill is CFD-only)
- ×Beginners (CFDs with 1:500 offshore leverage have ~75% retail loss rate)
- ×Long-term passive investors (CFDs have daily swap charges)
How to open a Tickmill account
- 1
Visit Tickmill
Click the button below to open Tickmill's registration page. The link is affiliate — no extra cost to you.
- 2
Provide personal info
Enter your legal name (as in passport), residential address, date of birth, and tax residency country. Use the exact spelling from your ID — mismatches delay verification.
- 3
Submit verification documents
Upload passport or national ID + proof of address (utility bill or bank statement, dated within the last 3 months). Tickmill typically completes KYC verification in 1-2 days.
- 4
Fund the account
Make your first deposit. Tickmill's minimum is $100. Wire transfers usually clear in 1-3 days; card deposits are instant where supported.
- 5
Start trading
Log into the platform — MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Tickmill App — and place your first order. Start small to confirm execution and fees match expectations before scaling up.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tickmill safe and regulated?
What is the minimum deposit on Tickmill?
What fees does Tickmill charge?
What can I trade on Tickmill?
Does Tickmill offer negative balance protection?
How long does it take to open an account at Tickmill?
Can I withdraw to a bank card on Tickmill?
Does Tickmill support W-8BEN forms for US stock trading?
Does Tickmill have a demo account?
What is Tickmill's Trustpilot rating?
Does Tickmill offer real stocks?
Which Tickmill entity should I use — UK (FCA) or offshore (FSA Seychelles)?
Tickmill vs alternatives
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How we verified this review
Every fact below is verified against primary sources. We refresh on a schedule and on reader feedback.