FOREX.com review 2026: Market maker access with RAW pricing, TradingView, MT4, and MT5
FOREX.com is a Warren, New Jersey-based market maker forex broker founded in 2001. Licensed by the CFTC, NFA, FCA, and ASIC under multiple licenses, it trades on FOREX.com Web Trading, TradingView, MT4, and MT5 with Spread-Only and RAW Pricing accounts. Serves retail and professional clients across 80 forex pairs plus CFDs, indices, commodities, and shares.
What is FOREX.com?
FOREX.com is the retail forex brand operated in the United States by GAIN Capital Group LLC. The business was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Warren, New Jersey. GAIN Capital Group LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of StoneX Group Inc., which trades publicly on Nasdaq under the SNEX ticker. This structure gives the broker publicly reported parent-company financials and a disclosed ownership chain.
The firm operates as a market maker, meaning it can act as principal to client trades while managing resulting market exposure. FOREX.com states that client positions can offset internally, with additional exposure hedged through liquidity providers when required. The brand operates through different regulated StoneX and GAIN entities depending on the client's country.
Which regulators license FOREX.com?
FOREX.com operates under multiple regulatory entities across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Canada, Cyprus, and the Cayman Islands. In the United States, GAIN Capital Group LLC is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is a member of the National Futures Association (NFA) under NFA ID 0339826. The NFA record identifies the firm as a Futures Commission Merchant and Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer.
United Kingdom operations use StoneX Financial Ltd, authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under FRN 446717. Eligible claims against failed FCA-authorized investment firms can fall within the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), subject to its eligibility rules and current compensation limits. StoneX Financial Pty Ltd holds Australian Financial Services Licence 345646 under the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
StoneX Europe Ltd holds Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) licence 400/21. The CySEC public register also lists forex.com among its approved trade names and domains. StoneX Europe is a member of the Investor Compensation Fund (ICF), subject to the fund's eligibility requirements. Canadian operations use GAIN Capital - FOREX.com Canada Ltd., which the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) lists as an Investment Dealer. Eligible Canadian clients can receive Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) insolvency protection within applicable coverage rules.
The broker also discloses regulation through the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Japan Financial Services Agency (JFSA), and Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA). CIMA records list GAIN Global Markets Inc. under licence 25033. The Japanese entity uses registration Kanto Local Finance Bureau (FIBO) No. 291.
A regulatory enforcement event remains relevant to the broker's regulatory history. On December 8, 2022, the NFA ordered GAIN Capital Group LLC to pay a $700,000 fine following findings involving customer account adjustments, reporting, and supervision. GAIN and the individual respondent settled without admitting or denying the allegations (source: NFA Decision, December 2022).
What trading platforms does FOREX.com offer?
Trading platforms include the proprietary FOREX.com Web Trading interface, mobile applications, TradingView integration, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5. MT4 and MT5 mean MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, third-party platforms supporting charting, automated strategies, indicators, and order management. Native iOS and Android applications are also available.
Platform availability depends partly on account type. The broker's current US account comparison maps its main choices as follows:
- Spread-Only accounts support FOREX.com Web and Mobile, TradingView, and MT4.
- RAW Pricing accounts support FOREX.com Web and Mobile, TradingView, and MT5.
- MT4 and MT5 support Expert Advisors, which are automated trading programs.
- FOREX.com Web Trading includes integrated charting and account-management tools.
The broker also supports a representational state transfer (REST) application programming interface for compatible account configurations. This provides a programmatic route for order and account interaction.
Account types
Account types center on Spread-Only, RAW Pricing, MT4, and MT5 configurations. A Spread-Only account places the broker's trading charge inside the spread, the gap between the bid and ask price. The account does not add a separate forex commission.
Spread-Only account
The Spread-Only model supports the broker's proprietary platform, TradingView, and MT4. Official US account information states that this model provides access to the broker's 80 available currency pairs. Costs vary with market spreads rather than a fixed commission per transaction.
RAW Pricing account
The RAW Pricing account separates tighter spreads from an explicit commission. EUR/USD spreads are advertised from 0.0 pip, with a pip representing the standard incremental price movement for most currency pairs. RAW Pricing works on the FOREX.com platform and MT5.
Minimum deposit
The minimum initial deposit for a US FOREX.com account is $100. The same $100 minimum appears on the broker's current MT4 and MT5 account information. Funding requirements can differ between regional entities because each licensed entity applies its own account terms.
A minimum deposit is not the same as required trading margin, which is the capital reserved to support a leveraged position. Actual margin requirements depend on instrument, trade size, leverage rules, and jurisdiction.
Deposit and withdrawal methods
Deposit and withdrawal methods for US accounts include Automated Clearing House (ACH) bank transfer, wire transfer, and Visa or Mastercard debit cards. The broker also lists broker-to-broker transfers for funding. Third-party deposits are not accepted under its stated funding rules.
ACH deposits have a $100 minimum per transaction and can normally become available quickly after processing. Domestic and international wire processing can take additional business days. Debit-card deposits also carry a $100 transaction minimum on the US funding page.
Withdrawals generally follow the original funding source. The published processing hierarchy returns deposited amounts through bank transfer, debit card, and wire according to the source used. The US help center states that outgoing wire withdrawals can carry a $25 fee.
Tradeable instruments
Tradeable instruments include approximately 80 forex pairs alongside other products available through regional entities. The international product range includes Contracts for Difference (CFDs), which are derivatives that track an underlying asset without transferring ownership. Available CFD categories include indices, commodities, and shares.
Instrument access changes by country. CFDs are not available to US residents, while European and other eligible entities can provide CFD markets under their local regulatory permissions. This jurisdiction split matters when comparing the global website with the US product list.
Spread and commission structure
Spread and commission pricing uses two distinct models. Spread-Only accounts charge no separate forex commission because transaction cost sits inside the bid-ask spread. The broker currently shows Spread-Only pricing from approximately 1.0 pip on its US account comparison.
RAW Pricing reduces the quoted spread and adds a fixed commission. The published rate is $7 per $100,000 USD traded for each transaction leg. A $100,000 USD/JPY position therefore incurs $7 when opened and another $7 when closed. EUR/USD RAW spreads can reach 0.0 pip, although actual spreads vary with market conditions.
Overnight positions can also incur a rollover or financing adjustment. This charge is separate from the opening spread and RAW commission.
Leverage and margin requirements
Leverage allows a position to exceed the cash committed as margin. Retail leverage bands at FOREX.com are 1:30 / 1:50, reflecting jurisdiction-specific limits. US retail forex rules allow higher leverage on qualifying major currency pairs than European retail CFD rules.
A 1:50 leverage ratio means that one unit of margin can support up to 50 units of market exposure, subject to product requirements. A 1:30 ratio permits up to 30 units. Required margin therefore rises when leverage limits fall or when an instrument receives a higher risk weighting.
Fees beyond the spread
Fees beyond the spread include RAW commissions, possible rollover charges, and certain payment-related costs. RAW Pricing charges $7 per $100,000 for each trade leg. Spread-Only accounts remove that explicit commission but retain the variable spread.
Wire withdrawals can carry the disclosed US fee, while sending or intermediary banks can impose their own charges. Foreign-currency funding can also create conversion costs at the issuing bank. These charges are separate from the broker's quoted forex spread.
FOREX.com also offers VPS hosting for MetaTrader users. The account details state that free MT5 virtual private server access requires at least $500,000 monthly notional volume; otherwise a $30 charge applies.
Demo account and onboarding flow
Demo accounts provide simulated trading without committing real capital. The current US help documentation states that a demo lasts 90 days after registration and cannot presently be renewed. One demo of each supported type can be created per email address.
RAW Pricing demo accounts are not available according to the broker's current RAW account FAQ. Standard FOREX.com and MetaTrader demo environments therefore provide the primary practice route. Demo pricing can resemble live pricing, but simulated execution cannot reproduce every live-market condition, including liquidity, slippage, and changing margin requirements.
| Feature | FOREX.com Information |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Warren, New Jersey, United States |
| Disclosed regulators | CFTC, NFA 0339826, FCA 446717, ASIC 345646, JFSA No. 291, MAS, CIRO, CySEC 400/21, CIMA 25033 |
| Registration verified | Regulated across the disclosed jurisdictions in the primary records reviewed |
| Trading platforms | FOREX.com Web Trading, Mobile, TradingView, MT4, MT5 |
| Minimum deposit | $100 |
| Maximum leverage | 1:30 / 1:50 retail bands by jurisdiction |
| Account types | Spread-Only, RAW Pricing, MT4, MT5 |
| Islamic account | Not disclosed |
| Customer support | Phone and online support channels |
| Deposit methods | ACH, wire transfer, Visa/Mastercard debit, broker transfer |
Who is FOREX.com best for?
FOREX.com combines long operating history, public-company ownership, multiple regulated entities, and several platform choices. Traders can choose spread-based pricing or RAW Pricing with an explicit commission. The platform set also covers TradingView, MT4, MT5, web, and mobile access.
The main trade-offs are jurisdiction-specific product restrictions and account pricing differences. US residents cannot access CFDs, while RAW Pricing adds a $7 commission per $100,000 traded for each leg. The 2022 NFA enforcement case is also part of the firm's regulatory history and should remain visible in any assessment.
The broker's structure is therefore most relevant to readers comparing regulated forex access, platform choice, and transparent pricing models. The exact legal entity, leverage limit, investor-protection scheme, and product set depend on the client's country.
Forex and derivative products carry high leverage; some or all invested capital may be lost. This content is for information only, not investment advice. Verify the broker's current regulation status with the relevant authority's official site before any investment decision.
