The first and most important quality is the broker’s status as a well-regulated and highly trusted brand. Second is the provision of a user-friendly web-based platform with a balanced variety of educational resources. Third is access to quality and actionable market research.

In our 6th annual review of forex and contract for difference (CFD) brokers, we spent endless hours opening demo accounts, navigating various forex platforms and mobile apps, conducting market research, testing website usability, and watching educational videos and webinars.

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 65% and 82% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Forex trading is the process of exchanging one currency for another — known as buying or selling currency pairs — based on prevailing exchange rates from the forex market. The forex market is the largest global market, with nearly $6.59 trillion in currency traded on average per day.

When trading foreign currencies, you use a forex broker (also known as a currency trading broker) to place your trades. When you trade forex, you buy or sell in currency pairs, such as the “EUR / USD” (euro / U.S. dollar). You open an account, deposit funds, then use the broker’s trading platform to buy and sell currency using margin. The forex markets are open 24 hours a day, five days a week.

The Best Forex Brokers for Beginners

Here’s a summary of the best forex brokers for beginner forex traders. (*)