What makes up the total cost of forex trading?

Total cost has three main parts: the spread (the bid-ask difference paid on every trade), commission (a fixed per-lot charge on raw-spread accounts), and financing or swap (the daily charge for holding leveraged positions overnight). Secondary costs include currency-conversion fees, inactivity fees, and withdrawal charges. The all-in cost is the sum of these at your trading volume.

How do I compare spread-only and commission accounts?

Convert both to an effective spread. A commission-free account might quote 1.2 pips on EUR/USD. A raw account might quote 0.1 pips plus $7 round-turn commission, which is about 0.7 pips — so the raw account is cheaper here. Always add commission to the spread before comparing, and do it at your typical lot size.

Do EU brokers charge the same fees?

No. While ESMA sets leverage caps and mandates investor protections, brokers compete on cost. Spreads, commission schedules, swap rates, and ancillary fees vary widely between EU-regulated brokers, so the all-in cost for the same trading pattern can differ by thousands of euros a year at high volume.

What is an inactivity fee?

An inactivity fee is a monthly charge some brokers apply when an account has no trading activity for a set period, often 3 to 12 months. It is typically EUR 10 or so per month. For infrequent traders this can be the single largest annual cost, so it belongs in any honest cost comparison.

How much can switching brokers save?

For an active trader the difference is material. Trading 50 lots a month, a 0.4-pip difference in effective spread is about EUR 180 a month, or over EUR 2,000 a year. Add swap and fee differences on held positions and the annual saving from choosing the cheapest suitable broker can be considerably larger.

Tool

Trading Cost Calculator

Compare the total cost of trading across all EU-regulated brokers. Enter your monthly volume and see exactly how much you would pay in spreads and commissions with each broker.

Calculator Settings

Monthly Trade Volume (lots)

Account Type

Currency Pair

EUR/USD

Pip value: $10 per standard lot

You could save up to $2,150/year

by choosing the cheapest broker vs the average cost across all brokers.

#	Broker	Spread Cost	Commission	Total Monthly	Total Annual
1	XMCheapest	$0	$0	$0	$0
2	Fusion Markets	$0	$0	$0	$0
3	Axi	$0	$90	$90	$1,080
4	Trade Nation	$100	$0	$100	$1,200
5	Interactive Brokers	$20	$91	$111	$1,334
6	eToro	$114	$0	$114	$1,368
7	BlackBull Markets	$0	$120	$120	$1,440
8	Tickmill	$0	$120	$120	$1,440
9	Admirals	$0	$120	$120	$1,440
10	Vantage Markets	$0	$120	$120	$1,440
11	Pepperstone	$0	$140	$140	$1,680
12	CMC Markets	$140	$0	$140	$1,680
13	OANDA	$140	$0	$140	$1,680
14	Exness	$0	$140	$140	$1,680
15	Capital.com	$140	$0	$140	$1,680
16	Eightcap	$0	$140	$140	$1,680
17	FXTM	$0	$140	$140	$1,680
18	IC Markets	$0	$140	$140	$1,680
19	Plus500	$160	$0	$160	$1,920
20	IG	$180	$0	$180	$2,160
21	AvaTrade	$180	$0	$180	$2,160
22	Forex.com	$0	$200	$200	$2,400
23	XTB	$260	$0	$260	$3,120
24	FXCM	$260	$0	$260	$3,120
25	Trading 212	$260	$0	$260	$3,120
26	Saxo Bank	$320	$0	$320	$3,840
27	RoboForex	$260	$80	$340	$4,080
28	Swissquote	$380	$0	$380	$4,560
29	FxPro	$240	$160	$400	$4,795
30	Equiti	$280	$140	$420	$5,040

Costs are estimates based on EUR/USD pip value of $10 per standard lot. Actual spreads vary by market conditions. Raw/Razor accounts include commission; Standard accounts have costs embedded in wider spreads. Always verify current pricing on the broker's website.

Understanding Trading Costs

Every forex trade incurs costs, primarily through spreads and commissions. The spread is the difference between the bid and ask price, while commissions are fixed fees charged per lot on Raw/ECN-style accounts.

Standard accounts typically have zero commission but wider spreads. Raw accounts offer tighter spreads but charge a per-lot commission. Depending on your trading volume, one model may be significantly cheaper than the other.

How This Calculator Works

The calculator uses each broker's published EUR/USD spread and commission rates. For each broker, we multiply the spread (in pips) by the pip value ($10 per standard lot) by your monthly lot volume. Commissions are added on top for Raw/ECN accounts.

Results are sorted from cheapest to most expensive, making it easy to see which broker offers the best value for your trading style and volume.

Free: EU Broker Regulatory Cheatsheet

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