HFM vs Pepperstone - 2024 Comparison | FX Scouts Kenya
AuthorAuthor: Björn MichelsUpdated: Oct 12, 2023

Last Updated On Oct 12, 2023

Björn Michels

Trading with a reputable online broker is a crucial factor for success in the international markets. At FX Scouts Kenya, we help you find the broker that suits your trading needs.

Each year we spend thousands of hours testing brokers by opening accounts, testing their platforms, and rating them according to a set of over 200 metrics. We deposit real money with the brokers to ensure that the products and user experience they advertise are consistent with reality.

We have found that the best way for traders to choose a broker is to compare brokers side-by-side. The comparison tool below allows you to compare two brokers based on their ratings and features.

Select brokers to compare

Select brokers to compare

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Broker Score
Min. Deposit
Regulation
Trading Desk Type
Trading Instruments
Forex Pairs
Crypto Pairs
Pros
Cons
Regulation
Trading Conditions
Trading Platforms
Deposit & Withdrawal
Education & Research
Assets Available
Customer Service
% Lose with this broker
Leverage
Spread
Hedging
Scalping
Account Types
Islamic Account
Trading Platforms
Funding Methods
Trading Commission
11110.54.53/ 5 USD 0Capital Markets AuthorityCySEC Regulated BrokersFCA Regulated BrokersFSCA Regulated Forex BrokersSTPBonds, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies, Energies, Stock CFDs, ETFs, Forex, Indices, Metals, Stock DMAs5340
  • Low minimum deposit
  • Tight spreads
  • Well regulated
  • Good range of accounts
  • Limited base currencies
Read Review 11110.54.5/ 5 11110.54.5/ 5 11110.54.5/ 5 11110.54.5/ 5 111115/ 5 11110.54.5/ 5 11110.54.5/ 5 72.90%400:10 pips Pro Plus, HFCopy, Islamic, Cent, Premium, Pro, Zero MT4, MT5, HFM Trading AppBank Transfer, Visa, Mastercard, Skrill6 USD / lot - Zero Account
11110.54.61/ 5 USD 0Capital Markets AuthorityFCA Regulated BrokersASIC Regulated Forex BrokersCySEC Regulated BrokersNDDCommodities, Cryptocurrencies, Stock CFDs, ETFs, Forex, Indices, Metals10019
  • Well regulated
  • Tight spreads
  • Great platform choice
  • Wide range of assets
  • Limited market analysis
Read Review 111115/ 5 11110.54.5/ 5 111115/ 5 111104/ 5 11110.54.5/ 5 11110.54.5/ 5 11110.54.5/ 5 0400:10 pips cTrader Razor, MT5 Razor, MT4 Razor, Standard, Swap-free MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingViewBank Transfer, Visa, Mastercard, POLi, BPay, Paypal, Neteller, Skrill, UnionpayFrom 7 USD / lot - Razor Account

How do Pepperstone and HFM stack up against each other?

The Radar Chart below highlights how the brokers stack up against each other across various metrics. The highest score a broker can receive in each area is 5.

HFM

Pepperstone

At FX Scouts Kenya, we help traders find the broker that suits their trading needs. In many cases, the best way to achieve this is to compare brokers side-by-side.

To compare Pepperstone and HFM, we used the same factors we use when reviewing brokers: The trust and regulation of the broker, the trading platform, the costs and trading conditions, and the level of education and market analysis available at the broker.

Does Pepperstone or HFM have a better trust and regulation rating?

Trust and regulation are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing a Forex broker. Trust in the Forex trading business is almost entirely founded upon regulation. We spend many hours evaluating the safety of each broker by delving into their fine print and confirming each one of their regulatory licences on the online registers. The more top-tier authorities a broker is regulated by, the higher its trust rating.

In our comparison, we found that Pepperstone holds three Tier 1 and no Tier 2 licences, and HFM holds two Tier 1 and no Tier 2 licences.

 

Is Pepperstone financially regulated?

Yes Pepperstone was founded in 2010 and is regulated by ASIC, CMA, CySEC and FCA.

 

Is HFM financially regulated?

Yes HFM was founded in 2010 and is regulated by CMA, CySEC, FCA and FSCA.

 

Based on these findings, Pepperstone earned a higher trust rating than HFM.

Does Pepperstone or HFM have lower costs?

Another important aspect we consider when comparing brokers is the cost of trading. When evaluating trading costs, we always consider the minimum deposit required to open an account and the ongoing trading costs, including the spreads and commissions. When calculating trading costs, we measure the cost to trade one lot of EUR/USD using the broker’s account with the lowest minimum deposit. The cost includes both the spread and any commission charged. 

Not all brokers publish their trading costs, so we often open accounts and trade on their platforms to verify the spreads and commissions. Based on our reviews, we found that HFM and Pepperstone have the same trading costs. 

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Broker
Trading Conditions
Base Currencies
EURUSD (Standard)
Trading Cost (Standard)
EURUSD (Best)
GBPUSD (Best)
USDJPY (Best)
Commission
HFM (HotForex)
11110.54.5/ 5
EUR, USD, ZAR
1.00 pips
USD 10
0.10 pips
0.50 pips
0.30 pips
USD 0
Pepperstone
11110.54.5/ 5
AUD, USD, JPY, GBP, EUR, CAD, CHF, NZD, SGD, HKD
1.00 pips
USD 10
0.17 pips
0.59 pips
0.26 pips
USD 0

 

Does Pepperstone or HFM offer a better choice of trading platforms?

Traders want Forex brokers to offer them a choice of trading platforms, so we give brokers who offer multiple platforms higher ratings. Trading platforms we consider include MetaTrader4, MetaTrader5, cTrader and proprietary mobile and web-based platforms. 

In this case, Pepperstone offers support for and HFM offers support for . 

Do the brokers offer copy trading?

Copy trading is a great option for beginner traders who can’t trade full-time or lack experience with Forex trading. In this case both HFM and Pepperstone offer copy trading.

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Broker
Platform Choice
Copy Trading
Platforms
HFM (HotForex)
11110.54.5/ 5
HFM Trading App
Pepperstone
111115/ 5
TradingView

 

Which broker offers a better choice of trading instruments?

A variety of CFD instruments – and a large range of CFDs for each instrument category allow traders more opportunities for profitable trading. The best brokers will have thousands of CFDs to trade, covering all these instrument categories. We found that Pepperstone offers a greater range and depth of instruments to trade than HFM. Pepperstone offers 100 Forex pairs to trade and HFM offers 53 Forex pairs to trade.

Toplist Forex Pairs

And what about Cryptocurrencies?

In this case, HFM offers 40 cryptocurrencies while Pepperstone offers 19 cryptocurrencies. So if you want to trade cryptocurrencies, we advise trading with HFM.

Which broker offers better deposit and withdrawal processes?

Although brokers may have reasonable trading fees, many traders are caught out by the high non-trading fees charged by some brokers, including deposits and withdrawals. Traders want to be able to deposit and withdraw funds quickly and cheaply. Most brokers have multiple funding methods with zero fees for making deposits, but some brokers make it more expensive and take longer to process withdrawals. 

We rate brokers more highly that process withdrawals within 24 hours by multiple withdrawal methods and without charging processing fees. We found that neither HFM nor Pepperstone charges a withdrawal fee. Overall, HFM has better deposit and withdrawal processes than Pepperstone. 

Which broker offers better educational support?

We often find that brokers offer very little in the way of educational materials, forcing traders to use other third-party sites or self-educate elsewhere. Beginner traders need well-structured, well-presented materials in multiple formats to get a good start at trading. More experienced traders also benefit from webinars led by experts in the field and advanced trading strategy sections with new trading ideas. 

HFM has better educational support than Pepperstone. Both HFM and Pepperstone offer educational support for more experienced traders.

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Broker
Beginner Course
Advanced Course
Well Structured Education
Education Quality
Webinars
HFM (HotForex)
High
Pepperstone
Medium

 

Which broker offers better market analysis materials?

To successfully predict the price movements of an instrument, traders will need access to frequent market research and analysis. We find that research and market analysis are always better when they are produced in-house and updated frequently. Third-party resources don’t show the same expertise in trading ideas, so we place a strong emphasis on frequent in-house updates. Some brokers also often offer interactive webinars where traders can learn from experts in the field. 

We found that 0 offers better research analysis than 0 and that both HFM and Pepperstone offer frequent webinars.

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Broker
Economic Calendar
Autochartist
Trading Central
Trading View
Free VPS
HFM (HotForex)
Pepperstone

 

Our overall Verdict on Pepperstone

One of our highest-rated brokers for Kenyan traders, Pepperstone was founded in Australia in 2010 and is globally renowned for its low trading costs and choice of trading platforms. Pepperstone keeps costs low with some of the tightest spreads we've seen, starting from 1.00 pips (EUR/USD) on its Standard Account. For those who prefer classic ECN trading, the Razor Account has low commissions and spreads averaging at just 0.10 pips on the EUR/USD. Neither account has a required minimum deposit.

Despite the low costs, we are disappointed with Pepperstone's complicated commission structure. But more experienced traders will appreciate Pepperstone’s trading platform options, including MT4, MT5, and cTrader, which integrates seamlessly with the TradingView tool. All are available on desktop and mobile devices. Pepperstone’s education section is not the most extensive we’ve seen, but it is competent and well-structured, making it a good place to start for beginner traders. 

Our overall Verdict on HFM

HFM (formerly known as HotForex) is a well-known international broker with a strong presence in Kenya. It has local CMA regulations and local customer support, and unlike many other international brokers, it offers KES trading accounts. It also offers fast and free deposits and withdrawals from a range of local banks. 

HFM offers four standard accounts and one specialised copy trading account. Three of its standard accounts have no minimum deposit requirements and very competitive trading fees. We were also pleased with the large range of tradable assets, including over 950 other international stocks.

HFM supports the MT4 and MT5 platforms in addition to its own mobile HF App, which allows clients to trade from charts and make deposits and withdrawals. It also has several excellent trading tools to assist traders further. Unfortunately, access to tools such as Autochartist, which other brokers offer as a free service, requires an account balance of 100 USD – well above the required minimum deposit.

Which broker has the highest overall rating?

Pepperstone has an overall rating of 4.61 and HFM has an overall rating of 4.53. For more detail please read our reviews of Pepperstone and HFM.

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