How do Pepperstone and FreshForex 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.

At FxScouts, 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 FreshForex, 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 FreshForex 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 FreshForex holds no Tier 1 and no Tier 2 licences.

 

Is Pepperstone financially regulated?

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

 

Is FreshForex financially regulated?

No FreshForex is not adequately regulated.

 

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

Does Pepperstone or FreshForex 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 Pepperstone has overall lower trading costs than FreshForex. 

 

Does Pepperstone or FreshForex 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 FreshForex offers support for . 

Do the brokers offer copy trading?

In this case both FreshForex and Pepperstone offer copy trading.

 

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 FreshForex. Pepperstone offers 100 Forex pairs to trade and FreshForex offers 49 Forex pairs to trade.

And what about Cryptocurrencies?

In this case, FreshForex offers 58 cryptocurrencies while Pepperstone offers 19 cryptocurrencies. So if you want to trade cryptocurrencies, we advise trading with FreshForex.

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 FreshForex nor Pepperstone charges a withdrawal fee. Overall, Pepperstone has better deposit and withdrawal processes than FreshForex. 

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. 

FreshForex and Pepperstone both have moderate educational support. Both FreshForex and Pepperstone offer educational support for more experienced traders.

 

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 Pepperstone offers better research analysis than FreshForex and that both FreshForex and Pepperstone offer frequent webinars.

 

Our overall Verdict on Pepperstone

One of our highest rated brokers for traders in the UK, Pepperstone has been regulated by the FCA since 2015 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 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 FreshForex

FXScouts does NOT recommend FreshForex due to insufficient regulation. We suggest that you find an alternative regulated broker governed by processes designed to protect your funds.

FreshForex supports both MT4 and MT5 and has a wide range of asset classes to trade. With low minimum deposits and an ECN trading desk, FreshForex may appear attractive to new traders. However, with a lack of transparency in their trading conditions on the ECN account, and a lack of credible regulation, FreshForex should be avoided by traders.

Which broker has the highest overall rating?

Pepperstone has an overall rating of 4.61 and FreshForex has an overall rating of 2.65. For more detail please read our reviews of Pepperstone and FreshForex.