Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of HFM vs IUX, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% 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.
Founded in 2010, HFM stands out in the online brokerage landscape with a notable trust score of 86 out of 99, earning it a "trusted" rating according to ForexBrokers.com. HFM is not publicly traded nor a banking institution, yet it does have a strong regulatory foundation with two Tier-1 licenses and three Tier-2 licenses. This positioning within the industry emphasizes its stability and trustworthiness for clients seeking reliable trading partnerships.
On the other hand, IUX, established in 2016, presents a slightly different profile, with a ForexBrokers.com trust score of 78, placing it in the "average risk" category. Like HFM, IUX is not publicly listed nor a banking institution, but it holds one Tier-1 and one Tier-2 license. While its regulatory standing is solid, IUX's score suggests a moderate level of risk for potential investors and traders compared to HFM.
| Feature |
HFM
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2016 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
When examining the commissions and fees of online brokers HFM and IUX, both have distinct offerings that cater to different trader needs. HFM's trading costs are marginally above the industry norm, with their standard accounts featuring an estimated spread of 1.2 pips, though the average may vary. The Zero account is more cost-effective, showing a spread of 0.7 pips after commission. Meanwhile, IUX provides various account options that cater to both spread-only and commission-based trades, appealing to a range of traders from casual to active.
IUX's Standard and Standard+ accounts are accessible with a $10 minimum deposit, differing mainly in their spread offerings and promotional bonuses. The Standard account offers lower spreads, while Standard+ ties wider spreads to deposit bonuses. On the other hand, IUX's active trader-focused Raw and Pro accounts, which require a $500 deposit, provide more competitive spreads. The Raw account delivers the lowest spreads given a commission of $6 per 100,000 units traded, while the Pro account trades exclusively on spreads without additional commission. Notably, IUX offers average spreads such as 0.7 pips on its Pro account, 0.9 pips on its Standard account, and approximately 0.6 pips on its Raw account.
Both brokers have earned a commendable 4-star rating for their commissions and fees. Nevertheless, HFM is positioned at #31 while IUX ranks #48 out of 63 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category on ForexBrokers.com. Traders should carefully consider the trade-offs between spreads, commissions, and deposit requirements specific to their trading style and financial goals when deciding between these two brokers.
| Feature |
HFM
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | 10 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
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When choosing an online broker, considering the range of investment options is crucial. HFM provides a broad selection with 500 tradeable symbols and 102 forex pairs. This positions HFM well above IUX, which offers 152 tradeable symbols and 34 forex pairs. Both HFM and IUX support trading forex as CFDs or spot contracts, and while they do not allow trading of actual U.S. stocks, IUX stands out by offering international exchange-traded securities. In contrast, HFM does not provide this service. For those interested in crypto derivatives, both brokers have you covered, but neither supports trading actual cryptocurrencies directly. Additionally, HFM offers copy trading, giving it another edge over IUX, which lacks this feature.
In terms of ratings and rankings, HFM scores a 4-star rating for its range of investments, ranking 36th out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. IUX, while commendable, garners a 3.5-star rating and ranks 60th in the same category. For investors looking for a greater variety of forex pairs and copy trading options, HFM may be the preferred choice. However, those seeking access to international exchange-traded securities might find IUX more aligned with their investment strategy.
| Feature |
HFM
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 152 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 34 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When comparing HFM and IUX, both online brokers offer comprehensive trading platforms and tools designed to meet the needs of traders. Both platforms provide a free virtual demo account and are equipped with proprietary platforms developed in-house. They offer Windows-based desktop download trading platforms and web-based browser platforms, providing multiple access points for traders. Notably, HFM and IUX both support MetaTrader 5 (MT5); however, only HFM extends its offering to include the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4). While both platforms allow trading directly from stock charts, HFM distinguishes itself from IUX by offering copy trading, which IUX does not provide. Although neither broker supports DupliTrade or ZuluTrade, HFM excels with diverse trading tools and a higher rating for trading platforms and tools. HFM scores an impressive 4 stars, ranking #42 out of 63 brokers, whereas IUX has a rating of 3.5 stars, standing at #59.
When it comes to charting capabilities, IUX holds an advantage in flexibility, offering a broad selection of 89 drawing tools compared to HFM's 30. However, HFM balances this with a competitive range of trading functionalities. Both brokers offer the ability to create detailed watch lists, with IUX providing more customization potential through 46 available columns, compared to HFM's 7 columns. Whether traders prioritize charting flexibility or a wider array of trading functionalities, both platforms offer unique strengths tailored to diverse trading styles and preferences. Ultimately, choosing between HFM and IUX depends on individual trading needs, with HFM standing out for those seeking robust trading options and compatibility with multiple MetaTrader versions, and IUX appealing to traders who prioritize extensive charting possibilities.
| Feature |
HFM
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 106 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 89 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 46 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing the mobile trading apps of HFM and IUX, both platforms provide apps for iPhone and Android users, ensuring widespread accessibility. However, HFM sets itself apart with features like stock and forex price alerts, which are notably absent in the IUX app. While neither platform offers syncing of watchlist symbols between mobile and online accounts, HFM users can enjoy advanced options like drawing trendlines on charts—a feature not available with IUX. Both apps allow viewing multiple time frames and automatically save chart drawings, but when it comes to technical studies, IUX offers a significantly wider range with 106 studies compared to HFM's 30.
Both HFM and IUX apps support the creation of watchlists with real-time quotes, adding to their user-friendly experiences. Despite these similarities, HFM holds a slight edge with a mobile app rating of 4 stars versus IUX's 3.5 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, HFM ranks #39 out of 63 brokers in the Mobile Trading Apps category, showcasing its relative strength in the industry. Meanwhile, IUX ranks at #60, indicating room for improvement in their mobile trading app offerings. Overall, HFM appears to deliver a more feature-rich experience despite both platforms' limitations in certain areas.
| Feature |
HFM
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 106 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing the market research offerings of online brokers HFM and IUX, HFM clearly takes the lead with several key features that IUX lacks. HFM provides comprehensive daily market commentary and delivers forex news from renowned sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring traders stay informed with high-quality information. In contrast, IUX does not offer such daily updates nor access to top-tier forex news. Additionally, HFM supports its users with tools like Autochartist for technical and fundamental analysis and a sentiment-based trading tool that gives insights on market trends. IUX does not provide these valuable resources to its clients.
Both brokers offer an economic calendar to help traders keep track of global news events, but the similarities largely end there. HFM's commitment to market research is reflected in its higher rating of 4 out of 5 stars compared to IUX's 3 stars. Furthermore, HFM ranks #20 in the Research category among 63 brokers reviewed by ForexBrokers.com, while IUX lags behind at #59. For investors seeking a broker with comprehensive market insights and tools, HFM presents a more advantageous choice.
| Feature |
HFM
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners, online broker HFM stands out over IUX with a wider array of tools and content. HFM offers comprehensive forex and CFD education through over ten articles, videos, and webinars focused on these subjects. Additionally, HFM hosts at least one online educational webinar each month, along with a searchable archive of past webinars, making it easier for beginners to access and learn from previous sessions. While both HFM and IUX provide beginner educational videos, only HFM extends its offerings to include advanced educational videos for more seasoned traders. Furthermore, HFM supplies an investor dictionary featuring over 50 investment terms, enhancing the learning experience for newcomers.
IUX lags behind in several educational aspects, as it lacks the extensive variety and frequency of resources that HFM provides. While IUX does supply beginner videos similar to HFM, it does not offer educational webinars, a searchable webinar archive, or a dictionary of investing terms. These differences are reflected in their ratings, with HFM receiving 4 stars compared to IUX's 3-star rating for Education. The disparity is even more evident in their rankings by ForexBrokers.com, where HFM is positioned at #37 out of 63 brokers, significantly ahead of IUX, which sits at #59. As a result, HFM is a more suitable option for beginners seeking a deeper and wider range of educational materials in the world of online trading.
| Feature |
HFM
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that HFM is better than IUX. HFM finished with an overall rank of #30, while IUX finished with an overall rank of #55.
Alongside its enhanced MetaTrader offering and quality research, HFM (HF Markets), previously known as HotForex, offers a proprietary copy trading platform, HFcopy, a proprietary HF mobile app, and a decent selection of over 1,000 CFDs and 47 forex pairs. Still, trading costs at HFM are slightly above the industry average.
| Feature |
HFM
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IUX
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 78 |
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Both HFM and IUX do not provide the option to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they do offer the capability to buy cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both online brokers HFM and IUX do not support ACH or SEPA transfers, nor do they offer PayPal as a funding option, but they do provide the convenience of Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire transfers for depositing or withdrawing account funds.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | HFM | IUX | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 78 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review |
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| Regulation | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 78 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2016 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 152 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 34 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | 0.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | 0.6 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | 10 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 46 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 106 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 89 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | No |
| Mobile Trading | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 106 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | HFM | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | HFM Review |
| Overall | HFM | IUX | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 78 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review |
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