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City Index vs Plus500: Comparison and Analysis

Written by Filippo Ucchino Fact-Checked by Luca Puddu Publication Date Last Updated
Our verdict · CFD/FX trading

City Index is better than Plus500 for CFD trading in the UK by a small margin, because it asks for a lower minimum deposit (US$50.00 against US$100.00), gives access to more tradable symbols (13,500 against 2,800) and allows hedging and expert advisors. It runs MetaTrader 4 next to its own platform, opens micro and fixed-spread accounts and executes orders in 2 ms. Plus500 offers a guaranteed stop loss on CFDs and handles deposits and withdrawals in 1 day against 3 days. City Index and Plus500 are both regulated in the UK by the FCA. The two brokers charge US$8.00 per lot to trade EUR/USD, cover CFDs on commodities, forex, indices and shares, offer a demo account, allow API access and hold the account in 3 currencies.

Best overall

City Index

CFDCFD City Index offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD/FX to rate it on that. FXFX City Index offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side. Regulated in your country City Index is allowed by FCA to onboard clients residing in the UK.
City Index review ›
83CFD/FXOverall score City Index scores 83/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas.
Open Account

68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Plus500

CFDCFD Plus500 offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD/FX to rate it on that. FXFX Plus500 offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side. Regulated in your country Plus500 is allowed by FCA to onboard clients residing in the UK.
Plus500 review ›
78CFD/FXOverall score Plus500 scores 78/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas.
Open Account

CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money

Best for

What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders City Index and Plus500 are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in United Kingdom.
1 / 12

City Index is better than Plus500 for professional traders, high-volume traders and algo traders. Both are a good fit for swing traders, news traders and CFD stock traders.

Best for
Overall score City Index 83 Best Plus500 78 -5
Day trading i
Long-term investing i
Professional traders i
High-volume traders i
Scalpers i
Swing traders i
News traders i
Algo traders i
Stock traders i
Crypto traders i
Futures traders i
Options traders i

Regulation

What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise City Index and the ones that supervise Plus500.
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City Index and Plus500 are both regulated in the UK, by the FCA.

Regulation
Section score City Index 100 Plus500 100
Tier-1 regulators
ESMA (European Union) i
FCA (United Kingdom) i
ASIC (Australia) i
CFTC (United States) i
NFA (United States) i
SEC (United States) i
CIRO (Canada) i
MAS (Singapore) i
SFC (Hong Kong) i
JFSA (Japan) i
FINMA (Switzerland) i
Tier-2 regulators
FMA (New Zealand) i
CBR (Russia) i
FSCA (South Africa) i
DFSA (Dubai) i
CSRC (China) i
ISA (Israel) i
LFSA (Malaysia) i
JSC (Jordan) i
CMA (Kenya) i
Tier-3 regulators
FSA (Seychelles) i
MMA (Maldives) i
SCB (Bahamas) i
FSC (Mauritius) i
VFSC (Vanuatu) i
FSC (Belize) i
CIMA (Cayman Islands) i
SV FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) i
FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) i
BMA (Bermuda) i
BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) i
EDR (External Dispute Resolution) i

Safety

What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that City Index and Plus500 have in place to protect your money in United Kingdom.
3 / 12

Both City Index and Plus500 offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme. City Index also offers additional money insurance.

Safety
Section score City Index 95 Best Plus500 85 -10
Company info
Is it publicly traded i
Is it a bank i
Year founded i 1983 2008
Parent company i StoneX Group Inc Plus500 Ltd.
CEO i Clive Cooke David Zruia
Money safety
Segregated client funds i
Two-factor authentication i
Investor compensation scheme i
Additional money insurance i
Partner bank i N/A N/A
Brand power
Number of customers worldwide i 235,000 30,000,000
Annual revenue i US$124,800,000 US$768,300,000
Monthly website search traffic i 12.1K monthly visits

Costs

What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with City Index and with Plus500 in United Kingdom, both on each trade and on holding the account.
4 / 12

City Index is better than Plus500 for costs, because City Index has tighter S&P 500 CFD spreads, at 0.4 points (against Plus500's 0.7 points), has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.3 points (against Plus500's 0.75 points), and offers volume discounts, which Plus500 does not. Neither City Index nor Plus500 charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.

Costs
Section score City Index 69 Best Plus500 64 -5
Broker fees
Deposit fees i
Withdrawal fees i
Overnight fees i
Inactivity fees i
Currency conversion fees i
Discounts on volume i
Real time market data fee i
Dividend withholding i
Account opening fees i
Account maintenance fee i
Portfolio management fee i
Fees on CFDs
Forex commission per lot i Free Free
EUR/USD average standard spread i
0.8 pips
0.8 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i US$8 US$8
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.4 points 0.7 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.3 points 0.75 points
Bitcoin fees (CFD) i
US stocks fees (CFD) i US$0.018 Free
Fees on stocks
Stock fee type i Commission, Percentage Spread
US stocks fees (real) i
ETF fees (real) i
Management costs i
Connection costs i
Fees on futures
Futures fees per contract i
Platform fees i
Fees on options
Options fees per contract i
Event fees i
Fees on savings plans
IRA opening fee i
IRA maintenance fee i
401k opening fee i
401k maintenance fee i

Available markets

What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with City Index and with Plus500 in United Kingdom, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.
5 / 12

Plus500 is better than City Index for available markets, as Plus500 offers CFDs on ETFs, which City Index does not. Both City Index and Plus500 offer CFDs on commodities, forex, indices and stocks.

Available markets
Section score City Index 65 -10 Plus500 75 Best
Total tradable symbols i 13,500 2,800
Currency pairs i
Indices i
Commodities i
Stocks i
ETF i
Cryptocurrencies i
Bonds i
Interest rates i
Portfolios i
CFDs i Commodities, Forex, Indices, Stocks Commodities, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks
Futures i
Options i
Assets you can own i

Platform

What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that City Index and Plus500 make available to their clients in United Kingdom.
6 / 12

City Index is better than Plus500 for platforms, as City Index offers MetaTrader 4 and AutoChartist, which Plus500 does not. City Index and Plus500 both offer a proprietary platform and one-click trading.

Platform
Section score City Index 88 Best Plus500 75 -13
Proprietary platform i
MetaTrader 4 i
MetaTrader 5 i
cTrader i
Social trading platform i
Copy trading platform i
ZuluTrade i
TradingView i
Duplitrade i
Mirror Trader i
NinjaTrader i
AutoChartist i
Real time pricing i
5 digit pricing i
One-click trading i

Mobile

What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of City Index and Plus500 in United Kingdom, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.
7 / 12

City Index and Plus500 are equally good for mobile trading, since City Index offers the MetaTrader 4 app and mobile trading signals. On the other hand, Plus500 offers mobile charting tools and mobile drawing tools. Both City Index and Plus500 offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.

Mobile
Section score City Index 80 Plus500 80
Proprietary app i
Social trading app i
Copy trading app i
MetaTrader 4 app i
MetaTrader 5 app i
cTrader app i
Mobile trading signals i
Mobile alerts i
Mobile charting tools i
Mobile drawing tools i
Mobile watchlist i
Smartwatch app i

Trading features

What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that City Index and Plus500 allow on their platforms in United Kingdom.
8 / 12

City Index is better than Plus500 for trading features, since City Index offers API access, which Plus500 does not, and allows for automated trading and expert advisors. Both City Index and Plus500 offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.

Trading features
Section score City Index 79 Best Plus500 67 -12
Trade execution
Broker type i Agency Agency
Average execution time i 2 ms
Slippage occurrence i
Requotes occurrence i
Tier-1 liquidity providers i
PFOF i
Leverage
Major FX pairs leverage i 30:1 30:1
Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i 20:1 20:1
Major indices leverage i 20:1 20:1
Minor indices leverage i 10:1 10:1
Gold leverage i 20:1 20:1
Commodities leverage i 10:1 10:1
Equities leverage i 5:1 5:1
Cryptocurrency leverage i
Risk management
Stop losses i
Take profits i
Limit orders i
Trailing stop i
Margin call i
OCO orders i
Guaranteed stop loss i
Negative balance protection i
Minimum trade size (FX) i 0.01 lots 0.01 lots
Minimum trade size (stocks) i US$0 US$0
Fractional stocks i
Trading compliance
Scalping strategies allowed i
Hedging strategies allowed i
Automated trading strategy allowed i
EAs use allowed i
HFT strategy allowed i
VPS use allowed i
API use allowed i
Price scraping allowed i
FIFO rule applies i

Account types

What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at City Index and at Plus500 in United Kingdom, and of who each one is meant for.
9 / 12

City Index and Plus500 are equally good for account types, since City Index offers a micro account and a fixed spread account while Plus500 offers an unlimited demo account. Both City Index and Plus500 offer a demo account and a professional traders account.

Account types
Section score City Index 40 Plus500 38 -2
Demo account i
Unlimited demo account i
Standard account i
Micro account i
Cent account i
Nano account i
Raw spread account i
ECN account i
Swap-free account i
Islamic account i
Professional traders account i
Fixed spread account i
Spread betting account i
Copy trading account i
Corporate account i
Managed account i
Stock investing account i
Margin investing account i
Savings account i
Retirement account i

Account opening

What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with City Index and with Plus500 in United Kingdom.
10 / 12

City Index and Plus500 are equally good for account opening, as City Index requires a lower minimum deposit, at US$50 (against Plus500's US$100), and has no minimum withdrawal (against Plus500's US$100). On the other hand, Plus500 supports e-wallets, which City Index does not, and credits deposits faster, within 1 day (against City Index's 3 days). City Index and Plus500 both offer credit cards and debit cards.

Account opening
Section score City Index 62 -2 Plus500 64
Minimum deposit i US$50 US$100
Minimum withdrawal i US$0 US$100
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i PayPal
Local payment methods i
Account base currencies i AUD, EUR, USD AUD, EUR, USD
Deposit waiting time i up to 3 business days up to 1 business days
Withdrawal waiting time i up to 3 business days up to 1 business days
Bonus program i

Customer care

What we compare A comparison of the customer support of City Index and Plus500 in United Kingdom, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.
11 / 12

Plus500 is better than City Index for customer care, since Plus500 offers customer support in 29 languages (against City Index's 6), and has a website in 29 languages (against City Index's 6). Both City Index and Plus500 offer a dedicated account manager and priority support.

Customer care
Section score City Index 73 -5 Plus500 78 Best
Number of languages supported i 6 29
Website languages i Arabic, German, English, Polish, Spanish, Chinese Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese
Website available in English i
Customer support languages i Arabic, German, English, Polish, Spanish, Chinese Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese
Customer support in English i
Call back request i
Email support i
Phone support i
Live chat i
Priority customer support i
Dedicated account manager i
Cash sweep i
Stock lending i
Distributes proceeds i
Tax withholding agent i
Tax assistance i

Learning

What we compare A comparison of the educational material that City Index and Plus500 provide to their clients in United Kingdom.
12 / 12

City Index is better than Plus500 for learning, as City Index offers professional reports and daily market commentary, which Plus500 does not. Both City Index and Plus500 offer education for advanced traders and webinars.

Learning
Section score City Index 100 Best Plus500 80 -20
Education
Education center i
Education for beginners i
Education for advanced traders i
Webinars i
Tutorials i
Glossary i
Research
Economic calendar i
Traders' sentiment i
Daily market commentary i
Daily trading ideas i
News via social media i
Professional reports i
Watchlist i
City Index
Open Account 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Plus500
Open Account CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money
Our verdict

City Index vs Plus500: which one should you choose?

City Index

CFD/FX Choose City Index if you want a CFD and forex broker with a wide choice of markets, fast execution and fixed-spread accounts.

Open Account 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Plus500

CFD/FX Choose Plus500 if you want an online CFD broker with a guaranteed stop loss and fast deposits and withdrawals.

Open Account CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money

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