How WizeGorilla rates brokers
Every score on this site is a weighted average of four pillars. No pay-to-rank: the companies we review cannot buy a better score, and several of our highest-rated firms pay us nothing at all.
35%
Trust & Regulation
Which regulators license the broker, which entity actually onboards you, investor-compensation coverage, years in operation, disciplinary history, and - for prop firms - the length and consistency of the public payout record. We link the regulator register for every licence we cite.
30%
Trading Costs
Real spreads measured on live accounts during London/NY overlap, commissions, swaps, and deposit/withdrawal fees - combined into an effective cost per standard lot. Bonuses and cashback are scored separately so they can never mask poor pricing.
20%
Platforms & Tools
Platform range (MT4/MT5, cTrader, TradingView, proprietary), execution model and speed, mobile app quality, copy trading, and tooling for algorithmic traders including VPS and API access.
15%
Support & Funding
Response time and competence of support across live chat and email (we test anonymously), deposit/withdrawal method breadth, processing speed measured with our own money, and education quality.
Our process
1. Real accounts. We open and fund live accounts, place real trades, and time real withdrawals. Screenshots and statements back our findings.
2. Verifiable sources.Regulation claims are checked against the regulator's own register on the day of review. Spread data comes from our accounts and the broker's published averages - where they disagree, we say so.
3. Continuous updates. Reviews carry the date of their last full re-check. Bonus and cashback terms are re-verified on a rolling cycle because they change more often than anything else.
4. Independence. Affiliate commissions fund the testing, and every partnership is disclosed. Compensation influences which brokers we can feature in offers - never the score they receive.
Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly. Between 70–85% of retail accounts lose money trading CFDs. Never trade with money you cannot afford to lose. Disclosure: WizeGorilla is reader-supported - we may earn a commission when you open an account through our links, at no cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure and review methodology.