Best STP Brokers 2025
We’ve tested all top trading platforms and selected the best Straight-Through Processing (STP) brokers based on their transparency, competitive spreads, and reliable order execution, ensuring efficient trading.
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1Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is a top brokerage firm offering access to 150 markets in 33 countries and a range of investment services. With 40 years in the field, this company listed on Nasdaq strictly follows the rules set by authorities such as the SEC, FCA, CIRO, and SFC. It's recognized as one of the most reliable brokers for global trading.
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Trust Platform Assets Fees Accounts Research Education Mobile Support 4.5 Established in 1999, FOREX.com is part of StoneX, a global financial services company that serves over a million customers. It's regulated in the US, UK, EU, Australia, and other countries. The broker offers a wide range of markets beyond forex and provides competitive pricing on advanced platforms. -
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Trust Platform Assets Fees Accounts Research Education Mobile Support 3.8 Introduced in 2020, RedMars, situated in Cyprus, provides competitive spreads across over 300 trading instruments with a leverage of up to 1:500. They offer three account tiers, namely, Standard, Pro, and VIP, catering to different budgets and levels of trading experience. RedMars also features a speedy, entirely digital account creation process. -
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Trust Platform Assets Fees Accounts Research Education Mobile Support 3.9 Capitalcore is a foreign trading broker located in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, founded in 2019. It offers four account types (Classic, Silver, Gold, VIP), which provide decreasing spreads and increasing bonuses as traders upgrade. The broker's standout features are its high leverage up to 1:2000 and no swap fees. However, these benefits do not make up for its insufficient monitoring from the IFSA and lackluster educational and research resources. -
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Trust Platform Assets Fees Accounts Research Education Mobile Support 2.5 Plexytrade, founded in 2024 and based in Saint Lucia, is an ECN/STP broker. It caters to active traders and offers four account choices. It also allows crypto transactions and a notably high leverage of up to 1:2000, due to its unregulated status.
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Safety Comparison
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Mobile Trading Comparison
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Comparison for Beginners
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Comparison for Advanced Traders
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Accounts Comparison
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Detailed Rating Comparison
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Fee and Cost Comparison
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Broker Popularity
See how popular the Best STP Brokers 2025 are in terms of number of clients.
Broker | Popularity |
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Interactive Brokers |
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FOREX.com |
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Why Trade With Interactive Brokers?
Interactive Brokers is ideal for seasoned traders due to its robust charting platforms, updated data, and adaptability, especially with the IBKR Desktop application. Its exceptional pricing and advanced order features appeal to traders, and its variety of stocks remains unmatched in the market.
Pros
- There's a large selection of free or paid research subscriptions available to all traders. If you subscribe to Toggle AI, you will also receive commission refunds from IBKR.
- IBKR offers exceptional access to global stocks, with thousands of equities available from over 100 market centers in 24 countries, including the recent addition of the Saudi Stock Exchange.
- IBKR provides a cost-effective platform for traders by offering low fees, narrow spreads, and clear pricing.
Cons
- Only one active session per account is allowed, which means you can't run the desktop version and mobile app at the same time. This can sometimes lead to a frustrating trading experience.
- Customer service may take time to respond, and there may be delays in fixing problems based on tests. It could be difficult to reach the customer service promptly.
- TWS's platform may be difficult for beginners to grasp because of its complexity. Plus500's web platform, on the other hand, is more appropriate for those new to trading.
Why Trade With FOREX.com?
FOREX.com is a top-tier brokerage suitable for forex traders of all skill levels. It offers more than 80 currency pairs, has small spreads starting from 0.0 pips, and features low fees. The platform provides powerful charting tools that include over 100 technical indicators and multiple research aids.
Pros
- FOREX.com provides top-tier forex pricing beginning at 0.0 pips. They also offer competitive cashback rebates up to 15% for dedicated traders.
- Numerous educational materials such as tutorials, webinars, and a comprehensive YouTube channel are available to assist you in learning about the financial markets.
- The Web Trader remains one of the top platforms for budding traders, boasting a sleek design and more than 80 technical indicators for market analysis.
Cons
- US clients do not have negative balance protection, so you can potentially owe more than your original account deposit.
- FOREX.com's MT4 platform provides around 600 instruments for trading, which is considerably less than the 5,500+ options accessible on its other platforms.
- FOREX.com has expanded their trading offerings, but these remain limited to forex and CFDs. Unfortunately, they don't provide options to invest in actual stocks, ETFs, or cryptocurrencies.
Why Trade With RedMars?
RedMars is suitable for expert traders in the EU who are comfortable with the MetaTrader 5 platform, as the broker is approved by the CySEC. However, due to its minimal education and research tools, it is not recommended for beginners.
Pros
- The broker accepts several payment options such as wire transfers, credit cards, e-wallets, and notably, cryptocurrencies for trading related transactions.
- RedMars provides a superior trading platform, MT5, equipped with 21 timeframes, multiple analytical tools, customizable templates, and algorithmic trading.
- Starting on RedMars is very straightforward. You can be operational in just a few minutes according to tests.
Cons
- RedMars provides a constrained trading platform, offering just 300 instruments. This is quite limited compared to top competitors such as BlackBull Markets, which boasts 26,000 assets.
- RedMars is not suitable for new traders. It lacks educational resources, has no user-friendly platform, requires a high minimum deposit, and demonstrated insufficient customer support during testing.
- The trading platform is simple, lacking advanced features like Islamic account, PAMM account, or copy trading.
Why Trade With Capitalcore?
Capitalcore offers up to 1:2000 leverage options and does not charge commission or swap fees. However, it lacks strong IFSA regulatory oversight and does not provide educational resources, making it less competitive than leading brokers.
Pros
- Capitalcore, unlike many brokers, provides a quick and limitless demo account for trading.
- Capitalcore now offers binary options trading for over 30 currency pairs, metals, and cryptocurrencies, featuring one-click trading and payouts up to 95%.
- As a relatively new player in binary options, its transparent, accessible service earned second place in DayTrading.com's 2025 'Best Binary Broker' award.
Cons
- During testing, the web platform showed inconsistent performance, with occasional technical issues preventing the trading platform from loading properly.
- Capitalcore's limited education and research offerings are inferior to top tier firms such as IG, making it less ideal for new traders.
- Capitalcore is not overseen by key financial bodies and lacks a proven track record, which questions the security of client investments.
Why Trade With Plexytrade?
Plexytrade is a new trading platform offering attractive features such as a 1:2000 leverage, zero spreads on certain instruments, and quick execution speeds of less than 46 milliseconds. However, the company is not regulated which is a substantial issue, and the lack of research and educational tools puts it behind other leading platforms.
Pros
- Different VPS packages start at $50 monthly, but they are free after reaching certain deposit amounts.
- Plexytrade supports various trading tactics such as quick buying and selling, risk management, and computer-based trading.
- Plexytrade provides up to 1:2000 leverage, one of the highest rates available. It's designed for experienced traders who opt to bypass regulatory safeguards.
Cons
- Plexytrade, offering about 100 instruments, limits the options for traders interested in a variety of assets. This is particularly noticeable when compared to Blackbull, which has 26,000 securities.
- The platform doesn't offer social or copy trading options. This means that novice traders cannot mirror the actions of more accomplished traders, unlike on platforms such as eToro.
- Plexytrade only accepts deposits and withdrawals through cryptocurrencies. It does not support bank cards, wire transfers, or e-wallets.
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Understanding STP Brokers
Imagine you’re sending a text message. With Straight Through Processing (STP) technology, it’s like hitting “send” and the message goes straight to your friend, without any middleman. In the world of trading, STP brokers do just that with your trades—they send them directly to large financial institutions, like banks, without any interference. This method bypasses what’s known as a “dealing desk”, making it a direct line to the market.
Dealing Desk vs. No Dealing Desk
STP brokers fall under the category of No Dealing Desk (NDD) brokers. This means they don’t play middleman with your trades. In contrast, dealing desk brokers, often called market makers, handle trades internally. If you want to sell, they either find another trader to buy from you or they buy it themselves. However, this approach can limit your options since it’s confined to the broker’s pool of clients.
When we talk about STP brokers, they focus solely on processing your trades with external partners, so they’re often referred to as A-book brokers. Market makers, who handle trades internally, are called B-book brokers.
STP vs. ECN Brokers
Another type of NDD broker you might encounter is an ECN broker, which stands for Electronic Communication Network. While both STP and ECN brokers send trades directly to the market, ECN brokers act like a trading hub, connecting you to various banks and financial institutions who compete to fulfill your trades. Think of it as a busy marketplace where different vendors strive to offer you the best deal.
Advantages of STP Brokers
STP brokers are popular among traders due to several appealing aspects:
- Fast Execution: They use fast, electronic systems to process trades, ensuring quick execution, unlike some market maker brokers that handle trades manually, which can be slow.
- Market Reflective Prices: Since STP brokers connect directly to the market, the prices they offer are genuine and accurate.
- No Conflict of Interest: Unlike market makers who might benefit from a client’s loss, STP brokers earn from spreads and commissions, aligning their success with the success of their clients.
- Flexible Lot Sizes: STP brokers often allow smaller trades, making them accessible for new or small-scale traders, unlike some ECN brokers that require larger trade sizes.
Drawbacks of STP Brokers
While there are many benefits, there are a few downsides to consider:
- Wider Spreads: STP brokers might offer spreads, the difference between buying and selling prices, that are not as tight as dealing desk brokers because they don’t profit from your losses.
- Mixed Approaches: Some brokers use a mix of approaches, sometimes relying on a dealing desk. If transparency is key for you, be sure to ask your broker for more details about their practices.
How to Spot STP, ECN, and Market Maker Brokers
If you’re trying to identify which type of broker you’re working with, here’s what to look for:
- Trade Sizes: If your broker offers very small minimum trade sizes, they are likely an STP or market maker broker, rather than an ECN broker.
- Spread Claims: Brokers advertising the lowest spreads might be market makers or ECN brokers. They might make less through spreads because they profit when clients lose or they charge commissions.
- Scalping Rules: Scalping is a fast-paced trading strategy. If a broker allows scalping, they’re likely STP or ECN, as market makers often struggle to keep up with this quick trading approach.
Conclusion
STP brokers are like a direct line to the trading market, making them appealing for their speed and accuracy, especially for smaller trades. However, it might not always be clear if your broker fully operates as an STP. If you encounter issues like unexpected price changes or order delays, it might be time to consider switching to one of the STP brokers recommended by brokerlistings.com.