Copy-trading, also called social trading, is a relatively new feature that allows investors to benefit from the forex market without actively trading by themselves. Since 2005 when the first social trading service was launched, it has become popular among traders. General statistics show that at least 25% of traders and investors in the financial markets are involved in copy trading.
The concept of copy trading is simple; one or more trading accounts (called the Copier account) are linked to another (called the Master account) through the copy trading engine offered by a broker or 3rd party provider. Whatever trading actions are taken on the Master account are replicated in the Copier accounts. This means that win or lose, the owners of the Copier accounts get what the Master gets.
These Masters are usually traders with much experience who have built up a decent following over the years and are recognized for their trading skills.
There are three types of copy trading:
Choosing the best broker for copy trading requires a knowledge of three basic factors:
Once you find a broker that meets those requirements, access their social hub, and interact with the Masters and Copiers there to get a better idea of their trading and investment experiences.
In the next part of this article, we review the 10 best brokers that offer copy trading services:
Site: Roboforex.com
Roboforex was established in the year 2009 as a financial services company. Roboforex offers a platform for clients to trade the financial market through various markets, assets, and instruments such as Forex, CFDs on Indices, Cryptocurrencies, Stocks, Commodities, and ETFs. Their website is multilingual, supporting English, French, German, and Russian languages.
The advantages of Roboforex include:
The disadvantage of Roboforex include:
On Roboforex, trading can be done via four different account types. These accounts are the same but they differ in leverage, spread, and minimum deposit. The following trade conditions apply:
Roboforex provides a wide range of deposit and withdrawal methods. For deposits, clients can use the following: Credit and debit cards (VISA and MasterCard), bank wire transfer, Skrill, Neteller, AdCash, Chinese UnionPay, AstroPay, POLi, and FasaPay, etc. Except for bank wire transfers, these methods allow for instant processing of funds.
Withdrawals are mostly commission-based, with varied fees attached. However, the maximum fee is less than 2%.
Roboforex operates a copy trading investment portal known as CopyFX. On this platform, social trading is open to anyone who can afford the $100 initial capital requirement and can interpret the leaderboard for the Master accounts (known as Traders). All Copiers are known as Investors.
The CopyFX is a trading and social hub where traders and investors meet to share ideas and experiences. Traders who so wish may go on to connect their accounts to any trader of their choice and begin copy trading.
The service is free, although traders have to agree to a sharing formula with their Masters for when profits are made. Traders may request additional information on the Master account they want to copy and can also get access to 24/7 customer support. Roboforex ensures instant execution of orders on all copier accounts.
The CopyFX copy trading service can be operated using the Cent Account and Standard Account on Roboforex.
Site: Hotforex.com
HotForex offers clients the opportunity to trade the financial market through its brokerage. Founded in 2010, HotForex is a brand name under HF Markets (SV) which is registered as an international business company in St. Vincent & the Grenadines with registration number 22747 IBC 2015. HotForex is owned and operated by the HF Market Group of Companies. HotForex is licensed and regulated by the Financial Services Commission(FSC), Mauritius with license number 094286/GBL.
The broker provides over 1000 trading assets across forex, cryptocurrencies, shares and bonds, ETFs, commodities, and indices. The broker offers six account types: Micro, Premium, Zero-spread, Auto, PAMM (Premium), and HFcopy. Swap-free accounts for Muslim clients are also available. The website is available in multiple languages and offers full features to visitors and traders.
The advantages of trading with HotForex are:
The disadvantage of HotForex is that:
HotForex does not provide fixed spreads. However, spreads are low and begin from 1 pip on regular accounts and 0 pips on the zero spread account. The minimum and maximum leverages are 1:300 and 1:100 respectively. The minimum deposit for each account varies from $5, $100, $200, $250, and $500.
With over 15 methods available, clients can process their deposits within seconds and have their accounts funded immediately. Deposit methods include Debit and credit cards (Verve, MasterCard), e-Wallets such as Neteller, Skrill, Trustly, and also via bank wire transfer. Processing fees may apply depending on the method used, and the processing time may be anywhere between 10 minutes and 2 days (for bank wire transfers).
HFcopy is the name of HotForex’s copy trading service. It is a well-designed platform that brings traders and investors together in a mix of business and (limited) social interactions.
Traders can see the Masters via a ranked list that displays their recent trading performances. Clients may also view more of their trading history before choosing their Master. Trading fees are only charged when profits are made (fees may be up to 50%).
HotForex offers three types of copy trading; automated, semi-automated, and manual. The traders can check their accounts at any time and withdraw from a Master whenever they choose without a trading fee. However, all open positions must be closed before this.
The copy trading service is open to every account on HotForex; no special requirements are set.
Site: Naga.com
Naga is a fintech company that offers broker services. Established in 2015, it is registered with the numbers: FCA ref. no. 609499 | BaFin reg. 135203 | Consob reg. 3844 | CNMV reg. 3591 (as listed on its website) as an International Business Company in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Naga is part of Naga Group Subsidiaries, which is registered in various countries including Cyprus, Germany, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Naga is listed in the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and is licensed by the CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) with the number 2014/13.
Naga provides access for clients to trade the financial market through different assets and markets such as Cryptocurrencies, indices, CFDs, and commodities. The website is operated by a team from the parent company and is designed with modern features including customer support in a wide range of languages.
The advantages are:
The disadvantages are:
Naga offers some of the most competitive trading conditions in the forex industry. This is aimed at attracting clients and improving their trading experience. Some of these are:
Clients may use any of the numerous deposit and withdrawal methods provided by Naga. Crypto, e-Wallets such as Skrill and Neteller, and debit or credit cards.
Naga’s main product offering is a copy trading service. This is rightly called social trading because the social platform is wow. On Naga, social trading goes beyond copying positions; traders can interact on a well-designed hub where ideas can be shared using the Naga Feed and the Naga Messenger.
The copy trading service covers all asset classes: real stocks, CFDs, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, and forex. Traders who wish to can apply to become signal providers (Masters) and start a following. For those who prefer copying (Copiers), Naga allows them to choose from Auto-copy, semi-auto copy, or manual copy.
Copiers can edit the settings of the copy service to ratio the lot sizes used by the Master. You can also adjust the percentage of your account which can be subjected to copy trading by using the Auto-Copy ratio function.
Site: Darwinex.com
Darwinex, established in 2014 as a Fintech company named Tradeslide Trading Tech Limited based in London, was officially registered as a forex broker and is licensed by the FCS (UK) with registration number 586466. Darwin provides brokerage services for spread betting in addition to its forex services. Traders who chose Darwinex can take advantage of the market through a wide range of assets and instruments (over 300) including forex, metals, cryptocurrencies, indices, and commodities.
The website is operated by Tradeslide Trading Tech Limited and is designed to meet the modern standard of trading. The website can be accessed via multiple languages from over 100 countries.
The advantages of using Darwinex include:
The sole disadvantage from our standpoint is that:
Darwinex’s trading conditions are:
With Darwinex, traders are assured of fast and easy deposits or withdrawals. All clients irrespective of their account types are welcome to deposit or withdraw through MasterCard, Visa, Trustly, Skrill, Sabadell, Santander, NatWest, Neteller, and also bank wire transfer. Each of these methods may take some time to be processed. However, they are fast. Deposit fees may also be charged by the payment processors.
Darwinex’s copy trading service is unique; unlike others that allow traders to follow and directly copy trades, Darwinex works by buying a DARWIN. A DARWIN (Dynamic Asset and Risk Weighted Investment) is a financial asset created by Darwinex. This asset’s value is based on the client registered as a trader on Darwinex.
Traders who hold DARWINS can choose to buy or sell them (just like stock trading). Now here is the meat. The value of a DARWIN increases or decreases depending on the performance of the trader who provides the DARWIN. So, each time the trader who holds DARWINS places a trade, Darwinex also places an exact trade on behalf of the trader. The losses or gains reflect on the account.
Site: eToro.com
eToro was established in 2007 as a brokerage that offers financial services to clients all over the world. Registered as a Fintech company in Cyprus Cypriot Investment Firm, CIF) with registration number HE20058, eToro is also licensed and regulated by the CySEC (Cyprus Securities & Exchange Commission) with license number 109/10.
The company provides a plethora of market instruments and assets including cryptocurrencies, forex, stocks, and commodities. In addition to these, eToro has its native wallet through which traders and non-trading clients may store cryptocurrencies the website is available in different languages, designed to make trading easy, and offers full market features to users.
The advantages of eToro are:
The disadvantages of eToro are:
eToro’s trading conditions are made competitive to increase their customer base and make the trading experience beautiful for them. Some of these conditions are:
Clients who wish to deposit and withdraw may only do so using the electronic transfer options or domestic wire transfer. For deposits, clients have to deposit the equivalent of their currency in US dollars. A bank account must be linked to the eToro account first before the online request is processed. For wire transfers, an ABA document has to be provided alongside the details of the transaction. This document is submitted on the website.
Withdrawals also follow a similar procedure; first, the client requests for a withdrawal and then enter the details. The minimum withdrawal is $30.
eToro’s copy trading service, CopyTrader™, is the most popular feature on the website. It allows traders to copy trading positions from other traders to whose accounts theirs are connected. The process is smooth and simple. Trading fees are only deducted when profits are made and Copiers may withdraw from a Master at any time. It is possible to trade several asset classes using the Copy trading service.
One of the best features of eToro’s Copy trading platform is the presence of the risk score system. This system classifies a trader’s strategy based on how conservative or aggressive the system is. A lower risk score is a conservative score (1-4), while a higher risk score (7-10) indicates a highly aggressive strategy. The Risk Score represents a great way for Copiers to copy Masters that showcase a risk appetite they are comfortable with.
Site: FortFs.com
FortFs is a relatively new forex broker registered in 2010 as an International Business Company in St. Vincent and the grenadines with registration number 2307 BC 2019. FortFs is licensed and regulated by the International Financial Services Commission of Belize with license number IFSC/60/256/TS/17.
The company is licensed to provide brokerage services to clients for such assets and instruments in the financial markets (over 50) as currencies, indices, commodities, CFDs, and other leveraged financial instruments. The website is easy to navigate and available in multiple languages including English, Polish, French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic.
The advantages of FortFs offering are:
The disadvantage of FortFs include:
FortFs trading conditions are similar to those found in most other brokers. They include:
Having partnered with many payment processors, FortFs makes available a wide range of deposit and withdrawal methods. These include Qiwi, Skrill, Neteller, FasaPay, WebMoney, PerfectMoney, Visa/MasterCard, and bank wire transfers (for local Asian banks only). Trading fees are charged for some of these methods, but the deposits are processed almost instantly, except for card payments which may take up to a week.
FortFs offers clients the chance to copy the trades of other trades onto their accounts for execution. This feature is well-developed in FortFs as Copiers have complete control over their accounts; they may modify trading positions and the copy ratio settings to their margin.
FortFs arranges the Masters in a ranked list. This list shows other information such as their past performances and ROI. Trades are copied in 0.1 seconds and refunds are given if losses occur as a result of an absence of trading signals. The copy trading feature works on all accounts without limits and the customer service support is always on hand to assist Copiers and Masters.
Site: LiteForex.com
LiteForex is among the oldest new generation forex brokers having started operations as far back as 2008. LiteForex is registered as LiteForex Investment Limited in the Marshall Islands with registration number 63888. Licensed by the CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission), LiteForex is regulated and maintains the highest standard practice.
As a broker for the financial market, LiteForex provides access for clients to trade over 145 trading instruments and assets –cryptocurrencies, forex, indices, commodities, etc. LiteForex offers different trading accounts including ECN and classic accounts.
The advantages of LiteForex are:
The following trading conditions are enjoyed by LiteForex clients:
Neteller, Qiwi, MasterCard, Visa, SWIFT, PerfectMoney, Bitcoin, Maestro, and Skrill are some of the partner payment processors with LiteForex. These platforms are easy to use and ensure that deposits or withdrawals are processed on time. Bank wire transfers are also used for payment or deposits. LiteForex provides cryptocurrency (bitcoin) trading accounts through which clients can fund their accounts and then transfer the equivalent bitcoin in fiat to the other trading accounts.
LiteForex’s social trading is a copy trading hub that brings traders together to exchange ideas and copy trades from other verified, competent, and performing traders. The copy trading platform is well-designed to offer simple navigation and ease of linking accounts. The Copiers have access to the trading history of Masters who are ranked in order of decreasing in performance.
To begin copy trading, a client has to sign up for a trading account, then after selecting the preferred master, simply connect the account and start copying. The copying process is automatic; however, clients can choose to edit the copy ratio to suit their lot sizes and margins.
Site: OctaFX.com
OctaFX, officially owned by Octa Markets Limited was launched in 2011 in St. Vincent & the Grenadines where they are registered with the number 359992. They are licensed to operate as a Fintech company by the CySEC with license number 372/18.
OctaFX gives traders a place to comfortably trade the financial markets through a plethora of assets and instruments including commodities, forex, indices, equities, and cryptocurrencies (only Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum are available). The website is available in English and other major languages; clients from those regions can easily access it. OctaFX presently serves clients from 100 countries. The broker sees up to $4bn in daily trade volume.
The advantages are:
OctaFX offers the following trading conditions:
OctaFX allows traders to make deposits via various methods such as debit or credit cards, eWallets like PerfectMoney, Skrill, Neteller, Swift, Qiwi, etc. Bank wire transfers are also available. Bank wires may take anywhere from 24 hours to 7 days to be processed, but the other methods of deposits are instantly processed.
Clients may also use Bitcoin for deposits and withdrawals. This method takes anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour.
The copy trading service offered on OctaFX is separated from the mobile trading app and hosted on a separate app called OctaFx Copy Trading. This app allows clients to connect with other traders, exchange ideas, follow and build a following, share their trading profiles, and eventually register as Masters or Copiers.
The mobile app is free to use but Copiers have to agree to a profit-sharing formula with their Masters. Trades are copied instantly and exactly except the client edits the trading ratio to reflect their account size.
The OctaFX app also has a social hub and customer support service which works 24/5.
Site: InstaForex.com
InstaForex provides access to the forex market through its brokerage services. Instaforex was established in the year 2007 and is a trademark of the Insta Trading Limited (BVI), a Financial services company that is licensed by BVI FSC, with License Number SIBA/14/1082. The parent company is registered with FSC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, with registration number IBC22945.
InstaForex provides over 300 market instruments and assets for traders. These include forex, cryptocurrencies, indices, commodities, binary options, and stocks. The Instaforex website is available to clients from 100 countries and in multiple languages.
The following are the advantages:
Instaforex operates its trading service with the following conditions:
A wide range of deposit and withdrawal options are available on Instaforex. International and local bank transfers are available as customers from some regions can deposit using their local currencies. Customers may also use Bitcoin, Litecoin, credit, or debit cards (MasterCard and Visa), Skrill, Neteller, Payco, and Tether. Deposits are processed within hours (except for bank wires).
Instaforex also offers a copy trading service that is similar to others found in the industry. Copy-trading in Instaforex is simple; clients connect their accounts to a Master account and all trades are copied instantly. The minimum deposit for copy trading is $10, and clients only pay fees when profits are made. The fees may also be paid by the broker.
Site: Amarkets.com
Amarkets was established in 2007 and since then, they have provided brokerage services to clients from nearly 100 countries. Amarkets offers over 40 forex currency pairs, commodities, CFDs, indices, metals, stocks, and cryptocurrencies for trading. The broke is registered in St. Vincent & the Grenadines with registration number 22567 IBC 2015. Amarkets is licensed by CySEC to offer financial services. Its website is available to clients around the world in multiple languages.
The advantages are:
Amarkets offers competitive reading conditions in the market, making the broker stand out among the crowd. Some of these are:
Bank wire transfer, MasterCard Visa card, Wallets such as Skrill, WebMoney, SWIFT, PerfectMoney, Neteller, and FasaPay are available for deposits and withdrawals. Deposits are processed within a short time.
Amarkets copy trading is called RAMM (Risk Allocation & Money Management). It works in a slightly different manner from other copy trading services. In RAMM, traders create and deploy strategies that send signals to linked accounts. The signals are either automatically copied or entered by the receiver. The trading positions can be edited or altogether closed as the investor wishes.
Amarkets copy trading service is available for every account registered with the broker. Within minutes, clients can connect their accounts to a strategy manager and have all the moves the manager makes copied to their account. A profit-sharing system is in place, but each manager sets their rates (within limits).