Investing > Admiral Markets Review

Admiral Markets Review

Admiral Markets is a trusted forex brokerage that's appreciated for its large investment selection.

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Reviewed by
Updated February 08, 2024

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Are you a forex trader?

If so, you probably already know what you’re looking for: a brokerage you can trust, with reliable order execution and low fees.

It feels good to launch into this Admiral Markets review by stating this is a company that puts its whole financial record and 10-year business growth plan out there for the world to see, assess and audit. Talk about trust-building and transparency.

The broker puts up annual reports at the end of every year to provide their consumers with information on the company’s activities and financial results. Throw in a large investment selection, tier-1 regulation, helpful customer service you can actually reach, and a free demo account to start — and it might sound unrealistic. 🎯

If that does sound unrealistic, you’ve probably never looked at Admiral Markets. The only downfall: traders from the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Iran, Turkey Malaysia, and Jamaica are not eligible.

For those who are eligible however, the platform has a lot of impressive features. In this review, we dive into it all.

Ready? Let’s jump in.

Admiral Markets investment firms operating under the Admiral Markets trademark, are online trading service providers that facilitate the trading of a large number of assets. The platform is known for low fees, outstanding educational resources, and wide investment selection.

Fast Facts

  • Demo Account: Yes
  • Account Minimum: From €1 to €100 or equivalent, depending on account type
  • Regulation: FCA, ASIC, CySEC, EFSA, MiFiD
  • Best For: Traders of all levels seeking a feature-rich, fully customized MetaTrader
  • Asset Coverage: Forex, commodities, crypto, indices, stocks CFDs, shares, ETFs, ETFs CFDs, bonds

Ratings

  • Commissions & Fees: 8/10
  • Investment Selection: 8/10
  • Account Options & Features: 9/10
  • Usability: 8/10
  • Educational Resources: 9/10
  • Customer Service: 8/10
  • Overall: 8/10
Visit Admiral Markets on Admiral Markets’ website

Investor Warning: Trading forex (foreign exchange) or CFDs (contracts for difference) on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. There is a possibility that you may sustain a loss equal to or greater than your entire investment. Therefore, you should not invest or risk money that you cannot afford to lose. Before using Admiral Markets UK Ltd, Admiral Markets Cyprus Ltd or Admiral Markets PTY Ltd services, please acknowledge all of the risks associated with trading.

What is Admiral Markets? 📚

2018 was a good year for Admiral Markets. The online brokerage grew its client base by leaps and bounds. While in-house profits and net trading income for the year took a slight hit due to low market volatility, the parent company, Admiral Markets Group AS, increased its net trading income even with a personnel-related hike in administrative and operating expenses.

The year’s growth also saw an exciting expansion into three new markets and netted the brokerage itself a number of industry-specific awards.

Admiral Markets logo
Admiral Markets’ parent company has seen a big rise in net trading income past few years.

In addition, in an industry notorious for fly-by-night brokerages sporting more suspense than substance, it is clear Admiral Markets cares deeply about long-term operational sustainability and its corporate environmental footprint. These are exactly the kinds of hallmarks you want to see in any forex brokerage you choose to trade with.

Does this means Admiral Markets is the right broker for you? The truth is, only you can answer that question. This Admiral Markets review will give you the information you need to decide for yourself.

🇺🇸 Are you interested in trading forex in the U.S.? Find the best forex broker for U.S. traders.

Overview and Summary

Admiral Markets most important aspects:

  1. Founded in 2001, Admiral Markets has welcomed more than 24,000 active traders to the platform. 
  2. Admiral Markets Group consists of three separate entities serving different geographic areas  (Australia, Cypress, and UK).
  3. Licensed by the The Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (EFSA) and The Directive on Markets in Financial Instruments (MiFiD).
  4. In 2020, the Global Banking and Finance Review Awards cited them as the Best Forex Broker in Spain, Best Forex Education & Training in Germany and Best Brokerage CEO of the Year in Europe.
  5. Received the Estonia Enterprise Awards Top 10 Exporters of the Year in 2019.
  6. Traders Magazine ES cited the company as the Best CFD Broker/Best Forex Broker in 2018.
  7. Received the  UK Forex Awards/Shares Magazine for Best MT4 Broker in 2015.
  8. Got the Broker Wahl (Germany) FX Broker of the Year award in 2015. 
  9. Considered as the number one online broker by onlinebroker-portal.de in 2015.

Is Admiral Markets Regulated? 🛡

In a word: yes. Admiral Markets is covered by no less than three different regulatory agencies, each of which is a major tier 1 regulator: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC).

The broker is also licensed by the The Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (EFSA) and The Directive on Markets in Financial Instruments (MiFiD).

Admiral Markets has three brokerage entities, which are regulated as follows:

  • ☑ Admiral Markets Pty LTD: Overseen by Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC)
  • ☑ Admiral Markets Cypress Ltd: Overseen by Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC)
  • ☑ Admiral Markets UK Ltd: Overseen by Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

Pros

  • Strong regulatory oversight from three tier 1 agencies.
  • Multiple account types (demo and live) for desktop, web (online) and mobile app.
  • Deeply customized, feature-rich MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 trading platforms.
  • Very accessible minimum account deposits ranging from €1 to €100.
  • New trader bonuses and periodic promotions and trading contests.
  • Flexible leverage ranging from 1:10 to 1:500 (depending on account and asset class variables).

Cons

  • Free demo account is only available for the first 30 days – this is not industry-standard.
  • Fees assessed with many (but not all) deposit and withdrawal methods.
  • Typical order execution (90 percent) within 150ms is a long time when some brokerages offer instant or less than 1ms execution speeds.
  • Less variety in deposit and withdrawal options and fees apply for many of the available options.

Range of Offerings 📃

Admiral Markets offers a competitive range of asset classes with acceptable variety within each. Some asset classes offer both single shares and CFDs. That said it is considered to be a good platform for active traders.

Forex (Currency Pairs) ✔

Trade in 47 major, minor and exotic currency pairs. Retail clients can get leverage of up to 1:30 and spreads starting at 0 pips. There are no restrictions on trading styles, strategies or stop distances. Forex trading is open 24 hours a day, five days a week, Sunday 10pm GMT to Friday 10pm GMT.

Commodities CFDs ✔

Trade commodities CFDs 24 hours a day, five days a week with no commission and leverage of up to 1:20 for retail clients.

Cryptocurrencies (CFDs) ✔

Trade cryptocurrencies CFDs for Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Ripple and others. Retail clients can get leverage of 1:2. Trade crypto CFDs 24/7 on pairs using Crypto Cross and EUR. Typical posted spread is a percentage of the price 1.0.

😕 Do you find spreads confusing? Learn about forex commissions and spreads.

Indices CFDs ✔

Trade in 15 different commodities CFDs with leverage of up to 1:20 for retail clients. Trading is available 24 hours a day, five days a week. No commission trades are available.

Stocks/ Shares CFDs ✔

For stocks, trade single stocks with a commission from 0.01 U.S. and no leverage.

For shares CFDs, trade U.S., EU and UK shares with leverage of up to 1:5 for retail clients. Trade in any direction and no extra charge for short sales.

ETFs/ ETFs CFDs ✔

Trade ETFs at the retail or professional level. Retail level commissions start at $0.01 per share. No leverage or margin for retail clients.

Trade on ETFs CFDs with leverage of up to 1:5 for retail clients. No extra fees for short sales. Take the long or short position.

Bonds CFDs ✔

Trade bond CFDs on government treasury bonds with leverage of up to 1:5 for retail clients, a typical spread of 0.6 and no commission. Take long or short position and no extra charge for short sales.

Admiral Markets Compared

Fees
Average spread EUR/USD standard

0.6

0.9

All-in cost EUR/USD - active

0.7

0.363

Minimum initial deposit

200

$250

General
Total currency pairs

47

93

Demo account?
Social / copy trading?
Rating
Fees
Average spread EUR/USD standard

0.9

0.6

All-in cost EUR/USD - active

0.363

0.6

Minimum initial deposit

$250

$10,000

General
Total currency pairs

93

182

Demo account?
Social / copy trading?
Rating
Fees

Average spread EUR/USD standard

0.6

0.9

0.6

All-in cost EUR/USD - active

0.7

0.363

0.6

Minimum initial deposit

200

$250

$10,000

General

Total currency pairs

47

93

182

Demo account?

Social / copy trading?

Account Types 🗃

In addition to the free demo account, there are five live accounts to choose from. Micro accounts, mini accounts, standard accounts and ECN (electronic communication network) accounts are all available.

Two accounts are available for use with MetaTrader 4. Three accounts are available for use with MetaTrader 5. There is also a Sharia-compliant swap free Islamic account available (only applicable with the MT5 trade account type). A professional account type is also available by logging in to Traders Room and going through the professional application process.

Demo Account ⏳

The free demo account allows you to practice-trade forex, shares CFDs and indices only. It is only available for 30 days. This is a very short period of time and is definitely not an industry standard.

Screenshot of Admiral Markets Demo Trading Account opening page
You can open a demo account on Admiral Markets’ website but you can use it up to 30 days only.

Many brokerages allow continuous use of a demo account alongside live accounts. If you decide to enroll in the demo account, the process requires only your name, email address and phone number and comes with a free quick-start guide.

MT4: Trade Account ✔

You can open a MT4 trade account with a minimum deposit of €100 or equivalent. This account gives you access to currencies, cryptocurrencies CFDs, spot metal CFDs, spot energy CFDs, index futures CFDs, cash index CFDs, stocks CFDs and bonds CFDs.

Leverage for retail clients averages 1:10 to 1:30 and spread is from 0.5 pips. You get market execution, negative balance protection and two mobile app options.

MT4: Zero Account ✔

You can open a MT4 zero account with a minimum deposit of €100 or equivalent. This account gives you access to trading currencies, spot metal CFDs, cash index CFDs and spot energy CFDs.

Leverage averages 1:10 to 1:30 for retail clients. Spread is from 0 pips. You get market execution, negative balance protection and two mobile app options.

MT5: Trade Account ✔

You can open a MT5 trade account with a minimum deposit of €100 or equivalent. This account gives you access to currencies, cryptocurrencies CFDs, spot metal CFDs, spot energy CFDs, spot agriculture CFDs, index futures CFDs, commodities futures CFDs, cash index CFDs, stocks CFDs, ETFs CFDs and bonds CFDs.

Leverage for retail clients averages 1:10 to 1:30 and spread is from 0.5 pips. You get market execution, negative balance protection and two mobile app options. A Sharia-compliant, swap free Islamic account option is available for this retail account type only.

MT5: Invest Account ✔

You can open a MT5 invest account with a minimum deposit of €1 or equivalent. This account gives you access to trade over 4,350 stocks and, for retail clients over 200 ETFs.

For professional clients, you can trade over 500 ETFs. No leverage or negative balance protection are offered. You get exchange execution on all trades.

Two mobile app options are available.

MT5: Zero Account ✔

You can open a MT5 zero account with a minimum deposit of €100 or equivalent. This account gives you access to trading currencies, spot metal CFDs, cash index CFDs and spot energy CFDs.

Leverage averages 1:10 to 1:30 for retail clients. Spread is from 0 pips. You get market execution, negative balance protection and two mobile app options.

Professional (“Admiral Pro”) Account ✔

When you upgrade to the Admiral Pro professional account the kid gloves come off. Leverage skyrockets to 1:500 in the case of some instruments, available margin also increases and there is no negative balance protection as a safety net.

All account types can be funded using a variety of methods as noted below. Transmission times and commissions rates can range from instantaneous to up to three business days depending on the method you select.

Deposits 💰

Payment MethodTransaction Charges/ Business Days
Bank WireFree, up to 3 business days
KlarnaFree, instant transfer
Visa/MasterCardFree, instant transfer
Skrill0.9 percent minimum fee, instant transfer
Neteller0.9 percent minimum fee, instant transfer
SafetyPay0.9 percent minimum fee for CLP/free for USD, instant transfer
PrzelewyFree, up to 1 business day
iBank/BankLinkFree, instant transfer
iDEALFree, instant transfer

Withdrawals 💳

Payment MethodTransaction Charges/ Business Days
Bank Wire (Standard) Allows 2 free withdrawals per month, up to 3 business days
SkrillAllows 2 free withdrawals per month, instant transfer
NetellerAllows 2 free withdrawals per month, instant transfer

Some bank wire services have special conditions and additional fees as follows:

Special ConditionsTransaction Fees/ Business Days
EUR payments to European Union1EUR, up to 3 business days
GBP payments to UK1GBP, up to 3 business days
BGN payments to Bulgaria2BGN, up to 3 business days
CZK payments to Czech Republic30 CZK, up to 3 business days
HUF payments to Hungary300HUF, up to 3 business days
PLN payments to Poland5PLN, up to 3 business days
RON payments to Romania5RON, up to 3 business days

Admiral Markets Review of Fees 💸

Admiral Markets charges some additional fees in addition to the deposit and withdrawal fees as listed above here.

Internal Account Deposits Fee 💵

For any internal account deposits made in a different currency to the base account currency, a one percent processing fee will apply. Internal account transfers made with the same currency are free.

Account Inactivity Fee 💶

There is a 10EUR per month account inactivity fee for any accounts that have been inactive for 24 consecutive months and have greater than a zero balance.

Islamic Account Fee 💷

The Sharia-compliant Islamic account charges a flat fee for trading in different instruments. Admiral Markets posts the full extensive list of flat fees per asset class and instrument for this account type on their website.

As well, Admiral Markets may charge a small overnight administrative flat fee for exotic currency pairs and cryptocurrencies. Any trades that remain open with a holding period of more than 3 days may incur an additional small flat fee.

Trading Fees by Currency Type, Asset Class and Instrument 💱

Admiral Markets publishes the full schedule of trading fees by currency type, asset class and instrument on their website.

Trading Platforms 🖥

Admiral Markets is a MetaTrader-only online brokerage. MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 are both available. But Admiral Markets has gone its competitors one better with the introduction of MetaTrader Supreme Edition. With this addition, you have a whopping four trading platform options to choose from within the MT family of software as follows:

  • ☑ MetaTrader 4
  • ☑ MetaTrader 5
  • ☑ MetaTrader 4 Supreme Edition
  • ☑ MetaTrader 5 Supreme Edition

The Supreme Edition features special customized versions of your garden variety MetaTrader 4 and Metrader 5 platforms. SE editions are now available for desktop or web (online) trading. Each one can also be used with the free demo account.

Screenshot of Market Watch feature on Meta Trader 5 platform
Meta Trader Supreme Edition offers a great variety of top-notch trading and analysis tools.

Global Opinion widgets, trade terminal and mini trade terminal, tick chart trader, real-time news, a custom indicator package, a trading simulator, a mini chart feature, Forex Featured Ideas™ and technical insight™ tools with Trading Central combine to make Supreme Edition a standout offering for traders at all skill levels. In fact, it may be worth checking out Admiral Markets just to take the Supreme Edition of your choice out for a test drive.

Admiral Markets Review of Apps 📝

Admiral Markets has its own in-house suite of apps (Android and iOS). It also integrates with the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 apps, although unfortunately the full customization options available on desktop and online (web) do not carry over to the app experience.

Admiral Markets Apps 📱

  • iOS/Apple app: 5.0 (out of 5 stars) even with only 24 user reviews and one written review, this is a pretty impressive app score.
  • Android/Google Play app: 3.9 (out of 5 stars) the majority of users give this app performance positive ratings.

MT4 Apps 💻

  • iOS/Apple app (for iPhone and iPad): 4.8 (out of 5 stars) there are no recent reviews but earlier ones cited some upgrade issues.
  • Android/Google Play app (for phone and tablet): 4.6 (out of 5 stars) recent reviews state the app has been freezing and there are some connectivity issues.

MT5 Apps 🤖

  • iOS/Apple app (for iPhone and iPad) 4.7 (out of 5 stars) user reviews here are stellar overall with only minor tweaks requested.
  • Android/Google Play app (for phone and tablet): 4.5 (out of 5 stars) recent user reviews state there have been some issues with freezes, lag-time and time-out.

🕵️‍♂️ Side note: If you are looking for some other alternative app to trade from, here’s a list of top-tier forex trading apps that we rounded up for you.

Research, News and Education 📰

No Admiral Markets review would be complete without information on research, news and education tools. Admiral Markets more than rises to the occasion in this area and their education tools are particularly noteworthy. Access ongoing daily webinar offerings and periodic seminars.

Screenshot of Admiral Markets website with Education page selected
Both novice and expert traders can get a good use of Admiral Markets’ educational resources.

Take the forex 101 online course (covers forex and CFD trading). Learn risk management from the pros. The “Zero to Hero” program teaches you to trade forex in 20 days. Find articles and tutorials on each asset class and investment vehicle.

MetaTrader Supreme Edition 🌟

The deeply customized MetaTrader Supreme Edition gives you advanced research and analysis tools plus account and order management options. Also receive real-time news updates, indicators and access to a trading simulator (a nice alternative to the 30-day limit on the free demo account).

MetaTrader Regular (4, 5) ⭐

You might be wondering what research and news is like for the standard MetaTrader 4 and 5 platforms. They also deliver, with free real-time news and information, advanced charting features and a fully customizable interface.

MetaTrader Web (Online) 🌐

For traders who prefer not to use the apps but want to avoid software downloads, the web (online) version is available for PC or Mac and for either MT4 or MT5. The web trader version gives you all the basic order types: buy/sell, buy limit/sell limit, buy stop/sell stop, stop loss, take profit. You can log in from your existing Admiral Markets account to try the web version.

Customer Support ☎

Customer support is available in four areas: general questions, MT4 or MT5 technical support and trading desk. Of the four options, traders give the technical support feature the highest marks. You can download the remote support software and then send a support request by email or call the support desk for troubleshooting help.

Chat support is available via Twitter, Facebook, Telegram or Livechat. There is also a contact form you can fill out for email support. The website is translated into 32 different languages.

There are two customer service phone numbers. One is for general support and the other is for the trading desk. Multiple language options are available, which is one nice perk.

Finally, you can browse the fairly extensive frequently asked questions database, which is broken out into three topical areas: MT4 help, general questions and retail versus professional account questions.

Otherwise, customer support response times are fairly quick and overall satisfaction is in line with competitors, but certainly not a stand-out feature for this Admiral Markets review.

Final Thoughts 🏁

Even with all of the Admiral Markets review information you have just read through, sometimes the only way to know for sure if a brokerage is the right pick is to test them out for yourself. The Admiral Markets free demo account is available for 30 days so you can take the platform’s functionality for a test drive. The MetaTrader Supreme Edition (4,5) is free to download and use.

If you are new to trading forex or CFDs in general, Admiral Markets is worth a look for its educational resources, webinars and seminars alone – even if you end up choosing a different brokerage for live trading. Micro and mini accounts combined with retail account negative balance protection also give new traders some extra built-in safeguards.

Admiral Markets offers competitive spreads and more than 4,000 trading instruments. Their order execution times are not the fastest in the industry, but you can potentially get around this by using VPS. They are heavily regulated and have nearly two decades of longevity to support their claims of pricing and fee transparency.

Could Admiral Markets be the right brokerage for you? If you decide to give them a try, please share your experiences in the comments.

👨‍🏫 Do you need help choosing the right forex broker? Start by learning what to look for in a forex broker.

Admiral Markets: FAQs

  • Is Admiral Markets Regulated?

    Admiral Markets has regulation oversight from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). Admiral Markets is also licensed by the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (EFSA) and The Directive on Markets in Financial Instruments (MiFiD).

  • Can I Sign Up to Trade with Admiral Markets?

    Admiral Markets accepts all traders from outside the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Iran, Turkey Malaysia, Jamaica.

  • What Are Admiral Markets’s Operating Hours?

    Monday through Friday, 24/5 during market hours. Chat and/or email support is available 24/7.

  • Does Admiral Markets Offer VPS?

    Yes.

  • Where Does Admiral Markets’s Liquidity Come From?

    Admiral Markets’s main liquidity partner is the parent company, Admiral Markets AS. However, their contract terms on the AM website states that they always reserve the right to use alternate liquidity providers.

  • What is the Average Order Latency to Trade with Admiral Markets?

    It depends on the account type you choose. MetaTrader 4 account types get market execution (150ms or faster). MetaTrader 5 Trade and Zero account types get market execution. The MetaTrader Invest account type gets exchange execution.

  • What is the Average for Admiral Markets’s Spreads?

    Admiral Markets offers spreads as tight as 0.1 pips for major currency pairs (example: EUR/USD). Posted averages (historical data) can range from 0.1 pips to 3.6 pips and up. No commission trades are also available with some account types.

Admiral and the Competition

See how Admiral compares to the leading forex brokers by reading one of the reviews below.

All reviews, research, news and assessments of any kind on The Tokenist are compiled using a strict editorial review process by our editorial team. Neither our writers nor our editors receive direct compensation of any kind to publish information on tokenist.com. Our company, Tokenist Media LLC, is community supported and may receive a small commission when you purchase products or services through links on our website. Click here for a full list of our partners and an in-depth explanation on how we get paid.

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