What CFD brokers really cost: verified all-in cost per lot (2026)
Six brokers compared from real experience: Pepperstone, FP Markets, IC Markets, Fusion Markets, Tickmill and RoboForex. Who each one is actually for.
Strategy Tester Report
ILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A REAL EA
ExpertExample EA (name redacted)
SymbolEURUSD, H1
ModelEvery tick
Commission0.00 per lot
The broker charges $4.50 a lot, round turn. At 1 lot a day for 22 days, that is $99.00 a month this report never paid.
Balance
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Total tradeswithheld
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Largest drawdownwithheld
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What one standard lot costs, by broker
On EUR/USD, Fusion Markets’ Zero account costs about $5.50 per round-turn lot. That is roughly 21–31% less than IC Markets ($7.00 on cTrader, $8.00 on MT5).
What the illustrative report assumed
$0.00
0.00 × 1 lot × 22 days = $0.00
Commission per lot, round turn, as entered in the test.
What Fusion Markets’ Zero account charges
$4.50
4.50 × 1 lot × 22 days = $99.00
Commission per lot, round turn. Add 0.1 pip × $10 of spread and the all-in cost is $5.50 per lot, or $121.00 a month.
$99.00 a monthmissing from the curve, before spread. The on-site 12-check lists it as “Commission and swap accounting”: compare the commission with the broker’s published rate.
All-in cost per standard lot, round turn, EUR/USD
Data as of 15 Oct 2026. All-in = average spread (pips) × $10 + round-turn commission.
Select any cost to see how it is built. Monthly cost is the all-in figure × lots per day × trading days.
| Broker and account | Regulation | Min. deposit | All-in per lot | Monthly cost1 lot a day, 22 days | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fusion MarketsZero account | ASIC | $100 | ≈ $5.500.1 pip + $4.50, restated | $121.00 | Fusion review (Zero account) |
| Fusion MarketsClassic account | ASIC | $100 | ≈ $9.20stated, inputs rounded; restated | $202.40 | Fusion review (Classic account) |
| IC MarketscTrader | ASIC + CySEC | $200 | $7.00restated | $154.00 | IC Markets review (cTrader) |
| IC MarketsMT5 | ASIC + CySEC | $200 | $8.00restated | $176.00 | IC Markets review (MT5) |
| PepperstoneRazor, MT5 | ASIC + FCA + CySEC | $200 | $8.000.1 pip + $7.00 · grade B | $176.00 | Pepperstone review |
| FP MarketsRaw | ASIC + CySEC | $100 | $7.000.1 pip + $6.00 · grade B | $154.00 | FP Markets review |
| TickmillRaw | FCA + CySEC | $100 | $7.000.1 pip + $6.00 · grade B+C | $154.00 | Tickmill review |
| RoboForexECN | FSC BelizeNo tier-1 regulator | $10 | ≈ $5.34stated, EUR-base commission · grade B | $117.48 | RoboForex review |
Sources. Fusion Markets product pages; fxrecap.com/fees (averages measured 1–5 Jun 2026); lowspreadbroker 30-day live test (Mar 2026). Pepperstone, FP Markets, Tickmill and RoboForex: the brokers’ own fee and specification pages, accessed 15 Oct 2026. Full ledger →
Grades. B = broker-published and archived; C = third-party test, named and dated (Tickmill’s average spread is both). Each row’s source, window and access date is in the cost ledger and its free CSV.
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Broker comparisons written from the desk: spreads, regulation and platforms tested against real workflows, not marketing pages.
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- StatusSimulated
- Risk per trade1–2% (policy target)
- Maximum monthly drawdown15% (policy target)
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