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Pepperstone is the best broker for scalping in the UK, on low raw-account cost, fast execution and an explicit scalping-permitted policy at an FCA-regulated entity. Scalping needs the lowest all-in cost and the fastest fills, because a strategy built on tiny, frequent gains is destroyed by wide spreads or slow execution.
Who is the best broker for scalping in the UK?
Pepperstone is the best broker for scalping in the UK, with the lowest advertised all-in cost and scalping explicitly permitted. FxPro, Tickmill, Vantage and Axi follow on raw or ECN accounts. Confirm two things before committing: the broker permits scalping on a retail account, and the account is genuinely raw or ECN.
Our five picks, ranked:
- Pepperstone: lowest advertised all-in cost with scalping explicitly permitted.
- FxPro: cTrader depth of market on no-dealing-desk execution.
- Tickmill: raw MT4 and MT5 pricing at about £2.25 a side.
- Vantage: low-commission raw ECN account.
- Axi: low-commission raw MT4 account.
What these scalping accounts tested at
Scalping multiplies cost by trade count, so a fraction of a pip decides the strategy. These are recorded spreads, not from-rates.
| Broker | Account tested | EUR/USD (tested) | GBP/USD (tested) | EUR/GBP (tested) | 3-pair average (tested) | Commission, round turn | Advertised from-rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | Razor (CFD) | 0.10 pips | 0.20 pips | 0.20 pips | 0.17 pips | £4.50 | tested basis leads |
| FxPro | Raw+ (MT4/MT5) | 0.64 pips | 0.54 pips | 0.69 pips | 0.62 pips | £5.22, converted | from 0.0 (advertised) |
| Tickmill | Raw | 0.10 pips | 0.30 pips | 0.49 pips | 0.30 pips | £4.50, converted | tested basis leads |
| Vantage | Raw ECN | 0.08 pips | 0.20 pips | 0.74 pips | 0.34 pips | £2.00 | tested basis leads |
| Axi | Pro | 0.00 pips | 0.10 pips | 0.20 pips | 0.10 pips | £3.50 | tested basis leads |
Spreads are modal values, the most frequent quote across three trading days on a live UK account, recorded by David Levy in July 2026 and averaged across the three pairs shown. Commission is the round-turn figure on one standard lot. Figures marked converted come from a broker schedule published in US dollars or euros, converted at the rate recorded with the capture. A tested modal is what the spread actually was, which is not the same thing as the from-rate a broker advertises; where both appear on this page each carries its own basis. Spreads move, so confirm the live rate before you trade.
1. Pepperstone: best overall for UK scalping
CFDs carry high risk. Retail leverage is FCA-capped.
- Average spread
- 0.1 pips avg, Razor (raw), tested July 2026
- Trading platforms
- MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView
- Minimum deposit
- £10
- Regulation
- Pepperstone Limited (FRN 684312)
◎ Standout: the only broker in this set whose single raw account carries all four third-party platforms, where FxPro needs a second account type to reach TradingView.
Why we recommend Pepperstone
Pepperstone Limited (FCA FRN 684312) permits scalping explicitly on its Razor account, which advertises spreads from 0.0 pips plus £2.25 commission per side (broker site, 10 July 2026). Razor runs on MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView, so a scalper can pair the account with depth of market on cTrader or one-click trading on MT5.
The caveat is that advertised minimums are best-case: typical spreads sit higher during quiet sessions, and we have not recorded independent captures for this page. Our UK review scored it 90 out of 100, and Pepperstone publishes a retail loss figure of 72.9% as of July 2026.
Pros & cons
- Scalping-permitted policy set out in writing
- Razor spreads advertised from 0.0 pips plus a fixed £2.25 per side on MT4 and MT5
- All four third-party platforms on one raw account, which no rival here matches
- Advertised 0.0-pip minimum is not the typical spread
- No fixed-spread fallback around news
- Commission applies on every round turn
2. FxPro: cTrader depth of market on NDD execution
CFDs carry high risk. Retail leverage is FCA-capped.
- Average spread
- 0.64 pips avg, Raw+ (raw), tested July 2026
- Trading platforms
- MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView
- Minimum deposit
- £0
- Regulation
- FxPro UK Limited (FRN 509956)
◎ Standout: cTrader depth of market paired with no-dealing-desk execution.
Why higher here? Scalping Fit weights execution quality and all-in cost at scalping pace, which lifts FxPro above its #15 sitewide position. See the ranking method ↓
Why we recommend FxPro
FxPro UK Limited (FCA FRN 509956) runs its Raw+ account with advertised spreads from 0.0 pips plus $3.50 commission per side (broker site, 10 July 2026). Execution is no-dealing-desk, and cTrader's depth-of-market view suits scalpers who read the order book before firing an entry.
Because the commission is quoted in US dollars on a GBP-funded account, the sterling cost shifts with the exchange rate, so confirm the round-turn figure at your rate before trading. We have not recorded independent captures for this page. FxPro publishes a retail loss figure of 76% as of July 2026.
Pros & cons
- cTrader depth of market for order-book visibility
- No-dealing-desk execution with no requotes
- Raw spreads advertised from 0.0 pips
- Commission quoted in USD on a GBP account adds conversion noise
- Advertised 0.0-pip minimum is best-case
- Wider platform set than a pure scalper needs
3. Tickmill: raw MT4 and MT5 pricing, billed in US dollars
CFDs carry high risk. Retail leverage is FCA-capped.
- Average spread
- 0.1 pips avg, Raw, tested July 2026
- Trading platforms
- MT4, MT5
- Minimum deposit
- US$100
- Regulation
- Tickmill UK Ltd (FRN 717270)
◎ Standout: raw MT4 and MT5 pricing at a flat USD 3.00 a side, mid-pack on commission in this set.
Why higher here? Scalping Fit weights execution quality and all-in cost at scalping pace, which lifts Tickmill above its #7 sitewide position. See the ranking method ↓
Why we recommend Tickmill
Tickmill UK Ltd (FCA FRN 717270) advertises its Raw account from 0.0 pips plus $3 commission per side (broker site, 10 July 2026), about £2.25 a side, which is mid-pack here: Vantage and Axi both charge less on our tested figures. The account runs on MT4 and MT5 only, so cTrader and TradingView traders should look elsewhere.
As with FxPro, the commission is quoted in US dollars, so the sterling cost moves with the exchange rate. Since commission is the primary scalping variable, Tickmill rewards traders who prioritise the lowest per-side charge over platform breadth. Tickmill publishes a retail loss figure of 69% as of July 2026.
Pros & cons
- Flat USD 3.00 per side on FX, about £2.25 at current rates
- Raw spreads advertised from 0.0 pips
- MT4 and MT5 both supported
- No cTrader or TradingView
- Commission quoted in USD adds conversion noise
- Platform choice narrower than Pepperstone
4. Vantage: low-commission raw ECN account
CFDs carry high risk. Retail leverage is FCA-capped.
- Average spread
- 0.08 pips avg, Raw ECN, tested July 2026
- Trading platforms
- MT4, MT5, TradingView
- Minimum deposit
- £50
- Regulation
- Vantage Global Prime LLP (FRN 590299)
◎ Standout: a low £1-per-side advertised commission on a raw ECN account.
Why higher here? Scalping Fit weights execution quality and all-in cost at scalping pace, which lifts Vantage above its #8 sitewide position. See the ranking method ↓
Why we recommend Vantage
Vantage Global Prime LLP (FCA FRN 590299) advertises its Raw ECN account from 0.0 pips plus £1 commission per side on EUR/USD, and from 0.5 pips plus £1 on GBP/USD (broker site, 10 July 2026). The £1 sterling commission is one of the lowest per-side charges in this set, which suits high-frequency entries.
The account runs on MT4, MT5 and TradingView. Advertised minimums are best-case, so confirm the live spread and the current account terms before funding, since we have not recorded independent captures for this page. Vantage publishes a retail loss figure of 70.98% as of July 2026.
Pros & cons
- Low advertised £1-per-side commission
- Raw ECN account on MT4, MT5 and TradingView
- GBP-denominated commission
- GBP/USD advertised from 0.5 pips, wider than EUR/USD
- Advertised minimums are best-case
- Account terms vary, so confirm before funding
5. Axi: low-commission raw MT4 account
CFDs carry high risk. Retail leverage is FCA-capped.
- Average spread
- 0 pips avg, Pro (raw), tested July 2026
- Trading platforms
- MT4, MT5
- Minimum deposit
- None published
- Regulation
- Axi Financial Services (UK) Limited (FRN 466201)
◎ Standout: a low-commission raw account built around the MT4 execution stack.
Why higher here? Scalping Fit weights execution quality and all-in cost at scalping pace, which lifts Axi above its #13 sitewide position. See the ranking method ↓
Why we recommend Axi
Axi Financial Services (UK) Limited (FCA FRN 466201) prices its raw Pro account at a native £1.75 per side (GBP 3.50 round turn, FCA Product Schedule effective 14 April 2026), and the Pro tier tested at 0.0 pips on EUR/USD. That puts its all-in cost among the lowest on this page. Execution is no-dealing-desk, the structure high-frequency entries need.
On our tested figures Axi's Pro tier is the tightest of Axi and Tickmill on the three-pair average, and its native £1.75 per side is the lower of the two. Confirm the current scalping-permitted terms before trading, since we have not independently recorded Axi's scalping policy for this page. Axi publishes a retail loss figure of 66.36% as of July 2026, and the FCA register carries a clone-firm notice against "AXI Corp Limited" from February 2023, so check you are opening with Axi Financial Services (UK) Limited, FRN 466201, on register.fca.org.uk.
Pros & cons
- Native £1.75 per side, billed in pounds (GBP 3.50 round turn)
- Raw MT4 execution suited to high-frequency entries
- FCA-authorised entity
- EUR/GBP tested at 0.2 pips, wider than its EUR/USD
- Commission is per side, so a round turn is £3.50
- No cTrader
Which broker publishes its execution statistics?
FxPro, and it is worth reading if you scalp. Slippage and requotes decide whether a tight spread survives contact with the market, and most brokers say nothing about either. FxPro publishes the split: the figures below are its own, not ours, and we quote no tested latency of our own for any broker on this page.
FxPro execution statistics
Why platform and broker matter more for scalpers
Scalping amplifies every cost and every delay. A trader holding a position for seconds pays the spread and commission on a high volume of trades, so a difference of a fraction of a pip compounds into a meaningful sum across a session. Execution speed matters just as much, because slippage on entry or exit eats the small edge a scalp is built on. A raw or ECN account on a fast platform, ideally with a VPS hosted near the broker’s server, is the setup that makes the strategy work.
Comparison table: UK brokers for scalping
Each broker below holds FCA authorisation and offers a raw or ECN account suited to scalping. The ranking weighs advertised all-in cost in GBP against execution quality and the broker’s scalping policy. Costs are advertised from-rates plus commission, not spreads we recorded live.
| Broker | Account | EUR/USD all-in cost (advertised) | GBP/USD all-in cost (advertised) | Platforms | FCA entity (FRN) | Scalping permitted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | Razor (raw) | From 0.0 pips + £2.25 per side | From 0.0 pips + £2.25 per side | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView | Pepperstone Limited (684312) | Yes |
| FxPro | Raw+ | From 0.0 pips + $3.50 per side | From 0.0 pips + $3.50 per side | MT4, MT5, cTrader | FxPro UK Limited (509956) | Yes |
| Tickmill | Raw | From 0.0 pips + $3 per side | From 0.0 pips + $3 per side | MT4, MT5 | Tickmill UK Ltd (717270) | Yes |
| Vantage | Raw ECN | From 0.0 pips + £1 per side | From 0.5 pips + £1 per side | MT4, MT5, TradingView | Vantage Global Prime LLP (590299) | Yes |
| Axi | Pro (raw) | From 0.0 pips + £1.75 per side | From 0.0 pips + £1.75 per side | MT4, MT5 | Axi Financial Services (UK) Limited (466201) | Confirm before trading |
These costs are a desk-based assessment of each broker’s advertised UK pricing rather than spreads we recorded on a live account. Each figure is the broker’s advertised minimum spread plus commission on its raw or ECN account, taken from the broker’s own site on 10 July 2026, and the two newest entries carry an indicative commission pending re-capture. Every broker below is assessed on demo and live accounts under our published process; confirm live pricing and the scalping policy before trading. Full detail sits on the methodology page.
Scalping cost example: what 0.5 pips actually costs
The all-in cost is what decides whether a scalp clears. On one standard lot of EUR/USD, a 0.5 pip all-in cost is £3.71 at the exchange rate baked into this build (20 July 2026), made up of the spread cost plus the round-turn commission. A scalper placing 20 such trades in a session pays £74.21 in costs alone, before any profit or loss on the trades. That is why a broker that shaves a tenth of a pip or a few pounds of commission per round turn matters far more to a scalper than to a position trader.
At scalping frequency the commission half dominates, so the ranking below is set to 50 standard lots a month rather than the casual volume most cost tables assume.
Spreads tested July 2026 · FX updated 00:03 BST, 20 July 2026
| # | Broker | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Axi | £220.70 |
| 2 | Vantage | £257.96 |
| 3 | Eightcap | £278.77 |
| 4 | Pepperstone | £295.44 |
| 5 | HFM | £304.03 |
| 6 | HYCM | £310.84 |
| 7 | Tickmill | £356.14 |
| 8 | FxPro | £521.94 |
| 9 | ThinkMarkets | £629.23 |
Round-turn cost at your volume: average tested spread across EUR/USD, GBP/USD and EUR/GBP, plus each broker's commission on raw accounts. Standard accounts price spread-only.
Work out your monthly scalping cost across the FCA brokers we test in the broker cost calculator. It ranks on a three-pair average rather than EUR/USD alone, which is the harder test for a scalper trading more than one pair. The lowest spread brokers guide runs the same all-in test across the full FCA set.
Platform features that matter for scalping
Beyond cost, a scalper needs the right tools. One-click trading and fast order entry cut the time between decision and fill. Depth of market, which cTrader and MT5 provide, shows the liquidity behind a price. A stable platform that does not freeze under load is non-negotiable, and a VPS hosted near the broker’s server reduces latency on every order. These are the features that separate a workable scalping setup from a frustrating one. Scalping is also commonly automated: if you plan to run an automated scalping strategy, the same latency and stability demands apply around the clock, and the platform’s algo environment matters as much as its charts.
Compare brokers by the factor that decides it
Different traders rank on different things. Start from the factor that decides it for you.
Start with the overall ranking
Our main UK list scores every FCA-regulated broker on cost and execution.
The platform decides it
Pick your trading software first, then compare the brokers that carry it.
Cost decides it
The same trade costs different amounts on different account types. These lists rank on the all-in figure.
You are starting out
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FAQs
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About the author
Noam co-founded CompareForexBrokers in 2014 and has traded forex since the late 1990s. He leads the cost and execution testing behind the site: spreads, commissions and fill quality, worked as an all-in GBP total on the account a UK trader would really use. His bylines cover the spread, commission, ECN and execution pages he personally tests.