What is the
forex commission
The separate fee on every trade. Visible on ECN accounts, hidden in the spread on standard ones. Either way — you pay it.
Typical ECN range: $3.50–$7.00 per side. The round-turn cost hits your account twice — once when you open, once when you close.
Three ways brokers
charge you per trade
Same trade, same lot size — but the model you choose can double or halve your cost. Here is how each one actually works.
Raw ECN Commission
The most transparent model. You pay a fixed dollar amount per lot traded — independent of the spread. The broker passes raw interbank pricing and charges separately.
– $7.00 per lot per side
Per side, per standard lot
Spread-Only (Commission-Free)
Markup baked into the bid-ask spread
No separate commission line on your statement. But the spread is wider — the broker earns by marking up the price. You pay anyway, just less visibly.
Hybrid (Spread + Reduced Commission)
Tighter spread than standard, lower commission than ECN
A middle ground. You get a tighter spread than a commission-free account but also pay a reduced commission. Popular with brokers who want to offer "ECN-like" pricing with lower barriers.
How commission adds up — in real dollars
Pick a trading style below to see exactly how commission stacks against spread over a month of trading.
15 round-turns per day at 0.1 lots. Commission piles up fast.
Total per month — commission + spread
300 trades × 0.1 lots × $7.00 round-turn
300 trades × 0.1 lots × $1.20/trade
Commission dominates your cost structure — negotiating a lower commission rate is where the real savings are.
300 trades × 0.1 lots × $7.00 RT
300 trades × 0.1 lots × $1.20/trade
Commission dominates your cost structure — negotiating a lower commission rate is where the real savings are.
The same commission hits different traders differently
A $7 round-turn commission means nothing to a swing trader holding for weeks — but it is everything to a scalper who opens 15 positions a day.
Commission is the dominant cost — 3× the spread
Commission and spread are roughly equal — both matter
Spread dominates — commission is secondary
Real ECN commission rates compared
These are real, verified per-side rates from live accounts — not marketing numbers. Tap any row to see the fine print.
Commission is charged in the base currency of the traded pair — so EURUSD commission is in EUR, not USD. This can make cost tracking slightly trickier but the rate itself is competitive.
One of the few brokers offering $3.00/side across forex, metals, and CFD indices on the same account. No minimum commission per trade — micro lot traders benefit.
Matches IC Markets and FP Markets on the headline rate. The $50 minimum deposit is the lowest in this bracket. Active trader rebates start at just 50 lots/month.
Pro account rebranded to Raw in late 2025. Commission went from $2.00 to $3.00/side — now on par with IC Markets and FP Markets.
Commission drops to $2.50/side at 150+ lots/month through their Active Trader program. AUD-denominated accounts pay slightly more due to currency conversion on the commission.
Multi-regulated (ASIC, FCA, FSA) with global availability. ThinkZero is the raw spread account — spreads from 0.0 pips with flat $3.50/side commission. Indices and shares trade on a spread-only basis with no commission on this account.
Commission is $35 per $1M traded, which works out to $3.50/side on a standard lot. FCA-regulated with strong execution quality — you pay the same rate as Pepperstone/Eightcap but with tighter regulatory oversight.
Solid mid-range option with reliable execution. The commission doesn't scale down with volume as aggressively as competitors, so heavy traders might find better value elsewhere.
Rates verified as of July 2026. Always check your broker's current contract specifications — rates change.
Six ways to pay less commission — starting today
The published rate is rarely the final rate. Here is what actually works — ranked by real-world impact, with the exact move to make.
Ask for a volume discount
Most brokers publish tiered rates starting at 100 lots/month. But even at 50 lots/month, a polite email to your account manager often gets you a 10–20% reduction. Brokers value retention — the worst they can say is no.
How: Email your account manager with last 3 months of volume stats. Mention a competitor's offer if you have one.
Open a PAMM or MAM account
If you manage money for multiple clients, pooled volume under a PAMM/MAM structure counts toward higher tiers. Many brokers also offer custom commission schedules for money managers that are significantly below the advertised rate.
How: Ask if your broker offers MAM/PAMM structures. Pooled volume from all sub-accounts counts toward higher tiers.
Switch to a different account type
Moving from a retail ECN account to a professional or institutional account tier often drops commission from $3.50 to $2.00–$2.50 per side. The tradeoff is usually a higher minimum deposit — but the savings can pay for that within months.
How: Compare the Professional or Institutional account tier on your broker's website. The higher minimum deposit is often the only barrier.
Trade higher timeframes
The simplest way to reduce commission? Trade less. Moving from 15 scalps a day to 5 swing trades a month can cut your monthly commission by 90%+. If commission is eating your profits, trading less frequently — with bigger position sizes on higher timeframes — is the most direct fix.
How: Move from M1/M5 to H1/D1 charts. Fewer trades × bigger positions = less commission per dollar of profit.
Negotiate a rebate program
Some brokers offer cash rebates instead of lower upfront commission — for example, $0.50/lot rebate paid monthly. The effective net commission drops without the broker having to change their published rate. Ask specifically about rebates, not just rate discounts.
How: Specifically ask: "Do you offer volume-based rebates instead of upfront commission discounts?" The structure matters.
Bundle services for better rates
Using the same broker for forex, CFD indices, and crypto can qualify you for blended volume discounts. A trader doing 30 forex lots + 20 index lots/month may cross a tier threshold that neither volume alone would reach. Consolidate accounts at one broker where possible.
How: Move your index and crypto CFD trading to the same broker. Combined monthly volume crosses tier thresholds faster.
The difference between $3.50/side and $2.00/side at 200 lots/month is $600/month — or $7,200/year.
That is the cost of not asking for a better rate.
Forex commission questions, answered
What exactly is a forex commission?
A forex commission is a fixed dollar fee charged per lot traded, separate from the spread.
On ECN accounts, you typically pay $3.50–$7.00 per standard lot per side — so a round-turn (open + close) costs $7.00–$14.00.
This is charged on top of the raw spread, which is often 0.1–0.3 pips on major pairs.
Commission is the broker's direct revenue; the raw spread goes to the liquidity providers.
A forex commission is a fixed dollar fee charged per lot traded, separate from the spread.
On ECN accounts, you typically pay $3.50–$7.00 per standard lot per side — so a round-turn (open + close) costs $7.00–$14.00.
This is charged on top of the raw spread, which is often 0.1–0.3 pips on major pairs.
Commission is the broker's direct revenue; the raw spread goes to the liquidity providers.
Commission-free brokers are market makers — they widen the spread to earn their revenue.
A "0 commission" EURUSD spread might be 1.2 pips ($12/lot).
An ECN broker charges $7 commission but offers a 0.2 pip spread ($2/lot), totaling $9/lot.
The commission-free account is actually $3 more expensive — but the cost is hidden in the spread.
Nothing is free in forex; you just pay differently.
Commission cost = (commission per side × 2) × lot size.
For a $3.50/side ECN account trading 0.5 lots: ($3.50 × 2) × 0.5 = $3.50 per round-turn.
Add the spread cost: 0.2 pips × $10/pip × 0.5 lots = $1.00.
Total cost = $4.50.
Compare this to a commission-free account at 1.2 pips: 1.2 × $10 × 0.5 = $6.00.
The ECN account saves $1.50 per trade.
Yes — but only if you trade significant volume.
Most brokers start reducing commissions at 100+ lots per month, with tiered discounts at 500, 1,000, and 5,000 lot levels.
An institutional account trading 10,000+ lots per month might pay $1.50–$2.00 per side instead of $3.50.
For retail traders doing under 50 lots per month, the advertised rate is usually non-negotiable.
Always ask — the worst they can say is no.
It depends on the broker.
Some charge a flat dollar rate regardless of pair — $7 per lot on EURUSD, GBPJPY, and XAUUSD all the same.
Others adjust: major pairs at $7, minors at $10, exotics at $15+.
CFD indices and commodities also have different commission structures.
Always check the contract specifications for each instrument before trading — do not assume the EURUSD rate applies everywhere.
Per-side means you pay when you open AND when you close.
A $3.50/side rate = $7.00 round-turn.
Per-round-turn means the single number covers both — a $7.00/RT rate = $7.00 total.
Most ECN brokers quote per-side because it makes the number look smaller.
When comparing brokers, always convert to round-turn: multiply per-side rates by 2, or just compare the total cost of a complete trade.
Massively.
A scalper doing 15 round-turns daily at 0.1 lots with $3.50/side commission pays: 15 × 0.1 × $7.00 = $10.50/day just in commission.
At 20 trading days, that is $210/month.
Their spread cost at 0.2 pips is only 15 × 0.1 × $0.20 × 20 = $6/month.
Commission is 35× larger than spread cost for this scalper.
This is why scalpers obsess over commission rates — it is quite literally their biggest expense.
Often yes.
Since the broker cannot earn swap revenue on Islamic accounts, many compensate by charging a higher commission or widening the spread.
An account that normally charges $3.50/side might charge $5.00/side on the swap-free version.
Some brokers charge a flat admin fee instead.
Always check the Islamic account terms separately — do not assume the standard commission rate applies.
No — but you can choose how you pay it.
Commission-free accounts build the cost into a wider spread.
ECN accounts charge it transparently.
Either way, every trade has a cost.
The real question is: which model gives you the lowest total cost for your specific trading volume and style? For most active traders, the transparent ECN commission model is cheaper — but you must run the numbers for your own trading.
Use this formula: Total Cost = (Spread in pips × Pip Value) + (Commission per side × 2).
For EURUSD at 1 standard lot: Commission-free at 1.2 pips = 1.2 × $10 + $0 = $12.00.
ECN at 0.2 pips + $3.50/side = 0.2 × $10 + ($3.50 × 2) = $2.00 + $7.00 = $9.00.
The ECN account is 25% cheaper.
Always calculate the total cost — never compare commission rates in isolation.
Yes.
Watch for: (1) minimum commission per trade — some brokers charge a floor of $5 even on micro lots, (2) different rates for different instruments — CFD indices often have higher commissions than forex, (3) inactivity fees on dormant accounts, (4) conversion fees if your account currency differs from the traded pair's quote currency.
The advertised $3.50/side rate is the headline — read the fine print for the full picture.
Since the broker cannot earn overnight swap revenue on Islamic accounts, most compensate through one of three methods: (1) higher commission — $5.00/side instead of $3.50, (2) wider spreads — adding 0.3–0.5 pips to the raw spread, or (3) a flat weekly admin fee — $5–$10 per lot held over Wednesday.
Check your broker's Islamic account terms carefully; the cost difference can be substantial for swing traders who hold positions for weeks.
Commission is just one piece of the puzzle
Trading costs go way beyond commissions. Spread hits you on entry, swap eats at you overnight, slippage surprises you on execution, and hidden fees drain your account quietly.
Spread
Every trade starts in the red because of the bid-ask spread. Here's how wide it gets, what moves it, and how much it really costs you.
Swap / Rollover
Hold a trade past midnight and the broker charges (or pays) interest. For swing traders, this can easily outweigh both spread and commission.
Slippage
Fast markets mean bad fills. Here's why the price you click and the price you get are rarely the same — and when it hurts most.
Hidden Charges
Not on your trade ticket but still coming out of your pocket — conversion markups, withdrawal fees, and those sneaky inactivity charges.