Admirals vs Plus500 (2026): regulation, platforms and costs compared
Advertiser disclosure: some links on this page may be affiliate links, meaning BrokerCatalogue may earn a commission if you open an account. This never affects the data shown here, which is drawn from our catalogue and compared mechanically. How we make money.
Data refreshed 25 Aug 2026 · Compiled by David Ispiryan
Admirals is a well-regarded forex and CFD broker offering broad market access, user-friendly platforms, and integrated research and education. It provides a range of account options and risk management tools under established…
Plus500 is a regulated forex and CFD broker offering broad access to currency pairs and other markets on a proprietary web and mobile platform. It provides built-in charting, order types, and risk…
Admirals (Estonia, founded 2001) holds 5 regulatory licences (ASIC, CySEC, FCA, FSCA, JSC), 2 of them tier-1, offers MT4, MT5 and sits in our low-fee bracket. Plus500 (Israel, founded 2008) holds 11 regulatory licences (ASIC, CFTC, CySEC, DFSA, FCA…), 6 of them tier-1, offers Proprietary and sits in our low-fee bracket. The two overlap in 228 countries; Admirals is available in 0 countries where Plus500 is not, and Plus500 in 3 where Admirals is not.
Verdict at a glance
Admirals leads on track record and platform choice.
Plus500 leads on trust rank, regulatory coverage, country coverage and tier-1 licences.
Level on instrument range and fee level.
Scored on 8 measurable dimensions where both brokers have verified data. Dimensions missing for either side are excluded rather than guessed. This is a data summary, not a recommendation.
Highlighted cells mark the stronger value where a direction is objectively better (e.g. more licences, lower fees). "Not verified" means the field is not yet in our catalogue for that broker — we never fill gaps with estimates.
Pros
Admirals
FCA, ASIC, CySEC regulation
MT4/MT5 with MetaTrader Supreme Edition
Zero Accounts with raw spreads and low commissions
Wide multi-asset range (FX, indices, commodities, stocks, ETFs, crypto CFDs)
Volatility Protection and negative balance protection
Plus500
Multi-jurisdiction regulation and segregated client funds
Commission-free FX trading with competitive spreads
Negative balance protection and advanced risk tools
Intuitive WebTrader and mobile apps
Broad FX pair selection
Cons
Admirals
Charges inactivity fee
Limited free withdrawals
No cTrader platform support
Leverage capped at 1:30 for EU/UK retail
Not available to U.S. residents
Plus500
Market-maker execution (no ECN/STP/DMA)
Proprietary platform only (no MetaTrader/cTrader)
No algorithmic/API trading support
No commission-based raw-spread accounts
Inactivity fee after inactivity
Key features
Admirals
Forex and CFD trading on MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5
Invest MT5 real stocks and ETFs
Multi jurisdiction regulation and segregated client funds
Negative balance protection and volatility protection
Zero account raw spreads with market execution
MetaTrader Supreme Edition and premium analytics
Plus500
Multi asset CFD trading Forex Indices Commodities Shares ETFs Options and Crypto
Proprietary WebTrader platform on web and mobile advanced charting alerts and sentiment
Top tier regulation segregated client funds and FTSE 250 listed parent company
Both sit in the same fee bracket (low) in our catalogue; compare the spreads and commission rows above for detail.
Which is older, Admirals or Plus500?
Admirals is the older of the two, founded in 2001; Plus500 was founded in 2008.
Are Admirals and Plus500 available in the same countries?
They overlap in 228 countries. Admirals is additionally available in 0 countries () and Plus500 in 3 countries (Canada, Japan, United States of America).
Risk warning: CFDs and forex are complex, leveraged instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly. A majority of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. Nothing on this page is financial advice; verify licence status on the regulator's register before depositing. Full risk disclosure.