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Spread-only pricing means the broker charges nothing but the spread. There is no commission per lot. The broker earns its money by adding a markup to the raw market spread.
On a spread-only account, often called a standard account, the price you see already includes the broker’s fee. A raw EUR/USD spread of 0.1 pips might show as 1.0 pips. You pay the extra 0.9 pips on every trade, and nothing else at the time of the trade. Overnight swaps still apply.
You trade one mini lot of EUR/USD ten times in a week. On a spread-only account with a 1.0 pip spread, each round trip costs $1, so $10 for the week. On a raw account with a 0.1 pip spread and a $0.35 commission each way per mini lot, each trade costs $0.10 plus $0.70, so $8 for the week. The raw account wins here. At a 0.6 pip standard spread, the two come out even.
Spread-only accounts suit new traders and anyone who trades a few times a week, because the cost is easy to see and there is no separate bill. Scalpers and EAs that trade many times a day usually pay less on raw accounts. The break-even point depends on the numbers each broker quotes, so use our fee calculator with the real figures.
See spread for how the gap is measured and expert advisor for the programs that make trade count matter most.
It has no separate fee, but it is not free. The broker’s fee is inside the spread. You pay it on every trade, and you still pay swaps on positions held overnight.
It depends on how often you trade. Frequent traders usually pay less on raw accounts. Occasional traders often find spread-only cheaper or about the same.
Sources: Account comparison pages of IC Markets, Pepperstone and FOREX.com, checked 25 September 2026. Checked 25 September 2026.
Risk warning: trading forex and CFDs on margin carries a high risk of losing money. Most retail accounts lose money. Never trade with money you cannot afford to lose.