What every score is built on
Every score starts with a funded account and real money. We place 50+ trades, request a withdrawal, and contact support as an ordinary customer — because a rating you cannot check is just an opinion with a number attached.
Why a published methodology matters
Most broker "reviews" reproduce the broker’s own marketing, and paid placement is common across the industry. Publishing the rubric is what makes a score checkable: you can read what we measured, disagree with a weight, and judge the review on its evidence rather than trusting the number.
Six categories, each weighted, each scored 1–5. The final score is the weighted average — not a number chosen to fit a conclusion.
What we actually do
These steps are mandatory for every broker we publish. A review that skipped any of them would not be a review.
Open a live account
A real account, not a demo. We document the whole sign-up and identity-verification process, including anything that turns out to be harder than advertised.
Deposit real funds
We fund the account with our own money and record which deposit methods work and what they cost.
Place 50+ trades
50+ trades across different pairs and asset classes, in quiet and fast markets, measuring real spreads, fill quality and slippage.
Withdraw the money
We take the funds back out and time it end to end, including any documentation demanded only on the way out. This is the step most review sites skip.
Contact support
We contact every available channel as an ordinary customer, asking questions with verifiable answers, and record both speed and accuracy.
Score and second-check
Findings go through the weighted rubric, then a second reviewer checks the evidence before anything is published.
The six categories
Each category carries a weight reflecting how much it affects you in practice. Weights total 100%, and the final score is the weighted average.
Regulation and licensing
Which legal entity you actually contract with, which authority licenses it, and what that licence covers if the broker fails. Every licence claim is verified against the regulator’s own public register rather than the broker’s website.
What we check
- Every licence number verified on the regulator’s public register
- Which legal entity accepts clients from your country
- Whether client money is segregated from company funds
- Whether a compensation scheme applies, and its limit
Scoring scale
Trading costs
Costs affect every trade you place. We measure spreads on seven major pairs at three times of day, then add commission and overnight financing to get the real round-trip cost — not the "from" figure on the marketing page.
What we check
- Spreads sampled on 7 major pairs at 3 times of day
- Commission per lot on every account type offered
- Overnight financing on long and short positions
- Deposit, withdrawal, inactivity and conversion fees
Scoring scale
Withdrawals and fund access
The measurement most review sites skip. We withdraw real money from every funded account and time it end to end, including any verification the broker asks for on the way out.
What we check
- A real withdrawal requested and timed end to end
- Documentation demanded only at the withdrawal stage
- Fees deducted from the amount withdrawn
- Whether the payout method matches the deposit method
Scoring scale
Platforms and execution
What you get on desktop, web and mobile, and how orders actually fill. We place real orders in quiet and fast markets and record slippage and rejections.
What we check
- Desktop, web and mobile tested on the same account
- Fill quality and slippage in quiet and fast markets
- Order rejections and requote behaviour
- Charting, order types and risk tools actually available
Scoring scale
Customer support
We contact support as an ordinary customer, with questions that have verifiable answers, and record how long a reply takes and whether it is correct.
What we check
- Every channel contacted as an ordinary customer
- Time to first human reply, not to an autoresponder
- Whether the answer given was factually correct
- Availability outside the broker’s home business hours
Scoring scale
Research and transparency
Whether the broker gives you information you can act on, and whether it is upfront about risk, costs and who owns it.
What we check
- Whether research is usable or repackaged marketing
- Risk warnings shown before deposit, not buried
- Ownership and group structure disclosed
- Historical pricing and execution statistics published
Scoring scale
How the final score is calculated
Not a straight average — a weighted one, so the categories that matter most to your money count for most:
Worked example
A broker scoring: Regulation 5, Costs 4, Withdrawals 4, Platforms 4, Support 3, Research 3
= (5×0.20) + (4×0.20) + (4×0.15) + (3×0.15) + (4×0.10) + (3×0.10) + (5×0.10)
= 1.00 + 0.80 + 0.60 + 0.45 + 0.40 + 0.30 + 0.50 = 4.05
Final score: 4.2 out of 5 — rated "Good"
What the bands mean
Scores are published to one decimal place. The bands describe what each range means in practice:
Minimum testing standards
These are floors, not targets. A review that falls short of any of them does not get published:
What we never do
Editorial independence
Reviewers are not told whether a broker they are testing is a commercial partner. That separation is the whole point: a scoring rubric only means something if the person applying it has no stake in the outcome.
The site is funded by affiliate commission: if you open an account through one of our links, the broker may pay us. It costs you nothing extra and it does not change a score. Brokers we earn from receive low ratings when they deserve them, and every commercial relationship is disclosed on the review itself.
When reviews change
A score is a snapshot. Brokers change ownership, licences, fee schedules and withdrawal policies, so reviews are maintained rather than published and forgotten:
Quarterly re-check
Every review is re-tested at least every three months, and carries the date its regulatory details were last verified.
Immediate update on material change
A licence change, a new fee schedule, a change of owner, or a pattern of withdrawal problems triggers a re-test straight away.
Reader reports
Documented reader experiences are investigated. If a report holds up, we re-test the affected category and the score moves.
Questions about the methodology
Do brokers pay for a higher score?
No. Scores come from the fixed rubric above, applied the same way to every broker. We earn money through affiliate links on some brokers — that relationship never changes a score, and it is disclosed on our how we make money page. If a broker we earn from scores badly, the review says so.
How often are reviews updated?
Every review is re-checked at least quarterly, and immediately when something material changes — a licence, a fee schedule, ownership, or a pattern of withdrawal complaints. Each review shows the date its regulatory details were last verified.
Why does your score differ from other review sites?
Because most sites reproduce what the broker publishes. We open a funded account, place real trades, and complete a withdrawal before publishing. Withdrawals carry 20% of the score here, and that is the measurement most comparison sites never actually perform.
What happens if a broker gets worse after you publish?
Tell us. Documented reader reports of withdrawal problems, licence changes or cost increases trigger a re-test of the affected category. If the finding holds, the score changes and the review records why.
Does a high score mean I should open an account?
No. A score measures a broker against other brokers on the criteria above. It is not advice, and it says nothing about whether trading is suitable for you. Leveraged trading loses money for most retail clients, and a well-run broker does not change that.
Think a score is wrong?
Tell us what you found. Documented experiences — especially withdrawal problems — get investigated and can change a published rating.