XTB Review 2024

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How we rated XTB's investment features

Trading platform XTB has made a slight pivot away from what it’s best known for (forex and CFD trading, which it offers in other countries) and now offers UK retail investors an affordable way to invest in real stock and shares.

We’ll cover the key features and fees, explain what you can invest in with XTB, and share our expert insight on what we think about this share dealing provider.

Expert test: I tried out XTB's trading app

George Sweeney

Deputy editor

I think XTB is a great trading platform for investors who have just graduated past the beginner stages and are comfortable with basic actions around researching and making investments.

I'm a big fan of the fact that you can buy fractional shares of US and UK stocks (a rare treat), and the relatively new feautre of 'investment plans' is a great way to set up a regular passive investing portfolio at an affordable price (all within the app).

What is XTB?

XTB is a European investing brokerage that’s been around for almost 20 years. The company itself is based in Poland and publicly listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), and it’s one of the largest exchange-listed brokers in the world.

XTB fees

Overall, XTB is extremely cheap, and the fees are easy to understand. It doesn’t cost you anything to open and hold an account, which is ideal if you want to try out the platform before making it your go-to investing hub.

Also, there’s no commission to pay when buying or selling stocks – another tick. The only thing to be aware of is that there’s a minimum trade transaction of £10, which means you have to buy or sell at least £10 worth of stock with each trade.

If you’re buying European shares, the trade needs to be worth at least €10. This is calculated on screen when you choose the amount of shares and includes the 0.5% FX fee. The current exchange rate will make a difference to what €10 converts to in GBP.

For all investments not in GBP, you’ll pay a 0.5% FX fee based on the size of the trade. Keep this in mind when buying international shares from outside the UK. You can open separate multi-currency accounts in EUR or USD but these will be in addition to your main GBP account.

The other thing to take note of is that if your trading transactions are over £100,000 in a month, there’s a 0.2% commission. This isn’t going to impact many people because most don’t trade over £100,000 every month, but it’s still worth knowing.

XTB trade fee calculator

Pick a stock, select a quantity and our calculator will give you a guide to the total cost of that trade on XTB. We regularly check fees, but bear in mind that stock prices, exchange rates and spreads fluctuate in real-time.

Stock

Quantity of shares

Platform	Finder Score	Account fee	Min. initial deposit	Trade cost	Link
	4.4 ★★★★★	£0	£0	£3,272.28	Go to siteCapital at risk

Full comparison of share dealing platforms

XTB investment choice and stocks

With XTB, you can buy and sell stocks and shares in a variety of companies. In total, there are over 3,000 to choose from, so you won’t be short of choice. You’re not just limited to one stock exchange either. The collection of stocks available comes from 16 global exchanges from the UK, US and Europe.

You won’t get full access to each of those global exchanges, but being able to pick from an international range of companies will help you to diversify your portfolio holdings. XTB upgraded the app recently to allow you to buy fractional shares, which is a welcome addition but keep in mind there’s still a £10 minimum trade. One other limitation is that you’re restricted to stocks and around 300 exchange-traded funds (ETFs), there’s no other asset types.

Along with individual stocks and ETFs, you can now create an “investment plan” made up of ETFs of your choosing which you can then invest into on an automated basis.

Is XTB safe?

XTB is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). XTB is also a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), so your deposits up to £85,000 are covered should XTB go bust.

Also, like most brokerages, XTB segregates your money. This means your funds are held separately to XTB’s, so your funds should be returned in the event of bankruptcy. The fact that XTB is a listed company also means that it has to be transparent about its financial health.

XTB account types and products

Sadly, XTB only offers a general investment account (GIA) at the moment. This is a basic type of investing account that comes with no unique benefits or tax-efficient features, such as you’d get with a stocks and shares ISA. Apparently an ISA is in the works, but may not be available until late 2024.

With an XTB account, you can invest as much as you like. However, it’s important to be aware that any gains you make may be subject to tax.

One bonus addition worth highlighting is that you can now earn interest on uninvested cash balances in your XTB account. Previously you needed a portfolio of at least £30,000 to access the best rates, but now, XTB offers its top rates to all customers regardless of portfolio size.

Here are the current rates on offer for idle cash (as of April 2024):

• 5.2% GBP
• 3.8% EUR
• 5% USD

Expert comment - Will XTB offer any tax-efficient accounts?

George Sweeney

Deputy editor

It would be great to see XTB offer additional accounts to UK investors down the line, ideally a stocks and shares ISA. Right now, XTB has no plans.

Because it's a brokerage operating across numerous countries, I don't think it will go above and beyond to offer extra accounts just for UK investors.

XTB ease of use

XTB scored highly in our ease of use assessment. We particularly like that there are plenty of ways to get hold of the support team and most other 0% commission platforms that are free to use don’t have a customer service phone team.

With XTB, you can invest using the mobile app or trade on the desktop if you prefer. On the App Store, XTB scores 4.7 out of 5, and on Google Play it has a slightly lower 4.2 out of 5 (as of January 2024) – but plenty of positive feedback from a large number of investors.

The only thing highlighted by some users which we tend to agree with is that there is a bit of a learning curve when using the app and this is where the demon account can be useful.

XTB customer reviews

XTB received a highly commended award for the investing category in the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards in 2024, with a flawless 100% of customers saying they’d recommend the service to a friend. Feedback included praise for its affordable service and low fees, and many customers described XTB as “professional”.

One customer commented: “Because they are by far the most user friendly service on the market. The app on my laptop and mobile phone is super easy to use. Also, the customer service is really friendly when I have needed to speak to them in the past.”

Surprisingly, there were no negative comments or criticisms.

Trustpilot reviewers gave XTB a 4 out of 5 “great” rating, but only from around 800 reviews (as of January 2024).

XTB tools, resources and features

XTB does an excellent job of integrating plenty of tools and research into the platform without it feeling confusing or complicated. As a brokerage that emphasises trading, it offers many useful elements that you’ll have at your fingertips.

You can use different types of trading orders easily on mobile, but if you want to make the most of the advanced trading tools, it’s best to use the web or desktop app. That’s because the XTB mobile app is a simpler version of the software – you can still do a lot, but the other formats let you access the full functionality that XTB offers.

There are a few things in particular we liked on individual stock pages. When you find a stock, you can easily see the price movement with “candlestick” charts. And if you scroll down, you’re able to see stats covering the latest price movements along with relevant news articles.

If you press the small “i” in the top right corner, you can also view “basic info”, “key facts”, and “performance”. The key facts are great for a snapshot and show a stock’s:

• Market cap
• Dividend yield
• Net profit margin
• EPS
• P/E ratio
• P/B ratio
• A few other metrics

It’s great to see all this at a glance (and for free). But where to find this info isn’t obvious. The small “i” in the top right-hand corner isn’t exactly prominent. It’s fine once you know where this is, but we think many users wouldn’t even notice it.

Along with the in-app tools and research details, XTB also offers a demo account to practise with first, and there are some helpful video learning resources. For people investing with XTB for the first time, we’d highly recommend watching XTB’s video: “How to place your first stock trade”.

What does the XTB app look like?

XTB CFD trading

XTB’s contracts for difference (CFD) offering is an important area worth covering. Previously, there was a significant emphasis on this aspect of trading, but XTB is moving its focus towards long-term investing – something we’re a big fan of.

Trading CFDs usually involves leverage, which means borrowing money to increase the size of your trades.

XTB is well-known for forex and CFD trading but you should avoid these services unless you’re an experienced trader who understands the risks.

When investing using XTB, it’s essential to ensure you select the right instrument type when buying an asset. For example, when you pick a stock, you’ll have to choose between 2 options. One will be listed as “STC” and the other “STC CFD”. Always check this before making a trade.

How to sign up for XTB

The sign-up process for XTB is dead simple, and it only took us about 5 minutes to complete using the app. Here’s the steps to follow:

1. Head to XTB. Find your way to XTB on the website or by downloading the app.
2. Choose a real or demo account. You’ll get the option to try out a demo account first, or head straight to the real platform.
3. Enter your details. You’ll need to provide your personal details and confirm your tax residency.
4. Supply KYC information. On top of this, you’ll also need to give XTB an idea about your employment and income details.
5. Wait for verification. It did take a few hours for the XTB team to review our application and open the account.

XTB vs eToro

Finder score	★★★★★	★★★★★
Customer satisfaction survey	★★★★★	★★★★★
Stocks and shares ISA available?
FSCS protected?
Costs score	★★★★★	★★★★★
Keep in mind	Capital at risk. 76% of retail CFD accounts lose money	Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money
	Go to site More Info	Go to site More Info