Pepperstone offers cTrader to Hong Kong residents, on its Razor account at a fixed $6 round-trip commission per forex lot, with cBots for automation. Capital.com and XS do not list cTrader; IC Markets is another firm that offers it.
Short answer: If cTrader is a must, Pepperstone is our pick, and it is the only one of our three that offers it.
Pepperstone platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView (Razor only) and its own web platform and app.
cTrader commission at Pepperstone: $6 round trip per lot; TradingView: $7 round trip; MT4/MT5: $3.50 per lot per side.
Capital.com offers its own platform, MT4, MT5, TradingView, an API and an open-source AI integration (MCP server).
XS offers MT4, MT5 and the XS app, plus an AI Insights report.
Pepperstone offers a free VPS and FIX API access to Pepperstone Pro clients, not to every retail account.
Automation at a glance
Pepperstone supports expert advisors on MT4 and MT5 and cBots on cTrader, and its Smart Trader Tools add 28 apps and indicators for MetaTrader, including a trade terminal and a correlation matrix, plus a backtesting simulator. Pro clients can ask for FIX API access and may qualify for a free VPS.
Capital.com has gone furthest on AI: it publishes an open-source MCP server that connects AI assistants such as Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or Codex to your account, with 38 tools and every order shown for confirmation. Treat any AI tool as an assistant, not a strategy; none of these firms promises results from it.
Our cTrader pick
cTrader with cBots at a fixed $6 round trip, plus MT4, MT5, TradingView and its own platform on one account; Bahamas-licensed, no SFC licence.
XS publishes no loss percentage; its risk warning says it is possible to lose all your capital.
Pepperstone, Capital.com and XS are our partners. We may earn a commission if you open an account through our links. That does not change the facts on this page.
Your questions, answered
Which brokers can I connect to TradingView to trade directly from the charts?
Pepperstone and Capital.com both connect to TradingView. At Pepperstone, TradingView is available only on the Razor account, and commission is $7 round trip per forex lot; it also offers eligible clients a free three-month TradingView Essential, Plus or Premium plan. IG's Hong Kong-facing site lists TradingView too. XS does not offer it. Link the broker inside TradingView's trading panel, then place orders from the chart.
What's the best MT5 broker?
Our MT5 pick is Pepperstone. You get Razor or Standard pricing, the Smart Trader Tools add-ons, and markets that some platforms lack, such as the Hang Seng Tech CFD, which Pepperstone names for MT5 and cTrader. On MT4 and MT5, Pepperstone's automatic stop-out closes positions when equity falls to 50% of required margin. XS is the alternative, with MT5 on every account type, including cent and micro accounts.
Which MT4 broker has the lowest spreads?
On MT4, raw-spread accounts show the lowest spreads. Pepperstone Razor on MT4 starts from 0.0 on forex with $3.50 per lot per side, and MT4 charges both sides of that commission when you open the trade. XS Elite on MT4 averages 0.1 pips on EUR/USD plus $6 round turn. If commission is the main cost, Fusion Markets' $2.25 per side is lower than both. Run the same pair at the same time in two demos before you decide.
Which brokers support automated trading with EAs on MT5?
All three of our picks accept expert advisors on MT5. Pepperstone adds a backtesting simulator through Smart Trader Tools and access to pre-built EAs, across more than 1,350 instruments. XS's Elite account has a zero stop level, so an EA can place orders right next to the current price. Whatever the broker, test an EA on a demo for weeks, because live slippage rarely matches a backtest.
Which broker is best for algorithmic trading through an API?
For code-first traders, Capital.com is the most open of our three: it documents a public API and an AI integration built on it. Pepperstone offers cTrader's cBots to everyone and FIX API access to Pepperstone Pro clients. Interactive Brokers Hong Kong Limited, which is SFC-licensed, also lists APIs on its Hong Kong site, but it is a different kind of broker, focused on exchange-traded products.
Which brokers offer a free VPS for EA trading?
Pepperstone offers free VPS hosting, but only to Pepperstone Pro clients: its Pro page says you may qualify, and its active-trader programme lists it as a benefit. Retail clients will usually pay for a VPS themselves. We did not find a free VPS offer on Capital.com's or XS's sites. If you run an EA around the clock, a VPS near the broker's servers reduces the chance that a home internet drop leaves positions unmanaged.
What's the best AI trading platform for forex and CFDs?
Be wary of any platform that sells AI as a way to win. Of the firms we checked, Capital.com offers the most practical AI tool: an open-source MCP server that lets an AI assistant read prices, review positions and draft orders, which you must confirm before they are placed. Pepperstone's app uses AI to sort markets into categories, and XS offers an AI-generated report on your own trading. All of them leave the decisions, and the losses, to you.
Which brokers offer AI trading tools?
Capital.com, Pepperstone and XS each offer something different. Capital.com's AI integration works with Claude, Cursor, Windsurf and Codex and includes 38 tools and 7 guided workflows. Pepperstone's mobile app has AI-powered market discovery, and its algorithmic-trading page mentions AI-enhanced execution. XS AI Insights produces a personal trading analysis report. Interactive Brokers' Hong Kong site also lists an AI integration. Use these for research and review, not as signals.
Published 2026-10-21. Informational only, not investment advice. CFDs are leveraged products and most retail accounts lose money.
Our cTrader pick
API and AI integration
MetaTrader only