Exness and Deriv are not interchangeable brokers. Exness is mainly built around conventional leveraged CFDs—forex, metals, cryptocurrencies, energies, stocks and indices. Deriv also offers CFDs, but adds options-style contracts, Multipliers, proprietary Derived Indices, cTrader and a visual automation tool.
That makes the better choice depend on what you intend to trade. Exness is the more focused option for standard forex and CFD trading. Deriv is more suitable if you specifically want synthetic markets, options-style products, Multipliers or Deriv Bot.
Availability, leverage, account types, fees, payment methods and investor protections depend on your country of residence and the legal entity that onboards you. The comparison below was verified on August 7, 2026.
Exness vs Deriv: quick comparison
| Feature | Exness | Deriv |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Leveraged forex and CFD trading | CFDs plus options-style and proprietary products |
| Forex CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Stock, index and commodity CFDs | Yes | Yes, subject to platform and country |
| Cryptocurrency CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Derived or synthetic Indices | No equivalent proprietary product listed | Yes |
| Options-style products | Not a core category | Yes |
| MT4 | Yes | Not listed as a current platform |
| MT5 | Yes | Yes |
| cTrader | No | Yes |
| Visual automation | No comparable proprietary tool listed | Deriv Bot |
| Lowest advertised initial funding | Standard account can be as low as $10, depending on country and payment method | Deriv Wallet minimum is $5, subject to payment-method limits |
These headline figures do not tell you which broker is cheaper or safer for your particular trade. The relevant account, instrument, spread, commission, overnight charge, entity and payment method all matter.
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What can you trade?
Exness: a conventional CFD offering
Exness lists forex, metals, cryptocurrencies, energies, stocks and stock indices. These are generally derivatives: you speculate on price movements rather than buying the underlying share, fund or commodity.
Its account structure is designed around familiar forex and CFD trading. You can choose between Standard, Standard Cent, Pro, Zero and Raw Spread accounts, then trade through MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Exness Terminal or Exness Trade.
Deriv: CFDs plus specialized contracts
Deriv covers forex, stocks, stock indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies and ETFs through its available platforms and account types. Its distinguishing products are:
- Derived Indices: proprietary instruments whose prices are generated under Deriv’s product specifications.
- Options-style products: including products available through Deriv Trader.
- Multipliers: leveraged contracts where the initial stake represents the maximum loss for the product. Deriv advertises a minimum trade amount of $1.
- Deriv Bot: a browser-based visual tool for building automated strategies.
Derived Indices should not be described as exchange-traded indices or as ordinary products that track the S&P 500 or Nasdaq 100. For synthetic-index CFDs, Deriv states that it is the sole execution venue and counterparty to the trades. The price is generated under Deriv’s specifications; it is not a claim on an underlying asset.
Regulation: check the entity, not just the brand
Both companies operate through multiple legal entities. A broker’s general regulatory list does not tell you which protections apply to your account.
Exness lists entities in jurisdictions including Seychelles, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, the British Virgin Islands, Mauritius, Kenya, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Belize. However, Exness states that Exness (Cy) Ltd and Exness (UK) Ltd do not offer trading services to retail clients. An international retail customer should not assume that an account is held under a FCA- or CySEC-regulated entity.
Deriv lists operating entities including Deriv (BVI) Limited, Deriv Investments (Cayman) Limited, Deriv (Mauritius) Ltd, Deriv (V) Ltd in Vanuatu and Deriv (FX) Ltd in Labuan, Malaysia. The Cayman entity was incorporated on January 25, 2024, and is regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. The Mauritius entity was incorporated on June 11, 2024, and is licensed by the Mauritius Financial Services Commission.
The practical check is straightforward:
- Start the registration process for your country.
- Read the legal entity name in the account-opening documents.
- Check that entity’s regulator, client-money arrangements, negative-balance policy and dispute process.
- Confirm which instruments and account types that entity actually offers.
Do not choose solely because a website displays a long list of regulators or a high maximum-leverage figure.
Are Exness or Deriv available in the United States?
Exness explicitly states that it does not offer services to U.S. residents.
Deriv’s terms say it serves residents only in certain countries, with eligibility changing according to legal, regulatory and internal-policy restrictions. The Deriv entity and products available to you depend on where you live.
Rank #2
Deriv’s website may display products linked to U.S. markets, such as Wall Street 30 or US Tech 100. That does not mean a U.S. resident is eligible to open or use an account. Product pages and customer eligibility are separate questions.
Neither broker should be presented as a U.S.-regulated retail forex broker. If you live in the United States, confirm eligibility directly before submitting personal information or funds.
Platforms and account management
Exness platforms
Exness offers:
- MetaTrader 4
- MetaTrader 5
- Exness Terminal
- Exness Trade
Exness Terminal is browser-based and includes TradingView-powered charts, more than 100 built-in indicators, 50 drawing tools, one-click trading, price alerts and account management.
There is an important compatibility detail: Exness Trade works with MT5 accounts only. An MT4 account cannot be traded inside Exness Trade; MT4 users need the MetaTrader 4 mobile app. Exness Trade supports Android 6.0 or later and iOS 15.0 or later.
Deriv platforms
Current Deriv materials identify Deriv MT5, Deriv cTrader, Deriv Trader, Deriv Bot, Deriv GO, the Deriv app and TradersView. Deriv X is no longer offered as of August 2025, so articles listing it as a current platform are outdated.
Deriv’s app lets users open MT5, cTrader or Deriv Trader accounts, manage funds and trade CFDs or options. The platform balances are not necessarily interchangeable: money deposited into the main Deriv Wallet must be transferred to the selected trading account before it can support an MT5 position.
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- You can create up to five Deriv cTrader accounts under one Deriv profile.
- cTrader uses your Deriv email and password, unlike MT5, which uses separate trading credentials.
- A cTrader strategy that remains inactive for 30 days is automatically deleted.
- Deriv Bot runs in the browser and pauses when the relevant browser tab is closed. It is not a set-and-forget desktop process unless the browser remains open.
Account types and minimum deposits
Exness
Exness offers Standard, Standard Cent, Pro, Zero and Raw Spread accounts. The Standard account can require as little as $10, although the minimum depends on the payment method and country. Some Exness pages describe no fixed minimum deposit, while other product pages specify $10 for particular methods. The amount shown in your Personal Area is the operative requirement.
Professional accounts—Pro, Zero and Raw Spread—are described as starting at approximately $200, but the actual amount varies by country. The often-repeated claim that a Pro account always requires $500 is not reliable.
Deriv
The minimum deposit into the main Deriv Wallet is currently $5, or the equivalent in another supported currency. Payment methods can impose different minimum deposits and withdrawals.
A $5 Wallet deposit does not mean every trade can be opened with $5. On cTrader, for example, the required amount depends on the margin for the chosen asset. Deriv MT5 currently lists six account types: CFDs, Zero Spread, Swap-free, Financial, Gold and Crypto. The markets available vary by account.
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Fees and spreads
Exness pricing
Exness describes its professional accounts as follows:
| Account | Advertised pricing |
|---|---|
| Pro | Spreads from 0.1 pip; no commission |
| Zero | Spreads from 0 pip; commission from $0.05 per lot per side |
| Raw Spread | Spreads from 0 pip; commission up to $3.50 per lot per side |
“From” and “up to” are not guaranteed all-in costs. The spread can change with market conditions, and overnight financing or administration charges may apply.
Exness Zero does not mean every instrument always has a zero spread or that trading is free. Exness says zero spreads apply to the top 30 instruments under specified conditions; other instruments may still have spreads. Standard and Pro accounts have no commission but can still charge spreads and overnight financing. Zero and Raw Spread accounts can charge both spread and commission.
Deriv pricing
Deriv’s pricing depends on the platform and account. It publishes separate schedules for MT5 Standard, Financial, Financial STP, Swap-free, Zero Spread, Gold, Crypto and cTrader accounts.
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For Deriv MT5 Financial STP, the published round-trade schedule is:
- Forex majors, minors and exotics: $5 per $100,000 turnover
- Metals: $5 per $100,000 turnover
- Cryptocurrencies: $20 per $100,000 turnover
For MT5 Zero Spread, Deriv gives this per-side formula:
Commission = (traded volume in USD × commission rate) ÷ 100,000Traded volume in USD is calculated from the lot volume, contract size, execution price and conversion rate to USD. Do not compare a Deriv commission figure directly with an Exness per-lot figure without converting both to the same trade size and currency.
Swap-free does not always mean cost-free
Deriv’s MT5 Swap-Free account can charge administration fees after a grace period:
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- Derived instruments: five-day grace period
- Financial instruments: fifteen-day grace period
After that, fees can apply daily until the position closes. Exness also states that swap-free accounts may incur administration fees. Always check the instrument-specific schedule rather than treating “swap-free” as “no overnight cost.”
Leverage
Exness advertises leverage up to 1:Unlimited on some professional accounts, but this is conditional. It is unavailable when the account balance exceeds the relevant threshold and can be reduced around major news releases or other high-margin-requirement events.
To change the maximum leverage on an Exness account, the current Personal Area path is:
Personal Area → My accounts → three dots beside the account’s yellow button → Change max leverage → choose the leverage from the dropdown menu.
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Deriv does not let MT5 users manually select any leverage they want. Leverage is determined by the asset and its predefined margin requirements. This makes the advertised maximum less useful as a direct comparison.
High leverage reduces the cash required to open a position but increases the speed at which losses can consume your margin. It is not an indication that one broker is safer or cheaper.
Deposits, withdrawals and common payment problems
Exness
Exness shows available payment methods, limits and estimated processing times in the Personal Area. Deposits and withdrawals can be requested 24/7, but “instant” generally means Exness processes the request automatically; your bank or payment provider may take longer.
Key restrictions include:
- Do not deposit through another person’s payment account.
- Withdrawals generally must go to your own payment account.
- If the original deposit method is unavailable for withdrawal, contact support rather than improvising with an unrelated method.
- Incomplete identity, address, email or telephone verification can block payments.
- Payment systems can be temporarily disabled for maintenance.
- Exness may request source-of-funds information or additional verification.
Deriv
To fund a Deriv account, use:
Home screen → Wallet → Deposit → select currency → select payment method → follow the on-screen instructions.
To move funds to a trading account:
Wallet tab → select the currency → Transfer → select the destination account, such as MT5 Standard.
Wallet-to-MT5 transfers are described as instant, but depositing into the Wallet alone does not fund an MT5 position. Other failure points include using an unsupported payment method or currency, depositing below the method’s minimum, and sending cryptocurrency over the wrong network. Deriv warns that a wrong-network crypto transfer can permanently result in lost funds.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Demo accounts
Exness makes a demo account and an MT5 trading account available after registration, although full verification is needed to remove certain limitations. Demo funds are virtual and cannot be withdrawn.
Deriv MT5 demo accounts remain active while used but are automatically deactivated after 30 days of inactivity. This matters if you are comparing strategies over a longer period.
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Choose Exness if you:
- Primarily trade conventional forex and CFDs.
- Want access to both MT4 and MT5.
- Prefer a proprietary web terminal or mobile trading app.
- Want to compare commission-free, raw-spread and zero-spread account structures.
- Prefer a broker whose product range is centered on standard market CFDs.
Choose Deriv if you:
- Specifically want Derived Indices or synthetic markets.
- Want options-style contracts or Multipliers.
- Prefer cTrader alongside MT5.
- Want a visual, drag-and-drop automation tool.
- Are comfortable managing a central Wallet separately from platform trading accounts.
Neither is the obvious choice if you:
- Want long-term ownership of stocks or ETFs. Both primarily offer derivatives rather than ownership of the underlying assets.
- Live in the United States. Exness excludes U.S. residents, while Deriv eligibility must be confirmed for your country and product.
- Need one universal fee schedule. Costs vary by instrument, platform, account, entity and country.
How to make the final comparison
- Confirm eligibility: enter your actual country of residence and check whether the broker accepts you.
- Identify the legal entity: read the entity shown in the registration and client agreement.
- Select the exact instrument: compare the same currency pair, index, metal or cryptocurrency.
- Calculate the complete cost: include spread, commission, conversion, swap or administration charges and any payment fees.
- Check margin: Deriv MT5 leverage is asset-determined; Exness leverage can be conditional and may change during volatile periods.
- Test withdrawals: before committing a larger balance, verify the available method, ownership requirements, limits and processing times.
- Use a demo account: test execution, platform workflow and funding transfers before trading real money.
FAQ
Is Exness better than Deriv?
Exness is generally the more focused choice for conventional leveraged forex and CFD trading, particularly for traders who want MT4, MT5 and multiple spread-and-commission account structures. Deriv is better suited to traders seeking Derived Indices, options-style products, Multipliers, cTrader or Deriv Bot.
Does Exness accept U.S. residents?
No. Exness explicitly states that it does not offer services to residents of the United States.
Can Deriv residents trade U.S. market products?
A product appearing on Deriv’s website does not establish that every country’s residents can trade it. Deriv eligibility depends on residence, the assigned legal entity and the selected product. U.S. residents should confirm eligibility directly with Deriv.
Are Deriv’s synthetic or Derived Indices real market indices?
No. They are proprietary instruments priced under Deriv’s specifications. They should not be described as exchange-traded indices or as ordinary claims that track the S&P 500 or Nasdaq 100.
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Deriv’s main Wallet minimum deposit is currently $5, subject to payment-method limits. Exness Standard can be as low as $10, depending on country and payment method. The minimum deposit is not the same as the amount needed to open a specific trade.
Does Deriv allow users to choose leverage?
Deriv states that MT5 leverage cannot be manually adjusted. It is determined by the asset and its predefined margin requirements.
Is Exness Zero account free to trade?
No. Zero refers to zero spreads on qualifying instruments and under specified conditions. Commission, spreads on other instruments and overnight or administration charges can still apply.
Does a Deriv Wallet deposit automatically fund MT5?
No. After depositing into the Wallet, use Wallet tab → select the currency → Transfer and choose the destination trading account, such as MT5 Standard.
The Bottom Line
For conventional leveraged forex and CFD trading, Exness is the clearer fit. It offers MT4 and MT5, proprietary trading tools and a range of Standard, Pro, Zero and Raw Spread accounts.
For Derived Indices, options-style contracts, Multipliers, cTrader or visual automation, Deriv is the more specialized choice.
Before opening either account, compare the exact legal entity, account type, instrument, margin requirement, complete trading cost and withdrawal method offered in your country. The brand’s maximum leverage, lowest spread and broadest regulatory list are not substitutes for those checks.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
