Tickmill Review

Overview

Tickmill is a forex and CFD broker founded in 2014 by brothers Ingmar and Illimar Mattus. Despite being younger than many rivals, it has built a strong following among cost-conscious and algorithmic traders thanks to low raw-spread commissions and a simple account structure. The group operates through a UK company based in London, an EU company in Limassol, a South African subsidiary and an international entity in the Seychelles, and its UK business also gives access to exchange-traded futures and options. The official Tickmill website directs visitors to the entity that applies to their country.

Regulation and safety

Tickmill's website footers list the following entities:

• Tickmill UK Ltd – authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FCA register number 717270, with its principal office in London. It also has a Dubai representative office registered with the DFSA (reference F007663).
• Tickmill Europe Ltd – regulated by CySEC under CIF licence 278/15, based in Limassol, Cyprus.
• Tickmill South Africa (Pty) Ltd – regulated by the FSCA, FSP 49464.
• Tickmill Ltd – the Seychelles-based international entity, which serves most clients outside the UK, EU and South Africa and is regulated by the Seychelles FSA according to third-party reviews.

The FCA and CySEC licences place Tickmill among brokers with top-tier oversight for UK and European clients. The UK company also provides a dedicated futures and options offering, which is unusual for a retail CFD broker of its size. International clients, however, typically join the Seychelles entity, where leverage is far higher and protections are weaker. The sources reviewed did not mention any regulatory fines against Tickmill. The website states that its services are not intended for residents of the United States, Singapore, India, Japan or Iran.

Fees and costs

Pricing is Tickmill's main selling point. The Raw account starts at 0.0 pips with a commission of $3 per lot per side ($6 round turn), which is cheaper than the $3.50 per side charged by many competitors. ForexBrokers.com estimated an all-in EUR/USD cost of about 0.7 pips on Raw, using an average raw spread of 0.1 pips. The commission-free Classic account is less competitive: spreads start at 1.6 pips and averaged about 1.7 pips on EUR/USD in ForexBrokers.com's data. A TradingView Raw account charges $3.50 per side.

The 1:1000 leverage applies only to the international entity; UK and EU retail clients are limited to the regulatory caps that apply in their region.

Accounts and products

All three main accounts share a $100 minimum deposit. Classic and Raw run on MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 and can be denominated in USD, EUR, GBP or ZAR, while the TradingView Raw account uses Tickmill Trader or TradingView and is USD-only. Swap-free Islamic versions have been available since 2016, and existing clients can convert accounts. Professional status is available to qualifying traders who meet experience and portfolio criteria, which can unlock higher leverage outside the standard retail limits. ForexBrokers.com also notes that the former VIP tier, which once offered commissions of $1 per side, has been discontinued. Futures accounts, with a $1,000 minimum, give access to exchange-traded products through the UK entity.

The instrument list is focused rather than vast: around 60 forex pairs plus stock indices, commodities, bonds, roughly 500 US share CFDs on MT5 and a small set of crypto CFDs. There is no share or ETF ownership, and futures and options are only offered through the UK company.

Platforms and tools

Tickmill relies mainly on MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, which suit automated strategies and expert advisors. Its web-based Tickmill Trader platform is built on DXtrade technology, and TradingView connectivity is available in selected regions. UK futures traders can use CQG, AgenaTrader and TT. Tickmill Social, a copy-trading service, is offered to live clients in certain regions through a web interface. On the downside, reviewers note that Tickmill Trader lacks trailing stops and price alerts, there is no public API or cTrader, and in-house research is limited. We could not verify a Tickmill-branded EUR/USD data feed on TradingView, so the generic FX:EURUSD chart is used as a reference.

Deposits and withdrawals

Clients can fund accounts by bank wire, debit and credit cards, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller and cryptocurrencies, depending on the entity. Apple Pay, Google Pay and non-wire local bank transfers were not offered according to ForexBrokers.com. The $100 entry point across all main accounts keeps Tickmill accessible to newer traders, while the low Raw commission rewards higher-volume activity.

Who Tickmill suits

• Active and algorithmic traders focused on forex and indices who want low commissions.
• UK and EU traders who want FCA or CySEC oversight.
• Traders who need swap-free accounts or MetaTrader-based automation.
• UK clients interested in exchange-traded futures and options.

Those seeking a broad multi-asset catalogue, extensive research or share ownership may prefer a larger broker. US, Japanese and Indian residents cannot open accounts.

Verdict

Tickmill delivers some of the lowest raw-account trading costs among regulated brokers, backed by FCA, CySEC and FSCA licences and a clean regulatory record in the sources we checked. Its Classic account is merely average on price, its proprietary platform is basic, and international clients sit under an offshore entity with very high leverage. For cost-focused MetaTrader traders, especially in the UK and EU, it is a strong option. Leveraged CFD trading carries a high risk of loss, and most retail traders lose money.