Best Futures Brokers in 2024

Interactive Brokers is an outstanding futures broker that offers traders access to a comprehensive range of futures trading products globally with access to over 30 market centers. The company was founded in 1978 and is subject to regulation by numerous top-tier regulatory bodies, making it a reliable choice for traders seeking security and peace of mind. Moreover, Interactive Brokers is publicly listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol IBKR, further underscoring its commitment to transparency and accountability. 

Interactive Brokers offers a professional trading platform with multiple features, including a range of order types and algorithms that help traders execute various trading strategies. The platform TWS (desktop version) is one of the best trading platforms with advanced features and a high degree of customisation. 

Moreover, the platform offers powerful trading tools like ComboTrader, which helps traders create proprietary combination order strategies or choose from multiple templates with predefined programs to execute futures trades. In addition, they offer a well-designed web interface, IBKR GlobalTrader, and a mobile app. While all the platforms are designed to provide professional tools and resources to traders, they are also user-friendly for beginners. 

IBKR is known for its competitive pricing in the futures trading industry. It offers a pricing range between $0.10 for micro FX contracts and $0.25 for regular US futures contracts, which is among the lowest on the market. However, it is important to note that the pricing structure is based on a tier system, which may appear complex to some traders. Despite this, IBKR does not charge added spreads, ticket charges, platform fees, or account minimums, making it an excellent choice for traders who are looking to minimize their costs. Accordingly, the actual fee that you are expected to pay will depend on your monthly traded volume.

Here is a table summarizing the pricing of futures contracts on IBKR:

With over 30 years of experience, Saxo Markets is a top futures broker offering traders access to over 300 futures contracts from 28 global exchanges, covering equity indices, energy, metals, agriculture, rates, and Forex. It has successfully served over 876,000 customers globally and processes over 1 million transactions daily. The company is fully licensed and regulated in 15 jurisdictions across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. This includes regulatory bodies such as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in Australia, ensuring that traders can have confidence in the safety and security of their investments.

Saxo Markets provides traders with a competitive pricing structure for futures trading. Commission rates are tiered and are based on both the contract being traded and the volume of trades conducted. While the broker offers three tiers of pricing – Classic, Platinum, and VIP – it should be noted that traders with lower trading volumes may find the commissions to be relatively higher than those charged by other futures brokers. Despite this, Saxo Markets’ transparent pricing structure allows traders to understand exactly what they will be charged for their trades. Below is a small table showing the commissions for USD, EUR, GBP, and AUD futures contracts for each tier of pricing:

These commissions are for each contract and each trade (buy or sell) through SaxoTrader and exclude exchange fees.

Saxo Markets offers advanced tools for trading futures contracts. With the Futures Spread Trading feature, you can place orders to buy and sell multiple contracts at the same time. The Depth Trader feature lets you see all the buy and sell orders waiting to be executed, so you can manage your trades more effectively. With the Time and Sales feature, you can also monitor real-time futures prices and trade directly from the exchange. Saxo Markets provides 24-hour support and educational resources for all types of traders. VIP traders can receive priority support and exclusive invitations to events.

IG is another broker among our list of top futures brokers. It has been providing trading services since 1974, with over 320,000 clients worldwide. IG offers a huge selection of CFD futures, including over 80 indices, commodity and bond futures. This makes it easy for traders to diversify their portfolios and access a wide range of global markets.

IG offers you a variety of trading platforms to choose from, depending on your trading needs and preferences. The IG trading platform is available on both iOS and Android devices and features a progressive web app, and can be accessed from any device with internet connection. Additionally, for advanced traders, IG provides access to ProRealTime and MetaTrader4 platforms, which are known for their advanced charting capabilities and customization options. For traders seeking Direct Market Access (DMA), IG provides L2 Dealer, a platform specifically designed for professional traders, providing them with direct access to exchange order books and market depth. IG’s trading platforms also allow you to trade with leverage, which can amplify gains, but it’s important to note that it also increases risks, and you must have a sound risk management strategy in place.

One of the key advantages of trading futures with IG is transparent pricing, with all costs clearly stated upfront. For futures markets, there is no overnight funding fee because the cost of funding is built into the spread. You can check below some of the spreads applied to major futures contracts:

Indices futures spread

Commodities futures spread

Opening an account with IG is free of charge. However, you should note that there is a monthly account charge of $18 if you haven’t used your account for two years or more. It’s important to keep this in mind to avoid any unexpected charges. The required minimum deposit depends on your funding method. For example, there is no minimum for a bank transfer, but there is a $50 minimum for credit/debit card deposits, which may vary by country.

Plus500 Futures, a platform from Plus500 (founded in 2008), is a top futures broker that provides an accessible and accessible platform for futures trading, but it is only available for US-based clients. The broker offers futures trading on popular indices such as the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 and Bitcoin, Forex, oil, gold, and many more. Plus500 provides 24/7 customer service and is a full CME Group and National Futures Association member, ensuring professional support and the safety of traders’ funds and data.

Plus500 is an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced traders looking to access futures markets with a transparent and straightforward pricing structure. The broker offers low commissions without a platform or market data fees, ensuring you don’t pay excessive trading costs. Simply, it charges a commission fee of $0.49 per micro contract and $0.89 per standard contract (per side), and a $10 fee per contract in case of auto-liquidation. 

Here is a brief table showing some of the futures instruments you can trade on Plus500:

Another advantage of trading with Plus500 is the ease of use of its platform. The app is intuitive and simple to navigate, making it accessible to get started with futures trading. Additionally, the platform offers a demo feature that provides live quotes to help users build their strategy before trading with real money. The platform also offers a wide range of indicators and drawing tools for trend analysis. 

On the downside, Plus500 provides very few educational materials and research reports compared to other brokers.

For more details, check our full review of Plus500 Futures.

Tastytrade is a futures broker based in the United States that ranks among the top brokers for trading futures. It is a subsidiary of IG Group Holdings plc and gives you access to trade futures and gain exposure to indices, Forex, interest rates, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and more.

Tastytrade offers a commission structure that is particularly advantageous for active traders who specialize in niche securities such as futures and options. For instance, on micro and small futures, the commission starts at USD 0.50 and USD 1.70 per contract, respectively, for a round-trip transaction, regardless of your trading volume. This makes Tastytrade an excellent choice for traders of all levels looking to optimize their trading activities and minimize costs. You can find below the commission on major futures contracts.

Futures commission

Tastytrade also stands out for its exceptional trading platform, which is available across desktop, browser, and mobile devices. It has advanced multi-account support and reporting, an intuitive dashboard layout, and workflow. The Follow Feed feature allows you to view your favourite trades from selected traders which presents an opportunity to learn from successful traders and gain insights into their strategies, including earnings plays and pairs trades. 

Another special feature is the in-platform video feed that sets it apart from other futures brokers. You can watch real traders trade right inside the platform every minute the market is open and hear informed conversations about strategies, concepts, research, and market movements. This feature is an invaluable tool for traders who want to learn from experienced traders and get inspired to try new strategies.

On the drawbacks side, you are limited to opening accounts denominated only in USD. Additionally, the available deposit methods are limited to bank transfers or CurrencyFair, which may not be ideal for all traders. Finally, when withdrawing funds from your account, it’s important to note that an international bank transfer fee of $45 will apply, which may be inconvenient.