Pepperstone and Hugo’s Way are ECN Forex brokers, but which one should you trust your Forex portfolios with?
I have conducted an in-depth review of Pepperstone vs. Hugo’s Way to determine which is the better overall choice and which traders will benefit most from either broker.
Here is a snapshot of the most notable advantages of Pepperstone:
- Low trading fees and volume-based rebates
- Competitive Pepperstone leverage
- Capitalise AI MT4 plugin for algorithmic trading in a code-free environment
- VPS hosting for 24/5 low-latency Forex trading
- Deep liquidity pools and NDD order execution
- An average order execution speed of 30 milliseconds
- 28-plugin Smart Trader Tools package and Autochartist
- TradingView for social traders to engage with 100M+ peers
Here is a snapshot of the most notable advantages of Hugo’s Way:
- 50+ liquidity providers, including dark pools
- Micro lot trading from 0.01 lots
- 1:500 maximum leverage without negative balance protection
- A five-tier affiliate program
- 24/7 customer support
- No well-known trading platform, but the algorithmic-supportive Pro 4 alternative
Features & Platforms
![]() | ![]() | |
MT4 | ||
MT5 | ||
cTrader | ||
Proprietary Platform | ||
Automated Trading | ||
DOM? | N/A | |
Guaranteed Stop Loss | ||
Scalping | ||
Hedging | ||
One-Click Trading | N/A | |
OCO Orders | ||
Interest on Margin | ||
Visit Website 75-95% of traders on margin lose | Visit Website |
Available Markets
![]() | ![]() | |
Currency Pairs | N/A | |
Commodities | ||
Crude Oil | ||
Gold | ||
Metals | ||
Equity Indices | ||
ETFs | ||
Futures | N/A | |
Synthetics | N/A | |
Visit Website 75-95% of traders on margin lose | Visit Website |
Pepperstone offers traders over 1,350 trading instruments for well-diversified portfolios. Hugo’s Way features a relatively small asset selection of highly liquid assets.
Here is why Pepperstone is a better choice for most traders:
- Wider asset selection, including ETFs
- Deeper liquidity and faster order execution
- Lower fees with volume-based rebates
- Currency indices
Typical Spreads & Fees
![]() | ![]() | |
Average Trading Cost EUR/USD | 1.1 pips | N/A |
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD | 1.4 pips | N/A |
Average Trading Cost WTI Crude Oil | $2.50 | N/A |
Average Trading Cost Gold | $0.15 | N/A |
Average Trading Cost Bitcoin | 25 | N/A |
Minimum Raw Spreads | 0.0 pips | N/A |
Minimum Standard Spreads | 1.0 pips | N/A |
Minimum Commission for Forex | 6.00 per round lot (cTrader) / $7.00 per round lot (MT4/MT5) | N/A |
Deposit Fee | N/A | |
Withdrawal Fee | N/A | |
Inactivity Fee | $0 | N/A |
Visit Website 75-95% of traders on margin lose | Visit Website |
Pepperstone has commission-free and commission-based accounts, versus one commission-based account at Hugo’s Way. Which one is cheaper?
Hugo’s Way lists lower minimum trading fees, but actionable Pepperstone fees are notably lower, and include volume-based rebates.
Account Types
Account Types | Pepperstone | Hugo’s Way |
Commission-free Accounts | Yes | No |
Commission-based Accounts | Yes | Yes |
Demo Accounts | Yes | Yes |
Islamic Accounts | Yes | No |
Social / Copy Trading | Yes | No |
Managed Accounts | Yes | No |
Hugo’s Way offers the same account to everyone, but it lacks other niche choices. The Pepperstone account types are suitable for different sorts of traders and their requirements.
Are there any other noteworthy differences in the account structure between Pepperstone vs. Hugo’s Way?
Here is what stands out the most:
- Pepperstone has low-cost, commission-free trading accounts
- Pepperstone offers volume-based rebates
- The Pepperstone swap-free account
- Pepperstone offers passive income opportunities
Minimum Deposit
Deposit Snapshot | Pepperstone | Hugo’s Way |
Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 |
Deposit Fees | Third-party | Third-party |
E-wallets | Yes | No |
Cryptocurrencies | No | Yes |
Localized Methods | Yes | No |
Total Deposit Methods | 9 | 2 |
Supported Deposit Currencies | 10 | USD |
How difficult is it to deposit at Pepperstone vs. Hugo’s Way?
There is no Pepperstone minimum deposit, while the minimum deposit requirement is $10 at Hugo’s Way. While Hugo’s Way supports and prefers Bitcoin deposits, Pepperstone delivers a more convenient deposit infrastructure, since traders get more deposit methods and currencies. Neither broker levies internal deposit fees, while third-party fees and currency conversion fees may apply.
Minimum Withdrawal
Withdrawal Snapshot | Pepperstone | Hugo’s Way |
Minimum Withdrawal | $0 (payment processor dependent) | $10 |
Internal Withdrawal Fees | $0 (third-party processing fees may apply) | $0 (third-party processing fees may apply) |
Internal Processing Times | Same-day to 24 hours | Within 24 hours |
Which withdrawal process is better: Pepperstone or Hugo’s Way?
Traders can receive their Pepperstone withdrawals on the same day if they send their requests before 12:00 AEST/AEDT. Hugo’s Way prefers Bitcoin withdrawals, the only method it describes under its withdrawal section. Pepperstone is the clear winner in this category thanks to its superior withdrawal infrastructure and absence of minimum withdrawal amounts.
Security & Trust
![]() | ![]() | |
Country of the Regulator | United Arab Emirates, Australia, The Bahamas, Cyprus, Germany, Kenya, United Kingdom | N/A |
Name of the Regulator | ASIC, BaFin, CMA, CySEC, DFSA, FCA, SCB | N/A |
Regulatory License Number | 414530, 91279, 128, 388/20, F004356, 684312, F217 | N/A |
Visit Website 75-95% of traders on margin lose | Visit Website |
Pepperstone
Country of the Regulator | Name of the Regulator | License Number |
Australia | Australian Securities & Investments Commission | 414530 |
Bahamas | Securities Commission of The Bahamas | SIA-F217 |
Cyprus | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission | 388/20 |
Dubai | Dubai Financial Services Authority | F004356 |
Germany | Federal Financial Supervisory Authority | HRB 91279 |
Kenya | Capital Markets Authority | 128 |
United Kingdom | Financial Conduct Authority | 684312 |
Hugo’s Way
Country of the Regulator | Name of the Regulator | License Number |
Seychelles | Unregulated | Unregulated |
Which broker is more secure and trustworthy?
Hugo’s Way is unregulated but lists the Seychelles as its headquarters without having an FSA license, which raises a red flag. Pepperstone segregates client deposits from corporate funds and offers negative balance protection. The latter is unavailable at Hugo’s Way. Pepperstone has an excellent regulatory track record and ranks among the most trusted brokers, while Hugo’s Way remains opaque.
Broker versus Broker Verdict
Pepperstone
Pros | Cons |
Excellent choice of trading platforms | The competitiveness of trading conditions depends on the operating subsidiary |
Market-leading MT4/MT5 upgrade package, Autochartist, and API trading | |
Social trading via Pepperstone Copy Trading in partnership with Pelican Trading | |
Leverage of up to 1:500 and superb trade execution |
Hugo’s Way
Pros | Cons |
Deep liquidity via over 50 liquidity providers, including dark pools | Unregulated broker |
A $10 minimum deposit requirement and Bitcoin deposits | |
A choice of highly liquid assets ideal for scalpers and high-frequency traders | |
Algorithmic trading via the Pro 4 trading platform |
Which Forex Broker is Better?
Pepperstone and Hugo’s Way are ECN brokers, and I recommend that traders test their offerings in the Pepperstone demo account and the Hugo’s Way demo account respectively.
Here is my verdict:
Hugo’s Way offers a reasonable broker for Bitcoin-based traders, but Pepperstone is the overall superior choice due to its cutting-edge trading infrastructure. The disadvantage is that the operating subsidiary determines the competitiveness of trading conditions. Hugo’s does not offer a well-known trading platform but features the lesser-known Pro 4 trading platform. Pepperstone commissions are between $6.00 and $7.00 per 1.0 standard round lot. Hugo’s Way advertises lower costs on paper, but Pepperstone has lower overall trading fees, including volume-based rebates. Hugo’s Way does not offer MT4. Therefore, Pepperstone is the only MT4 broker among the two. Pepperstone ranks among the most trusted brokers due to its excellent track record.FAQs
What are the disadvantages of Pepperstone?
What trading platform does Hugo’s Way use?
How much commission does Pepperstone take?
Does Pepperstone or Hugo’s Way have lower costs?
Which broker is better for MetaTrader 4?
How trusted is Pepperstone?