Tickmill is a CFD broker founded in 2014 with headquarters in Cyprus. It holds licenses from the FCA, CySEC, and FSA, and serves clients from more than 200 countries. Over its ten years of operation, it has built a reputation for low spreads and fast execution.
Nevertheless, complaints are accumulating around it that cannot be overlooked. Clients repeatedly encounter withdrawal problems, rising fees, and deteriorating support. Strong regulation is what saves the broker – without it, the rating would look quite different.
Article Contents:
Quick Facts
| Year Founded | 2014 |
| Regulation | FCA (UK), CySEC (Cyprus), FSA (Seychelles) |
| Minimum Deposit | 100 USD |
| Account Types | Classic, Raw |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, TradingView, Tickmill Trader |
| Execution Speed | ~15 ms (industry average 60 ms) |
| Leverage | up to 1:1000 (outside EU/UK) |
| Inactivity Fee | yes, after 12 months |
| Real Stocks/ETFs | no |
Advantages and Disadvantages
Tickmill has genuine strengths, but in recent years there are growing reasons for caution.
Advantages
- Strong regulation by FCA and CySEC, negative balance protection
- Low spreads on Raw account (EUR/USD from 0.1 pip)
- Fast order execution (~15 ms)
- Deposits and withdrawals formally fee-free
- Free VPS hosting for algorithmic trading
- Islamic (swap-free) account available
Disadvantages
- Commission on Raw account has increased to 6 USD per lot – a 50% increase from the original price
- Spreads on Classic account are average, EUR/USD around 1.7 pips
- Swap fees above industry average
- In 2025, popular tools Autochartist, Pelican, and Capitalise.ai were removed
- Withdrawals can take up to 8 business days if you deposited by card
- The broker handles complaints slowly and some clients report their concerns being ignored
- Limited choice of account currencies: only USD, EUR, GBP, ZAR
You might be interested in: How to Choose the Right Exchange for Trading Your Cryptocurrencies?
What the Platform Offers (Assets)
Tickmill covers basic asset classes, but lags behind the largest brokers in the breadth of offerings. It is built primarily for active forex and CFD traders, not for investors building long-term portfolios.
- Forex – dozens of currency pairs including exotics
- Indices – CFD on S&P 500, DAX, FTSE, and others
- Commodities – oil, gold, silver
- Bonds – CFD on government bonds
- Cryptocurrencies – only as CFD, not real purchase
- Stocks – CFD; the UK entity additionally offers real futures and options
Fees
The fee structure looks good on paper. In practice, however, several things are disappointing.
Classic account operates without commission, you only pay the spread (EUR/USD averaging ~1.7 pips). Acceptable for beginners, but nothing exceptional compared to competitors.
Raw account offers spread from 0.1 pip plus commission of 3 USD per side, or 6 USD per lot. The total cost of a trade works out to approximately 0.7 pip. However, until recently the commission was 4 USD per lot – a 50% price increase without significant service improvements, which clients did not appreciate.
Swap fees are above industry average, which makes overnight position holding more expensive for traders. After 12 months of inactivity, the broker charges 10 USD/EUR/GBP quarterly.
The biggest problem, however, is not in the rates, but in withdrawals. If you originally deposited funds by card, you cannot withdraw them by any other method – even after years. Some clients waited over a week for withdrawals and support ignored or delayed their inquiries.
Read also: Trust Wallet Review: Manage Your Cryptocurrencies with Confidence
Trading Platform (Application)
You have four platforms to choose from: MT4, MT5, TradingView, and the proprietary Tickmill Trader available as both web and mobile application.
MT4 and MT5 support Expert Advisors, strategy testers, and copy trading at no cost. However, MetaTrader’s design looks outdated, the news feed is unclear, and integration with TradingView sometimes suffers from execution delays. Additionally, TradingView and Tickmill Trader are only available for Raw accounts – Classic users are limited to MetaTrader only. Support for cTrader is missing.
You might like: crypto4me review
Security and Regulation
This is unquestionably Tickmill’s strongest point. FCA and CySEC licenses mean segregated client funds, negative balance protection, and access to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) in case of disputes.
The Seychelles entity offers leverage up to 1:1000, but with significantly lower client protection. For a European retail trader, an account under FCA or CySEC is the safer choice.
Nevertheless – even strong regulation has its limits. One documented case showed that even after an FOS decision in the client’s favor, Tickmill proceeded to close their positions and accounts. The situation was eventually resolved, but the path to it was lengthy and stressful.
Conclusion: Tickmill is a regulatory-safe broker with good trading conditions for active traders. However, in recent years it has raised prices, removed tools, and handles complaints slowly. If you’re considering signing up, choose the FCA or CySEC entity and a Raw account – and be prepared for withdrawals that may not always be smooth.
