Spreadex Review 2026: Is It A Good UK Spread Betting Broker?

Quick Verdict: Spreadex Earns 8.2/10

Spreadex earns 8.2/10. Its biggest strength is giving UK spread bettors access to smaller British companies, including AIM shares. It also covers major indices, forex and international markets. Traders can use Spreadex’s own platform or connect directly through TradingView, and the firm is regulated by the FCA.

Smaller shares can be harder to buy and sell, and their dealing spreads can be wider. That makes the actual trading costs especially important. I’d compare Spreadex with IG and CMC Markets, checking the quoted spread, overnight financing, charges for shorting shares and whether a guaranteed stop is available. For someone mainly trading indices or forex, Pepperstone and City Index are also worth considering, particularly if MetaTrader or automated trading matters to them.

Spreadex also accepts some customers from outside the UK. It accepts international applications where local rules allow, and offers accounts in GBP, USD and EUR. However, it says customers who move to the US or Turkey cannot keep their accounts. Spreadex is still primarily a UK-based, FCA-regulated broker, rather than a business with separate locally regulated branches around the world. Overseas readers should check whether they are eligible to open and use an account.

Why Spreadex Scores 8.2/10

I’ve given Spreadex 8.2/10. Its FCA regulation, TradingView integration and access to smaller UK-listed shares are convincing strengths. Where it falls behind some competitors is in its choice of trading platforms and automation tools, particularly for traders who rely on MetaTrader or cTrader.

What Is Spreadex?

Spreadex is a UK-based provider established in 1999. Its financial division offers spread betting and CFD trading through Spreadex Limited, an FCA-authorised firm.

The broker is unusual because the wider Spreadex brand also operates sports betting. That combined identity will not appeal to every trader, but the financial account remains a separate leveraged-trading proposition with its own platform, market information and FCA-regulated firm.

Spreadex is not a stockbroker or long-term investment platform. The core use case is short- or medium-term leveraged speculation across supported financial markets.

My View On Spreadex

CMC Markets and IC Markets already cover almost everything I need: CMC for longer positions and the tax efficiency of my chosen account, and IC Markets for shorter trades where its spreads, margin requirements and leverage fit my approach. I do not see Spreadex displacing either broker for my own regular index trading. That is a statement about my method, not a reason to dismiss Spreadex for other traders.

What catches my attention here is the smaller-company share coverage. If I wanted to trade a specific AIM stock through a spread bet, Spreadex could be a sensible place to check even though I would not normally choose it for automated forex or index trading. But small-cap access is only attractive if the quote is usable: I would look at the displayed buy/sell spread, minimum stake, funding, short-borrow terms and the risk of a price gap before deciding that the apparent opportunity was worth taking.

Spreadex also offers guaranteed stops on many markets for an extra charge. That is genuinely interesting when a share can reopen well beyond an ordinary stop: knowing the maximum loss before entering may be worth more than shaving a point off the opening spread. The protection must be selected when opening the trade, is subject to a wider minimum stop distance and carries a premium. I would check the exact ticket rather than imply every market or position qualifies.

Its direct TradingView connection is a useful extra, but I would not treat it as full equivalence with the Spreadex platform or with brokers offering MT4, MT5 and cTrader. For example, Spreadex says its Autochartist signals are available on its own desktop and mobile platforms, not through the TradingView integration. My assessment comes from official terms and the GradTraders broker bank; it is not presented as a personally tested Spreadex trading or withdrawal record.

Sources: Spreadex guaranteed-stop terms, trading-signal platform restrictions and small-cap share markets.

Trading Platforms: Spreadex Web, Mobile And TradingView

Spreadex now has two meaningful platform routes: its own proprietary environment and a direct TradingView connection. That is a stronger proposition than a proprietary-only setup and gives chart-led traders a recognised third-party interface.

Spreadex Trading Costs

Spreadex charges for share spread bets through the quoted buying and selling prices, which include the underlying share’s spread and a Spreadex markup. Share CFDs instead carry the underlying spread plus a separate commission. The pricing guide explains both approaches. Smaller shares can have wider spreads, and prices may widen for larger trade sizes.

Holding a position also costs money. On Spreadex’s illustrative £10,000 share position at 8% annual financing, the charge is around £2.19 per day, with extra funding for weekends. Short positions may incur share-borrow charges, and guaranteed stops carry a premium where offered. Those costs can easily outweigh a small difference in the opening spread. The next comparison puts Spreadex’s published charges alongside IG and CMC Markets.

Small-Cap Shares: Spreadex’s Most Interesting Specialism

Spreadex advertises more than 10,000 financial markets across shares, indices, foreign exchange and commodities. That is an impressive number but not its strongest distinguishing feature. Its share-market pages specifically promote smaller UK-listed companies, including AIM and non-FTSE 350 shares, as well as equities from more than 15 countries and selected out-of-hours dealing.

For someone who genuinely trades smaller companies, a relevant question is not ‘Which broker lists more stocks?’ but ‘Can I obtain a reasonable quote in the exact stock and stake size I want, with controlled downside if the market gaps?’ There is an important difference between a market appearing in the search box and being executable at a tolerable spread.

Three risks become more important here. First, liquidity: the underlying bid/offer spread may be much wider than on FTSE 100 shares, and Spreadex’s own execution policy provides for size-dependent tiered spreads. Second, shorting: borrow charges and availability can change, including during an existing short position. Third, gaps: an ordinary stop may execute below the intended level after adverse news; a guaranteed stop, where available, must be arranged before opening the trade and has a premium.

I would therefore compare Spreadex with IG, CMC Markets and City Index for one named AIM share at the same exposure, checking the live executable price, market hours, margin, stop treatment and funding. That test is more meaningful than assuming any of those brokers offers the whole advertised share universe on identical terms.

Spreadex’s direct TradingView connection adds convenience for chart-led trading, but the exact instrument and order controls must be confirmed on the integrated platform. Access to a small company through a spread bet is leveraged exposure, not ownership of that company’s shares.

Spreadex, IG And CMC: What The Published Costs Show

Spreadex’s smaller-company coverage deserves a closer examination than a comparison of advertised market counts. I selected Record plc (REC), a smaller London-listed asset manager, because Spreadex publishes contract details for that particular share. Record trades on the Main Market, not AIM, but it provides a useful example of the dealing costs faced when trading a smaller British company. The comparison below uses the same illustrative £1,000 long exposure at each broker and published UK spread-betting terms.

What these figures actually tell us: Spreadex’s published addition is around 50p lower than IG’s category addition per £1,000 in this example. That is a small difference compared with the underlying bid/offer spread on a thinly traded share, and cannot establish the cheaper broker without matching live prices. CMC’s published UK-share treatment is different again. The winner could change with the share, stake, liquidity, trading time and overnight holding period. The public figures also do not confirm a guaranteed stop or the ability to short REC at every provider.

For a more mainstream cross-check: all three providers publish or illustrate a one-point UK 100 spread in standard circumstances. At £5 per point, that is £5 of spread cost for an immediate unchanged-price round trip at that one-point quote, before overnight funding or optional protection. Spreadex’s UK 100 specification, IG index specifications and CMC’s quoted example should not be mistaken for three simultaneous live quotes. For a straightforward index position, the public evidence shows little reason to favour Spreadex on the headline spread alone.

My conclusion: Spreadex’s strongest reason to be considered is its specialist UK share coverage and handling of the particular order, not a proven across-the-board price advantage over IG or CMC. This is as far as the published data allows a defensible comparison; determining the actual cheapest trade requires identical live quotes and holding-cost terms from all three accounts.

Spread Betting, CFDs And UK Tax Treatment

Spread betting is the central reason Spreadex matters to many UK traders. Eligible traders use a stake-per-point structure, while CFDs use a contract-based route.

Spreadex states that spread-betting profits are generally free from UK Capital Gains Tax and that spread bets and CFDs do not incur Stamp Duty. Tax treatment depends on personal circumstances and can change, and CFD profits do not receive the same general CGT treatment as spread-betting profits.

Tax should never be the only reason to use leverage. Product access, platform, spread, financing, order control and risk management remain more important to the trading decision.

Safety, FCA Regulation And Clone-Firm Risk

Spreadex Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under Firm Reference Number 190941. The current deposits and withdrawals page states that retail client money is held in segregated accounts at Barclays and is not merged with Spreadex’s own operating funds.

FCA regulation does not protect a trader from market losses, leverage, gaps or poor position sizing. It governs the firm and the client relationship; it does not make spread betting or CFDs low risk.

The FCA published a clone-firm warning on 24 February 2026 concerning “Spreadex FX/spreadfx.com”. The warning confirms that the clone had no connection with the genuine Spreadex Limited and lists the legitimate website as spreadex.com.

Deposits, Withdrawals And Support

Spreadex has a £5 minimum deposit and does not charge for standard deposits or withdrawals. It accepts bank transfers and eligible card and digital payment methods. Spreadex reports that 96.2% of withdrawals were processed within 30 minutes in 2025, although the money may take longer to reach a bank or card. Its payment guide explains the different timescales.

Customers can contact a UK dealing desk by telephone, as well as use chat and email—potentially useful for questions about smaller shares or complex orders. Spreadex says retail client funds are held in segregated Barclays accounts. These are published arrangements; I haven’t independently tested withdrawal or support performance.

Who Is Spreadex Best For?

GradTraders Best Native Platform Choice: Plus500

Spreadex Pros And Cons

Final Verdict: Spreadex Earns 8.2/10

Spreadex earns 8.2/10 as a broker with a valuable specialism in UK financial spread betting, particularly on smaller listed companies. Its AIM-share coverage, direct TradingView connection and FCA regulation give eligible traders good reasons to consider it. I find that a more convincing proposition than trying to compete with every international broker on the number of platforms or headline forex spreads.

Smaller-company dealing is also where the details matter most. A share can be available to trade but still carry a wide spread, limited liquidity or borrowing restrictions. Holding costs may become significant, and a guaranteed stop is only useful where one is offered on suitable terms. The published-cost comparison above shows why neither Spreadex, IG nor CMC Markets can be declared cheapest without an actual dealing quote. The underlying spread, financing and available order controls can matter far more than a small difference in the advertised markup.

Spreadex also accepts applications from certain countries outside the UK, with GBP, USD and EUR account options, but it remains predominantly a British, FCA-regulated service rather than a network of local brokerages worldwide. International readers need to check residency eligibility and whether the products are permitted where they live. Traders focused on automated forex or index strategies may be better served by brokers offering MT4, MT5 or cTrader. For someone interested in smaller UK shares and TradingView-based spread betting, however, Spreadex offers a distinctive and worthwhile choice.