XAU/USD Lowest Spread Brokers
As a gold trader, one of the most important factors when choosing your broker is the spread. The spread is the difference between your broker's buy and sell rates, and it's how brokers make money on each trade. Since spreads widen during volatile markets, choosing a broker with consistently low spreads reduces your trading costs regardless of market conditions. Below, we compare the brokers offering the tightest XAU/USD spreads.
Quick XAUUSD Spread Comparison Table
While countless brokers facilitate gold trading, this article focuses on established brands with robust regulatory oversight and the most competitive XAU/USD spreads. All featured brokers offer gold trading as CFDs. The comparison tables below present spread data for each broker. We've included separate columns for minimum and average spreads, though not all brokers disclose both metrics.
We've included two tables: standard accounts (no commissions, preferred by most traders) and raw accounts (tighter spreads with commissions, favoured by scalpers and high-frequency traders).
Standard Account Spread Comparison (No Commissions)
| Broker | Average XAUUSD Spread on Standard Account (in $) | Minimum XAUUSD Spread on Standard Account (in $) |
| Pepperstone | 0.15 | 0.05 |
| Exness | 0.16 | - |
| HFM | - | 0.25 |
| XM.com | 0.45 | 0.30 |
| XTB | 0.35 | 0.30 |
Spreads are subject to change. Check your platform for the most up to date data.
Raw Spread / Commission-Based Accounts Comparison
| Broker | Minimum XAUUSD Spread on Raw Account (in $) | Commission fee per side per lot (USD) |
| Tickmill | 0.0 | 3.0-3.50 (depending on platform) |
| Exness | 0.037 | 3.50 |
| HFM | 0.030 | 5.0 |
Spreads and commisions are subject to change. Check your platform for the most up to date data.
Pepperstone
Pepperstone stands out as a top choice for traders seeking low spreads on gold. The XAU/USD pair, for instance, boasts a minimum spread of just $0.05 and an average spread of $0.15 with no commissions paid. The broker has two account types for trading, the standard and razor accounts, but they have identical conditions when it comes to gold trading. Pepperstone caters to a wide range of trading styles with its diverse platform options. These include MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, TradingView, and its own Pepperstone Trading Platform.
In terms of regulation, Pepperstone has earned a solid reputation for its global oversight. It's regulated by leading authorities such as the FCA in the UK, the ASIC in Australia, the CySEC in Cyprus, the BaFin in Germany, and the DFSA in the DIFC, among others. Further, Pepperstone isn't just about gold. Traders can explore over 1,200 CFDs, including forex, indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and ETFs.
73.7% of retail CFD accounts lose money
Exness
Established in 2008, Exness is a low-spread Forex and CFDs broker. This broker offers 2 standard accounts (Min. deposit here is 10 USD) and 3 professional accounts (Min. deposit here is 200 USD+). On the standard accounts, the average spread for XAUUSD is $0.16, and on the Pro account, the average spread for Gold is $0.112. Neither of these accounts comes with any commission fees.
Interestingly enough, the broker also offers two commission-based accounts with competitive trading conditions for gold. The Raw Spread account features an average spread of $0.037 on gold, with a commission fee of $3.50 per side per lot. In contrast, the Zero Spread account offers average spreads as low as 0.0 pips on gold, with a commission fee of $5.50 per side per lot.
Interestingly, Exness is one of the few Gold CFD brokers that offer an Extended Swap-Free feature for gold trading, even without an Islamic account. This means you won’t incur any swaps for this instrument. This is ideal for traders who do not wish to worry about how long they want to stay in their position on gold. However, Exness may revoke the swap-free status if you regularly keep large positions open overnight or seldom trade during active market hours.
Exness also gives you access to trade over 200 financial CFD instruments including forex, shares, metals, and cryptocurrency in multiple trading platforms such as MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5. Exness is available in a wide range of countries, but in some, it is prohibited to retail clients. That means, for instance, that they are not available to retail traders from European countries.
Your capital is at risk. Leveraged products may not be suitable for everyone.
HFM
HFM is a globally recognised broker that offers competitive spreads for gold trading on both standard and raw account types. It is well-regulated by several financial authorities, including the FSCA in South Africa, the CMA in Kenya, the FCA in the UK, the CySEC in Cyprus, and the FSA in Seychelles. The spreads that traders enjoy when trading this asset depend on the account type.
XAUUSD is available with spreads starting from just $0.25 on both the Premium and Cent accounts. The Pro account offers even tighter spreads, beginning at $0.16 for gold. The Zero account provides the most competitive pricing, with spreads as low as $0.03, plus a commission of $5 per side per lot.
In addition to gold, HFM offers a wide range of trading instruments. In total, traders have access to over 500 assets, which include CFDs on forex, energies, indices, stocks, commodities, bonds, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies. The trading platforms available to use include MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and the HFM platform.
Your capital is at risk. Leveraged products may not be suitable for everyone.
XM
XM offers two account types for gold trading with no commissions. The Standard Account features XAU/USD spreads starting from $0.30 with an average of $0.45, while the Ultra Low Account provides tighter spreads starting from $0.16 and averaging $0.20.
This internationally recognized broker serves over 15 million clients and holds regulations from CySEC in Cyprus, the SCA in Dubai (UAE), and the FSC in Belize. Beyond gold trading, XM provides access to CFDs on over 1,400 financial instruments, including other commodities, forex, stocks, and indices.
Trading gold and all other financial instruments is available through the MT4 or MT5 platforms, or via the proprietary XM app. The broker is primarily known for its international reach combined with localized support in 30 languages via 24/7 live chat. Clients can also contact the broker by phone or email.
74.3% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
XTB
XTB offers XAU/USD spreads starting from $0.30 with a target spread of $0.35 and no commissions. The broker operates with a single standard account type, making the choice straightforward for gold traders.
Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, XTB serves over 2 million clients globally through 11 local offices in cities including Paris, London, Berlin, Prague, and Dubai. The broker is regulated by multiple authorities, including the FCA in the UK, CySEC in Cyprus, the KNF in Poland, the SCA in Dubai (UAE), and the FSC in Belize.
Beyond gold, XTB provides access to CFDs on other metals, forex, stocks, indices, and ETFs. With over 11,500 financial instruments available, the broker's offering exceeds what most competitors provide.
Unlike most brokers on this list, XTB does not offer MetaTrader platforms. Instead, all trades are executed on the proprietary xStation platform, which is available across all devices and known for its intuitive interface and fast execution. Customer support is available in English, German, French, Czech, Spanish, and several other languages.
69-80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Tickmill
Tickmill is another broker that supports XAUUSD trading and is often mentioned when discussing brokers with low gold spreads. The broker offers three account types that allow trading this asset. The first option is the Classic account. Unfortunately, Tickmill does not disclose the minimum or average spreads for XAUUSD on the Classic account, which makes direct comparison more difficult.
The other two options are the Raw account and the TradingView Raw account. On both of these accounts, XAUUSD spreads start from $0.0, with an average spread of around $0.09. The Raw account charges a commission of $3.0 per side per lot, while the TradingView Raw account has a slightly higher commission of $3.5 per side per lot.
Beyond gold CFDs, Tickmill offers access to CFDs on more than 600 financial instruments, including other commodities, forex pairs, stocks, cryptocurrencies, and indices. For trading platforms, Tickmill supports MT4, MT5, TradingView, and the Tickmill Trader app, which is the broker’s proprietary platform. The broker is regulated by several reputable authorities, including CySEC in Cyprus, the FCA in the UK, and the FSCA in South Africa, among others.
75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Conclusion on XAU/USD Lowest Spread Brokers
As a trader considering XAU/USD trading, you have to consider all factors before you choose a broker to start trading your funds with. These factors include regulatory approval within your country, access to global and reliable trading platforms, like MT4 and MT5, technology and trading tools, customer support, investment opportunities, and of course the spreads.
In this article, we showed you some of the best low-spread brokers for gold trading (XAU/USD) and some basic information about them. Remember that trading the financial market is already risky in itself and choosing the right broker can at least remove the extra risk of losing your trading capital to scam brokers. Don’t forget to choose wisely.
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