CFD Account Modes: Spreads, Fees, Liquidity, and Execution
Summary
The document compares three CFD account modes: ECN, STP zero-fee, and Pro. ECN is described as charging a per-lot fee with raw spreads, while STP has no transaction fee and uses an all-in spread. Pro also charges per-lot fees but offers dedicated quote depth and liquidity. Instruments use no suffix for ECN, “.s” for STP, and “.pro” for Pro.
The guide positions STP as an option for cost-conscious frequent traders and Pro for high-volume, quantitative, or institutional clients seeking execution depth and slippage control. Pro access requires an application and backend configuration, while switching out also requires applying. The comparison is useful as a basic overview of how account pricing and liquidity arrangements can differ, but it gives no measured spread, depth, slippage, or execution-quality data. Its suitability claims are platform-specific and should not be treated as independent performance evidence.
Key ideas
- ECN charges per-lot fees and is described as using raw spreads.
- STP removes transaction fees but uses an all-in spread.
- Pro combines per-lot fees with dedicated quote depth and liquidity.
- The guide associates Pro with larger or more execution-sensitive clients and requires manual approval.
- No comparative execution data is provided to validate the mode descriptions.
Tags
This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.