I’m trying to figure out if Deriv makes financial sense for me compared to other platforms I’ve looked at. Everyone talks about competitive spreads, but nobody seems to do an honest breakdown of the true cost per trade when rebates are included.
Here’s what I’m wrestling with: I see Deriv advertises tight spreads on major pairs, but are those spreads consistent or just on slow days? And when I add GlobeGain cashback into the equation, how does the total cost per trade actually compare to brokers like XTB, IC Markets, or FP Markets?
I trade about 15 to 20 times per week, usually EUR/USD and GBP/USD, so rebates actually matter to my bottom line. I want to know: What’s the real cost difference month to month? Does it actually move the needle on profitability, or is it just marketing noise?
Has anyone here done a real spreadsheet comparison of their costs across different brokers? I’d love to see actual numbers instead of guesses.
Cost comparison needs to account for execution quality, not just spreads. Here’s the framework I use:
Calculate: average spread + average commission - rebate per lot = true cost. For Deriv EUR/USD, that’s usually 0.9 pips minus 0.3 pips cashback equals 0.6 pips true cost.
Compare that to XTB’s 0.7 pips no rebate, and Deriv wins. But test execution first. If Deriv slips you 0.5 pips on average due to platform timing, their advantage disappears. Track 50 real trades per broker before deciding. Rebates usually account for 10 to 15 percent of total savings if you’re an active trader. Don’t let them be the deciding factor.
Spreadsheet it yourself track fifty trades.
I actually did this comparison last year when I was deciding between three brokers. Here’s what I found:
Deriv came in at about 1.1 pips average cost per trade after rebates. XTB was 0.95 pips. IC Markets was 1.05 pips. The differences seemed small, but over 500 trades per month, it added up to about 80 to 100 dollars in real cost difference.
What surprised me was that the rebate size didn’t matter as much as I thought. Consistency and execution quality mattered way more. I stick with Deriv because the platform feels responsive to me, even if it’s not the absolute cheapest.
I keep a simple spreadsheet tracking my entry and exit prices, actual profit or loss, and my cost including rebates. Over eight weeks I traded with three different brokers including Deriv.
Deriv: 1.15 pips average true cost
XTB: 0.92 pips average true cost
IC Markets: 1.08 pips average true cost
The numbers look close, but here’s the thing—on volatile days, Deriv’s spreads blew up to 2 to 3 pips. XTB stayed more consistent. That worse worst-case scenario with Deriv happened enough times that I moved most of my volume to XTB. The rebates don’t help if you get slipped during the trades that matter.
Deriv good for scalping rebates add up fast.
One detail people miss: rebate timing. Some platforms reward rebates weekly or monthly. Deriv’s integration with GlobeGain is real-time or near real-time. That matters for your cashflow if you’re calculating true profitability on short timescales.
For 15 to 20 trades weekly at 0.3 to 0.5 pips rebate per lot, you’re looking at 22 to 37 dollars per week in passive rebate income. Over a year that’s 1000 to 1900 dollars. Not huge, but meaningful if you’re trading on thin margins. Track it consistently to verify the actual rate you’re getting.
Everyone’s got different spreads and rebates change sometimes.
I’ve tracked this obsessively over two years trading with five different platforms including Deriv. The rebate advantage is real but it peaks at certain trade volumes. Below fifty trades per month, rebates barely matter. Above two hundred trades per month, they become significant.
Also factor in deposit and withdrawal fees, which vary by payment method. Deriv’s withdrawal costs me nothing, but XTB charges me five dollars from my card. That adds up if I withdraw weekly. Run the full math including those details before you move money.