I want to hear real experiences, not marketing copy. I’ve read the official RoboForex descriptions of their account types and they all sound great depending on what you want to hear.
But what I actually care about is: what do traders experience day to day? When you’re in a real trade, during news events, when spreads move - how do these account types actually hold up?
I know Standard is supposed to be ‘for beginners’ and ECN is ‘for professionals,’ but I want to know the actual trade-offs. What’s the real downside of each one? What surprised you about them? Are there situations where picking one account type cost you in ways you didn’t expect?
I’m trying to make an informed decision here, and I’d rather hear from people who’ve actually used them than just look at the feature list. What should someone like me actually know about RoboForex account types before committing?
Used Standard for my first year, switched to ECN 18 months ago. Here’s what I actually found:
Standard: spreads are wider but consistent. During news, they widen more than ECN. The plus side is no commission confusion - what you see is what you get. Filled my orders reliably but slippage happened more often during volatile moments.
ECN: tighter spreads day to day, but then the commission stings when you calculate it out. Good execution speed though - fewer instances of getting gapped on entry. During the Fed announcement last month, ECN stayed more reliable while Standard spread blew out to 3+ pips.
Real trade-off: Standard is predictable, ECN has better execution but costs more in commission. For swing traders, Standard still makes sense. For scalpers, ECN is worth it.
Pro is kind of the in-between but honestly I’d skip it.
The pros and cons break down like this:
Standard: wider spreads, lower slippage during calm markets, no commission complexity. Con is you’ll get slipped on trades during news or volatility spikes. Plus side is beginners understand the cost model.
ECN: tighter spreads, faster execution, but commission adds up. Trading 100 lots with 1 pip commission means real money. Con is beginners sometimes underestimate total cost. Pro is execution reliability during volatile conditions.
Pro: honestly sits between the two and doesn’t excel at anything. Most professionals use ECN anyway.
Big thing nobody mentions: RoboForex’s support quality doesn’t change by account type, but execution varies. If you’re trading during Asian/London overlap, ECN prevents more problems than Standard would.
I’ve done Standard and currently use ECN. The honest answer is it depends on your trading style, but here’s what I’ve noticed.
Standard spreads are wider but you know exactly what you’re paying. When markets calm down, it’s fine. When JPY moves or oil reacts, spreads widen and it stings.
ECN execution is snappier but the commission per trade adds friction. Over a month of my swing trades, the extra commission actually cost more than Standard’s wider spreads would have.
The real con of both is that RoboForex doesn’t communicate issues well when things go wrong. Good news is both platforms rarely crash, but when they do, it’s the same experience either way.
My take: Standard if you trade swing timeframes, ECN if you’re scalping or day trading.
Standard spreads widen during news. ECN commission piles up.
Standard is simpler. ECN has better fills but costs more. Most traders stick with Standard honestly.