I’ve been trading forex for about a year now and I’m trying to figure out if I should stick with my current approach or branch into scalping. Right now I’m mostly a swing trader holding positions for hours or days, but I’ve been curious about quick scalps during high-volume sessions.
The thing is, scalping and swing trading have totally different cost requirements. Scalping is all about tight spreads and fast execution because you’re making 10-20 trades per day. Swing trading is more about being in the right direction and not getting shaken out.
I’m wondering how that actually maps to RoboForex account types. Is the Pro account worth it for scalping? Does the ECN account make sense for that style? Or should swing traders like me just stay on Standard and not worry about it?
Also curious if switching between account types makes sense depending on your current strategy, or if you pick one and stick with it. And how do rebates factor into the equation - does GlobeGain cashback actually change which account type wins for each trading style?
Different styles need different accounts.
Swing traders: Standard works fine. You hold 4-48 hours so spread width matters less than overnight holding costs and execution on entry/exit.
Day traders: Pro account. You need tighter spreads without paying ECN commission. 20-50 trades daily, so spread savings add up. Rebates offset commission cost partially.
Scalpers: ECN only. You need the tightest possible spread and fastest execution. You’re making 50+ trades daily, sometimes 100+. Commission seems high but spread savings beat it by 2-3x. Rebates cover 25-40% of commission costs.
Don’t switch accounts frequently. Test your strategy on one account for minimum two months before deciding. Platform muscle memory matters.
Tried all three approaches over the last few years. Here’s what I learned:
Swing trading on Standard works great. I hold positions 4-72 hours and spreads are tight enough. The wider spreads don’t hurt because I’m not in and out constantly.
Tested scalping on Standard - it was rough. Wide spreads killed the strategy. Switched to Pro for a month, much better. Then tried ECN and yeah, the execution was noticeably tighter. The commissions seemed high until I tracked it out - over the month, ECN plus rebates came out cheaper than Pro for my scalp frequency.
But honestly, I’m not a dedicated scalper. For your case, start scalping on Pro. If you find yourself doing 30+ scalps daily, then consider ECN. If it’s just occasional, Standard is fine.
I swing trade and Standard account works perfectly for me. The few times I tried scalping on the same account, the spreads felt wide but that’s because I wasn’t used to the costs.
I think the key is understanding your actual trading pattern first. If you find yourself naturally scalping more, then definitely look at Pro or ECN. But don’t switch accounts until you know that’s what you’re actually doing consistently.
Scalpers need tighter spreads than swing traders. Standard works for swing trading, Pro or ECN better for scalping.
Swing traders use Standard. Scalpers need Pro or ECN.