HQ Broker is a Marshall Islands registered broker with no government regulator. LHFX is licensed by FSC Mauritius and FSCA South Africa.
LHFX charges $3 per side per lot, accepts a $10 minimum deposit, offers up to 1:500 leverage, and typically pays out crypto withdrawals in under 20 minutes.
LHFX vs HQ Broker at a glance.
| Feature | LHFX | HQ Broker |
|---|---|---|
| Commission per lot | $3 per side, $6 round turn | Not publicly disclosed |
| Minimum deposit | $10 | $250 (Starter account) |
| Typical EURUSD spread | From 0.0 pips raw plus $3 commission | Not publicly disclosed, described as mid spreads |
| Maximum retail leverage | 1:500 | 1:400 |
| Platforms | MetaTrader 5 only (direct MetaQuotes licensee) | MetaTrader 4 only (desktop, web, mobile) |
| Forex pairs and total instruments | 41 forex pairs, 144 total instruments | 50+ forex pairs, 500+ stock CFDs plus indices, metals, energies, softs, bonds |
| Execution model | STP/ECN | STP/ECN (claimed) |
| Regulation | FSC Mauritius (GB23202204) and FSCA South Africa (FSP 52816) | Not regulated by any government agency |
| Crypto deposits and withdrawals | BTC, ETH, USDT and others, auto-payouts typically under 20 minutes | BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC accepted |
| Islamic accounts | Yes, swap-free with holding fee after grace period | Not publicly disclosed |
The areas where LHFX offers a clear advantage over HQ Broker.
LHFX publishes a flat $3 per side per lot commission. HQ Broker does not openly disclose its commission structure.
LHFX opens accounts from $10. HQ Broker requires $250 even on the Starter tier.
LHFX runs MT5 only as a direct MetaQuotes licensee. HQ Broker is still on MetaTrader 4.
LHFX typically auto-processes crypto withdrawals in under 20 minutes. HQ Broker accepts crypto but does not publish a comparable speed.
LHFX holds FSC Mauritius and FSCA South Africa licences and offers swap-free accounts. HQ Broker is unregulated and does not openly publish a swap-free option.
HQ Broker has genuine strengths. Here is where they come out ahead.
HQ Broker lists 500+ stock CFDs versus a smaller equity selection inside the LHFX 144 instrument list.
HQ Broker lists 50+ currency pairs against LHFX's 41 pairs for traders chasing additional crosses.
HQ Broker explicitly accepts BTC, ETH, BCH, and LTC. LHFX covers similar coins via USDT and majors.
Traders running legacy MT4 EAs can continue at HQ Broker. LHFX is MT5 only.
Moving from HQ Broker to LHFX takes minutes, not days.
$10 minimum deposit. Registration takes about 2 minutes.
Upload a government-issued ID. Most verifications complete within a few hours.
Deposit via crypto or card and place your first trade on MT5 or LHFX Trade.
$10 minimum deposit. Registration takes about 2 minutes.
Upload a government-issued ID. Most verifications complete within a few hours.
Deposit via crypto or card and place your first trade on MT5 or LHFX Trade.
Open an LHFX MT5 account from $10, trade at $3 per side, and get crypto withdrawals typically processed in under 20 minutes.