Breaking down the bill: What you really pay to trade with Exness—and why
By Paul Reid
Every trader wants to grow their capital in the most efficient way possible. But the path to better investment returns isn’t built on trading strategy or good timing alone; it’s built on cost awareness. And one of the most powerful yet overlooked levers of trading performance is understanding broker charges.
What you pay to open, hold, and close a trade shapes everything, from your trade value to your long-term profitability. Some brokers rely on this being complicated. At Exness, we don’t. We give you full transparency so you can take control.
Where some create cost confusion, Exness builds confidence
When you open a trading account, you're not just accessing markets. You’re entering into a fee structure that will define your trading costs from day one. It's common in many industries to bury costs inside commissions, spreads, swap rates, or fees. But Exness takes a different approach.
Whether you’re trading CFDs on forex, commodities, or crypto, we show you the full picture upfront. You can use our Trading calculator to estimate fees for every transaction, including the spread, commission, swap fees, and margin. No guesswork. No confusion.
It’s a smarter way to trade, and it’s how high-volume traders keep their edge.
Uncovering the structure behind broker charges
Every broker charges something. The real question is whether those costs are fair, predictable, and aligned with your goals. With Exness, you get transparency across all brokerage fees.
Let’s start with spreads and use EURUSD as an example. On our Standard account, EURUSD spreads average 0.3 pips. On a Pro account, the spread drops to 0.1 pips. This is a vast difference compared to some brokers who have unstable spreads and still apply other fees behind the scenes.
Then there’s commission. Our Zero account offers raw spreads and a flat fee structure starting from 0.2 USD per lot per side. That’s lower than many full-service brokers, who might apply a fixed charge of up to 7 USD per round trade.
Competitive spreads are not limited to forex. Exness also delivers the tightest and most stable¹ spreads on high-demand assets like XAUUSD, USOIL, BTCUSD, and competitive spreads on major US indices, ensuring every pip of value goes further.
Swap fees are next.
These are often buried deep in the fine print of a brokerage firm’s website. They kick in when you hold a position overnight, especially in high-demand instruments like gold. Exness offers swap-free trading on many popular assets, including crypto, select forex pairs, and precious metals.
Showing these fees upfront eliminates uncertainty, and for traders focused on financial planning or long-term investing, it reduces costs that can influence brokerage fees.
The hidden fees most brokers won’t talk about
Spreads and commissions are just the beginning. It's not uncommon for a brokerage firm to apply inactivity fees, annual fees, and administrative costs that can disrupt your returns, especially for traders who are diversifying across asset classes.
These charges don’t appear on your trade ticket. They show up later, often when reviewing your brokerage account statement at the end of the month. This is especially common among full-service brokers who claim to offer numerous services or premium features. But what they really deliver are higher fees, hidden under general terms like services provided.
Some brokers even charge you for simply using the platform, or for having uninvested funds sitting in your account. At Exness, we don’t charge annual fees. We don’t enforce inactivity penalties, and we don’t bake costs into vague categories.
Brokerage fees and trading volume: The compounding impact
Let’s use a hypothetical mathematical example to demonstrate how commission fees can accumulate.
Commission rates for trading brokers can range from around 3 USD to 10 USD per lot. A professional trader might execute as many as 20 positions per day. To make the calculation easy, let's use 1 lot per trade.
If a brokerage firm uses a flat rate of 7 USD per round trip, that’s 140 USD per week. Over 48 trading weeks, that’s 6,720 USD annually.
Now trade the same volume with Exness at an average of 0.4 USD per round trip. That’s just 384 USD for the year². There is a cost difference of 6,336 USD—capital you keep for trading or withdrawal.
Transparency you can measure before the transaction is executed
Brokers sometimes rely on complexity. They hide key figures like the selling price, margin required, or trading fees until after you place your trade. This lack of visibility affects not only your strategy but also your ability to plan across a portfolio of financial transactions.
At Exness, we give you the tools to estimate costs before committing your capital. Using our online Trading Calculator, you can run scenarios based on market conditions, swap rates, and trading volume. This allows you to estimate the impact of leverage, instrument, and the time horizon on your total cost before you place a trade. Forecasting helps you adapt and prepare for possible market moves and reduces guesswork in your strategy.
Broker fees: What full service really means at Exness
Some brokers market themselves as “full-service” to justify charging more. But offering a full service isn’t about charging premium fees or assigning a business partner to your account. It’s about enabling clients with tools, clarity, and confidence.
We don’t attract clients with marketing promises, but we retain them through performance. Every Exness client can estimate fees in advance and manage costs proactively.
Whatever you’re trading, we show you what the trade costs and why. That’s how traders make better decisions.
Smarter traders choose pricing clarity
If you want to understand how to increase your investment returns without taking on more risk, start by examining your trading fees. Look at the brokerage firm’s pricing sheet. Are there vague categories? How about annual fees charged just for holding a position? Perhaps you are paying for unused services?
With Exness, there’s none of that. You pay brokerage fees that are fair and consistent. You don’t pay brokerage fees for being inactive. And you get surprised by a stock trading fee or management fees, tucked away in a monthly report.
This commitment to clarity is why more high-volume traders are choosing Exness over discount brokers who over-promise and under-deliver.
Take control of every cost. And every outcome.
There are several factors that influence brokerage fees: trading volume, account type, instrument, and holding time. But you can control all of them—if your broker empowers you. Exness gives you tools to see costs before you trade. With no annual fees and no hidden charges, you finally get to execute transactions with confidence, not hesitation. You don’t need a business broker to decode your costs. You just need Exness. You can find out more about Exness’ fees here.
Note:
¹ Tightest and most stable spread claims refer to the lowest maximum spreads and the tightest average spreads on the Exness Pro account, for XAUUSD, USOIL, and BTCUSD, based on data collected from 25 August to 7 September 2024, when compared to the corresponding spreads across commission-free accounts of other brokers.
² Mathematic calculation: 20 trades × 7 USD = 140 USD per week. 140 USD per week × 48 weeks = 6,720 USD per year With Exness at 0.4 USD per round trip trade: 20 trades × 0.4 USD = 8 USD per week. 8 USD per week × 48 weeks = 384 USD per year. 6,720 USD (traditional broker) – 384 USD (Exness) = 6,336 USD saved each year
This is not investment advice. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Your capital is at risk, please trade responsibly.
Author:
Paul Reid
Paul Reid is a financial journalist dedicated to uncovering hidden fundamental connections that can give traders an advantage. Focusing primarily on the stock market, Paul's instincts for identifying major company shifts is well established from following the financial markets for over a decade.