Skilling Broker Review - A Forex broker with low trading fees

skilling.com
nika
Written by:
Av
konstantinrabin
Calendar
Written on:
4 June 2023
Date
Last edit:
11 January 2024
Our rating:
6.15

6.15

Skilling Broker Review - A Forex broker with low trading fees

skilling.com
nika
Written by:
Calendar
Written on:
4 June 2023
Date
Last edit:
11 January 2024
Our rating
6.15

6.15

Trading financial products on margin carries a high degree of risk and is not suitable for all investors. Please ensure you fully understand the risks and take appropriate care to manage your risk.
See how Skilling compares to it's closest alternatives.
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Main summary

Skilling is a global CFD and Forex broker. The company was founded in 2016 by Scandinavian tech magnates Henrik Persson Ekdahl, Mikael Riese Harstad, and Andre Lavold.

Skilling offers CFDs on stocks, commodities, cryptocurrencies, Forex, and indices to its clients through the use of MetaTrader 4 and cTrader. In addition, mobile trading and web trading platforms are available. 

In order to meet the needs of different traders, the broker offers 4 account types. In addition, traders can open demo and swap-free accounts. What makes this broker stand out from the competition is low trading fees. Spreads start from as little as 0.7 pips. On average spreads on EUR/USD are 1.2 pips for Standard account holders.

In our review of Skilling, we’ll dive deep to learn more about the broker’s fees, safety features, trading platforms, customer service, education and research tools, and more. 

Pros & cons of Skilling broker

  • No deposit fees and low fees in general
  • Offers access to MetaTrader 4 and cTrader
  • Fast and digital account opening/verification
  • Offers access to 1,127 tradable instruments, including CFDs on stocks, commodities, cryptocurrencies, Forex, indices
  • Low barriers for entry. Traders can open accounts for 100 EUR
  • High leverage, up to 1000:1
  • Most payment options are free and instant
  • If you deposit and do not trade, there is a “no-trading fee” of 5% on withdrawal amount
  • The regulator is not strict
  • Payments made by Skrill, Neteller, and BinancePay are charged a 0%-2.9% transfer fee
  • Swap-free account version is only available for Muslim traders, and there’s only MetaTrader 4 account version available 

Skilling Fact sheet

Main features
Regulations Seychelles
Fees on deposits 0 EUR
Fees on withdrawal 0 EUR
Inactivity fees 5% inactivity fee is charged upon withdrawal
Minimum deposit 100 EUR
Minimum account activation 100 EUR
Number of available assets 1127
Leverage up to 1:500
Available trading markets CFDs on Stocks, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies, Forex, Indices
Account currencies SEK, NOK, GBP, EUR, USD
Demo account Yes
Live account types Standard, Premium, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 4 Premium
Islamic account Yes
Security
Negative balance protection Yes
Part of compensation fund -
Keeps funds on segregated bank account Yes
Assets
Forex 73
Shares 0
Cryptocurrencies 63
Indices 23
Commodities 20
Total 1127
Fees & spread
Forex From 0.7. Average spread on EUR/USD is 1.2 pips
Shares N/A
Cryptocurrencies From 0.0378
Indices From 8 On S&P 500
Commodities From 1.6
Software
Platforms MetaTrader 4, cTrader
Mobile trading support Yes
Mac device support Yes
Commodities Yes
Payment systems
Payment methods AstroPay, Bank Transfer, Credit/Debit Card, Klarna, Neteller, Skrill, WebMoney
Minimum deposit AstroPay, Bank Transfer, Credit/Debit Card, Klarna, Neteller, Skrill, WebMoney
Minimum withdrawal AstroPay, Bank Transfer, Credit/Debit Card, Klarna, Neteller, Skrill, WebMoney
Withdrawal processing time Instant
Time to open an account -
Show all

Safety & Security of Skilling

Safety is of the utmost importance when selecting a broker. When you entrust your hard-earned money to a financial service provider, you need to be able to fully trust your broker. 

There are various ways to know whether your broker should be trusted, but it's essential for your broker to be regulated and have a good reputation among its clients. Skilling Seychelles Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Seychelles Financial Services Authority (FSA). It should be mentioned that the FSA is not a strict regulator. However, the fact that Skilling is regulated means that it can be trusted.

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Account types available for traders on Skilling

In order to meet the needs of different traders Skilling offers 4 account types: Standard, Premium, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 4 Premium. The maximum available leverage on all account types is 500:1, with the minimum initial deposit required to open a Standard and MT4 account type, being 100 Euros. For opening Premium and MT4 Premium account types, a minimum of 5,000 Euros is required. Standard and MT4 accounts charge no commissions and spreads on EUR/USD start from 0.7 pips; making these account types ideal for beginner and swing traders. 

Premium and MT4 Premium account types charge commissions of 30 USD/per million traded, one round, with spreads starting from 0.1 pips. These account types are best for intraday and high-frequency trading as spreads are minimal. The Stop Out level on all 4 account types is 50%. Spreads on Bitcoin start from 0.5. 

Pros & cons of account types

ProsCons
Low trading feesNo micro account
Enables traders to use demo and Islamic account typesThere are no accounts without spread markups

Fees & commissions review of Skilling

Trading fees with Skilling are low compared to competitors. There are no fees on most deposit and withdrawal options and spreads and commissions are low. On the other hand, there’s an inactivity fee of 5% on the withdrawal amount.

AssetSpread
ForexFrom 0.7 pips (on Standard account)
CFDs on StocksFrom 0.11
CommoditiesFrom 1.6
CryptocurrenciesFrom 0.0378
IndicesFrom 8 (On S&P 500)

Comparing Skilling fees with other brokers

To better understand the difference in fee structure, let’s make a comparison. For the comparison, we picked Standard account fees.

Skilling fees compared to Interactive Brokers fees

Type of FeeSkillingInteractive Brokers
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 0.7 pipsFrom 0.6 pips
Fees on DepositsNo (deposits made by Skrill, Neteller, and BinancePay are charged with 0%-2.9% transfer fees)1%
Inactivity feeIf you deposit and do not trade, there is a no-trading fee of 5% upon withdrawal amountNo*

*Inactivity fee was eliminated by IB in 2021, it used to be $20/m

Skilling fees compared to CM Trading fees

Type of FeeSkillingCM Trading
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 0.7 pips From 0.9 pips
Fees on DepositsNo (deposits made by Skrill, Neteller, and BinancePay are charged with 0%-2.9% transfer fees)No
Inactivity feeIf you deposit and do not trade, there is a no-trading fee of 5% upon withdrawal amountYes, 15 EUR/USD per month after 60 days of inactivity

Skilling fees compared to plus500 fees

Type of FeeSkillingplus500
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 0.7 pips From 0.8 pips
Fees on DepositsNo (deposits made by Skrill, Neteller, and BinancePay are charged with 0%-2.9% transfer fees)No
Inactivity feeIf you deposit and do not trade, there is a no-trading fee of 5% upon withdrawal amountYes, 10 USD per month after 3 months of inactivity

Skilling fees compared to XM fees

Type of FeeSkillingXM
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 0.7 pips From 0.6 pips
Fees on DepositsNo (deposits made by Skrill, Neteller, and BinancePay are charged with 0%-2.9% transfer fees)No
Inactivity feeIf you deposit and do not trade, there is a no-trading fee of 5% upon withdrawal amountYes, 15 USD after 12 months, +5 USD/m

Skilling fees compared to AvaTrade fees

Type of FeeSkillingAvaTrade
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 0.7 pips From 0.9 pips
Fees on DepositsNo (deposits made by Skrill, Neteller, and BinancePay are charged with 0%-2.9% transfer fees)No
Inactivity feeIf you deposit and do not trade, there is a no-trading fee of 5% upon withdrawal amountYes, 50 USD after 3 months, 100 USD administration fee after a year

Skilling fees compared to Capital.com fees

Type of FeeSkillingCapital.com
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 0.7 pips From 0.9 pips
Fees on DepositsNo (deposits made by Skrill, Neteller, and BinancePay are charged with 0%-2.9% transfer fees)No
Inactivity feeIf you deposit and do not trade, there is a no-trading fee of 5% upon withdrawal amountYes, 50 USD after 3 months, 100 USD administration fee after a year

Trading platforms and mobile trading reviewed at Skilling

Skilling offers access to MetaTrader 4 and cTrader as desktop platforms. In addition, there are mobile and web trading apps available. MetaTrader 4 is the most popular Forex trading software in the world, however, the interface looks outdated. On the upside, MetaTrader 4 is very reliable and easy to use. cTrader has a more modern-looking design and is a great platform for both professional and beginner traders. cTrader offers more indicators and timeframes. In addition, the platform also enables traders to check level 2 data. Both platforms support algorithmic trading. Overall, Skilling offers great trading software. 

Education and research tools offered by Skilling

Skilling offers limited tools for research and educational material compared to competitors. Basic terms are explained and trading articles are provided, however, the educational material is very limited. 

Customer support of Skilling

Skilling provides its clients with great customer support. Traders can reach the broker via live chat which is fast and effective, over the phone, or using an email. Chat options are also available for Messenger, Telegram, and LINE users. In addition, the chat window is easy to spot from the broker’s main page. Live customer service is available 24/5 during workdays.

Conclusion

To sum everything up, Skilling is a regulated broker and therefore can be trusted, however, it should be mentioned that the FSA of Seychelles is not a strict regulator. The broker offers access to trading 1,127 tradable instruments from various asset classes, including CFDs on stocks, commodities, cryptocurrencies, Forex, and indices. Trading fees are low compared to the competitors. The minimum initial deposit required to open Standard and MT4 accounts is 100 Euros. For opening Premium accounts traders need to deposit over 5,000 Euros. The maximum available leverage is 500:1 and the available trading platforms are MetaTrader 4 and cTrader. Educational material and offered tools for research are limited, but the customer service is excellent. 

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FAQs about Skilling

What can I trade with Skilling?

Skilling offers access to trading CFDs on stocks, commodities, cryptocurrencies, Forex, and indices. There are 1,127 tradable instruments offered with 73 currency pairs, 948 CFDs on shares, 63 crypto derivatives, 23 indices, and 20 commodities filling the list. It’s important to note that the maximum available leverage varies depending on the asset class. 

Can Skilling be trusted?

Skilling is a regulated broker license in Seychelles by the Seychelles Financial Services Authority and therefore can be trusted. However, it should be mentioned that the regulator is not very strict. For some traders, this can be an advantage as this gives traders access to using high leverage and the ability to open more risky trades.