Spread-led pricing
Classic
Spread from1.6 pips
Trading commissionZero
PlatformsMT4 / MT5
The trading commission is absent; the spread is not. Compare the actual bid–ask difference for the instrument and hours you intend to trade.
FreeMalta / TickmillThe cost of conviction · 2026
The spread is small.
The stakes aren’t.
A few decimal places. A very real decision. Before you trade the world’s currencies, understand what the broker charges—and what leverage asks of you.
Read the terms. Then the chart.Meet Tickmill
Risk warning. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 73% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with Tickmill Europe Ltd. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
01 / The broker
A trading account.
Not an investment thesis.
“I’ll start small.” Fair enough. The useful question is whether the position will be small too. A modest deposit and a leveraged trade are perfectly capable of living very different lives.
Tickmill offers forex and other CFDs. For a Malta-based reader, the starting point is its EU offering—not the most generous headline on a global landing page. Tickmill Europe Ltd is authorised by CySEC under licence 278/15. Confirm your contracting entity during onboarding.
Classic / RawCurrent EU account choices
MT4 / MT5Listed on the EU account menu
1:30Maximum retail leverage; lower limits apply by asset
$100Starting deposit in EU FAQ; base-currency variation applies
Sources: EU accounts and deposit FAQ. Eligibility and the agreement you sign govern your account.
02 / The bill
Two accounts.
Read the whole price.
Spread + commission
Raw
Spread from0.0 pips
Commission / lot / side$3
One-lot round trip$6 commission
Add the spread to both sides of the commission. The dollar charge is converted to your account currency where applicable. A “from” spread is a starting point, not the price of every trade.
Current terms: Classic and Raw, with the round-trip example on Tickmill’s Raw page. The old Pro/VIP pricing is not the current EU account menu.
The bill can also include overnight financing, currency conversion and slippage. Tickmill’s deposit FAQ says it does not charge transfer fees for its deposit and withdrawal methods; banks and payment providers may. Check your selected method rather than assuming the whole journey is free.
MT4 and MT5 appear on the current EU account list. If you want TradingView, copy trading or another group product, obtain entity-specific confirmation. A logo on the global website does not put a feature inside your EU account.
03 / Put a number on it
A position, in plain money.
This example uses EUR/USD in a USD account. Enter an exchange rate yourself: nothing here is a live quote. One standard lot represents €100,000; one pip is 0.0001 USD per euro.
Your illustrative trade
- Notional exposure
- —
- Initial margin estimate
- —
- Value per pip
- —
- Spread + round-trip commission
- —
- Adverse move + those costs
- —
All results in USD. Excludes swaps, slippage and conversion charges. Margin is collateral, not your maximum loss. Actual margin and execution depend on the broker’s current rules.
For example: 0.10 lots at 1.10 creates $11,000 exposure, about $366.67 initial margin at 1:30 and $1 per pip. With a 0.3-pip spread, Raw round-trip commission is $0.60; a 50-pip adverse move plus these costs is $50.90. Illustrative inputs, not a forecast.
04 / Read the small print
Protection has a perimeter.
The EU perimeter
Tickmill describes segregated client funds and negative balance protection on its EU funds-protection page. Those safeguards do not prevent a losing trade.
For eligible covered clients, it states that Cyprus ICF compensation is capped at €20,000 or 90% of the covered claim, whichever is lower, subject to the scheme’s rules. This concerns unmet obligations, not market losses.
The professional door
Retail leverage tops out at 1:30 on the EU account menu. The advertised maximum of 1:500 belongs to eligible professional clients. Different asset classes have different limits.
Professional classification can change your protections. Read the EU professional-client information and legal documents before treating additional leverage as a benefit. An FCA badge elsewhere in the group does not give an EU account UK compensation cover.
05 / FreeMalta’s read
The account is a tool.
You still need a reason.
Tickmill deserves consideration if you specifically want forex and CFD exposure through its EU offering, with a choice between spread-led pricing and spread-plus-commission pricing. Whether Raw is cheaper for you depends on actual spreads, trade sizes and holding periods. We would compare all-in costs rather than hand an award to the smallest decimal.
If your goal is to own shares for years, first understand the difference between a CFD and an underlying investment. Tickmill’s EU stocks offering is advertised as stock and ETF CFDs. Ownership and price exposure are different purchases.
- Before depositing: verify the entity, account currency and current instrument specification.
- Before trading: check the live spread, financing rate, margin and exit conditions.
- Before increasing size: calculate the adverse move you can afford—not only the margin needed to open.
Tickmill / FreeMalta partner
Start with the terms.
A demo can wait for your money.
Explore Tickmill’s offering, confirm the EU entity and test the platform before deciding whether a live account fits your circumstances.
Affiliate links. FreeMalta may earn a commission through these links. That relationship does not change the risk: 73% of retail investor accounts lose money trading CFDs with Tickmill Europe Ltd.06 / Different jobs, different tools
Also in the conversation.
Stocks / ETFs / CFDs
XTB
XTB’s product range includes cash stocks and CFDs. Its stocks help page describes zero stock/ETF trading commission up to €100,000 monthly turnover, then 0.2% with a €10 minimum. Other charges can apply.
Do not assume every XTB entity offers the same instruments or terms. Confirm Malta onboarding, the contracting entity and whether the instrument is a cash investment or a CFD. Read the applicable CFD risk warning on that entity’s site.
Explore XTBSimulated trading / paid programs
Rabofund
The large balance is not a large deposit in your name. Rabofund states that all customer accounts and trading balances are simulated, using fictitious capital.
Read its program and performance-reward terms: access fees, drawdowns, strategy restrictions and payout eligibility. “Funded” does not mean unrestricted access to live firm capital. Repeated fees can accumulate; a reward is conditional.
Explore RabofundQuestions people ask
Before you open the account.
Which Tickmill entity should a Malta resident check?
Start with Tickmill Europe Ltd, authorised by CySEC under licence 278/15. Confirm the actual contracting entity and eligibility in your account agreement before funding. Protections attached to another Tickmill entity do not automatically apply.
What happened to Tickmill Pro and VIP accounts?
The current EU account menu lists Classic and Raw. Raw has spreads from 0.0 pips and a $3 commission per lot per side, or the equivalent in your account currency. Classic has spreads from 1.6 pips and no trading commission.
What is the minimum deposit?
Tickmill’s EU FAQ states a $100 starting deposit. Its account overview notes that the amount may vary with your chosen base currency. Check the figure shown for your wallet before depositing.
Can an EU retail client use 1:500 leverage?
No. Tickmill lists maximum retail leverage of 1:30; lower limits apply to other asset classes. The advertised maximum of 1:500 is for eligible professional clients. Professional classification changes protections and is not a simple account upgrade.
Does a stock CFD give me ownership of the share?
No. A stock CFD gives contractual exposure to a price movement, not ownership of the underlying share. Tickmill’s EU stock and ETF products are advertised as CFDs.
Does investor compensation cover trading losses?
No. The Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund concerns a member’s failure to meet obligations to eligible covered clients, not ordinary market losses. Tickmill states a ceiling of €20,000 or 90% of the covered claim, whichever is lower, subject to the scheme’s conditions.
Is Rabofund the same as a broker account?
No. Rabofund says its accounts and trading balances are simulated. Program fees, drawdown limits, prohibited strategies and performance-reward conditions are contractual terms, not a deposit into a live investment account.
Facts checked against official pages: 3 October 2026. Account terms, fees, access and loss percentages can change. Source links sit beside the claims they support. This is an editorial overview, not a hands-on execution test or an individual investment recommendation. We have not independently measured Tickmill’s execution quality.
FreeMalta has commercial relationships with the linked partners and may earn commissions. CFDs involve significant risk; past performance does not predict future results. Read the applicable legal documents and current risk warning before funding an account.
FreeMalta has commercial relationships with the linked partners and may earn commissions. CFDs involve significant risk; past performance does not predict future results. Read the applicable legal documents and current risk warning before funding an account.