- Our Mission & Editorial Values
- Editorial Independence
- Who We Are
- Review Methodology
- Scoring System
- Research Process
- Content Standards
- Fact-Checking & Verification
- Corrections & Updates Policy
- Conflict of Interest Management
- Affiliate & Commercial Relationships
- Sponsored & Promoted Content
- User-Generated Content
- Contact the Editorial Team
1. Our Mission & Editorial Values
InsideBrokers was founded to solve a real problem: the financial media landscape is dominated by pay-for-play reviews, undisclosed affiliate bias, and content that prioritises commercial relationships over reader interests. We exist to provide a better alternative.
Our mission is to provide traders and investors worldwide with accurate, independent, and comprehensive broker research that genuinely helps them make better financial decisions — regardless of which brokers pay us affiliate commissions.
We openly disclose affiliate relationships, our methodology, data sources, and any limitations of our research.
Commercial relationships are strictly separated from editorial decisions. No payment can influence a broker's score or position.
Every data point is verified against primary sources. We test with real accounts and real money where possible.
Reviews are updated regularly to reflect fee changes, platform updates, and regulatory developments.
2. Editorial Independence
Editorial independence is maintained through the following structural safeguards:
- Organisational separation: The editorial/research team and the commercial/partnerships team are separate functions with different reporting lines. Editorial staff have no financial incentive tied to affiliate revenue.
- Score integrity: Broker scores are calculated using a documented, weighted methodology. No score component can be adjusted for commercial reasons.
- Affiliate-agnostic ranking: Brokers are ranked by their scores, not by their affiliate commission rate. A broker with no affiliate agreement can rank above a broker that pays us commissions.
- Negative findings published: If a broker charges high fees, has weak regulation, or provides poor service, that finding is published and reflected in the score — regardless of the commercial relationship.
- Broker right of reply — data only: A reviewed broker may submit factual corrections to specific data points (e.g., a changed spread). They may not request changes to editorial opinions, star ratings, or verdicts.
3. Who We Are
InsideBrokers content is produced by a team of financial research analysts, former traders, and specialist writers. Our editorial team members typically hold backgrounds in:
| Role | Responsibilities | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Lead Analysts | Primary broker research, live account testing, score calculation | Financial markets, trading, compliance |
| Research Writers | Drafting reviews, comparison articles, and educational content | Financial journalism, fintech |
| Fact-Checkers | Independent verification of data, regulatory status, fee accuracy | Regulatory research, data verification |
| Editor-in-Chief | Final approval of all published content, methodology oversight | Senior financial editorial |
| Data Team | Fee database maintenance, score updates, regulatory monitoring | Data analysis, financial research |
Author and fact-checker credentials are displayed on each review and article. Our team members may hold CFA, CMT, or equivalent professional qualifications.
4. Review Methodology
Every broker review follows a standardised, multi-stage evaluation process. Brokers are assessed across five core categories, each weighted based on its importance to the average retail trader:
| Category | Weight | What We Evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Regulation & Safety | 30% | Regulatory tier (Tier 1 / 2 / 3), licence jurisdictions, investor compensation schemes, fund segregation, negative balance protection, regulatory disciplinary history |
| Fees & Costs | 25% | Typical spreads, commission per trade, overnight swap rates, deposit/withdrawal fees, inactivity fees, currency conversion charges, minimum deposit |
| Trading Platform | 20% | Platform options (MT4, MT5, proprietary), execution speed and quality, charting tools, order types, mobile app quality, desktop/web experience |
| Product Offering | 15% | Number of tradable instruments, asset class coverage (Forex, CFDs, crypto, stocks, commodities, indices), account types, leverage options, educational resources |
| Customer Support | 10% | Response time (live chat, email, phone), hours of availability, quality and accuracy of answers, multilingual support, complaint resolution |
5. Scoring System
Each broker receives an Overall Score from 1.0 to 10.0, calculated as a weighted sum of scores across the five evaluation categories. The scoring approach uses the following principles:
- Quantitative where possible: Spreads, commissions, regulatory tier, number of instruments, response time — all measured and benchmarked against peer brokers.
- Qualitative where necessary: Platform usability, educational quality, and support helpfulness are assessed by our analysts using a documented rubric.
- Relative benchmarking: Scores reflect performance relative to the broader market of brokers we review, not absolute perfection.
- Weighted final score: Category scores are multiplied by their respective weights and summed to produce the overall score.
| Score Range | Rating | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 9.0 – 10.0 | Exceptional | Among the best brokers globally across all key criteria |
| 8.0 – 8.9 | Excellent | Strong across all categories with only minor weaknesses |
| 7.0 – 7.9 | Good | Above average with clear strengths but notable gaps in some areas |
| 5.0 – 6.9 | Average | Meets basic requirements; suitable for specific use cases only |
| Below 5.0 | Below Average | Significant weaknesses; we recommend exploring alternative brokers |
6. Research Process
Our broker reviews are produced through a structured, multi-stage research process:
Our analysts open a live trading account (not a demo) using real identity documentation. We assess the onboarding process, KYC requirements, and time-to-live.
We deposit real funds using multiple payment methods and subsequently test the withdrawal process, documenting processing times and any fees charged.
We execute live trades across multiple instruments to measure actual spreads, execution speed, slippage, and platform stability under real market conditions.
Trading costs are benchmarked against a standardised basket of 5 trades across major Forex pairs, indices, and commodities to enable fair peer comparison.
We verify the broker's regulatory licences directly with the relevant regulatory authority databases (FCA register, ASIC Connect, CySEC register, etc.).
We contact support via live chat, email, and phone with standardised queries, measuring response time and answer quality across multiple sessions.
A second analyst independently verifies all data points before publication. The Editor-in-Chief provides final approval.
7. Content Standards
All content published on InsideBrokers — including broker reviews, comparison articles, educational guides, and blog posts — must meet the following standards before publication:
| Standard | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | Every factual claim must be supported by a verifiable primary source (regulatory database, broker's official fee schedule, official press release, or first-hand test data) |
| Balance | All reviews must present both advantages and disadvantages. No broker review may omit material weaknesses to protect a commercial relationship |
| Transparency | Affiliate relationships are disclosed on every review page. Methodology is publicly documented. Data sources are cited or available on request |
| Timeliness | Every review includes a "Last Updated" date. Material changes (fee increases, licence withdrawals, platform changes) are reflected within 30 days of detection |
| Clarity | Content is written in plain language accessible to both beginner and experienced traders. Technical terms are explained on first use |
| Non-promotional tone | Editorial content does not use promotional or marketing language on behalf of any broker. Verdict language is neutral and evidence-based |
| Authorship | All content is attributed to the analyst or writer who produced it. Anonymous or ghost-written editorial content is not permitted |
8. Fact-Checking & Verification
All broker reviews and data-driven articles go through a mandatory fact-checking step before publication, performed by a team member who did not write the original content. Our fact-checking covers:
- Regulatory status: Verified directly against official regulator registers (not broker claims alone)
- Fee data: Cross-referenced against the broker's current official fee schedule and our own live test data
- Platform claims: Verified through live account access and/or official broker documentation
- Statistical claims: Sourced from official regulator disclosures (e.g., CFD loss rate statistics from broker risk disclosures)
- Company information: Verified against official company registrations and regulatory filings
If a factual dispute cannot be resolved through available evidence, the claim is either removed or qualified with appropriate uncertainty language.
9. Corrections & Updates Policy
We are committed to correcting errors promptly and transparently. Our corrections policy is as follows:
| Error Type | Response | Transparency |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (typo, formatting) | Corrected immediately upon discovery | No note required |
| Data update (changed fee, new feature) | Updated within 30 days; "Last Updated" date revised | "Last Updated" date updated |
| Factual error (incorrect data point) | Corrected immediately with an editor's note explaining what changed | Inline correction note added |
| Score or rating change | Recalculated using current methodology; reason documented | Score change note with explanation published |
| Significant error (materially misleading content) | Corrected within 24 hours; senior editorial review triggered | Prominent correction notice; process review conducted |
To report an error or submit a factual correction request, please email editorial@insidebrokers.com with the subject line "Correction Request" and include the specific URL, the claimed error, and supporting evidence.
10. Conflict of Interest Management
We proactively identify and manage potential conflicts of interest throughout our editorial process:
| Potential Conflict | Our Policy |
|---|---|
| Affiliate commission from reviewed broker | Disclosed on every review page; commission rate has no bearing on score. Affiliate relationships are managed by a separate commercial team with no editorial access |
| Editorial staff holding accounts at reviewed brokers | Staff must disclose any personal trading accounts at brokers they review. Disclosure is logged. Analysts with material financial relationships may not be the primary reviewer |
| Broker requests for score changes | Declined. Brokers may submit factual corrections only. All such requests are logged for transparency |
| Advertiser requesting favourable content | Declined without exception. Advertising contracts explicitly state they confer no editorial influence |
| Ownership or investment in a reviewed broker | Prohibited for all editorial team members. Any such relationship must be disclosed and the analyst recused from that broker's review |
11. Affiliate & Commercial Relationships
InsideBrokers generates revenue through affiliate marketing partnerships. We believe that financial sustainability and editorial integrity can co-exist, provided the boundaries are clearly defined and strictly enforced.
Key rules governing affiliate relationships:
- Affiliate links are clearly identifiable via CTA buttons ("Visit Broker", "Open Account") — these are not disguised as editorial links
- The editorial team is not informed of, nor do they have access to, affiliate commission rates for individual brokers
- Brokers are never added to or removed from rankings based on the presence or absence of an affiliate agreement
- If a broker's affiliate programme is suspended or terminated, the broker's editorial content remains published and unchanged
- All affiliate relationships are disclosed in the Disclaimer and on individual review pages
12. Sponsored & Promoted Content
InsideBrokers may publish sponsored content or offer promoted placement opportunities within specific sections of the website (for example, "Featured" or "Sponsored" labels in tool pages). The following rules apply without exception:
- All sponsored content is clearly and prominently labelled as "Sponsored", "Advertisement", or "Promoted"
- Sponsored labels cannot be removed or obscured
- A broker's sponsored placement does not affect its editorial review score, ranking, or verdict
- Sponsored content sections are visually and structurally distinct from editorial content sections
- We do not publish sponsored broker reviews that appear to be independent editorial assessments
- Sponsored content agreements are managed exclusively by the commercial team and are not shared with editorial staff
13. User-Generated Content
InsideBrokers may publish or moderate user comments, feedback, and ratings in designated areas of the website. The following moderation standards apply:
- User opinions are published as-is and are not edited to reflect more positively or negatively on any broker
- Content may be removed if it is spam, promotional, defamatory, offensive, deliberately misleading, or in violation of applicable law
- We do not remove negative user reviews at the request of brokers or commercial partners
- InsideBrokers is not responsible for the accuracy of opinions expressed by users
- Moderation decisions are made by the editorial team, not the commercial team
14. Contact the Editorial Team
We welcome questions, factual corrections, tip-offs about broker misconduct, and feedback on our editorial standards. Please contact us using the details below:
Subject: "Correction Request" — include URL, the error, and supporting evidence