Which spread betting broker has the fastest execution?
Verdict
- Pepperstone is our pick on execution: it publishes fills from 50 milliseconds, a 99.32% fill rate and no dealer intervention, based on trades from 1 January to 31 March 2026.
- Those are Pepperstone's own figures; we have not tested them, and the other UK spread betting firms in our data publish no comparable numbers.
- Speed doesn't stop slippage on gaps: Pepperstone's UK terms say stop-loss orders can't be guaranteed, while Capital.com, IG, CMC Markets and StoneX Trading offer guaranteed stops.
"Fastest execution" is hard to prove from the outside, because each firm measures differently and few publish anything. Pepperstone is one of the few that puts a speed, a fill rate and a test period on its site. Here is what those numbers cover, what they don't, and how to check execution on your own spread bets.
Pepperstone's published execution figures
Pepperstone states execution "from 50 milliseconds, with a 99.32% fill rate and no dealer intervention", based on fills between 1 January and 31 March 2026. Spread bets in the UK are offered by Pepperstone Limited, authorised by the FCA (684312), with no commission and access to MT4, MT5, TradingView, cTrader and Pepperstone's own platform.
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What the claim does and doesn't tell you
- "From 50 milliseconds" is a best case, not an average; your speed also depends on your connection and platform.
- A 99.32% fill rate means some orders weren't filled; the figure doesn't say which markets or order types.
- "No dealer intervention" means a person doesn't approve your order; it says nothing about the price you get in a fast market.
- The period is one quarter, so results in other conditions may differ.
Slippage on spread bet stops
For most spread bettors, the costly execution moment is a stop triggered in a fast or gapping market. Pepperstone's UK terms say it can't guarantee limit or stop-loss orders will fill at your level, and its accounts page says stop mechanisms "cannot be guaranteed". Retail clients do get negative balance protection, so a gap can't leave you owing money, but it can fill your stop well past the price you set.
If you need a guaranteed exit price
A guaranteed stop-loss trades speed for certainty: the firm fills you at your level whatever the market does, usually for a charge. These UK spread betting firms publish one:
| Firm | Guaranteed stop | How it's charged |
|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | Not offered | — |
| Capital.com | Yes | See its help page |
| IG | Yes | Free to place; premium if triggered |
| CMC Markets | Yes | Fee to attach, refunded in full if not triggered |
| StoneX Trading | Yes | Free to attach; charged if triggered |
Testing execution on your own bets
- Open the account with a small deposit; Pepperstone's starts at £10.
- Place small bets around a scheduled data release and note the requested and filled prices.
- Repeat on two platforms, for example MT5 and TradingView, to see whether the platform affects fills.
- Keep a log for two weeks before committing larger stakes.
Sources
Execution and order terms as published by each firm.
Is Pepperstone's 50-millisecond figure independently verified?
Not by us. It is Pepperstone's own published figure, based on fills from 1 January to 31 March 2026.
Does faster execution mean less slippage?
Often, in normal markets. It doesn't help when a market gaps over your stop, which is when a guaranteed stop matters.
Can a fast fill push my account below zero?
Not as a retail client at Pepperstone; it applies negative balance protection and returns a negative balance to zero.
Spread betting uses leverage, and fast markets can produce losses larger than you planned. Pepperstone says 73.6% of its retail investor accounts lose money on spread bets and CFDs. We report broker-stated figures and do not give investment advice.