How we score reviews

TBR publishes two kinds of judgement on a firm, and they answer different questions. An audit grade asks whether the firm can be relied on, and rests on verified evidence; it is explained in our audit methodology. A review score, explained here, asks how good the product is to use.

How we test

Reviews are based on hands-on testing with a live account: we open and fund an account, use the platforms, place trades and request a withdrawal. We combine that with the firm's published terms, fees and licences, which we check against the firm's own documents and the regulators' registers.

The criteria

Each review scores the product from 0 to 5 on criteria that suit the kind of firm. For a broker they are fees, platforms, markets, customer support, and deposits and withdrawals; a prop firm is scored on its rules, payouts and pricing. The criteria and every individual score are printed on the review.

The overall score

The average of the criteria, rounded to one decimal place. If an editor departs from it, the review says why.

Independence

Reviews are editorial and unpaid. No firm can pay for a review or a score. Whether a firm has commissioned an audit, or has a partnership with TBR and is marked Preferred, has no bearing on its review score.

Updates

We aim to re-test every review at least once a year, and sooner when a firm materially changes its fees, platforms or licences. The date of the latest update is shown under the headline.