Quick answer: Synthetic indices brokers differ in four things that matter before you fund: the platform the indices run on, the instruments on offer, the contract specification behind each one, and how money moves in and out. A licence you can confirm on a regulator’s own register sits underneath all four.
Synthetic indices are not traded on an exchange. Each provider generates its own prices, names its own instruments and sets its own contract terms, so two brokers with synthetic indices can offer products that share a word in the name and little else. If the product itself is new to you, start with our beginner’s guide to synthetic indices. This page is about choosing where to trade them.
Platform First: It Narrows the Choice Before Anything Else
The platform decides which synthetic indices brokers you can use at all, because a provider’s indices run only where that provider has built them. If your tools, indicators or expert advisors live on one platform, a provider that offers the indices elsewhere is ruled out before price or spread comes into it.
Most searches for synthetic indices brokers on MT5 come from traders who already know MetaTrader. On FXPrimus, the synthetic indices run on MetaTrader 5 and WebTrader, not MT4. Another provider may use its own platform, a different MT5 server or a web-only terminal. Confirm three things: the platform name, whether a demo exists on the same server as the live account, and whether your existing indicators load there.
The Instrument List: Same Family Name, Different Product
Read the instrument list as a list of separate products, not as labels you already understand. A family name describes a style of movement, but the size, frequency and regularity of that movement are set by whoever builds the index.
FXPrimus lists five families on its synthetic indices account page, and its July 2025 launch announcement describes them this way:
- Boost (500, 800, 1000): sharp upward moves, on average every 500, 800 or 1,000 ticks
- Smash (500, 800, 1000): the downward counterpart of Boost
- Dynamic (25, 50, 75, 100): continuous movement at four volatility intensities
- Pace (1 to 5): step-based movement in fixed increments
- Bounce (25, 50, 75): short bursts of fast movement, about three sudden jumps per hour by the company’s description
The numbers in those names are not portable. An index called “1000” on one platform and a similarly named index elsewhere can differ in spike frequency, step size and contract terms. A strategy tested on one provider’s instrument has been tested on that instrument only. Before moving a strategy across, run it again on the new provider’s demo.
The Contract Specification to Read Before Funding
The contract specification is where synthetic indices brokers actually differ in cost and risk. Look up six fields for every instrument you plan to trade: contract size, minimum lot, digits, average spread, margin requirement or effective leverage ratio, and the account’s margin call and stop-out levels.
In MT5, right-click the symbol in Market Watch and choose Specification. The provider’s account page usually carries a summary table too. When we checked the FXPrimus table in October 2026, contract size was 1 for most instruments but 10 for the Pace family, which also quotes one digit instead of two. A lot is therefore not the same quantity across the list, even within one account.
Worked example: reading a specification sheet
The figures below are illustrative, not live values for any instrument. Swap in the numbers from your own provider’s sheet.
| Field | Illustrative value | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Contract size | 1 | 1 lot moves $1 for every 1.00 change in price |
| Digits | 2 | Smallest price change is 0.01, worth $0.01 per lot |
| Price | 10,000.00 | Needed to work out margin |
| Effective leverage ratio | 1:500 | Margin = contract size × price × lots ÷ 500 |
| Average spread | 0.80 | Entry cost in price units |
| Margin call / stop out | 100% / 50% | Ratios at which warnings and forced closures start |
Run the sheet through a 0.5-lot position on a $200 account:
- Margin: 1 × 10,000 × 0.5 ÷ 500 = $10
- Spread cost on entry: 0.80 × 1 × 0.5 = $0.40
- Starting margin level: $200 ÷ $10 = 2,000%
- Adverse move to the 100% line: equity must fall by $190, which is a 380.00 move against you
- Adverse move to the 50% line: a 390.00 move, only 10.00 further
Change one field and the picture changes. On an instrument with contract size 10, the same 0.5 lots gains or loses $5 per 1.00 move instead of $0.50, so the distance to forced closure shrinks by a factor of ten. Our guide to margin call and stop out explains the margin level arithmetic in full.
Trading Schedule: Continuous Pricing Changes Overnight Risk
Most synthetic indices price around the clock, including weekends. On FXPrimus every listed instrument shows Mon–Sun, 00:00–24:00 in the account table, checked October 2026.
Continuous pricing removes the Monday gap that forex traders plan around, but it also removes the pause. A position left open while you sleep is exposed for every hour, and a stop is the only exit working on your behalf. Spike-style families can also move past a stop in a single tick, so a stop limits the loss most of the time, not every time. Size positions as if you will not be watching, because often you will not be.
Deposits and Withdrawals: Test With a Small Amount First
Before funding fully, deposit a small amount, place one trade, then withdraw. That round trip shows how long money really takes and what arrives at your end.
Check four things on any provider’s payment page:
- Methods available in your country, including local bank transfer and e-wallets
- The same-method rule: many brokers, FXPrimus among them, return withdrawals to the method used for the deposit
- Stated processing time against what you actually experience
- Third-party fees, which the broker may not cover even when it charges nothing itself
The FXPrimus deposits and withdrawals page states that withdrawals are typically processed within 24 hours on business days, and that the payment provider decides when funds arrive. Your own test transaction is the only figure that fully applies to you.
How to Check a Licence on a Regulator Register
Check a broker’s licence on the regulator’s own website, never through a link or screenshot supplied by the broker. Match three details: the legal entity name, the licence number and the services that licence covers.
Start in the footer of the broker’s site, which should name the legal entity, its registration country and its licence number. FXPrimus’s footer, for example, names Primus Markets INTL Ltd with Vanuatu Financial Services Commission licence number 14595, and Primus Global Ltd with CySEC licence 261/14.
Then search the register directly. For South Africa that is the FSCA’s FSP search; for other regulators, find the register from the authority’s official homepage. Confirm that the entity on the register is the one that will hold your account, since group websites often list several companies under different licences. A licence confirms that an entity is supervised. It does not tell you how a particular product behaves, which is why the specification check above still matters.
Pre-funding checklist
| Check | Where to find it | Done |
|---|---|---|
| Platform matches your tools | Provider platform page; demo login | ☐ |
| Instrument list read as separate products | Account page; MT5 Market Watch | ☐ |
| Contract size, digits, minimum lot per instrument | MT5 Specification window | ☐ |
| Spread and margin requirement per instrument | Specification window; account table | ☐ |
| Margin call and stop-out levels | Account terms or client portal | ☐ |
| Trading schedule, including weekends | Specification → Sessions | ☐ |
| Small deposit and withdrawal tested | Your own transaction history | ☐ |
| Licence matched on the regulator’s register | Regulator website, not the broker’s | ☐ |
Synthetic Indices Brokers FAQ
What should I compare between synthetic indices brokers?Compare the platform, the instrument list, each instrument’s contract specification and the deposit and withdrawal terms. Then confirm the licence on the regulator’s own register. Rankings rarely show contract size or stop-out levels, which decide most of your risk.
Are synthetic indices on MT5 the same at every broker?No. Each provider builds its own indices, even when names look alike. Contract size, digits, spread and price behaviour can all differ, so test any strategy on the specific provider’s demo before trading live.
Which brokers with synthetic indices trade on weekends?Many synthetic indices price seven days a week. Check the Sessions tab in the MT5 Specification window for each instrument, since schedules can vary between instruments and providers.
Why does contract size matter so much?Contract size sets how much money each price move is worth per lot. A contract size of 10 makes the same lot ten times as sensitive as a contract size of 1, which changes both your profit and loss and your distance to stop out.
How do I know if a synthetic indices broker is licensed?Find the legal entity and licence number in the website footer, then search for them on the regulator’s official register. Check that the registered entity is the one opening your account.
The Takeaway
Choosing among synthetic indices brokers is mostly a reading exercise: platform, instruments, specification, payments and licence. Read each sheet before funding and test the money flow with a small amount. A PrimusDEMO account lets you open the Specification window and try the PrimusSYNTHETICS instruments without real money.
→ View the synthetic indices account | → Open a demo account
Risk disclosure. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial advice, legal advice or tax advice. Trading synthetic indices, forex and CFDs carries a high risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Instrument descriptions are as the company states them in its July 2025 launch announcement; specification figures in the worked example are illustrative. Review the full terms and conditions, the Client Agreement and the Risk Disclosure before trading.