Skilling Review

Overview

Skilling is a credible CFD broker for EU and EEA traders who prioritise trading-platform choice, but it is not the best fit for everyone. Its strongest advantage is access to Skilling Trader, cTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and TradingView. Its main drawbacks are additional cost friction from currency conversion and some withdrawal methods, plus mixed recent customer feedback around withdrawals and support.

For active forex and CFD traders who specifically want cTrader, TradingView or MetaTrader access under an EU-regulated entity, Skilling deserves consideration. For passive investors wanting to buy and hold underlying shares, or anyone in a restricted country such as the United Kingdom or United States, Skilling is a poor fit.

Our verdict: Skilling is strongest as a multi-platform CFD broker rather than an all-purpose investment account. The €100 Standard account makes entry relatively accessible, but traders should look beyond the advertised spread and calculate conversion, rollover and withdrawal costs before depositing.

> Review basis: This assessment uses Skilling's current public fee schedules, legal documents, regulatory records and independent customer-review data. It is not presented as a first-hand live-account execution test.

Skilling at a glance

Skilling Ltd appears on CySEC's official register under licence 357/18, issued on 7 May 2018. Skilling also states that eligible European retail clients receive segregated client accounts, negative balance protection and membership of the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund.

Is Skilling safe and legitimate?

Yes. Skilling Ltd is an authorised Cyprus Investment Firm regulated by CySEC under licence 357/18. That gives it a different legal status from an anonymous or unregulated offshore trading website.

Regulation does not remove trading risk, execution disputes or the possibility of losing money.

For eligible Skilling Ltd clients, the broker says client funds are held in segregated accounts. Eligible retail customers also receive negative balance protection. Under the applicable protection, trading losses should not create a liability beyond the account balance. Skilling Ltd is a member of the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund. Eligible claims are covered up to €20,000 per client, regardless of the number of accounts held.

Skilling also advertises private client-money insurance arranged through Lloyd's of London, with coverage of up to €1 million per account. The policy has aggregate limits, an excess and eligibility conditions. Skilling says the insurance can also be withdrawn at its discretion, so it should not be treated as equivalent to statutory investor compensation.

CFD trading remains high risk. The 49% figure in the table above comes from Skilling's current retail risk disclosure.

Is Skilling regulated by the FCA?

I would not use FCA regulation as a current selling point for Skilling.

Some broker reviews still describe Skilling as FCA-regulated. The FCA record that can be readily verified for Skilling Limited is a historical Temporary Permissions Regime entry under FRN 810951. Skilling's current regulation page identifies CySEC licence 357/18, while its current EU website lists the United Kingdom as a restricted jurisdiction.

The clearest verified position is that Skilling Ltd is regulated by CySEC for its European operation. UK residents should not assume that an old FCA reference means they can currently open a retail Skilling account.

Skilling fees: are the trading costs competitive?

Skilling's advertised trading costs look competitive, especially on the Premium account. The total cost is less simple once you include commission, overnight swaps, currency conversion and possible withdrawal charges. The right comparison is the cost of the account and instruments you intend to use, not the lowest spread shown on the website.

Skilling Standard vs Premium accounts

Skilling says traders can qualify for Premium with a €5,000 starting deposit or average monthly trading volume of $10 million, which it equates to 100 lots under its stated criteria.

The pricing models work differently. Standard uses spread-only pricing, while Premium combines a tighter spread with a commission. A 0.1-pip spread does not automatically make Premium cheaper. Compare the spread, commission and trading volume for the instruments you actually plan to trade.

Skilling currency conversion fee

Skilling charges a 2% currency-conversion fee on realised profit and loss when an instrument's quoted currency differs from the base currency of the trading account.

The charge is applied when the position closes.

This makes the choice of account currency important. A trader who regularly trades instruments denominated in another currency can build up costs that are not visible in the headline spread.

Skilling overnight and swap fees

Positions held beyond the trading day can incur swap or rollover charges. Skilling calculates rollover at the end of each trading day and applies triple rollover on Wednesday to account for the weekend.

Swap rates can be positive or negative. They vary by instrument, position direction and financing conditions. Anyone holding leveraged positions for several days should check the live swap rate before comparing brokers or choosing an account.

Does Skilling charge deposit or withdrawal fees?

Skilling does not normally charge for deposits, but some withdrawals carry a fee.

The current fee schedule states:

• SEPA bank-transfer withdrawals cost €15.
• SWIFT withdrawals cost €25, $25, £25 or 260 SEK/NOK depending on the account.
• A withdrawal following no trading activity can incur a 2.5% fee.
• More than one withdrawal request in the same day can result in a 2.5% charge on subsequent withdrawals.
• Skrill and Neteller deposits or withdrawals may incur a fee of up to 2.9% at Skilling's discretion.
• Banks and payment providers can impose their own additional charges.

The €15 SEPA fee is significant for someone using a €100 to €500 account. It should be included in any comparison with another broker.

How long do Skilling withdrawals take?

Skilling says it processes withdrawal requests within one working day. The time before the money arrives depends on the payment method and the financial institution.

Withdrawals generally need to return to the same account and payment method used for the deposit because of anti-money-laundering requirements. Skilling also states that 20% of available free margin must remain in the account while positions are open.

Customer feedback is less consistent.

When checked in September 2026, Trustpilot displayed a score of 3.6 out of 5 from 444 reviews. Seventy-four per cent of reviews were rated five stars and 15% were rated one star. Recent negative reviews included claims about delayed withdrawals, account closures, slow support responses and unexpected trading costs. These are individual customer reports, not proof that every customer will have the same experience.

TradingView's broker profile separately showed a rating of approximately 3.7. Recent reviews included positive comments about support as well as complaints about platform connectivity.

The practical approach is to test the full deposit, trading and withdrawal process with a small amount before committing a larger balance.

What trading platforms does Skilling offer?

Platform choice is Skilling's clearest competitive advantage.

Skilling currently supports:

• Skilling Trader, the broker's proprietary platform.
• cTrader, aimed at traders wanting more advanced execution, charting and order-management functionality.
• MetaTrader 4, still widely used by forex and automated-strategy traders.
• MetaTrader 5, the newer multi-asset MetaTrader platform with additional order types, indicators, timeframes and Expert Advisor support.
• TradingView, allowing eligible Skilling customers to connect their account and trade directly from TradingView charts.

MT5 is worth checking in a 2026 Skilling review. Skilling has a live MT5 product page and published an MT5 onboarding guide in August 2026. Some older account-comparison pages still focus on Skilling Trader, cTrader and MT4. Anyone interested in MT5 should confirm the available account type and pricing for their jurisdiction before depositing.

TradingView integration went live in September 2025. Skilling says customers can trade CFDs through TradingView while using its charts, alerts, Pine Script tools, screeners and strategy-testing features.

For traders already committed to cTrader or TradingView, this platform choice gives Skilling a clearer use case than a broker that only offers a proprietary terminal.

What can you trade with Skilling?

Skilling is mainly a CFD broker covering forex, shares, indices, commodities and cryptocurrencies.

The broker advertises more than 1,200 global CFD instruments on parts of its website. The number differs between Skilling pages and platforms, so the instrument list for the specific account is more useful than treating the headline figure as permanent.

That distinction matters for investors.

A CFD tracks an asset's price without necessarily giving the trader ownership of the underlying asset. Someone building a long-term portfolio of owned stocks and ETFs should compare Skilling with a broker designed for securities investing.

A trader who wants to speculate on movements in forex, indices, commodities or cryptocurrency is closer to Skilling's intended market.

Skilling pros and cons

Who is Skilling best for?

Skilling is best suited to active CFD and forex traders who value platform choice and can work with a more involved fee structure.

It may suit you if you:

• specifically want cTrader;
• want to trade directly through TradingView;
• use MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5;
• want a relatively low €100 entry point;
• trade actively enough for the Premium pricing model potentially to make economic sense.

Skilling is less suitable if you want to own shares for years, regularly withdraw small balances by bank transfer, trade frequently in currencies outside your account currency, or live in a country that Skilling does not serve.

Is Skilling available in the UK or United States?

No. Skilling's current European website lists both the United Kingdom and the United States as restricted jurisdictions. Belgium and Australia are also listed as restricted.

Older Skilling reviews and app-store descriptions may refer to historical UK regulatory permissions. Current onboarding eligibility is more relevant than an old licence reference.

Is the Skilling Premium account worth it?

Premium only makes sense when the saving from the tighter spread exceeds the commission and the cost of meeting the higher account requirement.

Premium spreads start at 0.1 pips, compared with 0.8 pips on the Standard account. Premium trades carry commission from $35 per $1 million in volume, and the account normally requires €5,000 or the stated qualifying monthly volume.

A high-volume trader may find the maths works in Premium's favour. Someone trading occasionally with a few hundred euros is more likely to be better served by Standard.

Do not upgrade because 0.1 pips looks cheaper. Compare the spread, commission and financing cost against your actual monthly volume.

Final verdict: should you use Skilling?

Skilling is a legitimate, EU-regulated CFD broker with a wide choice of trading platforms. I would shortlist it for an EU or EEA trader who specifically wants cTrader, TradingView, MT4 or MT5 access. I would not choose it on the basis of advertised spreads alone.

The case for Skilling rests on platform choice, the €100 Standard entry point and the protections attached to its CySEC-regulated European entity. MT5 is now available, while cTrader and TradingView give the broker options that many platform-specific traders will value.

The drawbacks are the secondary costs and the mixed customer feedback. A 2% currency-conversion charge can apply to realised P&L, SEPA withdrawals cost €15, overnight positions can incur swaps, and recent public reviews include enough complaints about withdrawals and support to warrant caution.

The sensible test is your own all-in cost. Choose the platform and account you would actually use. Check the spread and commission on your main instruments, estimate swaps and currency-conversion charges, and confirm the fee for your intended withdrawal method.

If that total remains competitive, Skilling is a credible choice. If you mainly want low-cost passive investing or easy small withdrawals, a different type of broker is likely to suit you better.

CFDs are complex leveraged products. Skilling currently reports that 49% of its retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with the provider.