How ‘Best Forex Broker’ Sites Actually Make Money

Broker Reviews, the desk’s verdict

By Ken Chigbo, founder and macro trader, KenMacro. Updated 2026-06-04.

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The short version

When a website tells you the single best forex broker, money is usually moving behind that recommendation. That is not a scandal and it does not make every list useless. It is just how the industry works, and once you understand the plumbing you can read any ranking with clear eyes. I run a live macro desk, I earn a commission too, and I would rather explain the whole thing than pretend I sit above it. The goal of this page is simple. By the end you will know exactly how these sites get paid, why the ‘number one broker’ keeps changing, and the handful of checks that separate a genuine opinion from a paid placement dressed up as one.

How most broker-review sites actually get paid

There are a few common revenue models, and many large comparison sites use more than one at the same time. The most common is affiliate commission. When you click a link, open an account, and fund it, the broker pays the site. In forex and CFDs this is often a CPA (cost per acquisition) of several hundred dollars per funded trader, or a revenue-share where the site earns a slice of what you cost the broker over time. A second model is paid placement. Some sites charge a listing or feature fee, or have a commercial arrangement that affects who appears and how prominently. A third is lead generation, where your details are passed on for a fee. None of these are illegal or even unusual. The issue is only that the size of the cheque can quietly shape the order of the list.

Why the ‘top pick’ is often the best-paying broker

Think about it from the site owner’s side. If broker A pays 400 dollars per funded account and broker B pays 250, and both are decent, where does the incentive point. It points at broker A sitting in the top slot with a glowing write-up. To make that feel objective, many sites build a scoring methodology with weighted categories like spreads, regulation, platform and support. A methodology can be genuinely useful. It can also be tuned so the highest-paying broker lands on top. The tell is not the existence of a methodology, it is whether the scores ever seem to move in lockstep with which broker is paying best that quarter. Rankings that rotate over time, with a new ‘number one’ appearing as commercial deals change, are worth a second look.

The disclaimer that gives it away

There is a specific line you will see again and again, usually in small print near the top or bottom of these pages. It says something like ‘our editorial team is independent of our advertising’ or ‘we may earn a commission, but this never affects our rankings’. I am not saying that statement is always false. Plenty of people try hard to keep the wall up. But a defensive disclaimer is there precisely because the conflict is real. When a site has to reassure you that money does not influence the verdict, the money is clearly in the room. Read it as an honest flag rather than a free pass, and then do the checks below.

How to read any broker ranking smart

You do not need to boycott affiliate sites. You need a filter. Five quick checks do most of the work. First, is there a real, named person or desk behind the recommendation, or just an anonymous ‘editorial team’. Second, do they show real account or trading proof using those brokers, or only screenshots and stock charts. Third, is the data current. Look for visible dates on spreads, regulation status and rankings, because a ‘best of’ page that has not moved in two years is selling stale information. Fourth, is the regulation verified, with a licence number you can look up on the regulator’s own register, not just a logo. Fifth, is the disclosure clear and upfront rather than buried. A site that passes most of these is worth your time even if it earns a commission. A site that fails most of them is selling you placement and calling it advice.

Where KenMacro stands, in plain terms

Let me be straight about my own incentive, because the whole point of this page falls apart if I hide it. KenMacro earns a CPA when you open and fund a broker account through my links. That is the same basic model most of the sites above use. I am not pretending to be charity. The difference is what stands behind the recommendation and what I am willing to put in front of you. KenMacro is a real macro trading desk. I trade these brokers live, with real money, and I publish the trades, the wins and the losses. So the incentive is visible and the work is checkable. You can see whether I actually use what I recommend, and you can judge my calls by the record rather than the marketing.

Transparency is the only honest edge

Every broker-review site has the same conflict of interest. There is no version of this business where the recommender earns nothing. So the question is never ‘is this site paid’. It is ‘can I see the work, and does the person recommending actually use the thing’. That is the line I try to stay on the right side of. I tell you I get paid. I trade the brokers I list. I show the wins and the losses so the record is public. We do not ask you to trust us blindly, we show you the trades. Read every list on the internet, including this one, with that filter on, and you will rarely get sold a broker for the wrong reasons again.

Frequently asked

How do broker comparison sites make money?

Most earn affiliate commission when you open and fund a broker account through their links, often a CPA of several hundred dollars per funded trader, or a revenue-share over time. Some also charge brokers a listing or feature fee, or sell leads. Many use more than one of these models at once.

Are ‘best forex broker’ lists paid for?

Frequently, yes, in the sense that the site earns money when you sign up. The recommendation itself may still be reasonable, but the order of the list can be shaped by which broker pays the best commission. Check for a real person, dated data and verifiable regulation before trusting the top pick.

Is it bad that a broker site earns commission?

No. Earning a referral commission is a normal and legitimate business model. The problem is only when the payment quietly decides the rankings and the site pretends it does not. The honest version discloses the commission clearly and shows you real proof it actually uses the brokers it recommends.

How can I tell if a broker ranking is honest?

Use five checks. Is there a named person or desk behind it. Do they show real trading proof, not stock images. Is the data dated and current. Is the regulation verified with a licence number you can look up. Is the commission disclosed clearly and upfront. Pass most of these and the list is worth reading.

Why does the ‘number one broker’ keep changing on these sites?

Rankings often rotate as commercial deals change. When a broker raises the commission it pays, or a new partnership starts, that broker can climb the list. Genuine quality does not usually shift that fast, so a top spot that moves with the deals rather than the data is worth a second look.

What does ‘our editorial team is independent of our advertising’ really mean?

It is a disclaimer that the recommendations are not influenced by who pays. It is not always untrue, but the line exists because the conflict is real. Treat it as an honest flag that money is involved, then verify the recommendation yourself rather than taking the disclaimer as proof of neutrality.

Does KenMacro earn money when I sign up with a broker?

Yes. KenMacro earns a CPA when you open and fund a broker account through our links, the same basic model most comparison sites use. The difference is that a real trading desk stands behind it, trades those brokers live, and publishes its wins and losses so you can see the incentive and check the record.

Why should I trust a desk that also earns a commission?

You should not trust anyone blindly, including us. The reason to weigh our view is that the incentive is disclosed and the proof is public. We trade the brokers we list with real money and show the trades, wins and losses included, so you can judge us on the record rather than the marketing.

What is the single best way to read any broker list?

Assume money is involved, then look for the work. Ask whether a real, named trader uses the broker, whether the proof is real and dated, and whether the regulation checks out. A paid list with visible, verifiable proof beats a ‘fully independent’ one with none every time.

General market education only, not financial advice. KenMacro earns a commission if you open an account through the broker links above, at no cost to you. Trading is leveraged and most retail accounts lose money. Spreads, terms and regulation can change, check the broker’s current terms before funding.