Short answer
Pocket Option is ahead on our score, 4.1/5 against 3.7/5 for Expert Option.
Pocket Option fits: Very small first deposits and copying other traders
Skip Pocket Option if: You want a regulator behind your money, or contests make you trade too much
Expert Option fits: Beginners who trade mainly on their phone
Skip Expert Option if: You want many instruments or longer-term analysis
Score by score
Pocket Option 4.1/5
- Platform and apps4.7
- Costs and minimums4.8
- Payment options4.6
- Support4.2
- Licensing and openness2.6
Expert Option 3.7/5
- Platform and apps4.3
- Costs and minimums4.1
- Payment options4.2
- Support3.9
- Licensing and openness2.4
How the two sites look
Pocket Option and Expert Option in brief
Pocket Option (2017). Pocket Option has run since 2017 and is built around short fixed-time trades: choose up or down and a timer, and a correct call pays a set percentage. Next to the chart sit copy trading, a signals panel and regular contests. An MT5 account for forex and CFDs is offered separately.
Expert Option (2014). Expert Option has sold fixed-time trades since 2014. The screen is deliberately bare: one chart, a stake, a timer, up or down. Account levels add assets, higher payouts and a personal manager as deposits grow.
Licence and safetyBetter here: Pocket Option
Neither Pocket Option nor Expert Option is authorised by a leading regulator or by any regulator in Asia. Both run through offshore companies, so there is no compensation fund and no local authority to complain to.
Official warnings and alert-list entries we found: Pocket Option 4, Expert Option 3.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | No leading or Asian regulator. Pocket Option cites an offshore MISA licence from the Comoros. | No government licence. Registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines and a member of The Financial Commission, a private dispute body. |
| Official warnings we found | FCA, CFTC, RBI, Bank of Russia | CSA / AMF, MAS, RBI |
| Dispute body | No outside dispute body | Member of The Financial Commission (private dispute body) |
On licensing and openness Pocket Option scores higher (2.6 vs 2.4).
Who regulates Pocket Option? →Who regulates Expert Option? →
Entry cost and chargesBetter here: Pocket Option
Pocket Option is cheaper to open: its minimum deposit is $5, compared with $10 at Expert Option. The smallest trade is $1 on Pocket Option and $1 on Expert Option.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest deposit | $5 | $10 |
| Lowest trade | $1 | $1 |
| Charges | No pay-in fee listed; currency conversion costs can apply | Charge on inactive accounts; no pay-in fee listed |
| Pay-out charges | None from the platform; your payment provider may charge | No platform fee reported; your payment provider may charge |
| Dormant account fee | Not mentioned in the sources we checked – read the current terms | Dormant fee in the terms – check amount and trigger |
| Bonus | Deposit bonuses, often 50–100%, with volume rules that can block withdrawals | Deposit bonuses reported; check volume conditions before accepting |
Payouts and the win rate you needBetter here: Pocket Option
Pocket Option advertises the higher top payout (92% vs 90%), which cuts the win rate you need to break even from 52.6% to 52.1%.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Top payout | 92% | 90% |
| Win rate to break even | 52.1% | 52.6% |
| Note | 92% applies to popular assets at busy hours; quieter hours are reported 7–12 points lower | Reviews report 86–95% depending on account level and asset |
Top payouts apply to a few assets at the busiest hours. Look at the payout on the trade ticket before you open a trade; it is often lower.
Platform and phone appsBetter here: Pocket Option
Pocket Option. A browser platform with several chart styles, indicators and drawing tools. Copy trading and signals sit beside the chart, which makes it easy for a beginner to copy trades before understanding them.
Expert Option. A web platform with a clean chart, basic indicators and a feed of other users' trades. Good enough for simple trading, thin for detailed analysis.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Browser, Android, iPhone, MT5 (forex) | Browser, Android, iPhone |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone | Browser app only | Yes |
| Extras | Copy trading, Contests, Small minimum | Account levels, Trader feed, Easy layout |
Instruments and trade durations
| What we compare | Pocket Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Instruments | 100+ | ~100 |
| Markets | Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices | Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices |
| Trade durations | 3 seconds – 4 hours | 5 seconds – 24 hours |
Paying in and cashing outBetter here: Pocket Option
Pocket Option. Money normally goes back the way it came in. Your ID and address are checked before the first pay-out. An active bonus can block a withdrawal until its volume is reached.
Expert Option. Verification must be complete first, and users say it can take longer than elsewhere, so finish it before you need the money.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-in methods | Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods | Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods |
| Pay-out methods | Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods | Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods |
| Smallest withdrawal | $10 | $10 |
| Pay-out speed | Typically 1–3 working days; crypto often quicker (user reports) | Within 2 working days according to the platform; e-wallets and crypto can be quicker |
Practice accountLevel
Both have a free practice account, so you can try the two platforms with virtual money before depositing.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Practice balance | $50,000 | $10,000 |
| Try without signing up | Yes | Yes |
SupportBetter here: Pocket Option
| What we compare | Pocket Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| How to reach support | Live chat, Email, Help pages | Live chat, Email, Help pages |
| Support | 4.2/5 | 3.9/5 |
Which markets they acceptLevel
Pocket Option accepts residents of 17 of the markets we cover, Expert Option of 17.
Only Pocket Option: 1 markets
Bangladesh
Only Expert Option: 1 markets
Philippines
Strengths and weak points
Pocket Option
- +Accounts open from USD 5 and trades from USD 1
- +Copy trading and contests on the same screen as the chart
- +Many ways to pay in, including crypto and local agents in Asia
- +Light web platform that runs well on a phone
- −Only an offshore Comoros licence
- −Named by the UK FCA, the US CFTC and India's RBI
- −Bonuses lock your balance behind trading volume
- −Refuses residents of the Philippines and Japan
Expert Option
- +Easy layout for complete beginners
- +Proper Android and iPhone apps
- +Financial Commission membership gives you a place to complain
- +Crypto and local payments in many countries
- −No government licence
- −Fewer instruments than the leaders
- −Better payouts reserved for bigger deposits
- −Dormant account fee after a quiet period
So, Pocket Option or Expert Option?
Pocket Option is better in 6 of 7 categories here. Pocket Option is ahead on our score, 4.1/5 against 3.7/5 for Expert Option.
Our choice: Pocket Option
Our pickPocket Option fits: Very small first deposits and copying other traders
+50% bonusConditions
Go to Pocket OptionWhichever you pick, practise on the demo first, keep the first deposit small and withdraw part of it before adding more. Binary options are high-risk and most retail accounts lose money.
Quick answers
Pocket Option or Expert Option: which is better?
Pocket Option is ahead on our score (4.1/5 vs 3.7/5). Pocket Option fits: Very small first deposits and copying other traders. Expert Option fits: Beginners who trade mainly on their phone.
Which needs a smaller deposit, Pocket Option or Expert Option?
Pocket Option is cheaper to open: its minimum deposit is $5, compared with $10 at Expert Option.
Which pays more, Pocket Option or Expert Option?
Pocket Option advertises the higher top payout (92% vs 90%), which cuts the win rate you need to break even from 52.6% to 52.1%.
Does any regulator supervise Pocket Option or Expert Option?
No leading regulator and no Asian regulator licenses either of them. Both work through offshore companies, so your money has little protection.