How to plan every trade with the Exness calculator

The Exness calculator was designed to help traders estimate key values and costs, based on actual market conditions and their specific account type. If you want to see the full picture and all the relevant costs before opening a position, then it’s important to include our calculator in your pre-trade checklist.

In this article, we’ll cover how to use the Exness calculator to size your positions, what each calculated value means, and when the calculator is most useful.1

How to use the Exness calculator 

You can find the Exness calculator on our Trading Calculator page, in your Personal Area under the Tools & Services menu, or in the Exness Trade app by opening a chart and clicking the three-dot menu at the top right, and then selecting Trading calculator. From here, you enter your account type, currency, instrument, leverage, and trade size, and then click “Calculate”.

The calculator will return all the key info you need before placing a trade: the margin requirement to open the position, the spread, the value of each pip in your account currency, and any commission or swap fees if applicable.

• Margin: This is the amount your broker holds as collateral while your position is open, and affects how many trades you can hold at the same time. 
• Spread cost: The spread is the gap between the bid and ask price, and the price you pay to open and close a position. 
• Commission: On Raw Spread and Zero accounts, we charge a small commission fee per lot for each side of a trade. The calculator shows the commission fee applicable to your account and trade size.
• Swap long/short: The positive or negative fee applied to positions held overnight. Swap fees are based on the interest rate difference between the two currencies in a pair.
• Pip value: This is how much one pip of price movement is worth at your trade size and account currency. 

It’s important to remember that the calculator provides an estimate based on the average spread of the previous trading day. The markets move fast; keep this in mind when planning your positions—always leave a little breathing room around the margin to account for market fluctuations. 

Pip value, position sizing, and risk management

Knowing your pip value is the foundation of your risk-management strategy. If you don’t know how much a movement is worth, you don’t know your downside risk. On a standard 1-lot EURUSD trade, 1 pip is typically worth 10 USD. If you place your stop loss 20 pips from the current market price, you’re risking a total of 200 USD. 

Stop loss placement and position size are connected by the trade’s pip value. By checking the pip value first, you can adjust your lot size if the risk is too high or set an appropriate stop loss. If you know you only want to risk 100 USD on a trade, the pip value will tell you exactly how many pips should be between your entry point and stop loss level.

When should you use the Exness calculator?

Since the Exness calculator is integrated with recent price data and your account’s fee structure, it’s worth using it whenever you’re unsure how to size your position, and especially when trading unfamiliar instruments. 

A common trap is assuming that a standard lot is the same across different asset classes. While a standard lot of EURUSD is 100,000 units, XAUUSD (gold) is 100 ounces, and USOIL is 1,000 barrels. This can have a significant impact on pip value and margin requirements. If you’re moving to a different instrument or asset class, use the calculator before committing to a trade to ensure your position size actually matches the risk you intended to take.

The Exness calculator can also help compare costs between different accounts. If you’re considering switching account types, running your typical trade size and instrument through the calculator’s different account options is a quick way to see the cost difference between them. For example, depending on your instrument and trading volume, you may find that switching from a Standard to a Pro or Raw Spread account can be more cost-effective in the long run.

If your position looks like it might take a few days to reach your target, and you need to hold, then you also need to factor in swap fees. Using the calculator to check for potential swap fees will help you determine if a trade’s potential profit is high enough to offset the cost of keeping it open overnight. 

On Wednesdays, most instruments available on Exness carry a triple swap to account for the weekend settlement, meaning swap fees for positions held overnight will cost three times as much. For larger position sizes or longer holds, swap fees can add up and impact potential profit, so knowing the costs in advance is valuable.

FAQ

Does the Exness calculator support all accounts?

Yes, you can select Standard, Pro, Raw Spread, or Zero account to see how spreads and commission fees change for the same trade.

Does the calculator show non-USD account currencies?

Yes, you can select your Exness account’s base currency, and the calculator will automatically convert all values, including pip value and margin requirement, into your account currency. 

Is the calculator available on the Exness Trade app?

Yes, you can find it in the Exness Trade app by opening a chart and tapping the three-dot menu at the top right. It’s also available on our website under “Tools”.

Does the calculator show real-time trading costs?

The calculator provides an estimate based on your account structure and historical averages. Because market spreads can widen, especially during high volatility or major news events, the actual cost of entry can only be determined at the moment of execution.