What is Spread?
The difference between the bid (sell) price and the ask (buy) price of a financial instrument — the broker's primary cost.
Spread is the difference between the bid (sell) price and the ask (buy) price quoted by a broker. It is the primary cost of trading on Standard / spread-only accounts. On EURUSD a typical Standard spread is 1.0-1.5 pips during liquid hours, widening to 2-3+ pips outside of London/NY sessions.
Spreads come in two flavors. Fixed spread brokers quote a constant spread regardless of market conditions; rare today and usually wider than variable. Variable / floating spread brokers quote the underlying market spread (which can be 0.0 pips during peak liquidity) plus an optional markup; standard at modern brokers.
ECN / Raw accounts charge near-zero spread plus a separate commission ($3-$7 per round-turn lot). The total cost = spread + commission, and that's what matters for comparison — not the spread number alone.