Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ActivTrades vs BDSwiss, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
ActivTrades and BDSwiss are both online brokers catering to those interested in trading various financial instruments. ActivTrades, established in 2001, holds two highly trusted Tier-1 licenses and an additional Tier-2 license, indicating a strong regulatory standing. This reflects in its Trust Score of 81 out of 99 on ForexBrokers.com, placing it in the "trusted" category. Despite not being publicly traded or a bank, ActivTrades has established itself as a reliable choice for traders over the years.
On the other hand, BDSwiss was founded in 2012 and has secured a single highly trusted Tier-1 license but lacks any Tier-2 licenses. With a Trust Score of 73 out of 99, BDSwiss falls into the "average risk" category according to ForexBrokers.com. Like ActivTrades, it is neither publicly traded nor a bank. While BDSwiss has attracted a significant user base, its regulatory profile suggests a moderate level of trust compared to ActivTrades.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2012 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
Comparing commissions and fees, ActivTrades and BDSwiss both earn 4 out of 5 stars in this category. In ForexBrokers.com’s Commissions and Fees rankings, ActivTrades places 29th out of 63 brokers, while BDSwiss is 31st out of 63. Both are competitive, but their pricing structures differ in ways that may matter depending on how you trade.
ActivTrades’ pricing centers on its Individual Account (with Professional and Islamic options), and spreads are the same across account types. There’s no active-trader or high-volume pricing tier. ActivTrades’ spreads are a bit better than the industry average; for example, the average EUR/USD spread was 0.98 pips in May 2024. As with any broker, actual spreads can move with market conditions and during rollover.
BDSwiss offers tiered choices: the Classic account shows about 1.5 pips on EUR/USD, the VIP account about 1.2 pips, and the Raw account quotes 0.3 pips plus a $5 commission per side (about 1.3 pips effective). On EUR/USD specifically, ActivTrades’ 0.98-pip average undercuts all three BDSwiss options, but BDSwiss gives traders the flexibility of commission-based or spread-only pricing.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10-$5000 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | 1.6 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 1.3 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
ActivTrades and BDSwiss both let you trade forex as CFDs or spot, and they each support cryptocurrency CFDs (but not actual coins). ActivTrades lists 1,267 tradeable symbols versus 1,081 at BDSwiss. When it comes to currency choice, BDSwiss offers 53 forex pairs while ActivTrades provides 49. Both brands offer copy trading, giving you the option to mirror strategies from other traders.
If you want exchange-traded shares, neither broker supports U.S.-listed stocks, but ActivTrades does offer access to international exchange-traded securities, while BDSwiss does not. For Range of Investments, both earn 4 out of 5 stars from ForexBrokers.com; ActivTrades ranks 32nd out of 63 brokers and BDSwiss ranks 35th. In short, choose ActivTrades if you value a bigger symbol count and access to international shares, or pick BDSwiss if a slightly wider set of forex pairs is more important.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 1081 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 53 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
ActivTrades and BDSwiss both make it easy to get started with a free demo account for paper trading. Each broker offers its own proprietary platform alongside MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), giving traders a choice of familiar and in-house options. You can trade on Windows desktop and through a web browser with either broker, and both support copy trading for mirroring strategies from other traders.
When it comes to tools, both brokers let you place trades directly from charts and provide watchlists and technical indicators to help with analysis. In independent reviews of Trading Platforms and Tools, both score 4 out of 5 stars. However, BDSwiss ranks higher overall in this category (#24 of 63) compared to ActivTrades (#32 of 63), which may matter if platform ranking is a deciding factor for you.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Comparing ActivTrades vs BDSwiss for mobile trading, both brokers offer iPhone and Android apps with similar tools. You can set price alerts for stocks or forex on each app, and both deliver solid charting with 30 built-in technical studies. Trendline drawing is supported on both, and your chart drawings auto-save. One notable limitation is that neither app syncs watchlists with your online account, so changes made on mobile won’t carry over to other platforms.
In terms of quality scores, both apps are rated 4 out of 5 stars. Looking at rankings from ForexBrokers.com, ActivTrades places higher at #19 out of 63 brokers, while BDSwiss comes in at #24. If you value a slightly better industry ranking, ActivTrades has the edge, but feature-wise these mobile apps are very close.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
ActivTrades and BDSwiss both deliver daily market commentary and an economic calendar. ActivTrades stands out with forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, and it includes a sentiment tool that shows the long/short split across instruments. BDSwiss doesn’t provide premium news or a sentiment gauge, but it adds well-known third-party research: Autochartist for pattern recognition and Trading Central for technical analysis. Neither broker offers TipRanks or Acuity Trading tools.
Both brokers earn 4 out of 5 stars for research. In ForexBrokers.com’s rankings, BDSwiss is #24 of 63 brokers, while ActivTrades is #31. In short: choose ActivTrades if timely news headlines and crowd sentiment are key; pick BDSwiss if you prefer automated chart patterns and independent technical analysis from Autochartist and Trading Central.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners, both ActivTrades and BDSwiss make learning straightforward. Each broker hosts client webinars at least once a month and offers 10 or more beginner-focused trading videos, helping you get up to speed on forex and CFDs. As you grow, both also provide 10+ advanced videos so you can keep building skills without switching platforms.
Both brokers earn 4 out of 5 stars for Education. That said, BDSwiss ranks higher in the Education category (#22 of 63) than ActivTrades (#38 of 63), which gives BDSwiss a slight edge for those seeking a more highly ranked learning hub. If you’re already leaning toward ActivTrades, you’ll still find plenty of beginner-friendly videos and regular webinars to get started.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that ActivTrades is better than BDSwiss. ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33, while BDSwiss finished with an overall rank of #36.
ActivTrades is a long-standing brand that offers a proprietary trading platform, ActivTrader, and support for the award-winning TradingView and MetaTrader (MT4 and MT5) platforms. ActivTrades also delivers a selection of custom add-ons, indicators, and trading tools for traders who prefer to use MetaTrader. Drawbacks for trading with ActivTrades include a smaller selection of tradeable symbols and fewer educational resources than what’s available from the best forex brokers.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
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BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 73 |
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In an online broker comparison, both ActivTrades and BDSwiss do not support buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but each provides access to cryptocurrency CFDs for trading.
Comparing funding options, ActivTrades supports Skrill and bank wire deposits/withdrawals but does not offer ACH or SEPA transfers or PayPal, while BDSwiss does support ACH/SEPA transfers; other payment method details were not specified.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | BDSwiss Review |
| Broker Screenshots | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
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| Regulation | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 81 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2012 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 1081 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 53 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | 1.6 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 1.3 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10-$5000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | BDSwiss Review |
| Overall | ActivTrades | BDSwiss | |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | BDSwiss Review |
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